Racial and SES Differencesin School BehaviorRonald F. Ferguson, Ph.D.Faculty Co-Chair and Director of the Achievement Gap InitiativeLecturer in Public Policy and Sr. Research AssociateWiener Center or Social PolicyJohn F. Kennedy School of Government2ndAnnual Conference of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard UniversityJune 19, 20063632221933241715252311 112320890510152025303540Black Hispanic White AsianMiddle School Males High School MalesMiddle School Females High School FemalesPercent responding, “somewhat true,” “mostly true,” or “totally true,” that, “My behavior is a problem for the teacher in this class.”05101520253035409 12141618 9 12141618Male FemaleBlacks WhitesMale FemaleMother’s Years of SchoolingPercent responding, “somewhat true,” “mostly true,” or “totally true,” that, “My behavior is a problem for the teacher in this class.”0102030405060709 12 14 16 18 9 12 14 16 18Male FemaleBlacks WhitesMale FemaleMother’s Years of SchoolingPercent responding that at least sometimes, “People would probably describe my behavior style as ‘ghetto’.”Percent within each race/ethnic group selecting each response to, “My friends think it’s important to work hard to get high grades.”MALESMALESNever UsuallyNotSome-timesUsually Always26.2 17.211.014.618.231.230.3Asian(n=220)7.7 7.7 31.8 35. 5 100%RowTotalBlack(n=1095)7.6 12.2 36.8 100%White (n=2776)8.3 13.7 35.8 100%Hispanic(n=562)6.8 13.4 35.1 100%Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 6thto 12thgraders collected spring 2005 from 17 secondary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, MA and CA.Percent within each race/ethnic group giving each response to, “My friends think it’s important to work hard to get high grades.”FEMALESFEMALESNever UsuallyNotSome-timesUsually Always30.1 18.819.418.428.337.127.4Asian(n=184)2.2 4.4 23.4 41.8100%RowTotalBlack(n=1088)5.9 10.0 35.3100%White (n=2732)3.9 8.1 31.6100%Hispanic(n=624)3.7 11.5 38.9100%Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 6thto 12thgraders collected spring 2005 from 17 secondary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, MA and CA.Who are black youth trying to be?What gives them self esteem? i.e.,:1. “On the whole, I am satisfied with myself.”2. “I feel that I am a person of worth, at least on an equal basis with others.”3. “I take a positive attitude toward myself.”-0.8-0.6-0.4-0.200.20.4D-Range C-Range B-Range A-RangeBlack Males Black FemalesWhite Males White FemalesSelf-Esteem, by GPA for black and white Middle School Students-1-0.8-0.6-0.4-0.200.20.4D-Range C-Range B-Range A-RangeBlack Males Black FemalesWhite Males White FemalesSelf-Esteem, by GPA for black and white High School Students-0.5-0.4-0.3-0.2-0.100.10.20.30.4Never NotUsuallySometimes Usually AlwaysBlack White Hispanic AsianSelf-Esteem for male and female teenagers, related to whether rap or hip-hop music is “always” “usually,” “sometimes,” “usually not” or “never” “an important part of my life.”Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 6thto 12thgraders collected spring 2005 from 17 secondary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, MA and CA.-0.4-0.3-0.2-0.100.10.20.3Never NotUsuallySometimes Usually AlwaysBlack White Hispanic AsianSelf-Esteem for male and female teenagers, related to whether rock music is “always” “usually,” “sometimes,” “usually not” or “never” “an important part of my life.”Source: Calculations by Ron Ferguson, using Tripod Project data for 6thto 12thgraders collected spring 2005 from 17 secondary schools in NJ, CT, OH, NM, MA and CA.-0.8-0.6-0.4-0.200.20.40.6D-Range C-Range B-Range A-RangeBlack Males Low HipHop Black Females Low HipHopBlack Males High HipHop Black Females High HipHopSelf-esteem, by GPA and by whether Hip-Hop music is “usually or always” “an important part of my life,” for black teenagers.Bottom line:There are very few racial differences in the belief that working hard to get high grades in school is important. However, there may be social pressures and lifestyle patterns that differ by race in ways that favor the accumulation of reading and math skills by white and Asian, as compared with black and Hispanic children. The politics of addressing these issues openly in a white supremacist society may be difficult, but they are important to engage, even as we work also to address the more structural forces that remain important impediments to equality.Chat on Computer10%Trusts Peers, Even if Strangers24%Leisure Reading4%Has Other-Race Friends3%GPA0%Speaks Proper English25%Listens to Rock Music34%Why black high school students with “A”-range GPA’s agree somewhat more than black students with “C”-range grades with the statement that, “At this school, students like me get accused of acting white.” Percentages of the predicted difference attributable to each listed