Surveys distributed to more than 7,000 students in the greater New York metropolitan area asked the teenagers about their school experiences, among other questions.
Students have a variety of experiences in school. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (strongly agree, disagree, agree, or strongly agree)
My culture is respected in my school.
Everybody at my school has an equal chance of getting into the hardest classes.
My school is not as good as it should be in providing equal educational opportunities for students of color.
Standardized tests, like the Regents or the HSPT/HSPA, are good measures of what I have learned in school.
I understand most of the material I am asked to read for school.
My school has prepared me as well for college as any other student in the United States.
I care a lot about my clothes and how I dress in school.
I care a lot about my grades.
Sometimes I don't voice my opinion because I worry that my friends or classmates will criticize me.
People in my school are comfortable talking about race and inequality.
I think a lesbian or gay student would feel comfortable and equal in my school.
Standardized tests, like the Regents or the HSPT/HSPA, could prevent me from graduating from high school.
Attending a school that is "mixed" or integrated by race and ethnicity is very important to me.
Sometimes I just can't relate to the curriculum that is taught to me.