Students' attachment and academic engagement: The role of race and ethnicity

Students' attachment to school and their academic engagement are important, yet understudied, aspects of the educational experience. In their study, the authors examined whether students of different racial-ethnic groups vary in attachment and engagement and whether properties of schools (e.g., racial-ethnic composition) influence these outcomes over and above individual characteristics. Using multilevel models with a sample of youths from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, they found important differences across racial-ethnic groups in both attachment and engagement. The racial-ethnic composition of schools is an important factor in students' attachment but not engagement. Moreover, the extent of racial and ethnic differences in both outcomes varies across high schools. These findings are discussed in terms of the challenges facing racially and ethnically diverse schools.