FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACHIEVEMENT AND ADJUSTMENT OF YOUNG AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN

Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) were used t o examine factors related to the achievement and adjustment of African American children in the early elementary grades. All African America n children between the ages of 6 and 9 years for whom data were availa ble in the NLSY were included in this study (N = 378). Consistent with past research, there was a positive relation between the number of ri sk factors children were exposed to and the probability that they were experiencing academic or behavioral problems. Favorable outcomes in t he cognitive and social-emotional domains (i.e., scoring in the top qu artile for this sample) were associated with high scores on an ''advan tage index.'' The need for more research on successful African America n children is discussed.