Author Description

A survey of ninth grade students in Toronto public schools is annually conducted to gather background information. The relationship of students' race, native country, mother tongue, family and socioeconomic status to their level of study is examined. The analysis of race shows 6.6 percent black,.9 percent Native Canadian, 14.6 percent of Asian descent, and 2.4 percent of South Asian descent. There appears to be an increase in the percentage of mothers from single parent families who are not working. There has also been an increase in the percentage of mothers employed in high income positions, both in families where both parents work and in mother-led families. There is a complex interplay of factors related to students level of study, but parents' occupation once again has the strongest relationship to the students' level of study. Data are also presented showing the relationship between level of study and race, level of study and family structure, level of study and region of birth, and level of study and whether or not English was a first language. (Author/PN)