Black, Hispanic Students Cite Problems in Their Schools

African-American and Hispanic teenagers are more likely to say serious academic and social problems exist in their schools than are their white peers, a survey has found.

Interviews with more than 1,300 adolescents, conducted by Public Agenda, a New York City-based public-policy group, yielded a picture of middle and high school that is often more bleak for students of color.

“If an adult had to work in an environment where disrespect, bad language, fighting, and drug and alcohol abuse were practiced by a relative few, but tolerated or winked at by management, it might be considered a ‘hostile workplace,’ ” wrote Jean Johnson, a co-author of “Reality Check 2006, Issue No. 2: How Black and Hispanic Families Rate Their Schools,” which...