Background/Context: Since 2005, critical race theory (CRT) scholars have crafted educational pipelines that compare educational attainment across racial groups in the United States. These visual models offer concise pictorial narratives about the discrepancies that fall along racial lines, particularly the underperformance of Chicana/o/x students…

This essay contributes to the growing literature on Mexican American Studies in K-12 within the broader field of Ethnic Studies. While most of the literature on the movement for Ethnic Studies within Texas and across the nation mainly focuses on the impact of Ethnic Studies courses on students' academic success, this essay highlights a…

The protest against Arizona House Bill 2281 designed to ban Ethnic Studies from K-12 public schools on 12 May 2010 in Tucson resulted in 15 arrests. Students walked out of their classrooms in large numbers to defend their Mexican American Studies curriculum and program. Based primarily on participant observation of the protest, the authors examine…

This article provides an overview of the public school system in Mexico from early childhood to high school, and compares it with the American education system. It also identifies educational terminology and concepts unique to the Mexican system that can become possible sources of conflict and confusion for American educators. (Contains 7…

Students at Tucson High School in Arizona, part of Tucson Unified School District's highly successful Mexican American Studies (MAS) K-12 program, the largest in the nation, are taught Indigenous concepts, including Panche Be (seek the root of the truth), and the Aztec and Maya calendars. The author speaks to the students about the relationship…

New research on Chicano education from the perspective of Chicanos illuminates the struggle for equality and access. The establishment of community schools (escuelitas) by Mexican Americans in Texas was intended to preserve Mexican heritage and language as well as prepare children for bicultural existence. (SK)

Reviews investigations of McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities as applicable to Puerto Rican and Mexican American children. Information too limited to draw conclusions regarding Puerto Rican applicability. Scales show promise as intelligence test for Mexican Americans. Recommends further research, especially among special education students.…

Outlines the findings from a series of interviews examining Mexican attitudes toward learning and teaching English conducted in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1986. Includes five tables. (MD)

This report estimates the number of recent immigrant students that would enroll in Texas public schools as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and recommends educational strategies to address the unique needs of recent immigrants. Research approaches included a review of existing research on immigration trends and…

This digest provides a history of American bilingual education in Spanish from the late 1950's onward, to help educators serve Mexican American students. From 1958 to 1968 curriculum reforms influenced by the launch of Sputnik combined with an influx of Spanish-speaking immigrants from Cuba to effect development of bilingual programs in south…

A brief account of student experiences at the Spanish-American Normal School (Northern New Mexico Normal School) in El Rito, New Mexico, during the 1950s. Founded as a teacher training center in 1909, the boarding school later served elementary and secondary Hispanic students seeking an education not available in poor rural New Mexico communities.…

Although during the last two decades overt forms of discrimination against Mexican American students have become less common, today a variety of more sophisticated and powerful forms of prejudice are prevalent. They continue to damage school children psychologically and emotionally. The quest for equity in education must also become stronger and…

Two major problems exist in working with handicapped minority-group children: the handicap itself and the integration of language and culture into the curriculum. Classroom activities to help meet the special needs of the handicapped Mexican-American child are recommended. (PP)

Examines the myth that Mexican American children have poor academic achievement because their parents don't value education. Focuses on the myth's origins in "deficit thinking" and concepts of "cultural deprivation" and "at-risk." Examines evidence to the contrary: Mexican Americans' long struggle for equal…

Of the more than 2 million Spanish-surnamed students enrolled in the public elementary and secondary schools, more than 70% are located in the five Southwestern states of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, and of these more than 95% are Mexican Americans. However, in all five Southwestern states the proportion of Chicano…