While the national high school graduation rates for culturally and linguistically diverse students have increased in the last five years, less than half of these students transition from high school to postsecondary settings. In this article we share the lessons learned from nearly a decade of college access and career readiness efforts by a…

This case study describes a library outreach effort to university staff members employed by the campus child care center. Authors planned an instructional session to introduce child care staff members to library resources, focusing on the curriculum collection as a source of supplemental materials for classrooms. Surveys were administered before…

Engaging families and communities in physical activities for the benefit of children is an extension of the role of a physical education instructor. Although it is possible for a physical educator to generate ideas that encourage families and communities to move, a certified director of physical activity (C-DPA) would be better trained to…

Adult education services, including education for those lacking basic literacy and numeracy, preparation for the high school equivalency diploma, and English-as-a-second-language courses, play a crucial role in bridging the basic skills gap for Latinos and other workers with limited formal education and training. With recent policy and program…

In the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District has achieved a startling success over the last two years: it has recovered and graduated over 600 dropouts and put them on a clear pathway to college. Just a few years ago, low graduation rates, struggling high schools, and poor staff and student morale…

This article describes how Texas' Closing the Gaps initiative pays close attention to the demographics of its growing minority communities. West Texas A&M administrators created the University Success Academy (USA) in 2004, which was largely funded through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's First Generation College Student (FGCS)…

This article describes a model program called EXITO which was developed to help elderly Hispanics in Natalia, Texas, make use of health and social services that they had not previously taken advantage of because of low income, language and cultural differences, and geographic isolation. (EB)

The first section of this guide about literacy programs in Texas features background information about literacy, including a definition of literacy; literacy statistics; a fact sheet about literacy in the United States; developmental stages of literacy; Kohl's four stages of literacy; characteristics of successful programs; barriers to and methods…

Examines results of a field study investigating the ability of the Texas Special Olympics'"Athletes for Outreach" program to enhance the communication skills and the perceived social competence of participant with mental retardation. Validates the relevancy of the "Athletes for Outreach" program for Special Olympics Texas and…

For young people who have dropped out of school, are out of work, or lack connections to family or other caring adults, there are often no easy answers. Their hopes for a better life are frequently no different than those harbored by their more advantaged peers, but their path to adulthood is rendered more difficult by tangled combinations of…