Based on a San Antonio principal's experiences, this article outlines steps for building shared visions and empowering communities. Principals should reflect on their motivations; hire supportive staff; introduce community members; acquaint staff with community needs, characteristics, and key individuals; converse with community groups; select a…

Examined how the experiences of a Mexican immigrant para-educator translated into beliefs and teaching, using the "funds of knowledge" concept to consider her experiences as critical to teaching. Results indicated that she had markedly different experiences from mainstream educators, yet numerous factors worked against using them for…

Administered the Persistence/Voluntary Dropout Decision Scale and Cope Inventory to Hispanic two-year college students to assess the impact of coping style on college persistence decisions. Results identified how different types of persistence decisions among students were positively or negatively associated with specific dispositional coping…

Evaluates a social development model of psychosocial predictors of drug use in Anglo and Hispanic children and adolescents. Structural equation models reveal that patterns and predictors of drug use are distinct for each sub-group, by age and ethnicity. Later drug use was primarily associated with prior use, exposure to parental and peer models of…

This study examined first, the incidence of co-occurring forms of child maltreatment (sexual, physical, emotional, and witnessing violence) in 112 Latina undergraduate students and second, degree of student acculturation. Twenty-nine percent reported experiencing multiple forms of child maltreatment. Acculturation was not directly related to…

Although the number of hired farmworkers declined during 2001, their median weekly earnings increased 4 percent. Despite these gains, hired farmworkers are still one of the lowest paid groups and their family incomes did not increase. Nearly 46 percent of hired farmworkers were Hispanic, and more than half had not finished 12 years of school.…

This case study of a novice teacher used sociotransformative constructivism as the theoretical framework of the examination of the preservice year and first year of teaching. Presents insights into the issues and difficulties a beginning teacher of Anglo-European background faces working with predominantly Latino children in an impoverished…

Asserts that educators often provide a too-limited view of culture in exploring the life experiences of diverse racial groups within the curriculum. Provides data from an investigation of two Hispanic households, emphasizing the influence of socioeconomic status. Suggests that such an analysis provides a more complete understanding of students'…

Explored the relationship between familial factors and behavior outcomes in Latino adolescents using a youth development framework. Surveys of 446 youth within an urban community indicated that higher levels of parental monitoring and familial connectedness consistently related to less problem behavior involvement. Sociocultural encouragement…

Used multiple baseline design with four 6-year-old Latino children to train in class inclusion through counting, feedback, and verbal reinforcers, and in English language skills (of benefit in their own right), over 5 months. Found that post-intervention gains in the two domains were significant and were stable over at least 4.5 months. (KB)

Identifies institutions that are successful in sending Indian, Hispanic, and Black students on to graduate study in science and engineering. Reports on site visits and interviews at 10 of the top institutions. Identifies valuable threads among the practices for talent development among the populations under study. Presents an initiatives checklist…

Surveyed Latino students participating in a university Faculty Mentoring Program (FMP). Found that: (1) students experienced an increase in college self-efficacy and academic goal definition; (2) students with same-ethnic mentors perceived them as more supportive and reported greater program satisfaction; and (3) frequency of contact was…

Analysis of a dataset of 38,887 Spanish-speaking children aged 4-6 who took the Pre-Language Assessment Scales Espanol indicates serious concerns with test validity. The "non-non" label--nonverbal in both Spanish and English--may be an artifact of poor assessment. Policies requiring routine oral native-language assessment of…

In a primary English immersion class in California, a teacher resisted Proposition 227's mandated English immersion and the school's linguistic hegemony by blending English and Spanish during reading and writing activities. Hybrid literacy practices facilitated successful literacy acquisition in two languages for many students but did not meet the…

Used an ecological framework to examine predictors of delinquent behavior among Hispanic sixth graders. Student surveys assessed proximal and distal contextual factors. Overall, proximal variables such as peer and parental attachment did not contribute significantly to four aspects of delinquent behavior. Contextual factors accounted for a…