This article describes a literacy project with fourth-grade Latino students in a bilingual U.S. classroom and provides some insights on the importance of encouraging children's uses of two languages for communicating, reading, and writing in the classroom. The author discusses the following implications: (1) Teachers should encourage their…

The literature provides ample evidence of the relationship of substance abuse to crime. Research over the last 20 years has established a strong correlation between substance abuse and juvenile delinquency (held, 1998). Currently, there are more than 350,000 juveniles on probation and in continuing care programs in the U.S. who have substance…

To explore school attachment in a group of rural Latino students in Minnesota, the data from 159 surveys given to students from 14 schools were analyzed. The findings indicate that students level of school attachment is increased by the frequency of attendance at community events and by the number of extracurricular activities in which students…

There has been longstanding concern about achievement differences across ethnic groups. Inattention is a significant factor associated with underachievement, and higher ratings of inattention have been found for some minority groups. The present study examined the relationship between inattention and achievement across Caucasian, African American,…

Maternal attributions and child neonatal status at birth were assessed as predictors of infant maltreatment (harsh parenting and safety neglect). The population included low-income, low-education families who were primarily Hispanic. Child maltreatment during the 1st year of life (N = 73) was predicted by neonatal status (low Apgar scores, preterm…

Hartnell College is an accredited California Community College serving Salinas and the Salinas Valley, a vast 1,000 square mile agricultural region. The district is characterized by large numbers of migrant workers and their families, chronically high unemployment, high rates of poverty, and low educational attainment. Hartnell's 10,000 students…

This paper describes a two-week cross-cultural immersion experience in the United States for preservice teachers attending a small liberal arts college in the Southeast. This immersion occurs early in their teacher training and is designed to positively affect preservice teachers' attitudes toward Latino students who do not speak English well. As…

When university Spanish programs integrate a service learning pedagogy into their curriculum, they establish mutually beneficial relationships with the local Latino population. Indeed, all participants benefit: College Spanish students deepen their learning experience, Latino students in public school ESL programs receive individualized tutoring,…

Building on prior Latino ethnic identity research, this study had three goals: describe age-related trends in ethnic identity among young adults, examine relations among ethnic identity and individual factors, and explore the impact of family and peer socialization on ethnic identity. The participants (two hundred 19- to 30-year-olds; mean age =…

Using an authentic assessment approach, two California State University, Fullerton, faculty members developed instructional strategies in support of an assignment that requires students to situate their families within a historical framework. We describe our efforts to provide students with the research skills to successfully complete the…

This study focuses on college students of Latina/o heritage - one of the fastest growing college student groups, but with a slowly increasing graduation rate. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between university-based mentoring experiences and Latina/o students' perceived comfort in the university environment.

This article introduces a combination of approaches based on multicultural interventions and sociopolitical themes that provide interventions for working with Latinos with substance abuse problems. The purpose of the article is to view multimodal interventions, multicultural approaches, and humanistic counseling from a genetic perspective. It is…

The current investigation examined the relationship of ethnic identity and spiritual development. The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (J. Phinney, 1992), Spirituality Ends Measure (B. Fiorito & L. Ryan, 1998), and Spirituality Means Measure (B. Fiorito & L. Ryan, 1998) were administered to 198 male and female college students from 4…

As an economist, Dr. Ronald F. Ferguson often applies quantitative analysis to public policy dilemmas, which yields data models and quantitative measures of complex issues. In tackling the racial achievement gap, the Harvard-based social policy expert has added investigation techniques from sociology and psychology to explore what might seem a…

Children of immigrant parents often are asked to language broker, translating documents and face-to-face interactions, for their parents and other adults. Many individuals continue to language broker as adults for their parents and other relatives, despite their adult status and living away from home. Twenty Mexican American college students…