Improving access to college for Latinos and other underrepresented minorities is a serious policy dilemma, particularly in states where they constitute large and growing numbers of the college-age population. Latinos as a group face numerous obstacles to college attendance, including a lack of knowledge about college and how to get there,…

In this special issue, we have sought to explore the strategies, programming, interventions, and policy decisions that institutions and communities use collaboratively as they attempt to cope with this educational crisis. Some of those strategies involve working with nontraditional constituencies such as parents or involve nontraditional and…

Using a theory of resiliency, this study provides a Chicana student's perspective of the role of parents in the development of college aspirations. Qualitative interviews with Chicana high school seniors shed light on the different ways these students perceive and come to understand the manner by which their parents influence and shape their…

Latino student dropout is a national concern that must also be addressed strategically in local communities. Although national studies are important for pointing out areas of concern, local studies can provide more specific information for local policy development and implementation. This paper presents an example of local community-initiated…

One of the most common misunderstandings about the composition of the teaching profession, and hence, educational administration, is that it is merely a professional choice: someone chooses to be a teacher rather than a business person, a lawyer, a food service worker, a nurse, a truck driver. In reality, many decisions are made for young people…

The prospects for colleges and universities becoming places where Hispanic students are engaged and integrated into the life of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are enhanced if college faculties become more diverse. For colleges and universities to become more diverse, a larger number of Hispanic students must enter…

A sample of 283 Hispanic children with literacy performance at entrance to first grade below the median for their school district was studied as part of a larger research project on the predictors of grade retention in grade 1. Following retention decisions, 51 Hispanic students were retained in first grade. Low literacy skills, being young at…

A randomized experimental test of the implementation feasibility and the efficacy of a culturally adapted Parent Management Training intervention was conducted with a sample of 73 Spanish-speaking Latino parents with middle-school-aged youth at risk for problem behaviors. Intervention feasibility was evaluated through weekly parent satisfaction…

Technologies such as videoconferencing used for distance education are creating ways for high schools to extend their learning communities to connect youth with professional communities of practice in ways that approximate the face-to-face interactions in traditional classrooms. These technologies are often touted as a way to augment course…

This study examines the extent sex and ethnicity play in perceptions that university students have of teacher credibility. Students were sampled at a university with a predominately Hispanic population. A multivariate effect was found for teacher ethnicity on perceptions of competence and caring, with Caucasian instructors rated higher than…

Reliability and validity of the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90-R) was investigated to determine if this instrument is appropriate for use with Hispanic college students. The sample (28 males, 177 females) consisted of 101 participants who identified as Anglo and 104 who identified as Hispanic (6 did not identify their ethnicity).…

The present study examined the prevalence, characteristics, beliefs, and demographic predictors of parent-child physical violence among South Asian, Middle Eastern, East Asian, and Latina women in the United States. Two hundred fifty-one college-educated women from a middle to high SES (South Asian/Middle Eastern, n = 93; East Asian, n = 72;…

This research examines the connection between physical abuse and social isolation. Using data from the National Youth Survey, a measure of self-perceived social isolation was constructed indicating the extent to which respondents feel detached from their friends and from school. Those who had experienced violence were predicted to be more isolated…

Objectives. This study was designed to adapt and validate a Spanish translation of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) for the assessment of positive life changes following the stressful experiences of immigration. Method. A cross-cultural equivalence model was used to pursue semantic, content, conceptual, and technical equivalence.…

Little is known about Hispanic teens' sexual knowledge, attitudes and behaviors and their relationship to media influences. Information about this relationship could contribute to an understanding of the early onset of sexual behavior and early teen pregnancy. This paper reports preliminary findings from a pilot project conducted to determine…