This publication provides examples of diverse local initiatives that represent approaches to serving young people, particularly disadvantaged African Americans and Latinos. This report includes a forward emphasizing the background and current need for the types of programs highlighted, and an introduction that argues for the effectiveness of…

El Arco Iris is a supplementary pre-school program for Hispanic 4- and 5-year-old children and their parents. The Brownsville (Texas) Independent School District operates the program. Ninety-five percent of the kindergarten children in this district begin school speaking little or no English and median family incomes are among the lowest in the…

In its third year, Project CELSIM (Career Education and Learning Strategies Implementation Model) of the New York City Public Schools served 282 Hispanic high-school students with limited English proficiency. The project provided students with English-as-a-Second-Language and Native Language Arts instruction, bilingual instruction in content area…

A study examined the effectiveness of using whole language strategies to increase the reading skills of minority developmental reading students. Subjects were students (mostly at-risk Hispanics) assigned to a higher-level or lower-level college reading course. The treatment period lasted 12 weeks. Classwork varied among the five classes and…

A study investigated the reliability, validity, and sensitivity of Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) reading (which relates reading fluency to reading comprehension) with bilingual Hispanic students. For 10 weeks, 50 second-grade bilingual students and 26 students who spoke English only were administered CBM reading measures twice weekly.…

This paper describes an effort to find ways to respond to the challenges of supporting student and faculty diversity by providing data about the experiences of Latino undergraduates at the University of Michigan. Data were collected from a random sample of 73 Latino undergraduates and a comparison group of 24 non-Latinos. The Latino group…

A recent report from Rand, a think tank in California, titled "The Trend in Inequality among Families, Individuals, and Workers in the United States" by Lynn A. Karoly confirms that the gap between the haves and have-nots is widening and that the middle class in the United States is shrinking. Latinos have been particularly hard hit.…

A practicum was designed to provide a program for a small group of fifth- and sixth-grade Hispanic girls to develop their awareness of nontraditional career options, gender role stereotyping and decision-making skills. This program was offered in an elementary school located in the suburbs of a major southwestern city. Self-esteem, assertiveness,…

Painting a picture of the hostile environment in which racial and linguistic minority children live, this paper proposes how educators can become combatants against educational failure that is corrupting the futures and talents of millions of children of color. The paper focuses on the four federally recognized minorities--Latinos, African…

Presenting state demographic data from the 1990 Census, this report provides information on the characteristics of Oregon residents 16 years and older who lack a high school diploma or equivalent and are not enrolled in school. The first part of the report provides a discussion of methodology and results and indicates that data were gathered from…

A study examined dropout data from the 1980 Census and the October 1980, 1982, 1984, and 1985 federal population surveys to assess differences in the dropout and delayed schooling rates for males and females; Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics; and various age groups from 16 to 34. Principal findings include the following: the dropout rate for all…

This report focuses on ethnic enrollment percentages at major urban institutions for fall 1984 and 1986. Information is also provided for selected urban and land-grant universities in the southeast United States and for Atlanta, Georgia, area institutions. The data consist of enrollment information gathered for the Office of Civil Rights every 2…

This study examined the effect of school attendance, use of English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) services, and language spoken at home on Hispanic students' performance. The academic performance of 101 Hispanic first graders in intensive, regular, and bilingual programs was measured by standardized test scores in reading and mathematics, and report…

The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations held a public hearing to examine the effects of poverty on the hundreds of thousands of low income Blacks and Latinos under the age of 18 residing in Los Angeles County (California). The Commission's findings, recommendations, and concerns are presented. The following findings are presented: (1)…

This issue focuses on Latin Americans and the media, with emphasis on portrayal of the Latin American in United States mass media. "Puerto Ricans and the Media: A Personal Statement" (B. Vasquez) recalls the author's experiences as a young girl in the New York City public schools and in an urban college. The critical importance of the…