As the Latino population increases nationally, educators must develop the work ethic among their Latino students to meet the requirements for student achievement. This case study examined if teachers' perceptions of the Latino population affected the academic motivation of their Latino students at a low-income, primarily Latino high school in…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship in the percentage of enrolled students receiving special education services to the high school graduation rates of the campus and students in sub-group (White, African American, and Hispanic) populations. Educators are faced with concerns regarding special education and high school…

Undocumented students have fought for the ability to attend institutions of higher education, but research has often overlooked their experiences outside of the classroom. Weaving together Freirean critical pedagogy and photovoice to create a type of advocacy participatory action research, this project followed eight undocumented Latina/o…

There is gap in passing rates on the standardized science assessment between European American and Hispanic American students. The purpose of this study was to examine student performance in science and the closing of the achievement gap between European American and Hispanic American students based upon receipt of an inquiry or noninquiry…

Presented at the Advanced Placement Annual Conference (APAC) in Las Vegas, NV in July 2013. This presentation reviews new research examining the AP® experience of Hispanic graduates over the past decade. Topics include an in-depth look at the AP Spanish Language and Culture gateway hypothesis and trends in family characteristics such as parent…

With the recent influx of Latinos into the United States, it is essential to understand how their backgrounds and cultures will affect the way they view their children's emotional, social, and educational development. Researchers continue to evaluate the psychometrics of various screening instruments in order to ensure a reliable and valid…

This paper addresses the question of how to interpret evidence on the impact of full-day kindergarten resulting from different study designs, and provides guidance on how this evidence taken in tandem may inform the design and implementation of full-day kindergarten policies. Incorporating both experimental and quasi-experimental estimates on…

This study applies the construct of institutional agents and the associated theories of social capital and social networking to understand the influence of institutional agents on Latino undocumented community college students who qualify for tuition equity in California under AB 540. The purpose of this study was to identify the issues these…

The purpose of this quantitative study is to measure the effectiveness of alternative certification teachers versus traditionally trained teachers of 9th grade Hispanic students enrolled in Algebra I. The dependent variable, teacher effectiveness, will be measured by the students' raw score on the Texas Algebra I End Of Course (EOC) Assessment.…

On December 11, 2013, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) released graduation rates for the State of Florida and the School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC). In FY2012, the FDOE accountability system began using the Federal Graduation Rate, which is a more rigorous standard than the National Governors Association (NGA) rate used…

This study examined differences in minority status stress, impostor feelings, and mental health in a sample of 240 ethnic minority college students. African Americans reported higher minority status stress than Asian Americans and Latino/a Americans, whereas Asian Americans reported higher impostor feelings. Minority status stress and impostor…

Located just southeast of Fresno in California's Central Valley, Sanger Unified School District (USD) serves approximately 12,000 students in 20 schools. Sanger USD students are predominately from low-income families (73%); most are Latino/a (70%), and about one in five (18%) are English learners. During the accountability era of No Child Left…

This article draws on data from a larger collective case study which focused on the transition to college for Latino/a students at a prestigious, public, predominantly White institution. Here, I focus on one student and analyze interview and field note data to examine this transition for Jasmine, a fundamentalist Christian who identifies as a…

Previous research has examined the relationship between parental expectations and student academic performance. However, less attention has been given to the role of different parental pressures in students' achievement during their first semester of college. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of perceived parental expectations…

In some settings, medium of instruction (MOI) policies in multilingual education break out into public debates in mass media involving politicians, business leaders, government officials, parents, and school children. These public discussions of MOI often index struggles over the distribution of political power and economic resources, and issues…