Uses data from focus groups with Latina and Alaska Native college students to examine how the quality of their public education affected their later college achievement. Students reported arriving at college unable to perform college work. They used college labs and developmental classes to enhance their skills. Students experienced bias, racism,…

Provides school-based practitioners with an understanding and appreciation of how one Latino (Puerto Rican) community's natural support systems played an influential role in helping families and communities collaborate with schools. A set of guiding principles is presented along with a discussion of strategies and barriers to success. (SLD)

A 3-year ethnographic study of middle-school students in a two-way bilingual program found that Mexican-background students learned to value English over Spanish at school. The hidden curriculum, instructional practices, and assessment policy devalued the students' native linguistic cultural capital compelling them to use English in the classroom…

Identifies the unwritten Spanish language policy in the United States by historically analyzing the different roles that Spanish has had throughout U.S. history. The paper shows how Spanish has been used for the benefit of the Spanish- and English-speaking elite but restricted (or forbidden) as a socioeconomic tool and symbol of identity for less…

A qualitative study of four Chicano high school students involved in a range of disciplinary actions revealed students' feelings of alienation, substantive differences in student and teacher perceptions of misbehavior, student perceptions of injustices in rule applications, poor classroom management and instructional techniques, the basis of…

Surveys and interviews compared school-related attitudes and activities of 47 Spanish-speaking parents who received training in parental involvement strategies with 84 who did not. The group receiving parent liaison training participated more frequently and in a wider variety of school-related activities. (Contains 40 references.) (Author/TD)

Evaluates the impact of education policy initiatives on academic achievement and educational equity for Latino students, particularly bilingual learners. Examines the impact of California's Proposition 227 and concurrent laws regarding promotion and retention and approaches to literacy instruction. Suggests that the impact of state and federal…

Presents cases of four Latino middle school students who gained home Internet access for the first time in connection with an educational technology project set in an urban public school in Detroit. Investigated how the students and their families perceived and used the Internet as a tool for education, recreation, and socializing. (Author/LRW)

Describes the facts and legal basis of federal court decisions in "Zelman v. Simmons-Harris," a case before the U.S. Supreme Court to determine if Cleveland's school voucher program violates the Establish Clause. Discusses the possible educational, legal, and political consequences of the Court's decision. (On June 27, 2002, the Supreme…

Used discrete-time survival analysis technique to examine whether, and at what age, a national sample of 3,624 children first entered a childcare center. Found that after controlling for household-economic factors, the household's social structure and mother's language, childrearing beliefs, and practices predicted probability of selecting…

Does varsity sports participation impart valuable skills? Using height as a participation instrument, a study of High School and Beyond data shows that sports participation negatively affects white male students' educational attainment, positively affects black male students' educational attainment and earnings, and positively affects white female…

One hundred twenty-eight Latina and African American girls from high-risk environments (e.g., poverty, family history of teen parenting, etc.) were studied from age 13 through age 19 to prospectively identify the protective factors that might guard against teenage pregnancy. Results indicated that involved and strict parenting during early…

More than a decade ago, no one held out much hope for the poor, immigrant children at Kennedy Middle School. Nobody thinks that now. This article presents how Kennedy Middle School transformed and beat all the odds to be a "school to watch." In many ways, Kennedy Middle School has become a model of middle-grades improvement. Test scores,…

Every year, more colleges and universities become Hispanic-serving institutions. These institutions, whether public or private, two-year or four-year, find themselves in the position of serving high numbers of Latino students. They encounter opportunities for unique learning environments, access to special funding, and the potential to be…

This chapter presents an overview of the demographic shifts occurring in the United States and discusses the associated rapid increase in the number of community college students from diverse racial backgrounds. Profiles of two community colleges offer examples of timely responses to emerging majority students' academic, economic, and social…