In Head Start, family service workers facilitate the process for guiding and assisting families in securing services needed for specific family issues regarding health care, housing, employment, education, and/or crisis management. These services were particularly important to families following Hurricane Charley and the subsequent recovery…

The 15th Anniversary of the Los Angeles riots serves as an impetus to continue efforts in addressing how institutionalized theories, norms, and practices in schools and society lead to social, political, economic, and educational inequalities. The challenges of school inequalities continue to be chronic and remain unresolved through traditional…

This historical study examines some of the possible reasons that a large portion of Mexican American children do not succeed in the public school system in California, exploring the background of the language issue. Parental factors, socioeconomic status, and self-perceptions are three factors related to failure among Mexican American children in…

In fall 1992, a study was conducted at Evergreen Valley College (EVC) and San Jose City College (SJCC), in California, to measure the persistence rate of fall 1988 developmental English students (ENGL 330 at EVC; ENGL 335 at SJCC) through transfer level English (1A) over 4 academic years. Results of the study included the following: (1) of the 152…

In fall 1992, a study was conducted at Evergreen Valley College (EVC) and San Jose City College (SJCC), in California, to measure the persistence rate over 4 academic years of students with no previous college experience who entered into a fundamentals of reading course (English 321) and an introduction to college reading course (English 322) in…

A study was conducted at Evergreen Valley College (EVC) and San Jose City College (SJCC) to determine persistence rates over 4 academic years for students with no previous college experience who entered arithmetic (Math 310), beginning algebra (Math 12), and intermediate algebra (Math 13) courses in fall 1988. The study sought to determine…

As part of an effort to increase the recruitment of minority students in two-year colleges, a study was conducted to determine barriers and facilitators to minority student recruitment, focusing on African-American, Asian-American, Mexican-American, Puerto-Rican American, and American Indian students. Questionnaires were mailed to all 1,173…

This chapter examines the current state of research and knowledge about the Chicano dropout problem. In 1986, in every age group, dropout rates were higher for Chicanos than for Whites or other ethnic or racial groups. National dropout rates have improved slightly for Hispanic and Mexican-origin populations since 1980 but remain more than twice as…

Although the special education system has become a central institutional mechanism for addressing school failure and low achievement, it is a system unresponsive to the needs of Chicano students. Despite the severity of problems of school failure for Chicano students, interactions with the special education system have largely been characterized…

Since the fall of 1979, over 50% of the student population at Hudson County Community College (HCCC), in New Jersey, has attended on a full-time basis, with 62% of fall 1994 students attending full-time. This characteristic makes HCCC a deviant case among community colleges where the nationwide average of full-time enrollment status is only 36%. A…

The story of Alejandro Juarez, Jr., a Mexican American youth, and his family's experiences in the parochial and public schools of Chicago (Illinois) portrays the problems that bilingual and bicultural children and their parents face. A further dimension was added by Alejandro's learning problems, which further complicated an already complex and…

In recent years the Dominican population has been the fastest growing ethnic population in New York City, now comprising the second largest Hispanic group. This study reviewed 1980 and 1990 U.S. Census of Population statistics to present a picture of the economic lives of Dominicans and suggest ways to improve their status. The income of…

This research report presents data on the socioeconomic status of the Dominican population in New York City using the 1980 and 1990 U.S. Census of Population. The analysis includes a discussion of demographics, labor market outcomes, poverty, and household economic status, among other variables. The income of the Dominican population is one of the…

St. Augustine College (SAC), in North Carolina, has undertaken four studies to gather data on factors related to student persistence, transfer, and withdrawal from the college. In the first study, graduating students from June 1990 to December 1992 were surveyed to determine influences on their decisions to transfer to a university. Three major…

By the year 2000, one in three persons in the United States will belong to a minority group. This booklet aims to help adult educators promote awareness, understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of the cultural diversity of the five major cultural groups in the United States: American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asians and Pacific Americans,…