Reveals that, among a low-income Latino population, parents who participate in school choice programs share significant characteristics. These include mother's education, high parental involvement, and higher education expectations. Characteristics remained the same for parents choosing private or public schools. (MJP)

Reports the findings of a survey of school library media centers in eight large urban areas with large enrollments of Hispanic children that was conducted to determine the availability of Spanish language literature. Highlights include media specialists and support staff; holdings; budget; book selection process; and library events and activities.…

Describes the characteristics and needs of first-generation college students at Miami-Dade Community College and the applicability of an academic support program at Wolfson Campus for recruiting and retaining African-American and Hispanic students who may be the first in their families to attend college. (DMM)

A total of 196 Latino bilingual students in grades 4, 6, and 8 were asked to give the Spanish equivalent for English words, some of which had derivational and inflectional suffixes. The results indicated that the students' ability to translate cognates increased with age above and beyond any increase in their vocabulary knowledge in Spanish and…

Research suggests that use of a child's native language in initial literacy instruction is beneficial. The Descubriendo la Lectura (DLL) Spanish-language application of the English Reading Recovery Program is described as implemented for one Spanish-speaking first grade boy. The DLL program capitalizes on strengths children demonstrate in reading.…

Community involvement is conceptualized as a typology of the following processes of social change: (1) conversion; (2) mobilization; (3) allocation of resources; and (4) instruction. The effects of these forms of involvement are considered in a review of 13 evaluations of programs for disadvantaged youth involving the community. (SLD)

Explores the use of ability grouping as a guideline for educational decision making. Ability grouping is often detrimental because it may foster segregation and poor teaching and lower students' self-esteem. Some studies demonstrate a slight positive effect on achievement. Higher ability students may derive more academic benefit from grouping.…

The study tested a structural equation model of community college enrollment patterns of White and Hispanic males and females and the invariance of parameter estimates among subgroups. High school preparation in mathematics and science (M/S), M/S attitudes, M/S enrollment patterns, parent education, encouragement, and high school grades were…

Because problems are studied more often than possibilities, educators tend to report bad news. Some studies that bring good news for education are reviewed in a call for more balanced reporting and the assertion that trust and confidence are the basics in effective education. (SLD)

Investigates the situations surrounding, and events involved in, the United States's massive western land acquisition from Mexico in 1845 and 1848. Presents a challenging, thorough, and insightful lesson plan that includes numerous background materials, learning activities, maps, and handouts. (MJP)

A study of 545 academically underprepared undergraduates found that attitudes were predictors of later grade performance, that academic background was more important than attitudes, and that initial learner characteristics did not predict grade performance similarly for each ethnic group (Hispanic, Asian-American, African-American, White). The…

This article, based on a larger, autoethnographic qualitative research project, focuses on the first-hand experiences of 27 faculty of color teaching in predominantly White colleges and universities. The 27 faculty represented a variety of institutions, disciplines, academic titles, and ranks. They identified themselves as African American,…

This study describes the meaning of program quality for a representative group of parents of children enrolled in public prekindergarten programs. Educators often conceptualized quality in terms of structural or process indicators; parents most often cited teacher experience and relationship to children. Families, like educators, emphasized…

We present a review of an after-school program that has been running at Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York for the past 5 years. The program is unique among after-school activities for high school students in several ways. First, it deliberately focuses on students who do not excel in science and math courses and…

Responses to Life Satisfaction Scale for Problem Youth (LSSPY) items were examined in a sample of 193 substance abusing and conduct disordered adolescents. In responding to the LSSPY, youth endorse their percentage of happiness (0 to 100%) in twelve domains (i.e., friendships, family, school, employment/work, fun activities, appearance, sex…