"Fracturing Opportunity" demonstrates a simple yet profound idea--that educational opportunity is learned. And if it is learned, then it can be taught and taught more equitably. This book brings sociocultural theories of learning and development to bear on the persistent problems of inequality in college access, and presents an innovative…

While the task of defining and counting the Hispanic population is very complex and existing data is inconsistent, several trends emerge with implications for public education policy. Between 1970 and 1980, California's Hispanic population increased by 50% to 4.5 million, 19.2% of the state population, and is expected to increase to between 24.4%…

Personal narratives were analyzed to determine if a pattern would emerge in the lives of Tucson, Arizona's successful Mexican American adults who had grown up in a traditional barrio without benefit of inherited wealth. Participants in the study were nominated as successful by their peers. Nominees who agreed to participate were given a life…

The attitudes and expectations of five cooperating teacher-student teacher dyads toward students in two predominantly Mexican American schools were investigated. Data were obtained from participant journals, interviews, conferences, and classroom observations. This paper presents profiles of the dyads, with summaries of teachers' attitudes and…

This study addresses the basic question: What are the factors that influence the academic experience of Mexican children, and, to what extent do these factors result in deficits in student learning and achievement? The study was conducted over the course of 5 weeks throughout Mexico in the regions of Juarez, Chihuahua, Michoacan, Mexico, D.F.,…