This report examines preschool and early primary education in the Chicago (Illinois) public schools, and its impact on disadvantaged minority children. Statistical data were gathered by a survey of 196 kindergarten teachers. For comparison, the survey was also sent to kindergarten teachers in Wilmette (Illinois), a Chicago suburb. Part 1,…

The problems confronting Latinos (or Hispanic Americans) in the Chicago area today, with particular emphasis on housing and job opportunities, are the subject of this report. A brief history of Latino settlement in Chicago is followed by a discussion of selected Latino socioeconomic characteristics in 1980. Residential distribution, residential…

Comprising 15.6% of the city population and 8.7% of the metropolitan area population in 1979, Hispanics are becoming a major segment of the labor force in Chicago. Based on ethnic composition data for 163 area elementary schools in 1970 and 1979, numbers of Mexicans and South and Central Americans are rising while the population of Puerto Ricans…

This study examined young mothers' experiences with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), noting whether changes in the TANF application process for teens were needed and whether the Illinois Department of Human Services was effectively engaging teens in the TANF system. Working with community-based organizations around Chicago,…

This study investigated leadership development among immigrant Latino parents of children with disabilities. Nineteen members of grassroots organizations in the Chicago area participated in the study. Naturalistic inquiry was used as the research approach that included a combination of inductive and deductive analysis. The inductive analysis…

A study was conducted to assess the values presented in American and Hispanic-American children's readers. The categories of primary interest on the value scale used include: positive behavior, positive feelings, negative behavior, negative feelings, traditional values, Judeo-Christian religious values, other religious values, and neutral values.…

A descriptive analysis of changes in the racial and ethnic composition of the Chicago public school student population since 1970 was conducted. Data were drawn from annual reports prepared by the staff of the board of education. During the decade of the 1970's, the public school enrollment dropped by 119,182. This decrease was due primarily to a…

This report describes Chicago's Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA), which has long worked to mobilize neighborhood residents to maintain and improve the quality of community life and bring additional resources and services into the neighborhood. LSNA prioritizes the needs of low- and moderate-income residents. LSNA works to make schools…

Twenty-five freshman Hispanic girls at Bowen High School in Chicago were motivated and encouraged to continue their education and explore various career goals. Methodology involved a highly personal interaction with the program worker. Three groups were formed--two were conducted in English and one was conducted in Spanish. Project goals were to…

A comparison of the racial composition of parent, community, and teacher representatives elected in autumn 1989 to Local School Councils (LSCs) in Chicago to the racial/ethnic mix of the populations they represent indicates significant racial disparity on a city-wide basis. Statistical data were analyzed from 503 of a total of 540 schools (about…

Testimony concerned: (1) problems a high-risk, low-income mother had in receiving prenatal care; (2) dimensions of the infant mortality problem in Chicago, Illinois; (3) programs of the Illinois Department of Public Aid (IDPA) that address the problem; (3) the need for the IDPA to design a plan to implement SOBRA (the 1986 Sixth Omnibus Budget…

This report analyzes data provided by the Chicago Public School System, Illinois on Latino majority schools, noting implications for the Latino community. Data come primarily from school year 2000-2001 and include 140 elementary schools and 16 high schools. Findings describe the composition of the Latino majority according to student enrollment,…

A study of enrollment patterns in five major metropolitan areas, that reveals barriers impeding Black and Hispanic access to two- and four-year institutions, is discussed. Causes of shrinking access include segregation in schools, increasing college costs, inadequate assistance to unprepared students, and lack of commitment to equal opportunity.…

The Children and Adolescent Pregnancy Project is a Chicago (Illinois) school-based intervention that serves pregnant teens (most either African American or Hispanic) who are either very young or have mild to moderate mental retardation. Outcome data indicate that serving these two groups together is an effective and developmentally appropriate…

Discusses the history of school desegregation efforts in Chicago from the 1964 Civil Rights Act to the present. Suggests that the concept of "uniform incorporation" of all citizens in society is being replaced by the goal of "egalitarian pluralism" (Pierre van den Berghe's categories) by Chicago's Black and Hispanic leaders.…