PROCEEDINGS OF A 1967 TEXAS CONFERENCE ON IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEXICAN AMERICANS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT. SPEECHES, COMMENTARIES, A PAPER, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND RESOLUTIONS ILLUSTRATE THE STATED GOALS OF THE CONFERENCE--(1) TO IDENTIFY AND DEFINE BARRIERS FACED BY MEXICAN-AMERICANS IN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES IN TEXAS, (2) TO…

The thesis briefly analyzed the laws of the State of Texas and of the United States which directly affect the education of Texas Mexican Americans. The legal-political history of "Chicano" education in Texas was traced from the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 to August 1971. The educational "problems" of…

The Futures in Quality Education Workforce (FQEW) program provides current teacher aides and school secretaries an alternative pathway to becoming credentialed teachers. Offered by the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College in conjunction with 12 local school districts, the program offers alternative coursework and…

A study examined the characteristics of successful schools along the Texas-Mexico border, where high percentages of students were Mexican American, came from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and had limited English proficiency. Three elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools were selected on the basis of the following…

An innovative English and Spanish instructional program for grades six through eight in a south Texas district integrates language and content areas, uses both languages, implements literacy strategies typical of elementary programs, accommodates varying Spanish and English proficiency and limited prior schooling, and employs Mexican teachers as…

Select student interns from Indiana University spent 6-15 weeks teaching in schools of the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas. An ethnographic study explored ways that cross-cultural teaching experiences affected cross-cultural awareness, self awareness, attitudes toward culturally relevant teaching, understandings of bilingual education, and…

This newsletter includes five articles on gender equity and related issues in education, with particular reference to the education of Hispanic girls. "IDRA's MIJA Program Expands" (Aurora Yanez-Perez) describes a program for sixth-grade Hispanic girls that promotes awareness of science- and math-related careers, provides training in…

This report focuses on Hispanic American culture in the schools of the lower Rio Bravo Valley (Texas) through impressions and descriptions of the interrelationship of school and community. School culture is defined as reflecting the shared characteristics and uniqueness of the community cultures around the school. The school cultures of the Valley…

To ascertain enrollment/access, retention/attrition and completion/achievement rates for Hispanic and non-Hispanic male and female students enrolled in institutions of higher education, previously-collected data available at national, state and institutional levels were compared. Data from two universities and two community colleges in each of two…

The relationship between Mexican American power and federal funding being tapped for bilingual education by Texas school districts was examined through data from the 1970 Census and the Texas Education Agency's Division of Bilingual Education and information from two key Mexican American advocacy organizations. Although state legislatures, courts,…

Argues that the primary reason for Mexican American students' low academic achievement was the agrarian belief system, shared by both Mexicans and Whites, that valued children's labor in the fields more than in the school house. (SM)

This newsletter theme issue includes six articles on improving math and science education, particularly for poor, Limited-English-Proficient (LEP), and female students. "Effective Math and Science Instruction--The Project Approach for LEP Students" (Joseph Vigil) describes how hands-on science projects can increase student motivation,…

A study examined the beliefs and attitudes of Mexican-trained educators regarding instruction for minority and language minority students in light of assumptions that students experience better outcomes with culturally and linguistically compatible teachers. Fifteen educators who received their teacher education in Mexico, and whose native…

This study documents the struggles and successes of three Mexican American teachers over a 40-year period in the Alice Independent School District, Texas. In order to focus on the construction of the subjects' identity as Mexican American teachers, the interviews were transcribed and categorized into themes: parental influence, school experiences,…

A South Texas survey conducted in 1975 investigated the reading performance of Mexican American students enrolled in a bilingual program to determine whether or not students achieved significantly different reading scores on parallel Spanish and English versions of an appropriate test (Guidance Testing Associates Inter-American Test of Reading).…