The articles in this volume document an educational situation which underserves Chicanas/Latinas and contributes to an unraveling of women's power to perform creative functions in society. The lack of research on this topic only serves to hide the problem which threatens to undermine the educational success of a major percentage of Chicana/Latina females. How data are collected, how students are tested, and, most important, how success is defined are issues addressed by the contributors to this volume. Without these types of investigations and discussions, the gender- and ethnic-specific dimensions of the problem will never be articulated fully. Chapter 1, "Prologue," includes the following articles: (1) "An Assessment of the Status of the Education of Hispanic American Women" (A. R. Del Castillo, J. Frederickson, T. McKenna, and F. I. Ortiz); and (2) "Institutional Responsibility in the Provision of Educational Experiences to the Hispanic American Female Student" (M. L. Jaramillo). Chapter 2, "Context and Critique," includes the following articles: (1) "The Interdependency of Educational Institutions and Cultural Norms: The Hispana Experience" (A. R. Del Castillo and M. Torres); (2) "Toward Understanding the Educational Trajectory and Socialization of Latina Women" (R. E. Zambrana); and (3) "The Nexus of Class, Culture and Gender in the Education of Mexican American Females" (J. D. Vigil). Chapter 3, "High School and Beyond Revisited," includes the following articles: (1) "Retention of Hispanic American High School Youth" (T. B. Hoffer); and (2) "Achievement and Educational Aspirations among Hispanic Female High School Students: Comparison between Public and Catholic Schools" (V. Lee). Fifteen tables, 8 figures, and 33 references are included. Facts and figures on Hispanic Americans, women, and education are appended. (JS)