Reasons that Mexican American children have difficulty learning to read include: (1) Learning to read and learning a new language simultaneously is difficult; (2) Mexican American students experience alienation in the school culture; (3) Low self-esteem contributes to the inability to read; and (4) Certain minority groups do not expect as much of…

Parents of high-achieving and low-achieving Mexican American fourth and fifth graders had similar beliefs about the importance of education and similar expectations for their children's educational attainment. Parents of high achievers were more likely to be upset by mediocre grades, to feel that they could help their children succeed, and to…

In the early 1900s, a central theme in many books and scholarly works about Mexico and Mexicans was the transnational "Mexican problem"--the innate political and cultural backwardness that prevented Mexico's development and modernization. These works greatly influenced both U.S. policy toward Mexico and educational policies aimed at…

As a student in the Chicana/o studies program at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), Jesse S. Arrieta decided that her classroom instruction about the culture and history of people of Mexican origin wasn't enough. Arrieta, 27, who graduated from UTEP in 2002 before earning a master's in American history from the University of California,…

Describes a cost effective nontraditional recruitment program at California State College, Stanislaus, which trained college freshmen to recruit Mexican American students in the high schools they had attended. Response to the program was positive, and erased some stereotypes of Chicano students. (JAC)

Examines mathematics instruction and its intersection with culturally relevant teaching in an elementary/middle school in a Mexican American community. Proposes a model of culturally relevant mathematics instruction with three components: (1) building on students' informal, cultural, and experiential knowledge; (2) developing critical thinking;…

After a sharp increase in fatal accidents among Hispanic construction workers in Dallas, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began aggressive outreach to the Mexican American community. Efforts included training bilingual safety trainers, offering workers' safety training in Spanish, and developing Spanish-language materials.…

A professor giving a lecture/performance on Native American history to Mexican American second-graders wrestled with the limits of what he could tell the children about their own Native American identity and about Our Lady of Guadalupe's origin as Native goddess. The relationship between postcolonial scholarship and performance theory is explored…

Reviews an ethnography of the life experiences in home, school, and community of 14 Mexican American immigrant children as they struggle with acculturation processes. Argues that the authors fail to achieve an "ethnography of empowerment" that puts theory into practice and improves the living conditions of its subjects, and that this notion is…

Studies characteristics of Mexican-American tenth graders to identify factors making some academically successful, despite adverse sociocultural backgrounds. Examines protective resources and environmental roles for apparently "invulnerable" students. Identifies academic aspiration, support networks, and students' positive assessments of…

Surveyed middle school principals in port-of-entry communities along Texas-Mexico border regarding preferred preparation experiences and education of potential preservice teachers. Obtained demographic data regarding teachers, students and schools, and improvement suggestions for state teacher-education programs. Found that principals preferred…

Critiques contemporary efforts to reform Chicano education, premised on "affirmational" education (use of cultural role models to reinforce self-concept) and "reformational" education (increased minority participation in educational institutions). Proposes a "transformational" education encompassing a bifurcated…

How does a history of discrimination and marginalization affect Chicanos' perceptions of schooling? This article offers a brief analysis of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo as an instantiation of a historical metanarrative of colonialism. Using a critical theoretical framework, the article explores the destructive impact of this narrative on…

Reviews the status of Hispanic education, examines studies of Hispanic students, describes major finance and governance issues in Hispanic education, and explores theoretical models of internal colonialism as a means of understanding the condition of Hispanic education. Proposes a research agenda for Hispanic education. (Author/SB)

Discusses current constraints on Chicano Studies programs: limited Chicano enrollment, poor retention and graduation rates, scarce Chicano faculty, and weak faculty support for Affirmative Action. Reports on operations of 38 Chicano Studies programs and their responses to these problems. Contains 20 references and 13 tables. (SV)