Presents an overview of the educational needs, problems, and aspirations of the second largest and fastest growing nonmetropolitan minority group in the United States. Condensed from "The Education of Nonmetro Hispanics," Rural Development Research Report Number 31 of the USDA Economic Research Service (September 1981). (Editor/SJL)

Cites statistics characterizing the growing problems faced by students, such as violence, drug use, declining trust, and cheating. Summarizes the contributions of this issue's articles with regard to the influence of early experience on aspirations, and observes that surveys and interview techniques can enrich understanding of the problems and…

Data that were collected at various times during the period 1952-1971 were brought together to portray some of the important norms that guided the attitudes and actions of high school and college students in Washington. Family culture and delinquency data collected from 3,242 high school students in 1957, 1958, and 1959 dealt with teenage…