This paper examines the political meanings of language in the USA, from the perspectives of both majority- and minority-language groups, and focuses especially on Mainstream US English, African-American Vernacular English, and Spanish. It briefly traces the history of language policy in US education and argues that because language serves as a…

This document consists of all of volume 6 (26 issues) of the serial "The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education," a biweekly journal which addresses issues in higher education for Hispanic Americans. Each issue presents four feature articles, a policy update called "Outlook on Washington" and several opinion pieces. Feature…

Questions related to underrepresented groups' access to postsecondary education and their experiences while in college are fundamental to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunities for all students. Some researchers have viewed community colleges as important in giving access to students who might not have the academic ability for the…

This report shows that the face of the Puerto Rican population in the United States has changed dramatically in recent years. The analysis is based largely on data from the 1980 and 1990 Censuses of Population, but it is supplemented by other sources. The number of Puerto Ricans in the United States has increased from close to 2 million in 1980 to…

This document is an introduction to a larger manual on the Pac-TEC project. The Pac-TEC project organizes educational reform around the problem statement that mathematics, science, technology, and engineering education is not inclusive of all thinking and learning styles, and therefore is not addressing the present and future needs of the…

The purposes of this literature search were to document the need to increase the number of minority teachers in the nation's elementary and secondary schools and review recommendations for designing a teacher education model to meet that need. Community colleges have proven to be the most successful institutions for helping Blacks and Hispanics…

Intended as a tool to help bring the issue of technology and the education of Hispanic Americans to a practical and positive resolution, this pamphlet is divided into four sections. The first provides background information on and a summary of the proceedings of a one and one-half day seminar held in June 1986. The second section contains…

This issue reviews national demographic trends in school segregation, summarizing research findings. Though the national debate on school segregation emphasizes blacks and whites, present-day school segregation includes segregation by socioeconomic level, ethnicity, and native language. The research study examined features of the ecology of…

In many areas of education, Chicanos and Latinos have the lowest achievement and attainment of the major ethnic groups in the United States. In contrast to various deficit theories, this book argues that the Hispanic educational experience and outcomes can only be understood in relation to the development of U.S. and global capitalism and the…

This report examines North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg public school system (CMS) and assesses its failures and achievements. Though the proportion of students who chose CMS over private and charter schools has decreased from 95 percent in the 1970s, it still remains over 80 percent. Enrollment for exceptional, and poor children and children…

In the 50 years since "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka" formally desegregated public schools, there has been enormous progress in the academic success of African Americans, particularly in high school completion, improved test scores, increased college enrollment, and attainment of advanced degrees, as well as full access to and…

Describes experiences of Hispanic Americans with respect to the civil rights enforcement system. Suggests some goals to help ameliorate problems that Hispanic Americans face, and explains why human rights professionals should help turn these goals into programs and policies and address the enormous discrimination faced by Hispanic Americans. (SLD)

Discusses and illustrates some of the systemic obstacles that youth, particularly urban African-American and Latino youth, confront, focusing on the dynamics of Puerto Rican families and youth. Information on health and housing; elementary school, secondary school, and higher education; and unemployment and the labor force is presented. (SLD)

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "Chance Favors the Prepared Mind": Report Finds that Students in the Highest-Achieving States Score As Well…

"The Opportunity Gap" aims to shift attention from the current overwhelming emphasis on schools in discussions of the achievement gap to more fundamental questions about social and educational opportunity. The achievement gap looms large in the current era of high-stakes testing and accountability. Yet questions persist: Has the…