Roberto Cruz, a Hispanic educator, discusses his educational experience; his first teaching assignment with minority students; academic and career expectations for Hispanics; and how these factors motivated him to found the National Hispanic University (NHU) (San Jose, California). Since NHU was founded in 1981, about 100 Hispanic students have…

This digest examines the interdependence of schooling, work, and family in the lives of Mexican American women. Mexican Americans have lower educational achievement than other Hispanic subgroups and the total U.S. population, although females do somewhat better than males. Hispanic students are overrepresented in classes for special education,…

This digest addresses factors that may influence college completion and academic success for Hispanic students, particularly Mexican American students, enrolled in community college and four-year institutions. Recent research suggests that institutional practices in high schools have much to do with the low postsecondary participation rates of…

The Latino population of the United States has grown dramatically in recent years, but Latino postsecondary participation and graduation rates have not increased. In 1998, only 7 percent of Mexican Americans (11 percent of all Latinos) held college degrees, versus 25 percent of the total U.S. population. This digest reviews the research on…

This report presents demographic data on California's Latino population. Data sources include census reports from 1980 and 1990; the 1990 Annual Demographic File; the 1990 and 1988 Voter Supplements; and the 1988 Fertility, Birth Expectation, and Immigration Study. The report includes the following information: (1) general demographic statistics…

This report examines factors that influenced low-income Mexican-Americans from homes with little formal education to achieve high academic status. Although over one third of students in California's public schools are Hispanic, only a small fraction of these students complete a university education. Fifty Mexican-Americans (30 men and 20 women)…

The year 1998 marked the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War, formalized the appropriation of half of Mexico's territory, and guaranteed Mexican-origin people in the appropriated territory the rights of U.S. citizens. The United States reneged on this promise almost immediately. Public…

Chicano school failure can be fully understood only when analyzed in the broadest political, economic, and cultural contexts. Objective economic and political conditions dynamically interrelate with schooling experiences to influence incidences of school success and failure. Any serious effort to reduce Chicano school failure must address the…