A structural model of school learning was tested to examine both direct and indirect influences of previous grades, quality of instruction, motivation, quantity of instruction, and homework on Hispanic-American eighth-grade students' academic achievement, while controlling for background variables. The model was analyzed with path analytic techniques using a sample of 2,721 eighth grade students from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). The achievement of Hispanic-American students was strongly influenced by previous grades, motivation, quantity of instruction, and homework. The most influential background variables were family background and English proficiency, while gender had a small but meaningful influence, indicating that boys do better than girls on achievement. These results support both the variables tested and the framework derived from school learning theory. An appendix describes the NELS:88 items and composites, and two tables and two figures illustrate the discussion. (Contains 50 references.) (Author/SLD)