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 education became a tool for the eradication of Mexican American culture and identity, and today the Chicano community's quest for a just and equitable education remains elusive. This book draws on a forum of scholars, teachers, activists, and students who met in Irvine, California, in April 1998. Themes include the historical development of Chicano education and the effects of language, segregation, Americanization, and resistance on that development. Following a foreword (Manuel N. Gomez) and introduction (Jose F. Moreno, Frank Garcia Berumen), the nine chapters are: "The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Racialization of the Mexican Population" (Martha Menchaca); "The Schooling of Mexicanos in the Southwest, 1848-1891" (Guadalupe San Miguel, Jr.); "Segregation and the Education of Mexican Children, 1900-1940" (Gilbert G. Gonzalez); "Chicana/o Education from the Civil Rights Era to the Present" (Dolores Delgado Bernal); "Politics Matters: Educational Policy and Chicano Students" (Gary Orfield); "Educational Testing and Mexican American Students: Problems and Prospects" (Richard R. Valencia); "Chicanos/as in the United States: Language, Bilingual Education, and Achievement" (Eugene E. Garcia); "Staying in the Race: The Challenge for Chicanos/as in Higher Education" (Patricia Gandara); and "150 Years of Chicano/Chicana Education: Intergenerational Platica" (transcript of dialogue among forum participants). (Contains references.) (SV)