Reviews a book that analyzes the 1970s political takeover of the Crystal City (Texas) school board, city council, and county offices by radical Chicano activists; district-wide establishment of maintenance bilingual education; internal and community divisions that followed; and eventual abandonment of the innovative programs. Points out the links…

A study of bilingual third-graders beginning formal English literacy in a whole-language classroom found that students improved in reading abilities and comprehension, as assessed through miscue and retelling analysis; writing results were mixed; and holistic assessment of overall writing abilities did not show improvement. Students' uneven…

Describes the Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico Rural Systemic Initiative (UCAN RSI), which aims to improve and integrate science, mathematics, and technology education for the primarily Native American and Hispanic students of the Four Corners region. Discusses UCAN RSI's focus on community engagement, cultural sensitivity and relevance, and…

Language policies targeted at schools, such as California's Proposition 227 and Arizona's Proposition 203, are often based on rash assessments of public opinion or personal biases, with no consideration of long-term consequences for heritage-language speakers. Excerpts from interviews with over 100 Spanish speakers reveal how harsh English-only…

Traditionally, school personnel have expressed concern about the relatively poor record of involving Hispanic parents in schools. The root of the problem is that many immigrant and migrant Hispanic parents cherish beliefs and expectations different from those held by schools and by the parents whom schools most frequently engage. This chapter…

This newsletter contains seven articles about meaningful participation by parents, particularly Hispanic and other minority parents, in the education of their children. "Parents Reclaiming Their Schools: New Initiative Brings Parents Together for Better Schools" (Aurelio M. Montemayor) describes objectives and activities of a Texas-based…

The Parent Leadership Training Program was developed to promote academic success among at-risk children, specifically, Mexican Migrant children. It attempted to help parents learn how to be effective partners in their children's academic and developmental growth. The program provided a series of meetings to help families understand the schools and…

This bibliography of 369 new titles in the Coleccion Tloque Nahuaque contains materials for and about Hispanic Americans, particularly Mexican Americans. The largest subject divisions are literature with 70 titles, history with 61, economics with 44, and education with 27. Other subject areas include animal husbandry, anthropology, art, arts and…

Careful reading of proverbs can aid an individual to develop self-awareness by providing insights into what one cultural group considers desirable human behavior. Respect for the elderly can be taught to the young through the study of proverbs. Through their proverbs, the Mexicans reveal their friendliness, love of animals, sense of humor, and…

In order to understand teachers' perceptions of their school, students, and community, a questionnaire was administered to 125 teachers in the Canutillo (Texas) school district and 25 teachers in the adjacent Anthony (Texas) school district. The questionnaire elicited information of teachers' perception with regard to content knowledge, classroom…

Blacks and Mexican Americans do not attain the levels of education enjoyed by whites. There are two possible explanations for these differences: (1) either the process of educational attainment varies across ethnic groups, or (2) if the process is invariant, whites start with social advantages not shared by blacks and Mexican Americans, and thus…

Because Hispanics are the fastest growing minority in the United States and are projected to become the largest minority during the 1980's, the education system must be more responsive to their needs. Fewer Hispanic children enroll in school than do non-Hispanics, many of them fall behind in school, and they have higher attrition rates than…

Organized under a 1943 Federal grant and later constituted as a state agency, the Good Neighbor Commission of Texas is charged with coordinating the work of Federal, state, and local government units in improving travel and working conditions of migrant farm workers. A basic responsibility is surveying conditions and determining problem areas…

It is important that the culturally different pupil be distinguished from the "culturally disadvantaged" student. Different does not necessarily mean disadvantaged; the mono-cultural orientation of schools in the United States has perhaps needlessly created educational disadvantages for all pupils. The reaction of educators to the problems of…

In this collection of 40 articles concerning Mexican Americans in the United States, the study reports and essays (by both Anglos and Mexican American authors from many disciplines) provide an array of viewpoints about Mexican American education, prejudice and discrimination, economics, family, religion, social and political behavior, health,…