Since the early 1990s, the majority of school-aged children in Texas have been non-White. The 1995 Texas legislature authorized the use of cumulative voting in school districts as a result of lawsuits prompted by the underrepresentation of minority groups on school boards. In cumulative voting, each voter has a number of votes equal to the number…

This report describes economic, social, and political characteristics of the lower Rio Grande Valley with implications for the educational system, and presents preliminary findings on how south Texas schools are integrating new immigrant Mexican students. The lower Rio Grande Valley comprises four Texas counties and northern Tamaulipas, Mexico.…

In fall 1997, students in a Social Science Research Methods class developed and administered a survey questionnaire to assess the degree of stress experienced by students at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU). Located in Laredo, TAMIU serves communities along the Texas-Mexico border. The student body includes many older students who…

An on-going study of the performance of high-poverty schools in Texas is revealing entire school districts where such schools are achieving high academic results. Instead of isolated pockets of excellence, a few large and medium-sized districts have been identified in which a cluster of high-poverty schools is achieving at the top levels of the…

In 1992, the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) published standards that can be used as guidelines for preparation of bilingual multicultural teachers. A survey of 22 beginning bilingual education teachers, graduates of Texas bilingual teacher education programs, examined their preservice preparation in relation to NABE standards.…

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund's program to increase participation of minority and women junior faculty members in advanced study and research in education resulted in numerous accomplishments by the program's three scholars-in-residence. Dr. David Jess Leon (1979-1980) produced a major publication, "The Struggle for…

Biased assessment instruments and practices can lead to over-representation of minority children in special education classes. This paper analyzes the amount of variance in Mexican-American achievement test scores attributable to sociocultural factors. Fifty learning disabled Mexican-American elementary school students completed the Peabody…

A study investigated 261 Mexican American mothers' estimations of their preschool children's cognitive performance. Existing literature on parental estimations was reviewed. The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) were administered to 107 boys and 154 girls, ranging from 32 to 75 months of age. The children's mothers were then asked how…

Although California's 106 Community Colleges' mission to accept any student who can profit from instruction and to provide transfer programs and vocational, continuing, and community education invites the non-traditional student to benefit from college education, the Community College students' success is not guaranteed because of the low quality…

Until recently, the Chicano was strongly influenced by the Mexican cultural tradition that looks on the school as an institution where decisions regarding his children were not to be questioned. The teacher's word was law and children were expected to be respectful, obedient and hardworking. It was unthinkable to go to the school to question their…

A five-year program, part of the Experimental Schools Program in the Edgewood Independent School District, in San Antonio, Texas, was designed to improve the school performance of its predominantly bilingual Mexican American primary grade students by improving the attitudes of beginning students. Program changes to reverse students' anticipated…

The 283 materials cited in this bibliography are chiefly on Chicanas in the United States. However, books or articles that discuss Mexicanas or women in general and can be related to the experiences of Chicanas are also cited. Areas covered include the arts, education, sociology, economics, history, health, and literature. The materials are…

Current demographic statistics indicate that a nation within a nation is emerging; Mexican Americans, numbering 12 million in 1978, must be dealt with educationally, economically, socially, and politically. Approximately 42% of Mexican Americans are under 18 years old. Hispanic students form the largest ethnic minority population (34%) in the Los…

This collection of fact sheets and mini reviews deals with various problem areas in Mexican American education. "Mexican Americans in Higher Education" identifies the major factors (primarily money and language) which affect low enrollment and high attrition of Mexican Americans in institutions of higher learning, and suggests that…

The Chicano Movement acts as a revitalization movement for involved individuals. Revitalization occurs when an individual perceives himself as part of a broader group, becomes aware of the problems confronting the group, and decides to do something to rectify the situation. This process begins with a crisis situation which overcomes the…