Showing papers in "Journal of Latinos and Education in 2010"
TL;DR: In this article, a qualitative study grounded in critical inquiry and cultural-ecological theory explores barriers to academic achievement for Latino English language learners (ELLs) in rural school districts in the Rocky Mountain region.
Abstract: This qualitative study grounded in critical inquiry and cultural-ecological theory explores barriers to academic achievement for Latino English language learners (ELLs). Parents and teachers were purposefully selected from a rural school district in the Rocky Mountain region to participate in focus group interviews. Findings included barriers related to communication gaps; culture clashes; poorly articulated ELL plans; lack of teacher preparation in multiculturalism, language acquisition, and ELL instructional strategies; and a lack of support systems for families transitioning to a new environment and culture. Recommendations address systemic planning, professional development, ELL program articulation, parental involvement, and culturally responsive support for families.
148 citations
TL;DR: The authors conducted a study with 11 Latina/o college students in order to provide insight into how these students develop a sense of resilience, and five factors from J. H. McMillan and D. F. Reed's (1994) concept of resiliency appeared to play an important role in these students' high academic achievement: high educational goals, support and encouragement from parents, intrinsic motivation, internal locus of control, and high self-efficacy.
Abstract: This study was conducted with 11 Latina/o college students in order to provide insight into how these students develop a sense of resilience. Five factors from J. H. McMillan and D. F. Reed's (1994) concept of resiliency appeared to play an important role in these students' high academic achievement: high educational goals, support and encouragement from parents, intrinsic motivation, internal locus of control, and high self-efficacy. Recommendations for future research are offered, and implications for practice are presented.
118 citations
TL;DR: Delgado-Gaitan et al. as mentioned in this paper emphasized that the history of Latino students in education has been marked by the discrimination of the linguistic and cultural characteristics of the students.
Abstract: Concha Delgado-Gaitan, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2004, 141 pages, $28.95 (paperback). The history of Latino students in education has been marked by the discrimination of the linguistic and ...
94 citations
TL;DR: The authors consider the possible pitfalls of uncritically framing dual-language programs within the global education movement in the United States, especially in light of how this new framing will affect the educational opportunities and experiences of Latino/a students throughout the country.
Abstract: In this commentary, we extend the cautionary tales regarding dual-language programs raised by several scholars by considering the interface of such programs with global education. We consider the possible pitfalls of uncritically framing dual-language programs within the global education movement in the United States, especially in light of how this new framing will affect the educational opportunities and experiences of Latino/a students throughout the country.
66 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the high school experiences of four Oaxaqueno/a students in a northern California agricultural city and found that their ethnic/linguistic identities are sources for discrimination at school.
Abstract: To date, research on immigrant Latino students has neglected to fully explore the school experiences of immigrants from Oaxaca, a community that has historically experienced economic, political, social, and cultural oppression in Mexico and now in the United States. Drawing from formal and informal interviews and observations, I examine the high school experiences of 4 Oaxaqueno/a students in a northern California agricultural city. Analysis of the Oaxaqueno/a students' experiences illuminates the contradictory messages of “unwelcomeness” received from the school's welcoming practices. The students' accounts also shed light on how their ethnic/linguistic identities are sources for discrimination at school.
47 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored the parents' motivations for the goal of preserving the Spanish language and Latino cultural values for their children in an urban California school district post Proposition 227 and found that approximately half had placed their English-learner children into bilingual classes.
Abstract: Latino immigrant parents were interviewed in an urban California school district post Proposition 227. Approximately half had placed their English-learner children into bilingual classes. The others had children in English-only classes. Guided by sociohistorical psychology, the study explores the parents' motivations for the goal of preserving the Spanish language and Latino cultural values for their children. The analysis examines how the social context of local communities and parents' experiences with bilingual education may have influenced their attitudes toward heritage preservation. Policy implications are suggested.
46 citations
TL;DR: In 2007, the presidents and chancellors of Hispanic-serving institutions identified five challenges that their institutions will face as the end of the first decade of the 21st century approaches as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In 2007, the presidents and chancellors of Hispanic-serving institutions identified 5 challenges that their institutions will face as the end of the first decade of the 21st century approaches. Almost 8 of 10 respondents listed lack of funding as the most important challenge. The 2nd most important issue was the poor academic preparedness of students, and the 3rd was student retention/success. The 2 other challenges identified were faculty and affordability, in that order. Given projected increases in the enrollment of Hispanics and the budget deficits many states will face in the next few years, challenges will probably continue.
39 citations
TL;DR: The authors used the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 and logistic regression analyses to present a profile of the factors linked to participation in school-based extracurricular activities among Latino 10th-grade students.
Abstract: Participation in school-based extracurricular activities influences educational success. Thus, it is important to depict a profile of school-based extracurricular activity involvement for a Latino student population that is marginalized in schools. This research uses the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 and logistic regression analyses to present a profile of the factors linked to participation in school-based extracurricular activities among Latino 10th-grade students. Results indicate that geographic characteristics, as well as immigration-related characteristics such as immigrant generational status and English proficiency, are pertinent factors in Latinos' participation in school-based extracurricular activities.
35 citations
TL;DR: This paper examined the relation between Latina mothers' reported at-home practices regarding school preparation and their children's literacy skills and found that mothers' practices in the social rather than academic domain were positively associated with children's early school achievement and their literacy skills in the spring of kindergarten and children's classroom engagement partially mediated these relations.
Abstract: Few studies have examined the link between children's early school achievement and parents' at-home practices exclusively among Latino groups. This study examined the relation between Latina mothers' reported at-home practices regarding school preparation and their children's literacy skills. Participants included 56 kindergarten children and their mothers from the School Transition Study. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that mothers' practices in the social rather than academic domain were positively associated with children's literacy skills in the spring of kindergarten and that children's classroom engagement partially mediated these relations. Implications for building supportive partnerships among Latino families, teachers, and schools are discussed.
29 citations
TL;DR: This article analyzed the process of school participation among migrant parents who participated in a community-based adult education program and found that the participants' own process of self-actualization and specific programmatic features that promoted educational and attitudinal changes that affected children's schooling.
Abstract: Children from migrant agricultural families have some of the lowest socioeconomic and educational indicators in the American Southwest, and migrant parents are often characterized by school personnel as “hard to reach” and uninvolved in their children's education. This study analyzes the process of school participation among migrant parents who participated in a community-based adult education program. It examines the participants' own process of self-actualization and the specific programmatic features that promoted educational and attitudinal changes that affected children's schooling. The data indicate the emergence of beneficial, assertive interactions between parents and school personnel that improved schooling for migrant children.
28 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored the use of dichos, or popular sayings in the Spanish language, as tools that may have the potential to enhance school-home communication, given their authenticity as constructs of the Latino culture and their prevalence in everyday oral discourse for transmission of values and beliefs.
Abstract: Culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies for family involvement are essential to ensure successful home–school partnerships. This article explores the use of dichos, or popular sayings in the Spanish language, as tools that may have the potential to enhance school–home communication. Given their authenticity as constructs of the Latino culture and their prevalence in everyday oral discourse for the transmission of values and beliefs, dichos should facilitate communication with Latino Spanish-speaking families. The article provides examples of ways in which schools can use dichos to promote behaviors supportive of children's literacy development at home.
TL;DR: In this paper, a qualitative study of four white female elementary school teachers working in an urban school district populated by primarily Mexican American students was conducted. And the authors examined the perceptions, beliefs, and life experiences of white female teachers and the practices they bring to their classrooms.
Abstract: This research project is a qualitative study of 4 White female elementary school teachers working in an urban school district populated by primarily Mexican American students. The data were collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and documents. This study examines the perceptions, beliefs, and life experiences of White female teachers and the practices they bring to their classrooms. An important component of this study is an attempt to understand not only pedagogy but also how White, middle-class, female teachers have come to see their role in social justice as it relates to equity and excellence for all children.
TL;DR: The authors examined the ethnic identity of Cuban American and non-Hispanic White college students at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida and found that students from both ethnic groups are in the midst of transculturation, or exchanging cultural traits.
Abstract: This study examines the ethnic identity of Cuban American and non-Hispanic White college students at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida. Current Latino/a and White college student ethnic identity theories are limited regarding a variety of contextual considerations such as immigration, majority-minority demographics, student ethnic interactions, and interethnic differences. This study finds that Cuban American and non-Hispanic ethnic identities at FIU are unique particularly because individually, students from both these ethnic groups do not fit in exactly their respective general ethnic categories. Additionally, students from both ethnic groups are in the midst of transculturation, or exchanging cultural traits.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors use 31 oral histories from a multi-generational Mexican American family to describe their ethnic identity and school experience in relation to race and class, and propose that schools start at the top to improve Latino educational attainment by identifying LGC early for placement in advanced tracks and by providing consistent access to quality academic and career counseling.
Abstract: Research on Latinos in schools tends to focus on first-generation immigrant and second-generation students. This article raises the profile of the later-generation (third or later) Chicano (LGC) or Mexican American students who continue to experience academic neglect despite their citizenship and English monolingualism. Using 31 oral histories from a multi-generational Mexican American family, this paper describes LGC ethnic identity and school experience in relation to race and class. I propose that schools “start at the top” to improve Latino educational attainment by identifying LGC early for placement in advanced tracks and by providing consistent access to quality academic and career counseling.
TL;DR: Scollon and Scollon as mentioned in this paper report on a teacher education program's preparation of bilingual paraeducators during a period of conflicting educational reform of structured English immersion in Massachusetts.
Abstract: This article reports on a teacher education program's preparation of bilingual paraeducators during a period of conflicting educational reform of structured English immersion in Massachusetts. Drawing on nexus analysis of discourses (R. Scollon & S. W. Scollon, 2004), we discuss factors faced by Latino educators. These include competing discourses, historical institutional inequities, and boundaries circumscribing the interactions between university and communities. Through the use of a participant's text as a re-semiotized means of representing the new potentials that bilingual paraeducators bring to the field of teacher education, “cultural bumps” emerge and directions for teacher education are presented.
TL;DR: Duncan-Andrade and Morrell as discussed by the authors make critical pedagogy come up with critical pedagogies, and they also propose a pedagogical model for critical pedAGogy.
Abstract: Jeffrey M. R. Duncan-Andrade and Ernest Morrell (Eds.), New York: Peter Lang Press, 2008, 224 pages, $29.95 (paperback). Jeffrey M. R. Duncan-Andrade and Ernest Morrell make critical pedagogy come ...
TL;DR: A retrospective account of the evolution of the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program shows how English learners and students of diverse cultural backgrounds were marginally considered throughout the development of the California Standards for the Teaching Profession and BTSA induction development, implementation, and evaluation.
Abstract: A retrospective account of the evolution of the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program shows how English learners and students of diverse cultural backgrounds were marginally considered throughout the development of the California Standards for the Teaching Profession and BTSA induction development, implementation, and evaluation. In 1999, BTSA induction began to address the needs of students of linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds in a specialized program. The Riverside, Inyo, Mono and San Bernardino BTSA Project received state funding to establish the BTSA English Language Learner Pilot Project. But despite demonstrated success, this pilot project was not adopted by the state.
TL;DR: In this article, a qualitative case study explores the political debate that surrounded North Carolina's House Bill 1183, also known as Access to Higher Education and A Better Economic Future, and the lessons learned by bill supporters about planning and initiating controversial policies.
Abstract: This qualitative case study explores the political debate that surrounded North Carolina's House Bill 1183, also known as Access to Higher Education and A Better Economic Future. This bill would have made undocumented students eligible for in-state tuition at North Carolina's colleges and universities. This article discusses the political debate, the advocacy groups involved in the debate, the strategies used by the supporting and opposing organizations, the factors study participants believed contributed to the defeat of the bill, and the lessons learned by bill supporters about planning and initiating controversial policies.
TL;DR: This article used a hierarchical multiple regression equation that included Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) reading percentile rank as the criterion variable to examine factors predictive of successful 4th-grade 2nd language reading.
Abstract: To examine factors predictive of successful 4th-grade 2nd language reading, I used a hierarchical multiple regression equation that included Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Reading percentile rank as the criterion variable. The equation tested 5 predictor variables: English language proficiency, years of U.S. schooling, and 3 informal reading inventory scores. The full regression equation indicated that the composite predictor variables accounted for 35% of the variance in TAKS Reading percentile rank, English language proficiency and years of U.S. schooling accounted for 25% of the variance, and English language proficiency accounted for 13% of the variance. Pedagogical implications are discussed.
TL;DR: The authors explored the nature of instruction provided to Latino English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities, and used the teacher's experiences as a lens to discuss implications for the education of ELLs with disabilities.
Abstract: This article explores the nature of instruction provided to Latino English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities. The case of a bilingual teacher who worked with an ELL with disabilities is presented. This teacher's voice describes her practice, beliefs, and other factors influencing her work with ELLs with disabilities. Finally, the teacher's experiences are used as a lens to discuss implications for the education of ELLs with disabilities and the preparation of teachers to work with this student population.
TL;DR: In this article, the educational reality facing Chicano students in the United States is discussed, and the authors present a book that is very meaningful and relevant to understanding their educational reality.
Abstract: New York, NY: New York University Press, 2008, 483 pages, $49.00 (hardcover). This book is very meaningful and relevant to understanding the educational reality facing Chicano students in the Unite...
TL;DR: The authors examines Latino education in the United States: A Narrated History From 1513-2000 by Victoria-Maria MacDonald and the authors of the book "Latino Education in the USA: ANarrated History from 1513 -2000".
Abstract: New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, 365 pages, $24.99 (paperback). This review examines Latino Education in the United States: A Narrated History From 1513–2000 by Victoria-Maria MacDonald and the ...
TL;DR: Flores Rivas as discussed by the authors examines the state of the current Mexican educational system and explains why it has produced a "poverty factory." He asserts that in the past, the Secretariat of Public Education had such strong political power that its leaders were more concerned about their political agendas than about the country's education.
Abstract: Ambassador Edgardo Flores Rivas examines the state of the current Mexican educational system and explains why it has produced a “poverty factory.” He asserts that in the past, the Secretariat of Public Education had such strong political power that its leaders were more concerned about their political agendas than about the country's education. The new government has started to reform the educational system, including universal themes in the national curriculum such as ecology, human rights, special education, and ethics. The ambassador also discusses what the government is doing to support Mexican immigrants in the United States through “Plazas Comunitarias.” El embajador Edgardo Flores Rivas analiza el estado del actual sistema educativo de Mexico y explica por que este ha producido una “fabrica de pobres.” El enfatiza que anteriormente, la Secretaria de Educacion Publica (SEP) ejercio tanto poder politico que los lideres estaban mas preocupados por sus agendas politicas que por la educacion. El nuevo g...
TL;DR: In this article, Heinemann et al. report that during the past two generations, U.S. migrant farm worker streams have come to be dominated by Latinos, especially Latinos of Mexican origin.
Abstract: Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2007, 119 pages, $15.00 (paperback). During the past two generations, U.S. migrant farm worker streams have come to be dominated by Latinos, especially Latinos of Mexican...
TL;DR: In this paper, a teacher's reflections on her experiences working with Latino English language learners with and without disabilities are presented, as well as the challenges she encountered in providing supports for students with limited English proficiency and identified disabilities.
Abstract: This piece presents a teacher's reflections on her experiences working with Latino English language learners with and without disabilities. The author's voice narrates her journey as a teacher, researcher, and teacher educator preparing professionals to work with bilingual populations. The beliefs and factors she identifies as influencing her practice are also presented, as are the challenges she encountered in providing supports for students with limited English proficiency and identified disabilities.