Latino students

Estudio sobre el Comportamiento y Salud en los Jóvenes Escolares de la República Dominicana: Resultados de 2009

by Elián Cabrera-Nguyen

Co-authored with Dr. Juan B. Peña, Rosa Fernández, and Diana Chaves.

This scientific report on youth risk behaviors was prepared for the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Education.more This scientific report on youth risk behaviors was prepared for the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Education.

We administered a modified YRBS to a nationally representative sample of public high school youth in the Dominican Republic. The survey asked about mental health, sexual risk behaviors, substance use, and violent behavior. Findings are presented at the national level and for each educational district. I analyzed all data and assisted with preparing the report. I also helped present the results to a delegation from the DR's Ministry of Education.

Dr. Juan B. Peña, assistant professor at the Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, is the prinicpal investigator and first author. The remaining authors are presented alphabetically; contribution is equal: Elián P. Cabrera-Nguyen, Diana Chaves, and Rosa Fernández

Latino School Concentration and Academic Performance among Latino Children*

by Joshua Klugman

Jennifer C. Lee is primary author.  Resubmitted to Social Science Quarterly.

Objective: To examine the effects of the concentration of Latino students in elementary schools on Latino first... more Objective: To examine the effects of the concentration of Latino students in elementary schools on Latino first graders’ test scores, and to determine if the effects vary by children’s nativity status.
Methods: We use generalized estimating equations (GEE) on a sample of Latino first graders from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998 (ECLS-K). 
Results: For math and reading, Latino concentration in schools’ improves students’ first grade test scores for Latino children of immigrant parents, but it has no effect for Latino children of U.S.-born parents.  For general knowledge test scores, Latino concentration has no effect for children of immigrant parents and has a deleterious impact on the scores of children of U.S.-born parents.  We also show no effect of Latino concentration on the scores of white children of U.S.-born parents.
Conclusions:  The results suggest that Latino concentration in elementary schools promotes educational outcomes for children from Latino immigrant families, but Latino families headed by U.S.-born parents do not benefit from co-ethnic concentration, which is in accordance with expectations derived from assimilation theories.   

School Co-ethnicity and Hispanic Parental Involvement

by Joshua Klugman

Co-authored with Jennifer C. Lee.  Forthcoming in Social Science Research.

Scholars of immigration disagree about the role ethnic communities play in immigrant families’ engagement in... more Scholars of immigration disagree about the role ethnic communities play in immigrant families’ engagement in educational institutions.  While some researchers argue that the concentration of disadvantaged ethnic groups may prevent meaningful engagement with schools, others argue that ethnic communities can possess resources that help immigrant families be involved in their children’s schooling.  In this study we use a nationally representative dataset of Hispanic children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) to determine if the relative size of the Hispanic population in the school affects levels of their parents’ involvement in their education, as well as parents’ perceptions of barriers to their involvement.  Our results suggest that a large Hispanic presence in a child’s school can help increase immigrant Hispanic parents’ involvement in their children’s schooling, but there are no benefits for U.S.-born Hispanic parents, indicating that ethnic communities help immigrant families acculturate to American institutions.

Proyecto Latin@ Year One -- Exploratory Research

by Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández

Gaztambide-Fernández, R. & Guerrero, C. (w/ West-Burns, N., Larrabure, M., Velasquez, M., Granados-Ceja, L., Guerrero, E.) (2011). Proyecto Latino –– Year One. Report to the Toronto District School Board. [Technical Research Report]. Toronto, ON: Centre for Urban Schooling, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.

Report of Proyecto Latin@ on the initial findings from the first year of exploratory research. Report of Proyecto Latin@ on the initial findings from the first year of exploratory research.

Identity and activism in heritage language education

by Jennifer Leeman

Leeman, J., Rabin, L., & Román-Mendoza, E. (2011). Identity and activism in heritage language education. Modern Language Journal (95)4: 481-495.

In contrast with the field of second language acquisition (SLA), where until recently sociocultural concerns were... more In contrast with the field of second language acquisition (SLA), where until recently sociocultural concerns were largely unaddressed (Block 2007), identity has always been at the core of heritage language (HL) education. The present article highlights this often overlooked history and presents action research centering on a Spanish critical service-learning program stressing identity and social activism in HL education.
The article begins with an examination of the constructs of identity, agency and advocacy in Spanish HL education and critical pedagogy. Stressing that critical pedagogy seeks not only to promote agency but also to contribute to social justice outside of the classroom, we next describe our model melding HL education with community language activism. The program, in which HL and L2 university students of Spanish teach an after-school class for young HL speakers at a local elementary school, builds upon HL speakers’ classroom-based learning of critical language awareness by providing community-based opportunities to enact and strengthen identities as language experts and to contribute to positive social change. We present and analyze qualitative data in order to explore the emergence of expert and activist identities among the university HL speakers as they work to counteract the school-based subordination of Spanish.

Standards, commodification, and critical service learning in minority language communities

by Jennifer Leeman

Leeman, J. (2011) Standards, commodification, and critical service learning in minority language communities. Modern Language Journal 95 (2) 300-303.

Intro:

In recent years three trends have had a significant impact on language teaching in the United... more Intro:

In recent years three trends have had a significant impact on language teaching in the United States: (1) a growing awareness and application of the national Standards for Foreign Language Learning (2006), (2) an increase in the number of people who speak languages other than English at home, and (3) a greater emphasis on service learning in secondary and post-secondary education. These trends have contributed to a proliferation of service-learning programs in which university students studying a ‘foreign’ language (often, but not only Spanish) earn college credit while engaging in a service project in a local community of speakers of that language. These trends also provide the sociohistorical context in which community-based service learning programs are situated, and they shape educators’ and students’ understanding of, and relationship to, local minority language communities. Thus, there is a need for critical analysis of the underlying assumptions and the ideological as well as the material impact of such programs.

Critical pedagogy beyond the classroom walls: Community service-learning and Spanish heritage language education

by Jennifer Leeman

Leeman, J., Rabin, L., & Román-Mendoza, E. (8) 3 Fall 2011. Critical pedagogy beyond the classroom walls: Community service-learning and Spanish heritage language education. Heritage Language Journal. (http://www.heritagelanguages.org/)

This article describes a critical service-learning initiative in which college students of Spanish taught in an... more This article describes a critical service-learning initiative in which college students of Spanish taught in an after-school Spanish class for young heritage language (HL) speakers at a local elementary school. We contextualize the program within broad curricular revisions made to the undergraduate Spanish program in recent years, explaining how critical pedagogy and our students’ experiences motivated the design of the program. After describing the program, we analyze reflections from participants that show how the experience helped them take their critical language agency beyond the classroom walls and integrate university, school and community knowledges, as both the college students and the children they taught came to view their cultural and linguistic heritages to be of educational and public importance.

Illegal accents: Qualifications, discrimination and distraction in Arizona's monitoring of teachers

by Jennifer Leeman

In O. Santa Ana and C. Bustamante (Eds.) Arizona Firestorm. Rowman & Littlefield. Leeman, J. (To appear). Illegal accents: Qualifications, discrimination and distraction in Arizona's monitoring of teachers. In O. Santa Ana and C. Bustamante (Eds.) Arizona Firestorm. Rowman & Littlefield.

Investigating language ideologies in Spanish as a heritage language

by Jennifer Leeman

Leeman, J. (To appear). Language ideologies and Spanish for Heritage Speakers. In S. Beaudrie and M. Fairclough (Eds.) Spanish as a Heritage Language in the US: State of the Science. Georgetown University Press.

Strategies for Evaluating and Improving Latino Youth Development Programs

by Texas State PA Applied Research Projects

Rendon, Ashley N., "Strategies for Evaluating and Improving Latino Youth Development Programs" (2011). Applied Research Projects, Texas State University-San Marcos. Paper 355.
http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/355

Latino students in the United States are often portrayed in a negative sense: high drop-out rates, low postsecondary... more Latino students in the United States are often portrayed in a negative sense: high drop-out rates, low postsecondary education rates, and high crime rates, to name a few. Youth development programs give Latino students an opportunity to build their strengths and leadership skills to give them the motivation they need to overcome such obstacles in their lives. The purpose of this Applied Research Project is threefold. First, it describes the model of a Latino Youth Development Program through a review of literature. Next, it assesses the National Hispanic Institute's Great Debate program using practical ideal type components. Finally, the project provides recommendations based on data collected using focused interviews. Research on literature pertaining to positive youth development programs shows three major components of what programs should offer to students. The practical ideal model of a Latino youth development program includes providing a sound program structure, individual development for the student, and adult interaction. Results show that the National Hispanic Institute (NHI) provides students with a sound program structure. NHI also provides students with many opportunities to collaborate with the organization as creators of activities and curriculum for the young leaders program, which in turn seems to strengthen their resiliency and leadership abilities. Based on the model, NHI is in need of improvement in the area of adult interaction. Although there are many opportunities to lead within the organization, students are not given adequate time with their parents, with adult mentors, or even with adults in their communities.

Power in Cultural Modeling: Building on the Bilingual Language Practices of Immigrant Youth in Germany and the United States

by Julia Eksner

In C. M. Fairbanks, J. Worthy, B. Maloch, J. V. Hoffman & D. L. Schaller (Ed.), National Reading Conference Yearbook, 55. Austin: The University of Texas at Austin.

Latin@ s in Early Childhood Education

by Veronica Valdez

Review of Creating Alternative Discourses in the Education of Latinos and Latinas: A Reader by Raul E. Ybarra and Nancy López (Eds.)

by Billie Gastic, Ph.D.

Review of Latino Education Crisis by Patricia Gandara and Frances Contreras

by Billie Gastic, Ph.D.

Don’t Believe Them when They Tell You that I Don’t Exist

by Billie Gastic, Ph.D.

A newly minted Latina Ph.D. reflects on her educational journey. The story begins with her early years attending a... more A newly minted Latina Ph.D. reflects on her educational journey. The story begins with her early years attending a Catholic grammar school in Queens, New York, and follows her through the fabled halls of several of the nation¿s top universities. The author shares an account of the challenges that she overcame and the lessons she learned. She discusses how family and a sense of history and community helped her find the strength to persevere despite the sadness, confusion, and pain that can sometimes accompany "getting an education". She describes her struggles with writing and finding her own voice, and tells how, through reading and writing, she moved closer to coming to terms with her past, present, and future.

Latinos' Economic Recovery: Postsecondary Participation and Hispanic-Serving Institutions

by Billie Gastic, Ph.D.

Published in Community College Research and Practice (with David Gonzalez Nieto, UMass Boston)

The majority of Latinos currently enrolled in colleges and universities attend Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs),... more The majority of Latinos currently enrolled in colleges and universities attend Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs), or those institutions where Latino undergraduate full-time equivalent enrollment equals or exceeds 25% of the student population. While HSIs only make up 7% of colleges and universities in the U.S., they enroll more than half of all Latino undergraduates. Given the concentration of Latino students in such a small (but quickly growing) number of colleges and universities, HSIs are critical institutions to examine to understand how to promote Latinos' postsecondary opportunity—and, by extension, create the conditions for their economic recovery and success.

Latinos’ Diminishing Satisfaction with Local Public Schools

by Billie Gastic, Ph.D.

Teachers College Record (with Diana Yadira Salas Coronado, UMass Boston)

Conceptualizing parents’ school preferences as evolving, this study considered the role of child’s grade level on... more Conceptualizing parents’ school preferences as evolving, this study considered the role of child’s grade level on Latino parents’ praise for local public schools. Analyses of 2006 Latino National Survey data show that previous estimates of Latino parents’ satisfaction with local public schools have been vastly exaggerated. In fact, Latino parents’ high praise for their local public schools notably diminishes over time. Latino parents of elementary schoolchildren are significantly more likely to give the highest praise to their local public schools than parents of middle or high school students. Differences between elementary and high school parents were noted for both native-born and foreign-born parents.

Collaborative Voices Exploring Culturally and Socially Responsive Literacies.

by Maria del Rocio COSTA

Working with teachers to change the literacy instruction of latino students in urban schools.

by Raúl A. Mora

APA Citation:
García, G. E., Bray, T. M., Mora, R. A., Primeaux, J., Ricklefs, M. A., Engel, L. C., et al. (2006). Working with teachers to change the literacy instruction of latino students in urban schools. In J. V. Hoffman, D. L. Schallert, C. L. Fairbanks, J. Worthy, & B. Maloch (Eds.), 55th Yearbook Of The National Reading Conference (pp. 155-170). Oak Creek, WI: National Reading Conference.

Why Does the Ethnic and Socio-economic Composition of Schools Influence Math Achievement? The Role of Sense of Futility and Futility Culture

by Orhan Agirdag

Published in 'European Sociological Review'

Although a number of studies in many countries have investigated the impact of the ethnic and socio-economic... more Although a number of studies in many countries have investigated the impact of the ethnic and socio-economic composition of schools on academic performance, few studies have analyzed in detail how and why compositional features matter. This article presents an examination of whether pupils’ sense of futility and schools’ futility culture account for the impact of ethnic and socio-economic status (SES) composition of schools on the academic achievement of their pupils. Multilevel analyses of data based on a survey of 2,845 pupils (aged 10–12 years) in 68 Flemish primary schools revealed that higher proportions of immigrant and working-class pupils in a school is associated with lower levels of math achievement in both immigrant and native Belgian pupils. However, by analyzing at a deeper level, by taking control variables into account, our study found that the ethnic composition of the school no longer had a significant effect on pupils’ achievement, while the SES composition still did. Most importantly, our results indicated that the remaining impact of SES composition can be explained by pupils’ sense of futility and schools’ futility culture. The implications of these findings for educational policy are discussed.