Book Description

This book examines the school failure and success of Chicano students from a wide variety of perspectives. It attempts to promote further understanding of what constitutes, maintains, and helps shape school failure among Chicano students, and to present research and policy agendas that may help to realize Chicano school success. Five sections address current realities of the Chicano schooling experience, language and classroom perspectives on Chicano achievement, cultural and familial perspectives on achievement, educational testing and special education issues, and the big picture and Chicano school failure. Chapters are: (1) "The Plight of Chicano Students: An Overview of Schooling Conditions and Outcomes" (Richard R. Valencia); (2) "Segregation, Desegregation, and Integration of Chicano Students: Problems and Prospects" (Ruben Donato, Martha Menchaca, Richard R. Valencia); (3) "Chicano Dropouts: A Review of Research and Policy Issues" (Russell W. Rumberger); (4) "Bilingualism, Second Language Acquisition, and the Education of Chicano Language Minority Students" (Eugene E. Garcia); (5) "Promoting School Success for Chicanos: The View from Inside the Bilingual Classroom" (Barbara J. Merino); (6) "From Failure to Success: The Roles of Culture and Cultural Conflict in the Academic Achievement of Chicano Students" (Henry T. Trueba); (7) "Cognitive Socialization and Competence: The Academic Development of Chicanos" (Luis M. Laosa, Ronald W. Henderson); (8) "The Uses and Abuses of Educational Testing: Chicanos as a Case in Point" (Richard R. Valencia, Sofia Aburto); (9) "An Analysis of Special Education as a Response to the Diminished Academic Achievement of Chicano Students" (Robert Rueda); (10) "Systemic and Institutional Factors in Chicano School Failure" (Arthur Pearl); and (11) "Conclusions: Towards Chicano School Success" (Richard R. Valencia). This book contains references in each chapter, 30 data tables and figures, notes on contributors, and author and subject indexes. (SV)