Latino Experience, Issues, and Resources
Achievement Gap and Obstacles Affecting Latina/o Educational Development -- an excellent collection of links to many good reports.
The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute -- an organization that addresses key issues affecting Latino communities through policy-relevant research and activism.
CollegeBoard: Latino Education -- provides concise information about barriers that Latino students face in school across all age groups.
Unequal Opportunity Lenders: Analyzing Racial Disparities in Big Banks' Higher Priced Lending -- a 2009 study showing that "Among high income borrowers in 2006, African Americans were three times as likely as whites to pay higher prices for mortgages -- 32.1% compared to 10.5 %. Hispanics were nearly as likely as African Americans to pay higher prices for their mortgages at 29.1%."
A Good Credit Score Did Not Protect Latino and Black Borrowers -- this 2012 study of mortgages signed during the years 2004-2008 shows that African American and Latino borrowers with high credit scores were three or more times likely to be inappropriately "pushed into" high cost, high risk mortgages than whites with the same credit scores.
National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition -- an excellent site and resource about English language learning and many of the main ELL groups in U.S. schools -- lots of valuable information, research reports, and articles.
Pathways to Prevention: The Latino Male Dropout Crisis -- a valuable 2007 report on this critical issues and good programs and strategies for addressing it.
Educating Latinos: A Special Report -- an excellent series of radio programs broadcast in 2002.
Hispanics Dropping Out of U.S. Schools: Measuring the Challenge -- a 2003 discussion of how Hispanic dropout rates are defined and measured.
New York City's Future Looks Latino -- a 2010 study that reports that Puerto Rican males are the most disadvantaged group of youths in New York City.
Cultural Responsiveness: Working With Mexican Immigrant Families in Early Childhood Education: an article from the Winter, 2009 issue of the online journal, AccELLerate, that discusses good ways to build trusting, collaborative relationships with Mexican Immigrant parents.
The Teaching Diverse Students Initiative -- a program designed to help educators address the education gap" by providing research-based resources for improving the teaching of racially and ethnically diverse students." Includes a set of online tools that can be adapted for use in schools and classrooms.
Latinos in Higher Education: Many Enroll, Too Few Graduate -- a 2002 analysis of why Latino college completion rates are low.
Race in American Public Schools: Rapidly Resegregating School Districts -- research by the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University showing that virtually all school districts analyzed have "lower levels of inter-racial exposure since 1986, suggesting a trend towards resegregation" -- the issue is especially significant for Latino and African American students.
Bilingual Education and Latino Civil Rights -- an article presented by the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University.
A Guide for Hispanic Parents: How to Help Your Child Prepare for College and Career -- useful guidelines, based on research, published by the Education Trust
Latino USA -- a good radio program about issues and perspectives relevant to the Latino experience in the U.S.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage -- activities and information to complement classroom topics.
Connecting with Latino Children: Bridging Cultural Gaps with Children's Literature -- an excellent article about the importance of using culturally relevant literature in the education of Latino youth -- reports that this "helps teachers and children truly connect by increasing teachers' understandings of the specific cultures of their students" -- includes discussion of many specific books.
Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation -- a 2009 report that explores the causes of the dropout crisis for latinas and identifies the actions needed to improve their graduations rates and get them ready for college.
Esmeralda Santiago's Almost a Woman -- a great educational site about a film made from Santiago's memoir about growing up in New York City -- includes selections from the book, essays by other Puerto Rican authors, lesson plan ideas, and much more.
Latino rapper Pitbull Blends Politics and Hip-Hop -- a radio segment about Pitbull who addresses social and political issues in his music and has worked hard to register young Latinos to vote.
Puerto Ricans in America -- three great essays by notable Puerto Ricans -- Sonia Nieto, Virginia Sanchez Korrol, and Felix Matos Rodriguez -- about the process of "becoming an American."
Latino Cultures and Communities -- a number of excellent curricular units, in different disciplines, by the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.
Latino Resources at the Smithsonian Institute -- historical/cultural resources.
Latino in America -- a 2009 CNN television special about "how Latinos are reshaping our communities and culture" and issues related to their increasing percentage of the population.
National Latino Communications Center -- extensive historical/cultural resources including video.
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage -- teacher resources.
Hispanic Heritage Month -- lots of good links.
Hispanic Heritage Month Information -- more useful information.
Hispanic Heritage Awards Foundation -- "celebrates the achievements of Hispanic Americans and provides role models for our youth."
National Council of La Raza (NCLR)-- a Latino civil rights and advocacy organization -- good information and perspective about many important issues.
Chicano History -- a good collection of resources about Mexican-American experience.
Hispanic-American Students and Learning Style -- an interesting article with good overview and valuable specifics.
Strategies for Improving the Educational Outcomes of Latinas -- a good review of research about the school experiences of Hispanic young women (Latinas) and what schools/eductors can do to be more effective with this group of students.
The Daughters of Aztlán: A Socio-Historical Survey of Chicanas in the United States -- a history of Mexican American women in the U.S.
CLNet -- a resource center from the University of California on Chicano and Latino issues, including an online library, a virtual museum, a research center, and more.
CLNet Bilingual Education -- discussion boards, history, instructional programs, and more.
CLNet Folklore/Customs/Traditions -- lots of links to information about Chicano/Latino traditions.
PuertoRicans.com -- a site with good cultural/historical and other material -- lots of very good links to research and writing about the Puerto Rican experience in the U.S.
The Home Environment of Gifted Puerto Rican Children: Family Factors Which Support High Achievement -- a study of ten academically successful Puerto Rican students and their parents to identify family factors that may contribute to high achievement.
Prep for Prep -- a successful program that demonstrates the fundamental power and value of high expectations and real opportunity in education.
Portraits of Four Schools: Meeting the Needs of Immigrant Students and Their Families -- an excellent report about four schools that are part of the School of the 21st Century project, a school reform model that is community based and associated with the School Development project at Yale University -- good details about effective schools and educational policy and practice.
Sociocultural Influences on Learning and Teaching -- a brief essay about how culture influences learning orientations.
The Literature of the Puerto Rican Migration in the United States -- a good annotated bibliography.
Esperanza Rising: Connecting Latino Students to Literature -- a good curricular unit by the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.
Expressions of Anti-Racism through Painting: The Puerto Rican Community from West Side Story to Connecticut -- a creative curricular unit plan by a teacher in the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.
Nicholasa Mohr -- good biographical and other information about this important Nuyorican author, at a site called, Voices from the Gaps: Women Writers of Color.
Gloria Anzaldua -- information about this important Chicana writer and activist.
Chicana/Latina Authors -- information about many great Latina/Chicana writers, at the site, Voices from the Gaps: Women Writers of Color.
Other Voices: Latino and Chicano Literature and Identity in America -- a good curricular unit plan by a teacher in the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.
Weblinks about Esmeralda Santiago -- good resources about this important Puerto Rican author (When I was Puerto Rican, America's Dream, and other books).
Women and Writing in Puerto Rico: An Interview with Ana Lydia Vega -- an interview with one of Puerto Rico's most popular writers.
El Boricua -- "a monthly bilingual publication for Puerto Ricans" -- a good resource about the cultural history of Puerto Rico -- biographies, poems, children's songs, vocaublary, politics, holidays, recipes, and more -- lots of good links, too.
Puerto Rican Music -- a good overview of Puerto Rican music traditions and contributions.
Puerto Rican Folkloric Dance -- dance history and resources.
Los Pleneros de la 21 -- a music group that presents the Afro-Puerto Rican traditions of The Bomba and Plena and includes many major Puerto Rican musicians.
Jimmy Santiago Baca Homepage -- an excellent contemporary poet, novelist, and screenwriter who presents with power, honesty, and insight some of the Mexican American experience -- recipient of many national awards -- a powerful personal story.
Reggaeton Makes Its Mark on the Bronx -- a radio story about reggaeton, a relatively new and hugely popular musical form that combines reggae, hip-hop, Spanish and Spanish-influenced lyrics, and more, to create a sort of Latin hip-hop -- with roots in Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic.
Tego Calderon -- information about a major reggaeton artist who discusses issues of race and racism in his music.
Ozomatli -- a good interview and sound clips of a cool multi-ethnic band from Los Angeles that offers valuable insight into the Latino immigrant experience. Latin, hip-hop, funk, and more. Scroll way down the page to find a radio segment about them, under their name.
Music Nortena: Accordion on the Texas Border -- a great NPR site about Tex-Mex music -- excellent audio clips and lots of good links.
Antonio "Tony" De La Rosa: Tejano Conjunto Accordionist -- a Tex-Mex accordion player who has received a National Endowment of the Arts Heritage Award.
Santiago Jimenez, Jr.: Tejano Accordionist & Singer -- another great Tex-Mex accordionist who has received a National Endowment of the Arts Heritage Award.
Felipe Garcia Villamil: Afro-Cuban Drummer -- a Cuban American drummer who has received a National Endowment of the Arts Heritage Award.
Nestor Torres -- a jazz flute master talks about his newest CD, 'Sin Palabras (Without Words)' -- this is a radio program interview, so listen to the music, too.
Voices from the Gaps -- a great website about "women writers of color" -- good bios and links.
Latino/a Health Issues -- good resources and links.
Closing the Health Gap -- "an educational campaign designed to help make good health an important issue among racial and ethnic minority populations who are affected by serious diseases and health conditions at far greater rates than other Americans."
Office of Minority and Multicultural Health -- a website by the New Jersey Dept. of Health with useful information about cultural competency in providing health services to diverse populations.
The Pew Hispanic Center: Research and Surveys on the U.S. Hispanic Population -- a website to facilitate and display many new and developing issues concerning the Latino population in the United States.
HispanicOnline.com - Education -- a section of a website dedicated to news about Latinos in Education, and a source of Hispanic historical information as well as a resource of Latino students looking to go on to college.
The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans -- a resourceful website of programs and 'tool kits' for families and teachers looking to reach the standards of No Child Left Behind.
NALEO Educational Fund -- a resource for programs and information concerning the development of policies concerning the ability of Latinos to access the political process.
Some Good Books and Articles
Aguirre-Molina, M. et al., (Eds.) 2001. Health Issues in the Latino Community. Jossey-Bass.
Artiles, A. & Trent, S. 1994. Overrepresentation of Minority Students in Special Education: A Continuing Debate. Journal of Special Education, 27: 410-437.
Baca, J. 1990. Immigrants in Our Own Land and Selected Poems. New Directions.
Baca, J. 2002. C-Train and Thirteen Mexicans: Poems. Grove Press.
Baca, J. 2002. A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet. Grove Press.
Berg, C. 2002. Latino Images in Film: Stereotypes, Subversion, Resistance. University of Texas Press.
Caravantes, E. 2006. Clipping Their Own Wings: The Incompatibility between Latino Culture and American Education, University Press of America.
Carger, C. 1996. Of Borders and Dreams: A Mexican-American Experience of Urban Education. Teachers College Press.
Conchas, G. 2006. The Color of Success: Race and High Achieving Urban Youth. Teachers College Press.
Darder, A. et al., (Eds.) 1997. Latinos and Education: A Critical Reader. Routledge.
Delgado Gaitan, C. 2004. Involving Latino Families in Schools: Raising Student Achievement through Home-School Partnerships. Corwin Press.
Dunn, R., S. Griggs, and G. Price. (1993). Learning Styles of Mexican-American and Anglo-American Elementary-School Students. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 21(4): 237-47.
Elder, J., Arredondo, E., Campbell, N. & Baquero, B. 2010. Individual, Family, and Community Environmental Correlates of Obesity in Latino Elementary School Children. The Journal of School Health 80(1): 20.
Espinoza-Herold, M. 2003. Issues in Latino Education: Race, School Culture, and the Politics of Academic Success. Allyn and Bacon.
Ferris, S. &Sandoval, R. 1997. The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement. Harcourt.
Flores, J. 1993. Divided Borders: Essays on Puerto Rican Identity. Arte Publico Press.
Flores, J. 2000. From Bomba to Hip-Hop: Puerto Rican Culture and Latino Identity. Columbia University Press.
Gándara, P., & Contreras, F.. 2009. The Latino Education Crisis: The Consequences of Failed Social Policies. Harvard University Press.
Gonzalez, M. et al., (Ed.) 1998. Educating Latino Students: A Guide to Successful Practice. Technomic Publishing.
Kanellos, N. 1993. Short Fiction by Hispanic Writers of the United States. Arte Publico Press.
Lindsay, A., Sussner, K., Greaney, M. & Peterson, K. 2009. Influence of Social Context on Eating, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Behaviors of Latina Mothers and Their Preschool-Age Children. Health Education and Behavior 36(1): 81-96.
Luis, W. 1997. Dance Between Two Cultures: Latino Caribbean Literature Written in the United States. Vanderbilt University Press.
MacDonald, V. 2004. Latino Education in the United States: A Narrated History from 1513-2000. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Mohr, N. 1973. Nilda. Harper.
Mohr, N. 1975. El Bronx Remembered. Harper.
Mohr, N. 1985. Rituals of Survival: A Woman's Portfolio. Arte Público.
Nieto, S. (Ed.) 2000. Puerto Rican Students in U.S. Schools. Lawrence Erlbaum.
Reyes, P. et al., (Eds.), 1999. Lessons from High Performing Hispanic Schools: Creating Learning Communities. Teachers College Press.
Rivera, R. & Nieto, S. (Eds.) 1993. The Education of Latino Students in Massachusetts: Issues, Research, and Policy Implications. University of Massachusetts Press.
Rodriguez, L. 1993. Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. Simon & Schuster.
Romo, H. 1996. Latino High School Graduation: Defying the Odds. University of Texas Press.
Rosales, F. 1997. Chicano: The History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. Arte Publico Press.
Santiago, E. 1994. When I Was Puerto Rican. Vintage Books.
Santiago, E. 1997. America's Dream. Harper Collins.
Santiago, R. (Ed.) 1995. Boricuas: Influential Puerto Rican Writings: An Anthology. Ballantine Books.
Slavin, R. & Calderon, M. 2001. Effective Programs for Latino Students. Lawrence Erlbaum.
Torres, S. 1996. Hispanic Voices: Hispanic Health Educators Speak Out. National League for Nursing Press.
Trueba, E. 1999. Latinos Unidos: From Cultural Diversity to the Politics of Solidarity. Rowman & Littlefield.
Trumball, E. 2001. Bridging Cultures Between Home and School: A Guide for Teachers, with a Special Focus on Immigrant Latino Families. Lawrence Erlbaum.
Urciuoli, B. 1996. Exposing Prejudice: Puerto Rican Experiences of Language, Race and Class. Westview Press.
Valdés, G. 1996. Con Respeto: Bridging the Distances Between Culturally Diverse Families and Schools. Teachers College Press.
Valdes, G. 2001. Learning and Not Learning English: Latino Students in American Schools. Teachers College Press.
Valdes, G. 2011. Latino Children Learning English: Steps in the Journey. Teachers College Press.
Valencia, R. (Ed.) 1991. Chicano School Failure and Success. Falmer Press.
Valenzuela, A. 1999. Subtractive Schooling: U.S.-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring. SUNY Press.
Walsh, C. 1996. Pedagogy and the Struggle for Voice: Issues of Language, Power and Schooling for Puerto Ricans. Bergin & Garvey.
Wicks, S. 1997. Integrating American Popular Regional Music Into the Curriculum. Phi Delta Kappan, v. 78.
Yosso, T. 2005. Critical Race Counterstories along the Chicana/Chicano Educational Pipeline. Routledge.
Yong, F., & N. Ewing. (1992). A Comparative Study of the Learning-Style Preferences among Gifted African-American, Mexican-American and American Born Chinese Middle-Grade Students. Roeper Review, 14(3): 120-123.
Zambrana, R. (Ed.) 1995. Understanding Latino Families: Scholarship, Policy, and Practice. Sage Publications.
Zentella, A. 1997. Growing Up Bilingual: Puerto Rican Children in New York. Blackwell.
Some Good Videos/Films
Puerto Rican Heritage -- some good basic information -- available from http://www.libraryvideo.com
Like Water for Chocolate -- an award winning fiction film based on the book by Laura Esquivel -- review by Roger Ebert