Nortenos, or Hispanos, are Spanish-heritage residents of northern New Mexico whose ancestors settled in the region in the 17th and 18th centuries and were long isolated from the U.S. mainstream. The ebb and flow of cultural crosscurrents in northern New Mexico add richness and complexity to educational issues faced by the Norteno community. This book focuses on the role of schooling for Hispanos in one school district. It is an analysis about the ambiguity of education: the losses and gains that education brings and what future it can and should serve. It deals with the politics of identity and the concept of boundaries during a time of rapid change. Nortenos are divided between those who seek change and those who resist it, and a sense of urgency in both groups leads to debates about whether or not schools should teach the local language and culture. Conflicting loyalties of religion and culture are woven into this story, as are the cornerstones of Norteno society: family, faith, land, and language. By exploring historical factors and ideologies of a particular school within a particular community, the book aims to understand the community's expectations for the school as a fitting place for its children. The choices, contingencies, and options open for students are contextualized within the intersection of their own life histories, school and community histories, and contemporary circumstances of social change. (Contains 194 references and subject and author indexes.) (SV)