The work of addressing the challenge of the education of Latinos/as has begun through, among other efforts, the National Latino/a Education Research and Policy Project (NLERAP). Beginning in 2000 as a national initiative of the Centro de Estudios Puertorriquenos at Hunter College, NLERAP's goal has been to add multiple Latino/a perspectives to the type of educational research needed to meet the needs of communities throughout the U.S. After hosting a series of regional meetings around the country that invited educators, community activists, university scholars, and others within the broader Latino/a community to comment on the pressing educational needs of Latinos/as, the NLERAP National Advisory Board developed and published a research agenda (NLERAP, 2003). The Agenda articulated a framework for using participatory and collaborative research results to influence the outcomes of schooling for Latino/a youth. Although the work of NLERAP has been important in making the issues of Latino/a education more visible to the general public through national conferences, publications, and press releases, in 2007, the National Board met to discuss further actions that could promote the agenda even more vigorously. The Board decided that what was needed was a critical review of the literature in one of the four research areas suggested in the NLERAP Agenda document (2003). After a lengthy discussion, consensus emerged among board members that the "Sociocultural, Political, Economic, and Historical Context of Latino/a Education" was the most useful area to develop further because it could serve as a foundation for the others (Assessment and Accountability; Teacher Education and Professional Development; and Arts in Education). This document is the result of those deliberations. In it, the authors address the context of education for Latino/as on the three levels enunciated in the Agenda documents (i.e., "interpersonal," "instructional," and "institutional"). They envision the review as a critical synthesis of the literature, intended for both professional and scholarly audiences. The intent is to provide a useful tool for researchers, practitioners, advocates, and administrators undertaking studies relating to the improvement of education for Latino/a students in their local areas.