This article examines how high-stakes testing policies can constrain the way teachers at predominately Latina/o high schools teach literacy and subsequently influence the success of Latina/o students at college. It is based on a year and a half study of seven Latina/o students making transition from a high school to a community college or…

Budget cuts have reduced courses and student services within California community colleges. This coincides with the growth of low-income Latino male (Latinos) and Latina female (Latinas) student enrollment. Budget cuts have been implemented throughout the system, including in the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), which…

Undergraduate research provides multiple educational advantages, and Hispanic students may reap particular benefits. The "embedded researcher" method avoids difficulties inherent in traditional apprenticeship models, providing meaningful research experience to multiple students within a standard didactic course structure while yielding…

In many public U.S. universities, Hispanic undergraduates are underrepresented in terms of enrollment and graduation. This mixed-method geographical study investigated whether some public universities outperform others in recruiting and retaining Hispanic undergraduates. The quantitative findings showed that the effect of financial aid and…

As the population of college-aged Latinas/os grows, the number of Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) increases. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the percentage of Latinas/os has an effect on the institutional graduation rates of Latina/o students attending HSIs, emerging HSIs, and non-HSIs. Data were drawn from the Integrated…

This study examined the within-group differences in adjustment to college among Latino college students. Surveys measured participants for degree of precollege multicultural exposure, current concerns, minority student stress, social resources, and sociocultural orientation. The findings suggested that the transition into a predominately White,…

Retention rates of undergraduates at large urban universities serving minority populations have been problematic, especially among students in science and technology fields. John Jay College of Criminal Justice has designed a cohesive collegiate retention program according to the Tinto model of retention. This article details the strategies…

Based on in-depth qualitative interviews, this study examined the factors that influenced Latino/a students' decision to matriculate at a particular doctoral institution. Findings reveal that Latinos/as are influenced by several factors in their selection of a doctoral program, including location (proximity to home), faculty influences, financial…

In this study, most Latino college students preferred the term "Hispanic" over "Latino" as a panethnic term. These Latino students also detailed their differences based on how they perceive other specific Latino ethnic groups, non-Latino groups, their political identity, and their immigration and citizenship status. (Contains 1 table and 1 note.)

Hispanic students are a growing and pervasive population within higher education. This position paper examines population characteristics and educational patterns of Hispanic students that underscore failures of the higher education system in serving these students, in addition to institutional issues and cultural values that further complicate…

This study describes the effects of neo-liberal restructuring for universities upon the reconfiguration of academics' work context in a public state university in Mexico. Findings show that implementation of the federal program titled Faculty Enhancement Program during the late 1990s created a separation between traditional and new academic…

This quantitative study sought to investigate how Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) and other high school college preparatory achievements contributed to the college success of underrepresented students enrolled in community colleges and 4-year universities. Eighty-five AVID graduates from 12 Texas high schools attending 5…

In this exploratory study, the authors examined the influence of cultural fit on the achievement of Latina/o college students by testing whether cultural integration factors (i.e., cultural congruity, ethnic identity, connection with ethnic minority peers) predict college GPA (grade point average). Participants were 113 Latina/o students enrolled…

On October 18, 2003, one of the authors had the privilege of giving one of the keynote speeches to the Ford Foundation Fellows Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that was titled "The Making of a Ford Fellow: A Trek Towards Excellence in Applied Social Science," which explained that he managed to develop some of the ideas that led to the…

Redistricting, the redrawing of electoral district boundaries to reflect the latest population counts, occurs for most electoral districts after each decennial census. While normally a topic of concern mainly to politicians and politicos, redistricting can alter the opportunities for representation and policy alternatives. For a number of reasons,…