This autoethnographic inquiry examines the intersection of elder epistemology and subtractive education, exploring how one "abuelita" countered her granddaughter's divestment of Mexican-ness. I demonstrate how the grandmother used "abuelita" epistemologies to navigate this tension and resist the assimilative pressures felt…

Teaching reading and vocabulary to Mexican American children in the United States of America today requires an acknowledgment of historical social injustice that continues to affect many communities in South Texas. This article debriefs some vocabulary teaching strategies--such as mnemonics and game play under the learning centers…

The growing U.S. Latino dispersal is allowing for more interactions between students of Spanish and native Spanish speakers. By working with Latino community members, Spanish instructors help meet the standards for foreign language education developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. This article describes 2 projects.…

Behavior issues in the classroom directly relate to the teaching style and the type of interactions between the teacher and students. In particular, Latino/a students need to be engaged in the curriculum content if they are to be successful, both academically and emotionally. If this does not occur, then behavioral issues will arise, which will…

While the U.S. mainstream media continues to exercise its right of way in the American landscape, the predominant culture faces a population and popularity decrease. Diversity is slowly finding a perennial nest for growth, although minorities are still being shelled by mainstream media that consciously and unconsciously make the attack a priority…

This article reviews recent literature on how Latinos progress through critical junctures of the teacher pipeline: high school graduation, college access and persistence, obtaining a teaching degree, and securing a job as a classroom teacher. This thorough investigation of the Latino experience through each of these junctures offers a better…

Primarily because of underutilized schools (caused by declining enrollments) and the need to address budgetary deficits brought on by dramatic reductions in average daily attendance, many public school districts, in decades past and the present, have been forced to close numerous schools across the nation. The school boards of these economically…

This study examined discourses used in mission statements from segregated Chicana/o and White schools. The words and phrases used in segregated Chicana/o school mission statements produce negatively oriented frames that make transparent low expectations and negative attitudes compared to those used in segregated White schools. These frames become…

This phenomenological study examines Mexican immigrant parents' experiences of helping their children navigate and succeed in school and their perceptions regarding differences between the U.S. and Mexican educational systems. Findings highlight parents' challenges in helping their children succeed in a new and unfamiliar school system and the…

For more than a decade, the world history course taught in the public high schools of Texas has provided the only comprehensive overview of the story of humanity to millions of students, most of whom are of Mexican descent. The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills curriculum standard for world history has been foundational for textbook selection,…

This article draws upon three years of interviews and participant observation research in the Chelsea Public Schools, to discuss the impact of the Chelsea Family Literacy Program on promoting Latin American immigrant mothers' involvement in their children's education. The authors present the voices of Latin American immigrant mothers who describe…

This article offers an analysis of policy issues and recommendations regarding the specific mission of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the United States. Through anecdotes and a brief historical outline, I urge readers not to forget the rich historical activist legacy of early Latino leaders who worked to ensure the inclusion of Hispanics…

This article examines how bilingual programs are often guided by larger social constructs of race and language ideologies that give rise to the often inconsistent, and even contradicting, perceptions of Latina/o, Spanish-speaking students' academic preparedness and abilities. I examine a number of language ideologies as they manifested in a case…

Culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies for family involvement are essential to ensure successful home-school partnerships. This article explores the use of "dichos," or popular sayings in the Spanish language, as tools that may have the potential to enhance school-home communication. Given their authenticity as constructs of the…

A retrospective account of the evolution of the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) program shows how English learners and students of diverse cultural backgrounds were marginally considered throughout the development of the "California Standards for the Teaching Profession" and BTSA induction development, implementation, and…