This study examines how a selected Hispanic-Serving Institution is implementing Advancement Via Individual Determination as a strategy for improving retention and time to graduation for 1st-generation Hispanic college students. A quasi-experimental design approach was used in which the retention rates and 1st-semester grade point averages of a…

Some Hispanic students are making it through the Eurocentric, United Statesian education pipeline, but exponentially more are failing. Meanwhile, poor Chican@ communities are disproportionately suffering from unemployment, low levels of education, chronic illness, pollution, and myriad social ills. At this historical crossroads, it behooves…

A fundamental premise for creating the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designation assumes that a critical mass of students motivates an institution to change how it operates to better serve these students to degree attainment. Increasing Hispanic degree attainment is in the national interest, and programs created by public policy to support…

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…

The relationship between the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) and the recognition of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) occurs at the federal level. HACU's origins and the legislative history of the HSI designation in federal law are explored. The demographic growth and corresponding importance of Hispanics in the…

English learners (ELs) are facing unique issues in higher education that remain largely unexplored. This research focuses on college choice, enrollment, and graduation among high-achieving ELs who were eligible for automatic admission to any public higher education institution in Texas by having graduated in the top 10% of their high school class.…

Little is known about migrant students' college access. Outreach programs serving such students rarely track their participants' postsecondary trajectories, nor do they compare participants' college access outcomes with those of similar students. This study examines the California public college application, acceptance, and enrollment patterns of…

This study offers a small, highly contextualized counter-example to several recent large-scale analyses depicting Latino underachievement in higher education (R. Fry, 2002; J. Immerwahr, 2003; S. Miller & E. Garcia, 2004; W. Swail, A. Cabrera, & C. Lee, 2004; W. S. Swail, K. E. Redd, & L. W. Perna, 2003). The purpose is to analyze results from a…

It is well established that the impact of globalization is immediate and widespread. Yet the public institution most affected by this force of change is slow in responding to the need for change in content and its conceptualization of the learner and citizen. This article examines at ground level the impact that this inertia has on one of the…

In this interview, Reynaldo F. Macias, chair of the recently established Department of Chicana/o Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), talks about the historical significance of El Plan de Santa Barbara, its impact on Chicana/o studies throughout the Southwest, and its relevance in establishing a department at UCLA, and the…

This is a reflection essay that posits the issues of identity, education, and social responsibility on the shoulders of a dream gone wrong. Beginning in the violent streets of south Los Angeles, a young Chicano boy (me) becomes addicted to the word and inquiry at age 5. He follows the tenets of society, seeking upward mobility and happiness via…

A multiyear collaboration engaging key educational partners set out to understand how it was that English-language learners attending public schools that had the potential to serve as centers of excellence came to demonstrate relatively strong levels of performance on New York City and New York State standardized tests. This article describes what…

In this article, I draw on personal experiences with mentors throughout various periods of my education. More specifically, I address the impact of two scholars, Dr. Michelle Camacho and Dr. Lionel Cantu, in shaping my decision to attend graduate school. I discuss how their ongoing support, in combination with university mentorship-focused…

The impact of mass media on public images of teachers and students is considered in a dialogue between two educational and mass media researchers. Stereotypes in films, such as teacher-savior and student-failure, and abundant reports about Latino dropout rates and low academic achievement impact teachers and the public, who accept negative images…

Interviews with four Latinos who attended college as a result of college preparation and support from a federal TRIO program yielded several themes: consistent parental support for a college education, low expectations of secondary teachers and guidance counselors, difficult transition to college because of poor secondary preparation, and the…