Difficulties of Puerto Rican children in adjusting to school in the U.S. mainland can be attributed to their family background and early schooling experience. Unlike the isolated, independent nuclear family unit usually found on the mainland, Puerto Rican families are extended and prize cooperation, socialization, respect for the male patriarch, fatalism, submission, passivity, and interdependence. Thus, Puerto Rican children are unused to an atmosphere of individual competitiveness, and are thought to be lazy and unmotivated. Furthermore, they are more used to verbal than written communication, and tend to resist the authority of female teachers. In Puerto Rico, schools also serve as a social center; thus, academic skills of students tend to be weaker than those of the mainland children--a problem compounded by language difficulties. Puerto Rican parents do not fully understand the role of mainland schools, and frequently keep their English-speaking children out of school to help them with personal matters. They are also very modest, and disapprove of sex education and physical education for girls. Economic disadvantages mean that few educational materials are available at home. The resulting cultural conflicts can be alleviated by such steps as encouraging greater parent participation in the schools, a bilingual school environment, and peer tutoring. (CJM)