The onus of this dissertation was to evaluate the educational conditions of Mexican American students forty years after the "Mexican American Education Study" published a six-volume study detailing the findings of the "Mexican American Education Study" (1970-1974). The "MAES" study focused on five southwest states Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. To learn the current status of Mexican American students, a three-tier scale of analysis was created. Each level of analysis had a specific focus: macro, meso, and micro. The macro level presented a descriptive analysis of the educational status of Mexican American students in the five states presented in the "Mexican American Education Study" ("MAES") reports. The second level of analysis (meso) focused on the state of Texas and examines the achievement gaps between student groups in state standardized assessments since assessment policies were introduced in the state. In micro level of analysis, the educational achievement of Mexican American students in Ysleta Independent School District, located in El Paso, Texas, was examined by analyzing student outcomes over a nine-year period (2003-2011). The findings of this dissertation indicated that nominal change has been evidenced in the educational performance of Mexican American students since the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' "Mexican American Education Study." Notwithstanding the many federal and state educational reforms that have been enacted in the past forty years, the achievement and opportunity gaps have not been eradicated. Subsequently, Mexican American parents need to advocate with a unified voice and force change to the educational policy-making process. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]