It is the purpose of this study to consider the Anglo-American child--to examine his achievement in a situation where much consideration will of necessity be given to the instructional needs peculiar to the predominating group.

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A review of the literature shows that there is much evidence to suggest the challenges facing Hispanic students in American public schools. Hispanic enrollment in K-12 public schools has increased from 6 to 19% in the last thirty years, yet schools have not made adequate adjustments to accommodate this changing population. Issues such as remedial tracking and cultural differences have led to low high school graduate rates for Hispanic students and inequities in schooling experiences (Gay, 2000). Particularly in the area of science, Hispanic students struggle with academic success (Cole & Espinoza, 2008). Despite these obstacles, some Hispanic students are academically successful (Rochin & Mello, 2007; Merisotis & Kee, 2006). This dissertation tells the stories of these Hispanic students who have been successful in science in secondary public schools. This study followed a grounded theory methodology and utilized individual interviews to collect data about Hispanics who have demonstrated achievement in the area of science. Through the analysis of these interviews, factors were identified which may have contributed to the success of these Hispanics in the field of science. Implications for future practice in public schools are also discussed.

"The purpose of this study is to investigate paired groups of Latin-American and Anglo-American children in one community who have attended the public schools approximately the same number of years, to discover difference, if any, in achievement when comparable opportunities for education have been present. Achievement, in this instance, means all phases of the school program: core subject areas, vocational subjects, physical education and health, and participation in extra-curricular activities. Two source of data are utilized in this study: (1) background information concerning the status and accomplishments of the Latin-american child in Texas schools, taken from professional literature in the field and related studies; (2) primary data, consisting of test results and case studies of two selected groups of pupils in the Stuart High School in south Texas, taken from the school records and teacher-observations studies of the Stuart High School ."-- leaf 3.

Community colleges and for-profit institutions are considered open-access institutions and serve a large proportion of the United States student population. Furthermore, research confirms that students who are minorities, disadvantaged, and nontraditional attend these institutions in greater numbers than highly selective institutions. However, little is known about how these students choose between these two types of open-access institutions. The purpose of this study was to acquire a deeper understanding of the discriminating factors that influence these pathways and determine a predictive model of choice that is generalizable to undergraduate students choosing to attend open-access institutions. The study used the undergraduate portion of the 2011- 2012 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:12) as its data source. NPSAS:12 contains a sample of about 95,000 undergraduate and about 16,900 graduate students enrolled between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 in approximately 1,690 Title IV-eligible institutions of higher education in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The results of the study indicate that the odds are higher for students attending for-profit colleges and universities than public two-year colleges to: be female; have independent status (24 years of age or older); have dependents; be Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian and Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander; use higher amounts of financial aid; either not have a job or work fulltime; be less likely to attend college part-time; have higher college GPAs; and attend larger institutions. When restricting the sample for at-risk and non-traditional students, the odds for Hispanic and Latino and American Indian or Alaska Native students attending FPCUs increased, whereas the odds of Black or African American students attending FPCUs decreased. The results, implications for policy and practice, and recommendations for future research are discussed. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

x, 84 p. : ill. / This study examines the relation between Hispanic students' extracurricular participation and GPA. Research suggests that participation in extracurricular activities is positively related to academic achievement in high school. This study addresses the Social Capital connection to school as a contributing factor in academic achievement. This study's findings provide evidence to support the hypothesis that extracurricular activities have a positive relation to freshman year GPA scores, specifically for Hispanic students. The study's findings also suggest there is a difference in terms of GPA for Hispanic students across trimesters. This study adds to the growing body of literature on the positive relation between extracurricular activities and cumulative GPA for Hispanic students. / Committee in charge: Dr. David Conley, Chair Dr. Paul Yovanoff, Member Dr. Keith Zvoch, Member Dr. Geraldine Moreno, Outside Member

This paper addresses the question of whether higher education Hispanic students of different nationalities have different perceptual learning style preferences. Independent samples t-tests findings suggest the country of origin of a Hispanic student's parents has a statistically significant relationship (n=165, p<0.0073) with student's learning style preferences. ANOVA results also identified a statistically significant relationship between SES and group learning style (p<0.004,) and between visual learning style and two factors: age (p<0.011) and family education (p<0.033).

This study helps to answer the broader question of why Latino students across the U.S. persistently drop out of school at the highest rates compared to students of other racial groups by focusing on the institutional workings of the various levels of the Oregon school system. Latino students have the highest drop out rates in Oregon. The higher drop out rates for Latino students in Oregon reflect the national trend, though the latest national rates report considerably higher drop out rates for Latino students compared to Oregon's drop out rates. Quantitative research verifies that race is a critical factor affecting national high school completion rates for Latino youth. The purpose of this study is to reveal the major, persistent problems within a school system that hinder learning for Latino students who are primarily English Language learners. Toward this purpose, this study examines significant state and federal education laws, examines rhetoric related to education equality and interviews educators at various levels of the Oregon education system. The research reveals three primary reasons for the failure of Oregon schools to graduate Latino students. First, these primarily Spanish-speaking students are not provided the type of quality bilingual intercultural education required to promote learning. Second, Latino students experience a discriminatory school environment. Third, available funding is not being used to help English language learners to succeed in learning the English language nor academic material. The research outcome is relevant because what was found in Oregon reflects patterns of educational practice and policy and laws that have been reported in other states, supporting the idea that educational racism is institutional at all levels of the education system. The research also reveals specific tactics used to repress the advancement of Latino students and finds that public rhetoric supporting education equality among the races does not reflect practice and procedures at all levels of the public school institution that determine outcomes for Latino students in their individual schools. Despite rhetoric to the contrary, educators are deciding not to make the necessary changes to improve education for Latinos. It is apparent that persistent inequality is the result of colonialist attitudes and policies that continue to restrict learning for the majority of the Latino population, limiting their opportunities for advancement beyond the poverty characteristic of their low wage working class status in the U.S. / Graduation date: 2004

xiii, 171 p. : ill. / Although there is arguably substantial evidence in the literature on what works for students at risk of reading failure, the evidence on effective interventions for English-language learners (ELs) is rather meager. Moreover, there are limited curriculum programs and instructional materials available to support schools in the inclusion of ELs in reading-reform efforts. This study examined the efficacy of a systematic transition intervention designed to increase the early literacy achievement of Spanish-speaking ELs in transitional bilingual programs. The intervention included a set of 12 scripted transition lessons that made explicit for ELs the orthographic, lexical, and syntactic differences between Spanish and English. In addition, the lessons addressed the story content knowledge and vocabulary and academic language necessary to ensure that ELs could access the English literacy curriculum and classroom discourse. Seventy-eight first-grade ELs identified as at risk for reading difficulty were randomly assigned to receive either the transition lessons in the treatment condition or the standard school-based intervention in the control condition. Students in both conditions received 60 thirty-minute sessions of small-group instruction as a supplement to their first-grade core reading program. Instruction in both conditions was explicit and focused on the core reading components (i.e., phonemic awareness, phonics, word work, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension). Student performance was measured on the following dimensions of early reading: (a) phonemic decoding and word reading, (b) oral reading fluency, (c) vocabulary development, and (d) comprehension. In addition, fidelity of implementation, time devoted to the different literacy components, and feasibility of implementation data were collected during and after the study. A gain-score analysis was employed in this study to compare the effect of the treatment (transition lessons) and control (standard school-based intervention) conditions on scores obtained from the pretest and posttest measures of reading achievement. The results indicated that the difference in gain scores between the treatment and control conditions was not statistically significant on any of the measures utilized in the study. Therefore, the transition intervention did not appear to be more effective than the typical school-based intervention. Findings are discussed in light of current research on improving the academic performance of ELs. / Committee in charge: Dr. Edward J. Kame‘enui, Chair; Dr. Roland H. Good, III, Member; Dr. Elizabeth Harn, Member; Dr. Doris A. Baker, Member; Dr. Robert R. Davis, Outside Member

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of culturally responsive child-centered play therapy when compared to a curriculum-based small group counseling intervention as a school-based intervention for Hispanic children experiencing behavioral problems that place them at risk for academic failure. Specifically, this study measured the effects of the experimental play therapy treatment, compared to Kids' Connection, on reducing Externalizing and Internalizing behavior problems of elementary school-age Hispanic children. Twenty-nine volunteer Hispanic children were randomized to the experimental group (n=15) or the comparison group (n=14). Subjects participated in a weekly 30 minute intervention for a period of 15 weeks. Pre- and posttest data were collected from parent and teachers using the Behavior Assessment Scale for Children (BASC). A two factor mixed repeated measures analysis of variance was computed for each hypothesis, to determine the statistical and practical significance of the difference in the pretest to posttest behavior scores of children in the two groups. According to parents' reports, the children receiving play therapy showed statistically significant decreases in externalizing behaviors problems, specifically conduct problems, and moderate improvements in their internalizing behavior problems, specifically anxiety. Teacher BASC results showed no statistical significance and negligible-to- small practical significance between the two groups at posttest as a result of treatment; however, problems with integrity of data collection of teacher BASCs were noted. This study determined that, according to parents' reports, culturally responsive child-centered play therapy is an effective intervention for school-aged, Hispanic children referred for behavioral problems that have been shown to place them at risk for both academic failure and future, more serious mental health problems. Additionally, culturally responsive considerations regarding counseling Hispanic children and families were explored. This was a progressive research study that, according to a review of the literature, is the first of its kind to focus on the effects of culturally responsive child-centered play therapy treatment with Hispanic, Spanish-speaking children.