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.

Figures from the 2010 Census indicate that there are 50.5 million Latinos (16% of the total population) living in the United States (US) today. From 2000 to 2010, the Latino population experienced a very rapid growth rate of 43%, which accounted for over half the total population growth. More and more Latino students are entering our public schools and face the reality that 62 years after the Brown V. Board of Education ruling to integrate schools and equalize educational opportunities, schools are more racially and economically segregated and more unequal than they were more than half a century ago. As a group, Latinos continue to struggle academically and there is a large academic achievement gap between Latino students and White students. Using the lens of Latino Critical race theory, this narrative study was an attempt to understand the educational experience of five Latino students in a two-way immersion program within a racialized public education system in which negative stereotypes, such as lack of intellectual abilities, could create a threatening environment hindering their academic success. This narrative inquiry study sought to understand how, if at all, Latino students in a fifth grade two-way immersion program experienced anxiety about the ways they believe to be perceived in the classroom and school settings by their teachers and other classmates. Finding of this study confirmed the relative success of two-way immersion programs educating Latino students and highlighted the urgent need to conduct more research in bilingual settings trying to understand the role stereotype threat might play in the educational experience of Latino students. The fact that Latino students were still lagging behind their native English-speaking counterparts in the TWI program is a reality that must be researched further to understand the lived experiences of Latino students in bilingual programs.

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

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With the increase in emergent bilinguals and higher standards for all, the challenge for educational stakeholders is to fully utilize dual language programs as a prominent means toward meeting and surpassing rigorous state and national standards. Part of maximizing dual language programs’ impact, and the purpose of this study, was to provide detailed analyses of program models and student biliteracy development. Thus, the research questions sought to explore the level of understanding and implementation of dual language programs in general and the biliteracy component in particular at each campus, before documenting the second through fifth grade English and Spanish reading biliteracy trajectories of students at each school. Both campuses experienced more challenges in the implementation of the program structure, staff quality, and professional development rather than in curriculum and instruction. Furthermore, although both campuses’ students experienced positive trajectories towards biliteracy by the end of fifth grade, each campus was characterized by different rates and correlation between English and Spanish reading growth in each grade. Finally, the researcher conducted a split plot MANOVA to examine how much variance in the biliteracy trajectories was explained by school attendance, gender, initial English oral language and initial Spanish oral language; only school of attendance and initial English oral language levels explained the variance in biliteracy trajectories for students at these campuses.

The purpose of this study is to look at parallel factors between the Hispanic female dropout rate and possible resiliency methods such as retention through inquiry based science education. This type of educational program might provide insight into the many educational possibilities that are open to Hispanic females.

This study attemps to discover whether there is a difference in the academic performance of Spanish surname students in high school Spanish 1 language classrooms over their non-Spanish surname counterparts.

The issue of undocumented immigration has recently taken center-stage in the media and national politics in the United States. A large population of undocumented youth grows up with legal access to public education through high school, following the Supreme Court decision of Plyler vs. Doe, but faces legal and economic barriers to post-secondary education. Following high school, undocumented Hispanic/Latino youth legal protections end, greatly limiting chances for upward mobility through traditional post-secondary education pipelines. In some cases, knowledge of future barriers to post-secondary education leads to a decline in educational motivation. The current political atmosphere makes this study a bit of a moving target as the Obama administration recently passed a reprieve. This reprieve, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Process (DACA) does not confer any legal status or open any future path to citizenship. It does, however, grant eligible applicants a work permit, and the opportunity to travel, work, and attend school with a sense of security. The purpose of this thesis is to better understand the perceptions and understandings of undocumented Hispanic/Latino youth and their pursuits of higher education in. It is primarily concerned with the educational issues and opportunities facing these students. This research explores the impact of Hispanic/Latino students' perceptions of legal status barriers on their educational attainment experiences. The different opportunities and obstacles present in access to post-secondary education for undocumented Hispanic/Latino students residing in the United States are examined. This study focuses on the time period just after high school graduation, a critical stage in these students' lives, when undocumented status is particularly consequential. Knowledge about students' perception of their educational progress sheds light on their educational attainment experiences; it illuminates important factors associated with their individual educational experiences. Interactions with teachers, school authorities, their parents, siblings, peers, and other authority figures could be described in connecting personal interpretations and emotional responses to specific events in their lives that they feel helped or hindered their educational progress. Knowing how undocumented Hispanic/Latino youth identify and understand the factors that facilitate or impede their navigation of post-secondary education, will further inform educators and researchers alike. This study offers the possibility of identifying additional factors for educators, researchers, and our communities that hinder or facilitate the educational navigation and success of undocumented students. This type of research is significant as this marginalized population lives and works within the American society; the successes and struggles of these students impacts the United States as a whole. Moreover, these students possess amazing potential; we need to better understand and serve this population in order to both improve their life experiences, and to benefit from their input and abilities.

The study examined factors that influenced high school students' participation in a college dual enrollment program. The purpose was to determine why more students from a large high school with a predominately Hispanic enrollment did not participate in a dual enrollment program. The sample design included college-bound high school juniors and seniors participating and not participating in a dual enrollment program. Family and teacher influences emerged as salient predictors of participation, while factors such as a lack of information, academic un-preparedness and a lack of qualified teachers to teach dual enrollment were associated with internal barriers to participation. / text