The Chicano Educational Experience: A Framework for Effective Schools in Chicano Communities

Abstract

The underrepresentation of Chicanos at each point in the educational and professional pipeline has resulted in both a talent loss to society and a loss of important role models for the next generation of Chicano students who aspire to educational and professional careers. This article (a) explores the educational conditions and related outcomes of Chicanos from elementary school through college, (b) examines the theoretical models used to explain the low achievement and attainment of Chicanos in elementary and secondary schools, and (c) investigates two precollege intervention models called the Effective Schools and Accelerated Schools programs and adapts them for use with Chicano students. The issues are discussed in light of their policy implications for the education community in general and the Chicano community specifically. The prospects for further research are also discussed.

Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth

“…Such research utilizes a deficit analytical lens and places value judgments on communities that often do not have access to White, middle or upper class resources. In contrast, CRT shifts the research lens away from a deficit view of Communities of Color as places full of cultural poverty or disadvantages, and instead focuses on and learns from these communities' cultural assets and wealth (Solórzano & Solórzano, 1995;Valencia & Solórzano, 1997;Villalpando & Solórzano, 2005).…”

Buying Homes, Buying Schools: School Choice and the Social Construction of School Quality

“…In the United States, such ideologies have protected a socialstatus hierarchy that confers "social estimation of honor" (Weber, 1930(Weber, / 1978 on Whites and majority-White institutions (Jankowski, 1995;Lamont & Fournier, 1992;Winant, 1995). One of the most enduring of these ideologies is the culture of poverty theory, which attributes the low status of people of color to supposed deficiencies in their cultural values, rather than to a long history of racial discrimination (Solorzano & Solorzano, 1995). Conversely, according to this theory, the success of Whites can be ascribed to their supposed positive cultural values.…”

Resisting Negative Images and Stereotypes: One Latina Prospective Teacher’s Story

“…and others, she narrates acts of resistance that add layers to perceptions of her identity. Her emailed letter defending her choice of attire serves as a counterstory (Delgado, 2000;Solorzano & Yosso, 2002) through which she positions herself as a creative agent with the confidence and skills to act on her own behalf (Solorzano & Solorzano, 1995). In a way similar to earlier narratives, the letter shows how Patricia resists the negative images that are projected upon her as a Latina prospective teacher.…”