Authors: Pedro Reyes, Encarnacion Garza, Enrique T. Trueba
ISBN-13: 9781594510458, ISBN-10: 1594510458
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Paradigm Publishers
Date Published: May 2004
Edition: New Edition
Pedro Reyes, Associate Vice Chancellor, University of Texas at Austin, is the editor of the book Lessons from High-Performing Hispanic Schools: Creating Learning Communities (Teachers College Press).
Encarnacion Garza teaches at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
The late Enrique T. Trueba, University of Texas at Austin, was the coauthor of Ethnography and Schools: Qualitative Approaches to the Study of Education (Rowman and Littlefield 2002).
Garza (University of Texas-San Antonio) presents the stories of successful high school and college students who come from migrant farm laboring families, in an effort to help teachers, education students, researchers, and policy makers understand factors that lead to success for minority language students. The original study was conducted from an ethnographic perspective, using qualitative approaches that require fine-tuned analysis of ethno-historical and interview data. Students speak in their own words in numerous excerpts from interviews, and the authors use lessons learned from their stories to make recommendations for schools and educational policy. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Ch. I | The immigration experience and resiliency of Mexican families in the United States | 1 |
The context of Mexican immigration | 2 | |
Immigration stressors | 4 | |
School performance of Mexican children | 6 | |
Resiliency | 10 | |
Social network support | 12 | |
External support | 13 | |
Personal attributes | 14 | |
Ch. II | Migrant farm workers and their children | 16 |
Role and profile of the migrant farm worker | 16 | |
The migrant child's educational experience | 18 | |
The educational system | 22 | |
A compensatory program : the migrant education program | 23 | |
Mid-1960s to early 1970s : segregated classrooms | 24 | |
Early and mid-1970s : segregated, six months, extended day | 24 | |
Mid- and late 1970s : return to segregated classrooms | 25 | |
Late 1970s to late 1980s : integrated/remedial pullout programs | 25 | |
Early 1990s to present : pullout accelerated instruction | 25 | |
Present-day approaches : schoolwide projects | 26 | |
Purpose of the migrant education program | 26 | |
Summary | 27 | |
Ch. III | The struggles of the migrant lifestyle | 28 |
Introduction | 28 | |
Belinda's experience | 29 | |
Benito's experience | 35 | |
Sonia's experience | 40 | |
Ch. IV | The family - support and influence | 47 |
Belinda's biographical data | 47 | |
Benito's biographical data | 55 | |
Sonia's biographical data | 63 | |
Ch. V | The school | 69 |
School work versus field work : mental versus physical | 69 | |
Belinda's school life and experiences | 69 | |
Benito's school life and experiences | 79 | |
Sonia's school life and experiences | 83 | |
Ch. VI | The mentors - environmental resources | 92 |
The human connection : "You can! I will help you" | 92 | |
Belinda's mentors : "If it hadn't been for you" | 92 | |
Benito's mentor : "He turned my life around" | 94 | |
Sonia's mentors : "They were always encouraging us to do our best" | 96 | |
Ch. VII | The present - success against all odds | 99 |
Belinda | 99 | |
Belinda's view of success and reflection | 100 | |
Benito | 102 | |
Benito's views of success and reflection | 105 | |
Sonia | 106 | |
Sonia's views of success and reflection | 108 | |
Destiny's architect | 108 | |
Belinda : "I could do anything I really wanted to do" | 109 | |
Benito : "I'm going to show them because I don't like to lose" | 110 | |
Sonia : "I'll show you I can make it, and I will" | 111 | |
Ch. VIII | Analysis of central research questions | 113 |
Related themes | 115 | |
Stressors : sociocultural factors | 117 | |
Mobility | 117 | |
Poverty | 118 | |
Ethnic and language minority status | 119 | |
Children's need to work | 119 | |
Family income and composition | 120 | |
Educational and occupational status | 120 | |
Substandard housing | 121 | |
Absence of learning materials | 121 | |
Personal characteristics : personal resources | 121 | |
Sonia | 123 | |
Belinda | 124 | |
Benito | 125 | |
Support : environmental resources | 125 | |
Family support | 126 | |
School support | 129 | |
Expectations and caring | 131 | |
Family expectations | 131 | |
Caring families | 132 | |
School expectations | 132 | |
Coping strategies | 133 | |
Ch. IX | Lessons learned about critical ethnography and pedagogy | 136 |
This ethnographic research project | 137 | |
Lessons learned from the study | 141 | |
Critical ethnography | 144 | |
A Vygotskian pedagogy of hope | 147 |