Three Educational Implications Of Mexican American Education

Being born and raised in Puerto Rico has given me a different perspective on education. In my opinion, not many educators are familiar with multiple educational systems and have had the opportunity to experience two different educational systems. My values as an educator originate from the understanding gained as a student of a private, secular elementary school and a private, all-girls, Catholic high school. As a student at Escuela Josefita Monserrate de Sellés in San Juan, Puerto Rico, I was taught to care about others’ well being. “Perceived support from teachers is a significant predictor of young adolescents’ motivation and academic achievement” (Felner, Aber, Primavera & Cauce, 1985; Goodenow, 1993; Wentzel & Asher, 1995). This has led me to incorporate that value through my teaching and showing students I care helps create positive, supportive relationships and helps build an environment where learning can flourish.

When one thinks about Hispanics, all too often the image of a field full of migrant workers picking fruit or vegetables in the hot sun comes to mind. This has become the stereotypical picture of a people whose determination and character are as strong or stronger than that of the Polish, Jewish, Greek, or Italian who arrived in the United States in the early 1900's. Then, the center of the new beginning for each immigrant family was an education. An education was the "ladder by which the children of immigrants climbed out of poverty into the mainstream." (Calderon & Slavin, 2001, p. iv) That ideal has not changed, as the Hispanic population has grown in the United States to large numbers very quickly and with little fanfare. Now, the

How would you discuss the worldviews and value systems of Indigenous peoples prior to European contact/invasion? How did these worldviews impact all aspects of life (science, agriculture, language, spirituality, etc.) for indigenous peoples?

Challenges Faced by Hispanic Students in American Schools and How Schools Can Address Identified Needs

The Chicano education movement. A movement in which mexican american took pride in who they were their identity their heritage. They asserted their civil rights and worked towards improving mexican american financial, social, and educational laws. Similar to all the other movements that have been going throughout that time the chicano education movement made people realize the injustice mexican americans have been suffering in the united states and this spurred some kind of social change. This movement has been mainly analyzed as three important parts, the struggle for their restoration of land grants, the appeal for mexican american farmworkers rights and last they demanded equal access to empowerment via education and political rights.

Mexican Americans in the education system have been treated unfair. From the Mendez v. Westminster to the low number of students graduating from high school and moving to a higher institution shows that the system has done nothing to help these students. By the help of the community wealth theory many of the few numbers of scholars who have been able to reach these higher institutions have been able to put families, schools, peers, and other influences for their benefit and for helping them enter these systems which are not welcoming to them. Various aspects of these systems need to be change from the diversity of teachers and desegregation in and within schools around the US which would influence the communication and thoughts that Mexican

In 1950 17 states were still segregated by law, the average schooling for Mexican Americans was 5.4 years, also 72% of disabled children were not enrolled in school. With the disabled children fact, every race has children born with disables, and some people are only disabled for so long, it seems crazy that they were being excluded so much.

This paper will try to explain the variety of hardships many Mexican-American students endure in hopes to gain a higher education. Many are driven by the “American Dream”, which is the idea that individuals living in the U.S. have the equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and abilities. The American Dream often motivates foreigners to enter the United States illegally, hoping for that “equal opportunity” to success. However, not everyone living in the U.S. has equal opportunities, compared to native-born American citizens. This is why it can be difficult for Mexican-American students to attend colleges and universities. A higher education is difficult to obtain for Mexican-American students because of their low socioeconomic status, their differing cultural and structural characteristics, and the social and political institutions in our current society. Although this paper does not focus on the educational opportunities in Mexico, this paper will mostly focus on the educational system in the United States, particularly California State University, San Bernardino. In addition, this paper will refer to Mexican-American students as first-generation college students.

“We need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community and this nation.” These words of the Chicano civil rights leader Cesar Chavez have resonated into the present vision of Mexican culture in America. Mexicans in the United States have created a vibrant culture that has crossed over to influence other cultures. The reality is that Mexicans have played an integral role in shaping the current state of America, and through the power in numbers as well as the continued blending of cultures Mexicans will influence the future of the United States.

Every classroom in America is made up of multiple cultures with many different believes; however, regardless of culture or beliefs all students should receive the best education possible without losing their identities while in the process. Culture is a way of life of a group. Culture and learning are connected in significant ways and for this reason having an understanding of different cultures and learning processes should provide an outline for instructional decisions (Guild, 2001). The first step a teacher must take is to gain an understanding of each child culture. This paper will examine the Hispanic culture, discuss how a teacher could build global awareness and understanding, and incorporate diverse social and cultural views to create innovative methods to solving problems in his or her classroom.

In the Preface of Major Problems in Mexican American History Zaragosa Vargas writes, "Nearly two thirds of Latinos in the United States are of Mexican descent, or Chicanos- a term of self definition that emerged during the 1960's and early 1970s civil rights movement. Chicanos reside mainly in the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, and the Midwest. Their history begins in the precolonial Spanish era, and they share a rich mestizo cultural heritage of Spanish, Indian, and African origins. The Chicanos' past is underscored by conquest of the present-day American Southwest first by the Spanish and then by the United States following the Mexican American War" (xv). When one thinks of a Chicano one thinks of the Mayans and Aztecs, the conquests,

The Latinos education crisis is a prevalent issue in the United States. More and more research has uncovered magnanimous evidence that our education system is failing the students and thus creating a pipeline away from success and higher education and into gangs, prison and poverty. From 2011-12 alone Latinos made up almost a quarter of the enrolled students in public schools, Hispanic status dropout rate was 13% (higher than both African Americans at 8% and Whites at 4%), and 5% of all doctoral degrees conferred were earned by Latinos. (NCES, Digest of Education Statistics 2013). The crisis is a result of compounding failures and the perpetuation of stigmas within the educational, governmental and societal systems. As each of these systems are complex and composed of countless factors, addressing the issues the Latino population face, specifically within schools, is often overlooked and underaddressed. In light of the problems Latinos must compete against, this paper will address the potential for change and how it can be wrought, beginning on the microlevel of the educational system, by mandating and introducing culturally responsive teaching (CRT) into classrooms and school districts nationwide in an effort to counteract the lack of educational support and to decrease tracking of students onto the school to prison pipeline.. This paper will strive to answer the question of how culturally responsive teaching can address the educational deficits of the Latino/a

Education in Mexico is divided in to five levels, Preschool, Elementary, Junior High, High School, and Universities. Preschool is required for all children from ages 3-5. Students upon completion receive a graduation document which is required before entering primary school. Their third year of preschool is equivalent to America’s kindergarten. The main objective is to promote the comprehensive development of emotional, social, physical, and cognitive skills in young children, while meeting the expectations of their age and social environment. Elementary school or primary school is required for all children in grades 1st through 6th grade it consists of general education, and community programs where students are introduced to the scientific and social aspects such as biology, chemistry, physics, foreign language, arts, and technology. Junior High or La Secundaria is grades 7th through 9th, and is part of the basic compulsory education system. At this level, more specialized subjects may be taught such as physics and chemistry, and world history. There is also the technical school which provides vocational training, and the telesecundarias which provides distance learning for students in rural communities. High school or preparatory o media superior which consists of grades 10th through 12th is not mandatory and are only found in urban areas and makes education costly for students living in rural areas. There are two main kinds of high school

Secondary education is a highly debated subject. Many critics of secondary education say that inner-city high schools and students are not receiving the same attention as students from non inner-city high schools. Two of the biggest concerns are the lack of school funding that inner-city high schools are receive and the low success rate in sending inner-city high schools graduates to college. Critics say that while inner-city high schools struggle to pay its teachers and educate its student’s non inner-city high schools don’t have to deal with the lack of school funding. Also students from non inner-city high school are not being given the opportunity to attend colleges once the

My first observation took place in a third grade classroom of twenty-two students. All students were of Mexican descent and labeled as intermediate/advanced English language learners. The classroom environment itself was very warm and welcoming. There was a bulletin board that displayed pictures of students and their families along with autobiographies. There was another bulletin board dedicated to celebrating Mexican culture and people. The teacher was a Caucasian women in her mid twenties with three years of teaching experience.