Help your Latino students become college-bound!
You know that your Latino students face harsh odds. By the numbers, Latinos are the most underrepresented group on college campuses. How can educators guide students to overcome those barriers? This groundbreaking book has the answers you need, brought together from the nation′s most outstanding college-readiness programs for Latino students.
Concha Delgado Gaitan, an award-winning professor, scholar, and first-generation Latina college graduate, shares winning strategies that work—districtwide and within your school. In this book, you′ll find guidance on:
- Creating a ‘college culture’ in elementary, middle, and secondary schools, both within the classroom and throughout the building
- Working with families and community organizations to promote Latino students′ school achievement and college goals
- Best practices for coaching students, including five essentials for college preparedness
Whether you′re a superintendent, principal, counselor, or classroom teacher, Creating a College Culture for Latino Students can help you make a difference in the lives of your Latino students and support them on their path to college.
‘Delgado Gaitan′s writing justifies the need for a comprehensive strategy starting at an early age in a child′s life to ensure the dream of a college education.’
—Rosemary Papa, Del and Jewell Lewis Endowed Chair of Educational Leadership
Northern Arizona University
‘The inclusion of stories depicting the actual and courageous journeys that students have traveled to achieve their goal is both poignant and impressive. Of particular note, Delgado Gaitan covers the topic of college planning with parents, a critical component of the successful Latino experience.’
—Carmella S. Franco, Former Superintendent and State-Appointed Trustee
Whittier, CA
Table of Content
Acknowledgments
About the Author
1. Introduction
2. Influences in Getting Latinos to College
Geographic, Cultural and Socioeconomic Conditions
Major Hurdles
3. Promising Educational Practices
Crafting a College Culture to Socialize Students for College
Framing Culture Through Action Research
4. Talking College in Elementary School
Supportive Relationships in the School Setting
Building College Culture Relationships Between Family and School
Practical Strategies for Elementary Grade Educators
5. College Readiness in Middle and Secondary School
Developing Study Habits and Academic Language
Parent/School/Community Partnerships
Transition from Middle to High School
Best Practices for Educators
6. Features and Activities of Successful Programs
Guidelines for Successful Academic Programs for Latinos
Effective Programs
Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)
Upward Bound
College Track
East Bay Consortium
Best Practices for Creating College Culture in Schools
7. Collaborations and Partnerships
Hidalgo Independent Schools: A School District Success Story
Creating a K-12 College Going Culture in HISD
The Families′ Role
Puente Program
Gear Up Program
Best Practices for Educators
8. College Planning With Parents
5 ‘Cs’ of Family Engagement
Parents Want to Know
Partnering With Families and Communities
Best Practices for Successful Teacher and Parent Partnerships
9. Students Navigating the College Culture
Enduring Social and Emotional Character
Support Systems From Early to High School Years
10. Sites for Educators, Students, and Families
Resources for Creating a College Culture in Schools
Resources for Informing Students and Families
Information About Latinos in College
Financial Resources
References
Index
About the author
Concha Delgado Gaitan, Ph D, is an award-winning ethnographic researcher and professor of sociocultural studies in education. She received the George and Louise Spindler award for her contributions to the field of Anthropology and Education from the Council of Anthropology and Education of the American Anthropological Association. Her early career as a teacher and school principal informs her later work as a practicing anthropologist in communities and professor at the University of California, Davis. Concha has also worked in the field of public health education in Latino communities, combining that interest with her dedication to issues of social justice and education. She is a national and international speaker as well as a consultant on the numerous topics that inspire her work. Among her many scholarly publications are her books where she presents her work as an ethnographer working with disenfranchised families and communities toward their empowerment and extending practical lessons to educators: (1) The Power of Community, (2) Protean Literacy, (3) Crossing Cultural Borders, (4) Literacy for Empowerment, (5) School and Society, (6) Involving Latino Families in the School, (7) Building Culturally Responsive Classrooms, and this most current one (8) Creating a College Culture for Latino Students. In a different book, Prickly Cactus, she turns the lenses inward to look at the role of family and community in her life during a time of major health crisis. Concha works and lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband Dudley Thompson. For more information, please go to www.conchadelgadogaitan.com or contact Concha at [email protected].