Chicano Educational Achievement: Comparing Escuela Tlatelolco, a Chicanocentric School, and a Public High School. Latino Communities: Emerging Voices--Political, Social, Cultural, and Legal Issues--A Garland Series

The increasing numbers of minority students entering the United States' public school system signal changes in the demography of this country (Reyes and Valencia, 1993). Building on the theorem that a positive self-identity is fundamental to completion of an education, a study was conducted to learn how schools with differing backgrounds affected the ethnic identity of students. Two schools in Denver (Colorado) were selected for this case study. "Broderick High School" is a large public school whose enrollment was mostly Anglo until the mid-1960s, when a large number of Chicanos began attending. Escuela Tlatelolco, is a small, private, Chicanocentric high school founded in 1970 to serve Chicano students. Interviews with 20 Chicano graduates of the two schools as well as interviews and observations of school staff and students examined the methods each school used to transmit a sense of ethnic identity and pride, encourage academic achievement, and counsel Chicano students concerning pursuit of higher education and employment. Six themes emerged: low academic expectations from teachers and counselors were often overcome through intervention by a member of the Hispanic community; minority students internalized the negative views of others toward them; Chicanos faced discrimination and racism at school, college, and work; all but one participant expressed the importance of their ethnic identity; the concept of returning something to the Hispanic community was strong among those who participated in the Chicano movement in the late 1960s; and Chicano college organizations helped many participants cope with college. Nine recommendations are given for successfully educating children from different cultures. (Contains 141 references and author and subject indexes.) (TD) First published in 2000. This study compares two urban schools based on their ability to provide an effective education for Hispanic students. Broderick High School began as an elite, Anglo-dominated institution and evolved into a school whose student body was 82% Hispanic. It is large, public and with a history of sporadic racial tension, walkouts, and a high dropout rate for Hispanic students. Escuela Tlatelolco is small, private, and Chicanocentric. Founded in 1970 by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales, a leader of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, it was designed to provide Chicano students the opportunity to reinforce pride in their language, culture, and identity. Through interviews of administrators, teachers, graduates, and students at both schools as well as personal observations, a significant difference was discovered between the experiences and attitudes of those who attended the public school in the 1960s through 1980s and those who graduated in the 1990s. As the public school increased Hispanic administration, teaching and operating staff, and changed its curriculum to include Hispanic history, Hispanic students expressed a greater degree of satisfaction and fulfillment. This study compares two urban schools based on their ability to provide an effective education for Hispanic students. Broderick High School began as an elite, Anglo-dominated institution and evolved into a school whose student body was 82% Hispanic. It is large, public and with a history of sporadic racial tension, walkouts, and a high dropout rate for Hispanic students. Escuela Tlatelolco is small, private, and Chicanocentric. Founded in 1970 by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales, a leader of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, it was designed to provide Chicano students the opportunity to reinforce pride in their language, culture, and identity.

Through interviews of administrators, teachers, graduates, and students at both schools as well as personal observations, a significant difference was discovered between the experiences and attitudes of those who attended the public school in the 1960s through 1980s and those who graduated in the 1990s. As the public school increased Hispanic administration, teaching and operating staff, and changed its curriculum to include Hispanic history, Hispanic students expressed a greater degree of satisfaction and fulfillment. Based on the observation that schools that represent and accept the ethnic identities of students are more likely to be successful in educating those students, McKissack compares a public high school with a private school founded to serve the Chicano community in Denver, looking at such factors as