Creating a College Culture for Latino Students

Concha Delgado Gaitan, PhD, 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 concha@conchadg.com.

• AcknowledgmentsAbout the Author1. Introduction2. Influences in Getting Latinos to CollegeGeographic, Cultural and Socioeconomic ConditionsMajor Hurdles3. Promising Educational PracticesCrafting a College Culture to Socialize Students for CollegeFraming Culture Through Action Research4. Talking College in Elementary SchoolSupportive Relationships in the School SettingBuilding College Culture Relationships Between Family and SchoolPractical Strategies for Elementary Grade Educators5. College Readiness in Middle and Secondary SchoolDeveloping Study Habits and Academic LanguageParent/School/Community PartnershipsTransition from Middle to High SchoolBest Practices for Educators6. Features and Activities of Successful ProgramsGuidelines for Successful Academic Programs for LatinosEffective ProgramsAdvancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)Upward BoundCollege TrackEast Bay ConsortiumBest Practices for Creating College Culture in Schools7. Collaborations and PartnershipsHidalgo Independent Schools: A School District Success StoryCreating a K-12 College Going Culture in HISDThe Families′ RolePuente ProgramGear Up ProgramBest Practices for Educators8. College Planning With Parents5 "Cs" of Family EngagementParents Want to KnowPartnering With Families and CommunitiesBest Practices for Successful Teacher and Parent Partnerships9. Students Navigating the College CultureEnduring Social and Emotional CharacterSupport Systems From Early to High School Years10. Sites for Educators, Students, and FamiliesResources for Creating a College Culture in SchoolsResources for Informing Students and FamiliesInformation About Latinos in CollegeFinancial ResourcesReferencesIndex

“This book has affirmed that there is much work to be done to equalize the playing field for Latino students in Education. I am very excited that this topic has been researched and that this information will be available for educators and parents. In a time where the Latino population is quickly becoming a majority, we need to make sure that this majority is educated and capable of fulfilling their role in American society. We need to ensure that Latinos also have an equal opportunity to be educated and employed in the future.”