During the last century, groups of Hmong people moved from southern China into Indochina, and, as war refugees, about 90,000 have come to the United States in recent years. This book examines the alienation and cultural conflicts faced at school by the children of a small group of Hmong (roughly 426 individuals in 90 households) who have settled in La Playa (California). Many Hmong children find themselves lost in school, ambivalent about their self-worth and identities. Although the La Playa district contains students from many ethnic groups, the arrival of the Hmong children beginning in about 1975 found school officials unprepared to serve this minority group. Language and cultural barriers have caused many students to be placed in classes for the learning disabled, although such placement may not be appropriate. Case studies of seven Indochinese students, three of whom were Hmong, illustrate the difficulties faced by these children caught between school and traditional worlds. Implications for educators of immigrant populations are discussed. A list of 189 references is included. (SLD)