Latinos are among the nation's most educationally disadvantaged and economically disenfranchised groups. Addressing this reality within the context of a rapidly changing economy and society, this book links educational practice and the structural dimensions that shape institutional life. Sections focus on the political economy of schooling, historical views of Latino schooling, construction of Latino(a) identities, politics of language, cultural democracy and schooling, and Latinos and higher education. The 25 chapters are: "A Theory of Racial Inequality" (Mario Barrera); "Economic, Labor Force, and Social Implications of Latino Educational and Population Trends" (Sonia M. Perez, Denise de la Rosa Salazar); "The Structure of Inequality and the Status of Puerto Rican Youth in the United States" (Hector R. Cordero Guzman); "Latinos, Class, and the U.S. Political Economy: Income Inequality and Policy Alternatives" (Rodolfo D. Torres, Adela de la Torre); "History, Culture, and Education" (George I. Sanchez); "Roused from Our Slumbers" (Guadalupe San Miguel, Jr.); "Culture, Language, and the Americanization of Mexican Children" (Gilbert G. Gonzalez); "Living Borders/'Buscando' America: Languages of Latino Self-Formation" (Juan Flores, George Yudice); "Somos RUNAFRIBES? The Future of Latino Ethnicity in the Americas" (Gonzalo Santos); "Latino/'Hispanic'--Who Needs a Name?: The Case against a Standardized Terminology" (Martha E. Gimenez); "Nomads and Migrants: Negotiating a Multicultural Postmodernism" (Rafael Perez-Torres); "Movimientos de Rebeldia y las Culturas que Traicionan" (Gloria Anzaldua); "English Only: The Tongue-Tying of America" (Donaldo Macedo); "Racism, Language Variety, and Urban Minorities: Issues in Bilingualism and Bidialectalism" (John J. Attinasi); "Returned Migration, Language, and Identity: Puerto Rican Bilinguals in Dos Worlds/Two Mundos" (Ana Celia Zentella); "The Empowerment of Language-Minority Students" (Richard Ruiz); "Creating the Conditions for Cultural Democracy in the Classroom" (Antonia Darder); "Teaching and Social Change: Reflections on a Freirean Approach in a College Classroom" (Daniel G. Solorzano); "Effective Instruction for Language Minority Students: The Teacher" (Eugene E. Garcia); "Promoting the Success of Latino Language-Minority Students: An Exploratory Study of Six High Schools" (Tamara Lucas, Rosemary Henze, Ruben Donato); "Education and the Mexican American: Eleuterio Escobar and the School Improvement League of San Antonio" (Mario Garcia); "Racism in Academia: The Old Wolf Revisited" (Maria de la Luz Reyes, John J. Halcon); "The Quest for Paradigm: The Development of Chicano Studies and Intellectuals" (Carlos Munoz, Jr.); "Confronting Barriers to the Participation of Mexican American Women in Higher Education" (Melba J. T. Vasquez); and "Research on Latino College Students: A Theoretical Framework and Inquiry" (Michael A. Olivas). Contains references. (SV)