Review by Choice Review
Mexican Americans have one of the most dismal educational attainment levels in the nation, a problem that both educators and social scientist struggle to understand. This excellent work attempts to explain a very complex problem in an objective but compassionate way. The research was conducted in the city of San Diego among high school students and their families. Stanton-Salazar (Center for Urban Education, Univ. of Southern California) uses social network analysis, an approach standard to both sociology and social anthropology, to illustrate the importance of the family in the academic lives of students. The author shows that the parents are deeply concerned with the academic achievement of their children. Especially moving are ethnographic vignettes, which provide a window into the lives of these students. The work also illustrates the importance of teachers as a source of support. This informative, gripping work makes a major contribution to Mexican American studies. Essential for educators who work with Hispanics, and for sociologists of education. All levels. R. S. Guerra University of Texas--Pan American
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
