The Education of Escobar Cruz: Sports, Identity and Masculinity in Middle School

Some assert that middle school should be the stage in an individual’s educational trajectory where they begin to make plans for the future. For many young men of color, middle school becomes a stage where they begin to get off track academically. This is the story of Escobar Cruz, a young Latino male student, and his navigation through the 7th grade attempting to figure out who he is and who he wants to become. Escobar must choose between listening to his English Language Arts teacher or his peers and soccer coach and make decisions that will impact his future. Masculinity and school engagement are analyzed to explore the daily negotiations that young men of color engage in at schools

Eliminating Mental and Physical Health Disparities Through Culturally and Linguistically Centered Integrated Healthcare

Since the U.S. Surgeon General’s report on mental health (1999) declared mind and body to be inseparable, integrated healthcare, bringing the body and mind back together, has been gaining significant momentum across the nation as a preferred approach to care for people with co-morbid physical health and mental health conditions. Primary care settings often are the gateway to healthcare for racial and ethnic minority populations and individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) and, as such, it has become the portal for identifying undiagnosed or untreated behavioral health disorders. An integrated holistic philosophical approach to behavioral healthcare provides an opportunity to address mental and physical health disparities and achieve health equity through a culturally and linguistically centered integrated healthcare delivery model that by definition must be person-centered, family-centered, and community-centered

On Serving the Ignored: Latinos, Crime and the Criminal Justice System

There are nuanced distinctions among Latinos, such as the differences between those native to the United States and those who are recent immigrants.There are also certain cultural factors that differentiate Latinos from other populations in the United States. Therefore, policies targeting factors in Latino communities, such as crime prevention, educational interventions, and community development, can (and should) take these unique cultural qualities into account. The range of the Latino experience is expansive, and the diversity within the population requires more embracement. It is essential to acknowledge and examine that variation, as it is to remember that many of the stereotypes surrounding Latinos and immigrants have been recycled from the past, and that previous research informs the present

Navigating Through a Pandemic (The Unknown): The Effects of Synchronous Learning for Online and in Person Students on Achievement Scores in Reading and Math in a Private Catholic School in South Texas

In the Spring of 2020, a wide world pandemic, specifically COVID-19, slammed the door on what we defined as normal life. COVID-19 and its associated pandemic exposed more explicitly great inequities such as access to devices, platforms, and/or places to do schoolwork outside schools in education systems (Fullan, 2020). It also interrupted international travel, it devastated economic growth, and it disrupted schooling globally (Harris & Jones, 2020). In the Summer of 2020, a Catholic school in South Texas set a plan in place to provide a 100% synchronous way of learning for students in elementary grades 1 through 8 to ensure that students received a full day of instruction despite being face-to-face or online

The Fourth Phase: New Media and Political Campaigns

With the increased use of new media in political elections, I set out to answer two important questions: how does new media affect the relationship among candidates, journalists, and citizens during elections and how will traditional media adapt to the new technology? Since this topic is evolving, I read blogs and news articles during the 2008 presidential election and reflected on past elections to discover key differences. I found that four key distinctions pertaining to new media that made the 2008 election different than previous ones. First was the creation of a virtual town hall, which was illustrated through public participation, such as the YouTube debates. Second was evolution of blogs from a PR tool to a forum for supporters. Third was explosion of social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook that enabled candidates and journalists to stay connected with citizens. Finally, there was the increased impact of participatory journalism sites like The Huffington Post’s OffTheBus and CNN’s I-Report. The conclusion I drew from these four developments is that new media has changed the way campaigns are run by candidates, covered by the press, and engaged by the public. Most importantly, the average citizen has been empowered through the technology as never before. Instead of being passive observers in politics and the press, citizens can now actively participate by communicating with candidates and journalists

The Mexicans\u27 and Mexican-Americans\u27 contribution to the development of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and its citrus industry

The development of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and its citrus industry is a popular subject in the area. It is a topic local authors write about. Furthermore, it is not unusual for Valley newspapers and magazines to occasionally mention the greatness of the area and its citrus business. Most of what is written, however, is used to propagandize the area and the citrus industry. Moreover, little, if anything, is mentioned about the Mexican and Mexican-American and his contribution, with the exception of the Laguna Seca ranch, the Vela family, and a few affluent individuals. Even when one reads of the death of a long-time resident in the obituary column, Anglos are typically mentioned as pioneers while Mexicans or Mexican—Americans are referred to as merely retired farm laborers. This type of informing or reporting does not provide much motivation for Mexican-Americans to engage in local research. The few who wish to look into this subject further find the information available extremely unbalanced. One of the reasons I chose to write on this subject was that I felt that some of the data that had previously been presented on this topic had to be corrected. The Mexican’s and Mexican-American’s contribution to the success of this area has to be emphasized. As of this writing there are still many Mexicans and Mexican-Americans living who contributed greatly to the development of the Valley during the period 1910-1930. I have made an attempt to contact a number of them, especially Tamaulipecos, and to report on their points of view and their efforts. My interest on the subject was further stimulated by the death of a Valley resident named Genaro Cano, Sr. in late 1980, at the age of ninety-six. His obituary in the Harlingen Valley Morning Star stated only his date and place of birth, and the number of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. There was no mention of how he and his children had contributed to the development of the Valley and the citrus industry. A few days later, the local paper carried the news, prominently displayed on the front page, of the death of an Anglo resident of the Valley. His contributions to the development of the area were publicized in great detail, and he was eulogized as a pioneer. As a young man, I often heard stories of how and why people had come to the Valley during the period under consideration. I was also shown many citrus orchards where the Canos and many other Mexicans and Mexican-Americans had worked. Thus, as I read the obituary column I wondered why no mention of Genaro’s contribution had appeared in the Harlingen paper, because I knew that the information had been provided to the funeral director. I have no quarrel with those who write about Anglo-American Valley pioneers. But I would like to point out that the Mexicans and Mexican-Americans who helped develop the Valley through back-breaking jobs were also pioneers. It is my hope that as attitudes change, and as more information becomes available, writing and reporting about the area will give due credit to all who had a hand in the dramatic development of the Valley in the early 1900’s. I offer this thesis as a contribution toward that end. In writing about this subject I have tried to remain as impartial and unbiased as possible, even though Genaro Cano, Sr. was my grandfather