Anne-Marie Nu?ez & Richard E Hoover 
Latinos in Higher Education 
Creating Conditions for Student Success: ASHE Higher Education Report, 39:1

Latinos’ postsecondary educational attainment has not keptpace with their growing representation in the U.S. population. Howcan Latino educational attainment be advanced?

This monograph presents relevant contemporary research, focusingon the role of institutional contexts. Drawing particularly onresearch grounded in Latino students’ perspectives, itidentifies key challenges Latino students face and discuss variousapproaches to address these challenges. Because so many Latinostudents are enrolled in federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), it also specifically explores HSIs’ rolein promoting Latinos’ higher education access and equity. Asa conclusion, it offers recommendations for institutional, state, and federal policies that can foster supportive contexts.

This is Volume 39 Issue 1 of the Jossey-Bass publication ASHE Higher Education Report. Each monograph in theseries is the definitive analysis of a tough higher educationproblem, based on thorough research of pertinent literature andinstitutional experiences. Topics are identified by a nationalsurvey. Noted practitioners and scholars are then commissioned towrite the reports, with experts providing critical reviews of eachmanuscript before publication.

Table of Content

Executive Summary vii

Foreword ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction 1

Postsecondary Attainment 3

Economic Implications of Low Educational Attainment 4

Organization of This Monograph 6

Demographic, Social, and Cultural Background 9

A Demographic Dividend? 9

Ethnic Subgroups 12

Cultural and Social Influences 17

Summary 25

Classic and Contemporary Theories of Latino Identity Development27

Ethnic and Racial Identity Development in College Students29

Supporting Latino Students in Identity Development 36

Summary 37

Challenges to Latino Student Success 39

Casting Success Within a Broader Societal Context 39

Role of Resources 40

Summary 52

Mainstream Approaches to Latino Student Success 53

Academic Capital 54

Financial Capital 59

Cultural Capital 60

Social Capital 62

Summary 65

Culturally Responsive Approaches to Latino Student Success67

Family Concerns 68

Assumptions About Latinos’ Background and Potential 71

Campus Racial/Ethnic Climate 73

Conclusion 80

The Role of Hispanic-Serving Institutions in Access and Equity81

Historical Background and Funding of HSIs 83

Students in HSIs 87

Faculty and Administrators at HSIs 88

Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions 90

Challenges for HSIs 91

Summary 92

Conclusion and Implications 93

Role of Demographics and Social and Cultural Factors 93

Developing Culturally Responsive Research, Policy, and Practice94

Institutionalizing Strategies to Serve Latino Students 95

Teaching and Learning in the Classroom 95

Role of Finances 96

Collaborative Research 96

Role of State Legislators and Policymakers 96

Role of Federal Representatives and Agencies 97

Final Thoughts 98

References 99

Name Index 119

Subject Index 126

About the Authors 131

About the author

Anne-Marie Nunez is associate professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio.



Richard E. Hoover is senior lecturer in the Educational Leadership and Higher Education (ELHE) program in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.



Kellie Pickett is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership and Higher Education program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.



A. Christine Stuart-Carruthers is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership and Higher Education program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.



Maria Vazquez is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership and Higher Education program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.