UCLA Latino Home-School Research Project, 1989 - 2003

This longitudinal study was designed to explore whether the cultural values, beliefs, and actions of Latino families provide cultural models that supply children with productive foundations for success in school. Participants in the study were Spanish-speaking families with a child entering kindergarten in one of 13 classrooms selected from two different districts in greater Los Angeles. In 1989, when the study began, 121 children and their families participated in an in-home interview. Families were interviewed by phone in the spring and fall of each study year through the fall of 2002 and completed in-home interviews in the spring of 1993 and 1995. A final follow-up interview was completed with the participating adolescents in 2003 and data were collected on their final year of high school and post-graduation activities. Nested in the longitudinal cohort was a Case Sample of 32 randomly selected families. These families were visited 3-6 times a year by caseworkers who collected more detailed information on family life. Interviews, in-home observations and child assessments were used to obtain data on family background, participation in in-home literacy and learning activities, attitudes toward schooling, aspirations and expectations concerning educational and occupational success, and parental attitudes with respect to fostering academic achievement. Data were also collected to track the target children's attendance and performance throughout elementary, middle and high school. The Murray Archive holds spring and fall interviews from 1989 through 1999 along with teacher ratings and standardized testing information from those years. Additionally, annual interviews with adolescents from 2000 through 2003, cultural identity scales, perceived life satisfaction scales, eco-cultural scales, and high school transcript data are available.