- Segregated schools for children of Mexican heritage and origin have been established since the post-1848 era. Overtime, the population of Mexican Americans has grown, resulting in residential and school segregation. School segregation for Chicano students existed as separate schools or separate classrooms. Overtime and across geographies, Chicano school integration has increased and decreased, coinciding with desegregation orders. Today, Chicano students still experience segregation, but to a lesser degree than in the 1960s-1980s.
- Several studies find that Chicano segregated schools have inadequate resources and materials. The buildings are often unfit, with conditions inferior to schools that are predominantly white. Teachers at the segregated schools report a lack of resources and training to properly address the language needs of Chicano students.
- Chicano students in predominantly minority schools face negative achievement outcomes. While in school, a high percent of Chicano students are “pedagogically retardedâ€, meaning that they are overage for their grades. Researchers find that as minority (Black/ Latino) enrollment increases, academic achievement decreases. However, when disentangled, the association between achievement and percentage of Latino students is less than the association between percent Black and Latino, but is still substantially negative. Percent minority students also produce negative effects on graduation rates and scores on college entrance examinations.