Student Subcultures; Teacher Student Relationship

This report describes economic, social, and political characteristics of the lower Rio Grande Valley with implications for the educational system, and presents preliminary findings on how south Texas schools are integrating new immigrant Mexican students. The lower Rio Grande Valley comprises four Texas counties and northern Tamaulipas, Mexico. For economic reasons, the population is exploding on both sides of the border, and the percentage of young people is much higher than in Texas overall. With border restrictions quite loose, the valley is becoming a cultural and economic unit, and schools on the U.S. side are being flooded with new immigrant students. In addition to children who immigrate with their families, many older Mexican teenagers are choosing to cross the border, alone or with relatives, to seek American schooling. Texas schools may not discriminate against homeless students ncr probe about their livin