Local perspectives on the educational needs of Hispanic students in Belvidere, Illinois

Includes bibliographical references (pages [90]-92)This thesis is a study of the views of education of administrators in Belvidere Community School District #100, as well as those of a number of Hispanic parents of children in the same district. The same set of interview questions concerning characterisitics of good students and teachers, motivating factors of learning, and language and cultural issues was administered to both groups. In addition, the Hispanic parents were asked to comment on their expectations for their children's educations and subsequent careers. The responses of the two groups were compared to determine what similarities or differences existed. The study showed that administrators and parents held similar views about qualities of good teachers and students. The administrators lacked strong knowledge of Hispanic culture and were at times unable to name the aspects of the culture about which they should know more. Likewise, Hispanic parents showed a lack of understanding of the school district as a whole and named few aspects of the district about which they had questions. Differences were noticeable concerning opinions on the best way of teaching limited English-proficient students and the place for the Spanish language at school.M.S. Ed. (Master of Education