DOCUMENT RESUME 21) 194 252 EC 012 319 TITLE Conference on the Educational and Occupational Needs of Hispanic Women, June 29-30, 1976, December 10-12, 1976. INSTITUTICN National Inst. of Education (DREW), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE Sep 80 NOTE 288p.: For related document, see RC 012 326. EDFS PRICE HF01/PC12 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Bilingual Education: Cubans: Dominicans: *Educational Needs: Educaticnal Policy: *Employment Level: Equal Opportunities (Jobsl: Federal Legislation; *Females: Hispanic American Culture: *Hispanic Americans: Leadership: Politics; Puerto Ricans: *Research Needs: Sex Fairness: *Sex Role; Socialization; Social Problems IDENTIFIERS Chicanas ABSTRACT Twenty-four Hispanic American professional women drawn from the fields of education, social services, and government by the Women's Research Program of the National Institute of Education met to develop a national research agenda which would begin to address the educational and occupational needs of Hispanic women. Twelve papers presented by activists and researchers at the conference dealt with: the lack of political involvement of Hispanic women: Hispanic women in education in New York and Chicago: Puerto Rican women in higher education: impediments to organizing Hispanic women: the cult of virginity: guidance and counseling cf Hispanic girls: an overview of La Chicana and Chicana identity; relevant social issues: approaches to education for the Hispanic woman: and the Hispanic woman's marginal status. Participants identified four major issues: the lack of accurate research on Hispanic women: the identificaticn of barriers to organizing Hispanic women: the identificaticn of factors contributing to heavy employment of Hispanic women in low level positions: and the impact cf existing equal rights legislatiCn on Hispanic women. Participants came to the conference from varied Hispanic backgrounds but achieved a unity independent of geographical differences which was reflected in a philosophical statement of purpose and in a series of detailed recommendations regarding policy and research. (SB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** The National Institute Program on of Education Teaching and Learning U.S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE Conference on the Educational and NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION Occupa ?:-%ss of THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEENREPRO- DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVEDFROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZAT IONORIGIN- anicAN ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OROPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILYREPRE- ocriago SENT OFFICIAL NATIONALINSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY lc/cRese ECEIvEd4,) c344 ti CONFERENCE ON THE EDUCATIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL NEEDS OF HISPANIC WOMEN June 29-30, 1976 December 10-12, 1976 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Shirley M. Hufstedler, Secretary Steven A. Minter, Under Secretary OFFICE OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND IMPROVEMENT F. James Rutherford, Assistant Secretary NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION Michael Timpane, Director Lois-ellin Datta, Associate Director for Teaching and Learning Susan Chipman, Assistant Director for Learning and Development September 1980 FOREWORD The National Institute of Education (NIE) was created by Congress in1972 as the primary Federal agency for educational research and development.It is now part of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Departmentof Education.NIE's policy is establishedby the National Council on Educational Research, whose 15 members are appointed by the President and confirmedby the Senate. The Institute's mission is twofold:to promote educational equity and to improve the quality of educational practice. To this end, NIE supportsresearch and dissemination activities that will help individualsregardless ofrace, sex, age, economic status, ethnic origin,or handicapping conditionrealize theirfull potential through education. To address the issues of educational and occupational equality forwomen and to identify factors contributing to the underrepresentation of minoritywomen in education and work, NIE held a series of conferences between 1975 and 1978to solicit the views of Black, Hispanic-American, Asian-Pacific-American,American Indian, and White ethnic women. This volume contains thepapers presented at the conference on the concerns of Hispanic-Americanwomen as well as individual and group recommendations from the participants.Included are policy, research, social, and humanitarian concerns, much of whose implementation fallbeyond the mission,purview, and resources of NIE and the Department of Education. Therefore, NIE is now making them available to a wider audience. These conferences were conceived, planned, and coordinated by theformer Women's Research Program at NIE.In 1978, the administrative structure at NIE was reorganized into three broad program areas:Teaching and Learning (T&L); Educational Policy and Organization (EPO); and Dissemination and Improvement of Practice (DIP).The program activities previously undertaken by the Women's ResearchProgramwere expandedtoinvolvethreegroups: theSocial Processes/Women's Research Team in the Learning and Development unit of T&L; the Women's Studies Team in EPO; and the Minorities and Women's Program inDIP. Several other teams focus their attentionon special topics such as women and mathematics, career development in women, and teenagepregnancy. The minority women's conference marked the initial step in openinga dialog among t asearchers, practitioners, activists, policymakers, and a Federal educa- tional agency.The actual publication of the conference reports has experienced various delays, but NIE has already acted on many conference recommendations. Forinstance, recent grants competitions have emphasized participation by minorities and women as grant recipients, reviewers, panelists, andas the target population in current research efforts. A sample of recent NIE-sponsored research focusing on minority women's issues is given in appendix B. iii 4 The research agenda for minorities and women at NIE has grown considerably since the first conference 4 years ago.The Social Processes/Women's Research Team is developing a research area plan that focuses on how immediate social environment affects the learning, development, and lifetime opportunities of the individual. The Minorities and Women's Programissponsoring programs to strengthen minority and women policymakers and researchers.In addition, many organizations such as the National Commission on Working Women emerged as a direct result of the conferences. Credit for making the conferences a r ality goes to Jean Lipman-Blumen, head of the former Women's Research Pror ,n, and the members of her team Christina Hristakos, Carol Crump, and Joan Aliberti.Credit for making the conferences a success goes to the patient and devoted participants, the chair- persons, and the innumerable behind-the-scenes contributors who supplied invalu- able contacts, advice, encouragement, and motivation. This publication is a tribute to the labors and generosity of all those people. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Our deepest gratitude goes to the Women's ResearchProgram of the National Institute of Education, with special thanksto Dr. Jean Lipman-Blumen and Ms. Christina Hristaks, for providingus with the opportunity to meet, shape our concerns, and propose recommendations for research, policyand action programs focused on improving the condition of Hispanic femslesand their communities in the United States. We also extend thanks to the staff of the National Institutefor Community Development who so ably assisted us inour efforts. Gracias. Sinceramente, THE PARTICIPANTS Conference on the Educational and OccupationalNeedsofHispanic Plomen September 1977 IN MEMORIAM We dedicate this Compendium to our dear sister and colleague,Gladys Correa.Those of us who had the privilege of knowing and working with Gladys realize that the mark she made on the lives of those whom she touchedis lasting. Her drive, dedication, and boundless energy motivated her to championthe cause of Puerto Rican children, young adolescents, and adults within the educationalsystem in New York State and the Nation. Gladys was born in New York City andwas raised on 110th Street in "El Barrio." Her father, Ricardo, and her mother, Jovita, whocame to New Yc. L from Puerto Moo in the 1920's, taught her early in life the importance of helpingothers. She attended East Harlem's P.S. 101 and graduated from Julia Richman High School. She completed her B.A. and M.A. at Hunter College. Gladys' first teuching assignment was at Galvani junior High School,which later became I.S. 117 in Community School District Four. She wenton to teach and became foreign language chairperson at the High School of Commerce, which later became Brandeis High School. Gladys' profound compassion and sensitivity to peopleas unique human beings led her to concentrate her efforts in the;. ea of human relations and group dynamics. She was human relations coordinator in District Three of Manhattan. As an expert in intergroup relations, Gladys provided human relations workshops for people throughout the country. Gladys was dean of students at Hostos Community College and laterat Universidad Boricua.She soon became supervisor for the Bilingual Unit at the State Education Department. In the words of her brother, Hernitn LaFontaine, "She is, and alwayswill be, a ray of light thht penetrates and illuminates