Historian Comments

This resource begins by considering the determination of Latino parents and of their children to get an education, in order to have a better adult life. From the earliest arrivals to Boulder County, families tried to keep at least some of their children in school as long as possible, even when they were old enough to be working. Interviews and other sources make the commitment to education visible. That commitment is especially impressive given the amount of racism and discrimination that many Latino children experienced in school–from teachers and other youngsters. Even children who stayed in school and went on to college remembered bad treatment and how they had to fight to achieve their educational goals. A final section of this resource presents quantitative information about Latino children in the three towns studied here, including their numbers, ages, and grades, between 1905 and 1964. That material, drawn from the annual School Censuses, provides excellent sources for lessons in mathematics: how to quantify information for analysis, how to prepare and read tables, and how to work with spreadsheets.