"Presently, school populations represent a culturally and linguistically diverse student body. Students are put at risk of failure in the school environment due to overlooked developmental factors and external socio-historical factors. Due to this shift in diversification, non-traditional educational needs must be recognized. This work offers a comparative and alternative framework for students and faculty to address this contemporary challenge. It presents a unique, state-of-the-art, ecological, and multidimensional view of the differential effect of socio-cultural and socioeconomic factors on the development of both minority and majority students. The database studies illustrate methodological advances in the field of ethnic research and provide solutions for traditional methodological problems."--BOOK JACKET.