214.Unstack the Odds--Latinos:Another Crisis, Pt 1

Unstack the Odds: Help All Kids Access College—and Graduate!

by

Joe Rottenborn
Executive Director, Mahoning Valley College Access Program (MVCAP)

7. Latinos: Another Crisis, Pt 1

A posting by Peter Schmidt on the 2010 A Call For Change commented on the data relating to Hispanics, saying “The latest report covers new ground, however, with a special section focusing on the nation's Hispanic population, which has the lowest rate of high-school completion and the lowest level of educational attainment of any minority group, and has made the least progress in recent decades in the growth of its share of young people going on to college . . . . “ Schmidt commented further: “Unlike many other immigrants, most Hispanic immigrants, particularly those from Mexico, come from underachieving economic and educational backgrounds, the report notes.” (Peter Schmidt, “Educational Difficulties of Men and Immigrants Hinder Efforts to Improve College Attainment,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 20, 2010.) http://chronicle.com/article/Educational-Difficulties-of/125015/

For the itinerant farmworkers’ children—American citizens by virtue of their birth in the U.S.--whose families pick the produce crop, which may involve moving frequently, their education can be disrupted. Patricia Leigh Brown described one such young male in this posting: “One boy in Mr. Ramos’s class did not attend school for five months. He spent his time on PlayStation. This year, his father will move for work. But his mother is staying in Salinas, worried, she said, that “my son is falling behind.” Almost half of these children become high-school dropouts. (Patricia Leigh Brown, “Itinerant Life Weighs on Farmworkers’ Children,” The New York Times, March 12, 2011.) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/us/13salinas.html?pagewanted=2&adxnnl=1&hpw&adxnnlx=1300104036-wFj/nGS5VdhLTnVazFb7Sw

As for Latino boys, an opinion column in USAToday offered what might be termed this “reverse pyramid” of academic achievement: “According to a study by the Center for Community Development and Civil Rights at Arizona State University, out of 100 Latino males who start elementary school, 49 leave before high school graduation. Of those who finish high school, only 10 complete college. Our high school dropout rate (29%) surpasses that of white males (7%) and African-American males (14%).” (Raul Reyes, “Education progress eludes Latinos,” USA Today, August 17, 2007, p. 11A.)