Essay on Hispanic Dropouts

These two things have been proven to be large risk factors for drop-outs. Their children in turn may also drop out, leading them back to the situation their parents were in. However, there are even more risk-factors that many Native American people continue to face.

In a society which is relying increasingly on education, graduating high school is quickly becoming an important accolade to ensure a student’s success in society. According to a study completed in July of 2011, high school dropouts cost between $320 billion and $350 billion annually in lost wages, taxable income, health, welfare and incarceration costs. (Zhao, 2011) As well as the financial impact, there are many other aspects that should be addressed when looking at high school dropout rates. The most prevalent example is the fact that systematically, the education system has shown significant signs of unbalance in the distribution of dropout rates across different races and or ethnicities. In 2009, 4.8 percent of of blacks and 5.8 percent of Hispanics between 15 and 24 dropped out of grades 10-12, compared with 2.4 percent for white students. (Zhao, 2011) With statistics like this, it is important that we not only ensure our education system is operating in a successful way, but also providing equal education and opportunities for students of all races, ethnicities, income levels, and religious backgrounds. By examining our education system, we as educators will be able to address and hopefully resolve the issues related to the unequal dropout rates in high schools across the nation.

Next to academic achievement, the rate of school attendance showed the strongest relationship to dropout (Christle, Jolivette, & Nelson, 2007). Failure to complete homework, follow school rules, follow civil law, and lack of participation in activities, were all signs of disengagement,

The achievement gap between Hispanic students and non-Hispanic students is alarming due to the high dropout rates and the increasing Hispanic population in the United States. To better understand why Hispanic students dropout out of high school it is important to explore the perspectives and experiences of high school dropouts. Examining the root causes of whys Hispanic student’s drop out of high school can assist to improve dropout retention early on. As a significant number of Hispanics continue to dropout of high school annually, educational decision-makers continue to search for solutions to effectively address the high percentage of Hispanic dropouts. In 2008, Behnke, A., Gonzalez, L., & Cox, R. researched why Hispanic youth drop out

B. While Hispanic/Latino graduation rates continue an upward trend, they are still the second highest dropout rates amongst all minorities influenced by a lack of bilingual education programs, low participation in early childhood education programs and a lack of respect for the Hispanic/Latino culture are leading contributing factors to their continued high dropout rate.

The graph above illustrates the graduation rate of high school students among the Hispanic community. It depicts that during the early 1990’s the graduation rate among hispanics was extremely low, with only at least 61% of students graduating just from high school. It displays that students among the age of 18-24 had a low probability of graduating, and this continued between 1994 and 1996, where the percentage of high school graduates dropped below 61%.

Meaning, if a Latino is restricted to an equal education as other ethnic groups, it can be the cause of multiple other complications. For example, Bilingual education was removed by No Child Left Behind and that affects Latinos since a high percentage are English learners. Without a proper education, Latinos will have a hard time accomplishing their goals; therefore, it can lead up to having disadvantages with obtaining a proper job, and can end with having difficulties earning enough income to support oneself and one’s family. Although the government states

According to Tyler and Lofstrom (2009), a student’s decision to drop out of school is affected by a number of complex factors and is often the culmination of a long process of disengagement from school. Garcia-Reid, Reid, and Peterson’s (2005) study recognizes that many Latino youth enter school at an educational disadvantage, mainly because English is not their primary language. Other factors that prevent educational attainment are: poverty, exposure to crime and violence in their local

Immigration is a major issue within the hispanic community but an issue that is rarely discussed is education. Currently in the hispanic community we have the highest dropouts rate out of any other minority. Even with students who overcome all the obstacles get as far as going to college there is then the issue of how does one pay for college when you and your family can not. These issues pertain to many of of us including myself I did everything I will be receiving my diploma in May but I’m low income how do I afford college. Many students know the sad truth that their families will be unable to pay for college they won’t qualify for merit or maybe even financial scholarships for many reasons. As a hispanic student knowing this information

Therefore, Hispanic student achievement has a direct impact on the state’s economic future. On the positive side, over the past decade Hispanic high school dropout rates has declined, and college enrollment has increased. However, Hispanics continue to lag behind other groups in enrolling in college enrollment and earning a bachelor’s degree (Pew Research Center 2016). For example, in 2014 the Hispanic student dropout rate was 12% compared to 32% in 2000. Even though the dropout rate has decreased, it remains higher than any other subgroups- black (7%), whites (5%), and Asians (1%).

To understand more about school dropout I continue to search for more articles in academic search premier, and then I ran into article written by Azzam, Amy M. The author states that, a “Divers youth, ages 16-25, who had failed to complete high school.” The author discovered that approximately “About one-third of all high school students in the United Sates fail to graduate” (91). Based on this article, the dropout rates vary among the races. The dropout rate among Black and Hispanic are fifty percent. She describes that the reasons for students dropping out from high school are including, “Students were bored, missed too many days, spent time with people who weren’t interested in school, had too much freedom, and not supervision.”

The problem of students of color dropping out is relevant to policy issue is that is affecting mass numbers, and the margins of them having the same educational achievement as their white counterparts still remains high ( U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2012.) Moreover, as society demands more educated individuals these individuals that lack education are not able to obtain jobs ( Rumberger, 2011: Swanson& Editioral Projects in Education, 2009.) Within these individuals not being able to get employment they more likely to acess social welfare services for financial support which is costing more than having them get a proper education ( Belfield & Levin, 2007;Catterall, 1987.) In addition, this epidemic

universities and colleges require students to have a high school diploma before they are accepted into a program. In addition, dropouts not only fail to earn their high school diplomas, but they also block their abilities to continue on with education in colleges or universities. The drawback of not have sufficient education is that they don't have as much training and knowledge to succeed in their adult lives, and that because of the more responsibilities they have as they become parents and have less time to focus on learning. The less ability to access financial aid and the more responsibilities are blocking the dropouts from earning a higher education in their young ages.

Being Hispanic, many people would believe that we’re all just drop outs. The truth is that many Hispanics do end up dropping out because they don’t like school or family reasons.

The author of the article Career and Technical Education’s Role in Dropout Prevention and Recovery states that the average dropout rate for U.S. citizens from ages 16 to 24 is 10.7%. The age groups 16 to 24 are either not enrolled in high school or lack the knowledge of the average high school student.