First of all, the state wide definition of College and Career Readiness (CCR) is “level of preparation students’ needs to enroll and succeed in a credit-bearing, entry-level college courses (ACT, 2015).” The statics of Hispanics high school students passing math and reading is 22% (Moore, 2010). Hispanics students have a higher percentage when looking at the subjects individually with 37% in reading and 39% in math but this is not a true indicator demonstrating college completion (Moore, 2010). The overall degree attainment in Texas, was 32% of the total population of which only 16% were of Hispanic or Latino origin (Education, 2011). By no means was language a barrier nor performance deficits, leaving their white counter parts preforming at 53% in reading, 58% in math, and 40% overall in both subject areas (Moore, 2010). The downfall of this study is that the reporting system Texas uses is a multivariate in which factors cannot be separated individually in order to assess College Readiness standards (Moore, 2010). “Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-270) and CCR agenda focus on ensuring students are prepared for college and beyond (Achieve, 2013).” Of the ten policies, that institution of higher education has not been able to align the transferability of coursework since each school is truly unique in the composition and excicution of coursework being taught. This change CCR standards has lead to the, revamping of the
The American College Testing (ACT), 2010 concluded that a large number of high school students and high school graduates do not possess the knowledge and skills for college level work or career training. With the creation and implementation of common core standards, states and school districts have a clear set of student expectations to target
The Hispanic college students in the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program and their desire for higher education were discussed in terms of constituents. The discussion of results was a very
The number of diverse students entering and graduating from post-secondary institutions is increasing at rapid rates (Education Trust, 2015; Georgetown University Center, 2012). Between the years 2003 and 2013, 77% of public institutions improved graduation rates for underrepresented groups, including African-American, Hispanic, and Native American students (Education Trust, 2015). Despite this increase, there continues to be a graduation gap between underrepresented minority students and White students. Nationally, 42% percent of Black students that enter college will graduate while 62% of White students will graduate (The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 2005). There is a similar graduation gap for college students who are the first in their family to attend college, or first-generation students. Sixty percent of first generation students that enter college will attend college for six years without receiving a bachelor’s degree (Smith, 2012). Historically underrepresented students and first generation students face unique challenges and hardships that can make graduation difficult (Hunter, Laursen & Seymour, 2007; Jett, Curry, & Vernon-Jackson, 2016; Schwartz, 2012). High impact practices such as the Ronal McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Program) are designed to increase historically disadvantages and first generation student learning and retention in college. An importance aspect of high impact programs such as the McNair
Hispanic students are a noticeable population in the education system in the United States, because like said before the Hispanic population in the United States is growing noticeably. Yet, the a lot of students are not seeking higher education or taking rigorous classes, and
While many may believe that the most important issue to Latinos is immigration reform, a survey taken by the Pew Research Center in 2013 reveals that “some 57% of Latino registered voters called education an ‘extremely important’ issue facing the nation today” (Krogstad). The reason why this is seen as most important may be due to Texas’s overall low national rankings. As reported by the U.S. News and World Report, of the 1,492 Texas high schools examined for the nation’s best high schools, only 357 made the list in 2014 (Brown 367). As an increasing number of students “have come… from families that are ethnic minorities or economically disadvantaged,” such low rankings possibly result from the low quality education that they receiving as “historically, Texas not served minority and less affluent student as well as it has Anglo and middle-class students” (Brown 367). Additionally, in the 2012-2013 academic school year, the Texas Education Agency reported that 51 percent of students in the state are Latino, therefore as the amount of Latino students increases throughout the state, the higher the notice of this lower quality education as compared to their Anglo counterparts (Brown 367). This has lead to an outreach throughout the Latino community to improve the quality of education that they are
First generation students are characterized as unprepared for college. The Latino first generation is so pervasive and over population that many Latino first generation do not have a affliction as those whose family has been in the United States for a while. A first generation student especially that is Latino, are usually from income are notoriously low compare those to all American family. Over the past decade, the latino population has grown from 35.3 million to 50.5 million , composing 16.3 percent of the total population. In fact, more than half of the growth in the total population in the U.S from 2000 to 2010 can be attributed to the increase in the Latino population. Latinos clearly constitute a vital population of the U.S population. Only 37% of Latino high school complete between the 18 and 24 are enrolled in college and one at of ten hold a college degree. Overall , there household plays a huge part into the minds of a first generation
The Hispanic/Latino community has been known to be underrepresented on college campuses, both at the community college and four-year university level. Factors such as low-income households, poor or harsh living conditions, under-educated parents, cultural and family commitments, and unfamiliarity with the college process, all serve as unfortunate barriers that keep Hispanic/Latino students from reaching the goal of attaining college degrees. Although these barriers keep many students from succeeding, many others overcome these obstacles and continue on their paths to creating a better future for themselves. They choose to look past the expectations that society has for them and break out of the stereotypical mold. However, Hispanic/Latino students face, yet, another challenge upon successfully making it on to a college campus... the challenge of graduating.
Texas’ government must work towards narrowing the income gap between the White and Hispanic populations, caused by the underwhelming socioeconomic status of many Latin American immigrants. This could be done by reforming the state’s educational system to better help Hispanics succeed. “…a lack of proactive efforts to address the unique needs of [Hispanics] in the educational system has untold implications for the future economic and social prosperity of the country…” (Saenz, et al,76) If Hispanics are to be the majority, the state should put more emphases on bi-lingual education. This will help reduce language barriers and make it easier for Spanish-speaking Hispanic children to succeed in the educational system. To combat statistics showing that a Hispanic student with poor socioeconomic status is heavily prone to taking drugs, committing crime, joining a gang, and going to prison, the state should invest in mentor programs. A 2008 study on the effects mentor programs have on Hispanic children showed that: “…having a mentor translated into positive academic outcomes, including greater expectancy of success, higher educational expectations, fewer absences, and a greater sense of school belonging.” (Saenz, et al, 80) These efforts will result in Hispanics having greater preparedness for higher education. The state would also benefit from investing in vocational
Education plays an important role in every person’s future. Not only does it enhance a person’s intellect, but it allows them to discover what they want to become. For the past years, high school students were having trouble graduating and when Texas ranked the lowest in the population that received a high school diploma, the state decided to minimize the amount of exams students had to pass. Although Texas students became successful in graduating, this way of graduating harms the student because they were unable to understand the basics in their education. The reduction of End-of-course exams from fifteen to five and later to three motivate students, but also teaches them that they don’t need to work hard.
as having English as a second language and coming from an underprivileged background, that assisted minority applicants much more than non-minority candidates. In 2004, the University of Texas brought forth a proposal that sought to reestablish the direct consideration of race in the holistic admission process. UT’s reasoning for this re-introduction was to increase the presence of minority students in smaller “classes of participatory size” and to correct the demographic imbalance between the school and the state. This proposal was accepted without much resistance and race was added as component in calculating the Personal Achievement Index.
In analyzing the discrepancies of degree completion and post-secondary enrollment of individuals within the Rio Grande Valley, we must also account for factors that can deter these individuals from
Daniel Santos, a retired military officer, “The US government provides many opportunities for citizens to further themselves” says Daniel Santos, a retired military officer. US benefit programs have allowed Daniel and his family to have a stable home with health care, as well as numerous educational opportunities. He has passed on his strong educational values, knowing that higher education is essential for success. “Between 1971 and 1992, the number of Hispanic college students rose from 47% to 70%, and just last year there was a 24% increase in the number of Hispanics enrolled in college” reveals the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before the 1970’s a majority of Hispanics and other minorities were uneducated. Progress to improve this has been made with scholarships and programs sponsored by colleges and the US government. Within the 20th century, the percentage of educated Hispanics has increased and surpassed the perception of minorities. Conclusively the 20th century education progress has transformed modern-day
In 2012 for the first time in history the college enrollment for Latinos surpassed that of whites among 18 to 24 year olds. (Krogstad & Fry, 2014) However, first-year retention rates reveal reasons for concern; in 1999 the retention rate for Latino/a students from the first to second year was a dismal 75.7%. (Seidman, 2005) However, despite these gains there is still reason for concern; California, the state with the largest Latino population, only 16% of Latinos ages 25 and up hold an associate or bachelor’s degree; this compared to 38% of all Californians the same age. (Lilley, 2014) That number is even lower for Californian Latino/as earning a bachelor degree, 12%. (Quinton, 2015) Furthermore, in California only 42%
“According to research college readiness and career readiness share many important elements, including study skills, time management skills, persistence, ownership of learning, problem solving, collecting and analyzing information, and communicating in a variety of ways (Conley & McGaughy, 2012)”. It is important that our students understand that knowing how to find information to solve a problem is a skill that they will carry with them for life. Compliment problem solving with persistence and soft skills our students will win every time. I teach junior and senior graphic design with a 1/1 ratio on computers. They are taught the Google platform from using the Drive to google docs and how to do advanced searches. They are also given skills
The writers of this article conducted a one-year study. They collected information on the Praxis II test scores of traditional students in elementary education and non-traditional students in college. The study is significant because the authors focused on academic achievement from the kindergarten classroom to non-traditional learners. The educational system is being pushed by state and federal agencies to show how a student measures up and to improve their graduation rates. In this study, The College of Education included non-traditional learners because of the challenges they bring to the institution of higher education. The authors concluded that non-traditional students do not have a high completion or success rate because they have