The Educational Achievement Of Latina/O Youth

     Why do some groups not succeed in academic settings? One theory brought up in “Understanding inequality” suggests that the gap in the socioeconomic status drives the inequalities in the school system. The low and working class have less time and income to intervene with schooling. This means they have less time to meet with teachers, hire tutors, and provide continuous transportation. Therefore the lower class can’t possibly compete with the middle and upper classes. Angela Valenzuela gives the accounts of some Hispanic students’ experiences in school. These students feel that it is the inferior nature of the schools in the US that contribute to the low success

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

Growing up as a first-generation college-bound Hispanic woman has proven to be a difficult journey. Both of my parents left their home countries at a young age and came to this country without any ideas or real opportunities on where to begin. At a young age, I have been taught that having a higher education is the key to having a successful and plentiful life. However, the journey towards achieving my dream of receiving a higher education has been filled with moments where I have challenged the stereotypes about getting pregnant and dropping out of high school, facing my grandma’s unexpected illness that affected me both academically and mentally, and the challenge of being a first generation college bound student in my family.

The current trend in lack of Latina/o students attending college combines a lack of college readiness with a deficiency in resources to prepare this student population. More and more higher education scholars are accepting these deficiencies as roadblocks to college access, and are looking to preparation programs and parent educational resources as a subject worthy of consideration. There are many different challenges being faced by this population, a population that is according to Oliva and Nora, “the fastest growing minority population in the country”(Oliva & Nora, 2004). Research shows that “less than 43% of Hispanic high school students are qualified to enroll in 4 year institutions”(Saunders & Serna, 2004). With the rapid growth in

At Laredo Community College where we have both Mexican-American and Mexican students which we see the difference of intelligence. Those students show the difference of their abilities regarding the Texas Success Initiative which have different rates of passing. The intelligence capabilities of both Mexican-American and Mexican students are different in three levels and the methodology of testing.

Cultural tendencies have a huge impact on the way children tend to participate in educational activities. The ethnicity of a child may change the way that teacher view a child. Suppose you had an Asian child in previous years who was quiet and reserved. You get a new child, you expect this one to be the same way, but he is not. We as teachers have to learn that each child is their own individual self, and they do not act the same way, no matter what race, gender, or social status they are.

Today's education is often viewed as failing in its goal of educating students, especially those students characterized as minorities, including African American, Hispanic, and Appalachian students (Quiroz, 1999). Among the minority groups mentioned, African American males are affected most adversely. Research has shown that when Black male students are compared to other students by gender and race they consistently rank lowest in academic achievement (Ogbu, 2003), have the worst attendance record (Voelkle, 1999), are suspended and expelled the most often (Raffaele Mendez, 2003; Staples, 1982), are most likely to drop out of school, and most often fail to graduate from high school or to earn a GED (Pinkney, 2000; Roderick, 2003).

Although the subject of education, study behavior, has been viewed as a personal matter, we believe race and gender played a role in it. We interviewed a Senior Latino student named Irving Alvisurez. Alvisurez is a first generation college student that came from Los Angeles, California. When he first came to UCSB, he lived in FT and there was only four Hispanics on his whole floor, this gave him more opportunity to expose to foreign cultures and experiencing culture shock. He first majored in computer science and later changed to Chicano studies. As a first generation Latino, he felt more pressure from family rather than social pressures. His statement was supported by the arguments within his family based on his change of majors multiple times,

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

According to the National Education Association, 98% of Latinas want to graduate high school, but only 59% actually do (Flannery). Being of Hispanic ethnicity and growing up in a predominately white town, I can say that I had the privilege to never feel this stat on my shoulders. Growing up in today’s day and age in a very good town, it is great to say that more than everyone I have come across in my school district has given me the benefit of the doubt and has always pushed me to be my very best. However, there are always the people that think that one is limited to what they can and cannot do, in my case they were wrong, and more often than not it’s the people that are least expected to put people down that do. Maya Angelou

Growing up as a Latino in a community where most of the population are Hispanic had made me blind, detached from the reality of the world and the reality of the college experience, especially in Santa Cruz. Looking at the world I have always known to an extent who had more privilege than others, special attention, and more rights. I have also vaguely known which groups have been treated with less respect seen as less, but all of this didn’t really seem to matter to me in my immediate world. Coming to Santa Cruz on trips such as ORALE and JUSTICE has made me see, made me realize that it does affect me, my family, and my community that privilege is something that isn’t gifted to us but which we fight for, which causes us to be looked at differently

Adelante Hispanic Achievers is a program with objectives to encourage Hispanic students to set and meet goals in which will benefit them in the future. The program also helps Hispanic parents to understand and become more involved with their child’s education. Ultimately, their goal is to help Hispanic youth and their families with the proper resources to participate in the society around them. Adelante was created in 2004 by a former JCPS school Board chair Stephan Imhoff and a few community leaders, when the program was created they all believed on helping support Louisville’s Hispanic students and their families with brighter futures. Their mission is to provide ad inspire students to believe in their dreams without any limitations. To this

Hispanic women who are able to escape their perpetrator may be faced with barriers that impact their ability to rise above a lower socioeconomic status. Community resources may provide some aid but are not suffice to sustain a family with a single parent. Hispanic women who are entrapped in an abusive relationship may feel financially obligated to remain with their perpetrator. Some barriers identified by Shah and Shah (2010) include low educational attainment and unemployment post pregnancy. Physical problems women are exposed to as a result of domestic violence include increased instances of gynecological problems, sexually transmitted infections, and urinary tract infections.

C.  Thesis Statement – The Us education system is alarmingly promoting the Hispanic achievement gap with segregation, discouragement and discrimination.

From this week’s readings and class lecture, I learned more about the way the system is set for Bilingual students. It’s sad to think that we live in a country where in 2018, we still face segregation in the school system, even at the University level. I learned a lot from Dolores Delgado n on her chapter titled “Chicana/o Education from The Civil Rights Era to The Present”, it’s incredible to know what past generations had to go through for us Latinx students who are in higher education to have the rights we have as we speak now. A lot has been done, but sadly we still face a lot of racism at an institutional level, for example a lot us get placed on lower level for English classes. A great example I can think of is here at Sonoma State, most