Educational Crisis: Latino Poverty

1
Educational CrisisLatino Poverty the
Achievement Gap

• Carlos F. Camargo, PhD
• The Tech Museum of Innovation
• 8 May 2009

Presentation based on research by Patricia
Gándara, UC Davis
2
Californias Demographics

• 48 of K-12 students are Latino
• 52 of K-2 students are Latino
• Around 2010, the majority of all Californias
  students will be Latino

3
Who are Latino Children?

• They are largely, but not exclusively, of Mexican
  origin
• 60 of Latinos are native born 40 immigrants
• Most immigrants are English learners, but most
  English learners are NOT immigrants. At least
  2/3 of Latino EL students are born in the U.S.

4
How are Latino students faring academically?Let
s look at the data
5
Percent Kindergartners Scoring at Highestand
Lowest Quartiles, Math Reading, 1998 and 2000
6
Percent Grade 4 Students Scoring Proficient
NAEP Reading and Math, By Ethnicity, 2005
7
Percent Grade 8 Students Scoring Proficient
NAEP Reading Math 2005, By Ethnicity
8
The Widening Gap Percent of 25-29 year olds
with BA or higher, by Ethnicity
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Is This a Temporary Problem Due to Immigration?

• Each generation of Latinos is improving in
  schooling and income
• But immigrants often out-perform native born
• Progress stalled at 3rd generation
• Proportionately fewer Latinos go to college than
  in 1976
• Drop out rates are extraordinarily high, even for
  native born Latinos--up to 50

10
Is Language the Problem?

• More than half of Latinos are English speakers,
  but as a group they perform very poorly
• Learning English does not close the achievement
  gaps with White English speakers

11
Why Do Latinos Fare So Poorly?

• No single predictor more powerful than parental
  education
• Isolated by SES, language, and ethnicity in the
  poorest schools
• Entering into a post-industrial economy--no
  upward mobility
• Very weak social safety net
• Huge increase in cost of college, decrease in
  financial aid

12
Poverty

• U.S. has highest child poverty rates among
  wealthy nations Latinos are the most poor
• 28 of Latinos under 18 live in poverty in the
  U.S. (14 of White students)
• One third (31) of Latinos under 6 are poor
• 73 of all Latino 4th graders qualify for
  free/reduced price lunch

13
Poverty in California

• 27 of Latino children live in poverty
• Three times the number of White children living
  in poverty
• More than half of all poor children in California
  are Latino

14
Parent Education Level K-12 Students, 2003
15
Mean SAT Score by Ethnicity and Income, 2004
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What are the Consequences?

• If California does not increase the college-going
  rate of Latinos
• It is projected to lose 11 per capita income
  between 2000 and 2020
• This compares to a 30 increase in per capita
  income between 1980 and 2000 NCHEMS

17
What to do?

• Address Latino poverty
• Offer high quality preschool interventions
• Reduce isolation in school and neighborhoods
• Stop immigrant harassment--all children are
  guaranteed schooling
• Provide highly qualified, bilingual teachers
• Fund the college education of Latino (and other
  poor) students