Latinos in Higher Education

1
Latinos in Higher Education

• RYAN,
• KENDRA,
• DENISE

2
Latinos Without Higher Education
3
High School Diploma or Equivalent

• Because of technological developments in fields
  of all types, the demand for skilled labor has
  increased greatly.
• The minimum requirement for most jobs is a high
  school diploma and even as time increases the
  minimum is more likely to become a bachelors
  degree.
• High School dropouts have an increased rate of
  unemployment and are more likely to require
  public assistance.
• When working the same or similar jobs, dropouts
  earn less money than high school graduates and
  high school grads earn less money than people who
  earn a bachelors degree.

4
Latino Completion

• Over the last 25 years the high school completion
  rate of all racial and ethnic groups has
  increased for every group except Latinos.
• In 1998, 94 of Asian Americans completed high
  school requirements, 90 of Whites, 81 of
  African Americans and 63 of Latinos.
• Only 52 of Latinos graduate high school with a
  diploma compared to 70-83 of non-Latino groups.
• In 1995 in California 30 of all Latinos in the
  U.S. between the ages of 16-24 had not completed
  high school.

5
Reasons for Decreased Latino Education

• Underachievement for Latinos is partially a
  consequence of the previous undereducated
  generations of Latinos.
• Poverty levels of Latino households are also a
  cause of Latino dropouts from high school as
  young adults leave school to provide an income
  for the family.
• The influence of gangs and crime has taken a
  major toll on dropout rates and completion of
  Latinos education.

6
Past Generations Influence the Future

• When the first generation of Mexican Americans
  entered the country in the Southwest where
  prejudice kept most Latinos uneducated.
• Most Latinos were enrolled in segregated, poorly
  funded schools which had lower expectations for
  Latinos because they mostly worked in the fields
  as farm workers so that was the level of
  education they received.
• A major gap between the level of education formed
  between Latinos and non-Latino groups, older
  generations of Latinos may not know how important
  a higher education is and what benefits it has.

7
Poverty Levels of Latinos

• Because of lower education, the older generations
  of Latinos have less money and the younger
  Latinos, usually 18 and younger, are almost twice
  as likely to live in poverty compared to
  non-Latinos.
• Latinos are also twice as likely to attend a
  high-poverty high school.
• For these reasons Latino males are more likely to
  dropout of school to go to work to support the
  income of the family.

8
Gangs and Crime in Latino Lifestyles

• Gang crime has increased by 50 between 1999 and
  2002.
• Gangs in the Hispanic barrios recruit younger and
  younger children every day causing a high dropout
  rate.
• Children feel they must join gangs for protection
  because if they do not have an affiliation they
  will be beat up repeatedly.
• In California in 1998, Latinos totaled 30 of the
  population while they were 42 of the new admits
  to prison.

9
References

• 1.)Gándara, Patricia, Katherine Larson, Russell
  Rumberger, and Hugh Mehan. Capturing Latino
  Students in the Academic Pipeline. California
  Policy Seminar Brief Series. (May 1998).
  (Accessed November 9, 2006)
• 2.)Mac Donald, Heather. The Immigrant Gang
  Plague. City Journal. (Summer 2004). (Accessed
  November 9, 2006)
• 3.)McCluskey, Cynthia Perez, Marvin D. Krohn, Ala
  J. Lizotte, Monica L. Rodriguez. Early Substance
  Use and School Achievement. Journal of Drug
  Issues. (2002). 922-944.

10
Where we are now

• How Latinos represent the population currently

11
Student Demographics

• Population age 5-24 Public K-12 2 Years
  4 year
• African 17 21
  14 12
• Asian 3 3
  5 6
• Latino 15 16 16
  7
• White 55 59 63
  63
• Other 10 NA
  1 11
• Total 3,916,538 2,071,391 688,140
  517,730
• 2001-2002, Illinois High School and College
  success

12
Enrollment (1st year College vs. degrees Awarded)

• Freshman Degree
• African 15,518 5,588
  
• Asian 6,291 3,968
• Latino 9,233 3,376
• White 75,459 41,217
• Other 5,452 3,761
• Total 111,953 57,910

13
University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign6
year graduation rates

• African American 61
• Asian 83
• Latino 66
• Native American 50
• White 83
• Total 80

14
Why Latinos lag behind obtaining college degrees

• Many Latinos only attend college part time
• Often enroll in community colleges
• Prolong their college education into their
  mid-20s and beyond
• Educator, policy makers and their own
  communities should view these college students as
  targets of opportunity. Helping them get to
  graduation day would yield enormous returns on
  relatively small investments

15
Implication for the U.S. economy

• Between 2000 and 2025, the white working
  population will decrease by 5 million workers
• Baby boom
• While working age Latinos is projected to
  increase to 18 million
• According to U.S. Census Bureau
• According to the Pew Hispanic Center Efforts to
  increase the numbers of Latino college graduates
  will raise the economic prospects, social
  well-being and civic engagement of the fast
  growing U.S Hispanic population

16
Latina Perspective

• They see us as low, and even in our culture-like
  our parents-they teach us that mean are more than
  women. Like, why do men go out, and I dont go
  out? Because hes a man. Why do my brother do
  these things, and I dont? Because hes a manand
  we dont hear this only from other people,
  whatbut in our families, in our culture.
  Because our culture, they see a woman as low
  (Souza K 2004).
• I wanted to graduate and finish school. As a
  woman, I think its important, specifically so
  men wont be discriminating against you and
  stuff. Because on day, I dont want any man to
  look at me and say, "You are nothing, because I
  didnt graduate from high school and I dropped
  out of high school (Souza,K, 2004).

17
Latina Perspective (Cont.)

• Aura Gabriela I couldnt do my home work. I
  said, I cant do it. Might as well drop out
• Julio Cammarota Why couldnt you do it?
• AG I couldnt understand the material
• JC Why couldnt you just ask the teacher?
• AG Because I always had to rush home to pick up
  my baby. And he teacher was always picking on
  me and he told me, What are you going to do
  after your baby is born? Are you going to drop
  out? Because I cant tolerate all this. Ill
  fail you automatically.
• JC But you dont think that was discriminatory?
  It sounds like a judgment.
• AG The perception is Latina, pregnant. Why
  should I waste my time? I didnt care I had to go
  to school. I have to find a way to graduate,
  That was my thinking.

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5 reasons Latina females have a negative
assessment of the school environment

• Lack of Latina role models (teachers, counselors,
  administrators)
• Disproportionate level of referrals to SPED
• 13enrolled in Sped compared to the 2,048,792
  Latino students enrolled in K-12
• Low expectations for Latinas by school personnel
• Lack of adequate vocation and career counseling
  for Latina women
• Should be in place by 4th grade
• Stereotypic portrayal of Latina women in
  curriculum.

19
COPLA Commite de Padres Latinos

• Parent led organization independent of the school
  district
• Helps Latinos/parents feel empowered
• Learn info from parents who have sent children to
  school
• Little money needed to run this program

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The Other Side of The Coin

• Why programs may be a waste of money
• High School counselors
• Why couldn't they inform Latino Parents/Students
• Once they get there
• Working too much
• Going only part time
• Pressures from home
• Money deficits
• where should the money go?

21
References

• Anthropology Education Association. (2004). The
  Gendered and Radicalized Pathways of Latina and
  Latino Youth (Anthropology Education Quarterly
  35(1)53-74. Arizona Julio Cammarota.
• Education Trust, Inc. Education Watch (State
  Summary Reports).
• Pew Hispanic Center. (2002). Pew Hispanic Center
  (Press Release). Washington, D.C Cristina
  Miranda.

22
Poverty Level

• There are groups in the Hispanic population
  striving to get Hispanic children enrolled in
  college. Although the numbers of Hispanics
  attending college is increasing they are still
  below national state level. One reason for this
  is the economic level that Hispanics most often
  find themselves in. According to the article,
  among students qualified to attend college, 91
  percent of those from high-income families
  applied, compared with 62 percent of those from
  low-income households. Furthermore, 83 percent of
  high-income students eventually enrolled in
  college, compared with less than half of
  low-income students who did so

23
Poverty (Continued)

• These statistics are especially noteworthy
  because of the disproportionately high percentage
  of Hispanics living in low-income households,
  says Sara Martinez Tucker, president and CEO of
  the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF). According to
  the U.S. Census Bureau, 22.8 percent of Hispanics
  lived in poverty in 1999, compared with 7.7
  percent of Anglos. The same year, 30.3 percent of
  Hispanic children lived in poverty, compared with
  9.4 percent of their Anglo counterparts.

24
Interview with Mrs. Martinez Tucker

• Were still alarmed that the progress we are
  making is not keeping pace with what is happening
  in this country, particularly with regard to
  professional jobs," says Ms. Martinez Tucker.
  Im afraid were going to lose whatever gains
  weve had if we dont catch this generation of
  Hispanic students and help them get to
  college." Ms. Martinez Tucker says that Hispanic
  children living in poverty confront at least two
  major obstacles to college attendance
  insufficient money and negative attitudes.
  Parents, she says, cite the lack of money as
  the reason why their children cant attend
  college, while students point to a shortage of
  role models. They say, Nobody in our community
  went to college and lived a better life than my
  family, so what is my incentive? says Ms.
  Martinez Tucker.

25
The Struggles at college

• Once Hispanic students arrive at college, the
  obstacles they face fall into three types
  financial, academic, and social. Along with
  providing scholarships, the HSF is developing
  programs to help students overcome academic and
  social barriers, says Ms. Martinez Tucker. Such
  programs include student chapters on college
  campuses, alumni mentoring, and Saturday clinics
  for parents and their college-age children. The
  Saturday clinics, held in areas with large
  Hispanic populations, help create a college-bound
  culture by stimulating interest in college,
  assisting with the application process, and
  providing information about financial aid, Ms.
  Martinez Tucker says

26
Programs

• Schools that are successful in recruiting and
  retaining Hispanic students typically have
  programs to address their unique financial and
  social needs. The Kenan-Flagler Business School
  at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
  Hill is one example. Last September, Hispanic
  Business named Kenan-Flagler one of the top 10
  business schools in the nation for Hispanic
  students. Sherry Wallace, director of MBA
  admissions, says UNC works to attract Hispanic
  students through its participation in the
  Consortium for Graduate Study and Management. The
  consortium of 14 universities and 200
  corporations is working to address the shortage
  of minorities in Corporate America. Eleven of the
  14 consortium members allow prospective MBA
  students to apply using a common application, and
  the consortium provides merit fellowships to
  outstanding applicants