Now that school is back, it is time to reflect on the difficulty of making the classroom an enduring place for Latinos.

When compared to other ethnic groups, Hispanics are behind when it comes to education. For instance, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the dropout rate for 2005 – the last year for which data is recorded – is more than twice that of black students and almost four times that of whites. And while the numbers have gone down in the last thirty years, from 27.6% in 1985 to 22.4% two years ago, the trends isn’t enough. The fact is painful: one out of every four Latinos leaves school between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four.

Among Hispanic males the situation is worse. A survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2004 established that 25% of Latino males in the United States who are twenty-five years or older have less than a ninth-grade education, compared to 7% of non-Latino males. The same study announced that only 57% of Hispanic men ages 25 and older had a high-school diploma, in comparison with 90% of white, non-Latinos, and 83% of other non-Hispanics.

Clearly, the fastest-growing ethnic group is also the one being shut out of the American Dream.

Whom to blame? Nobody but ourselves, of course.

Immigrants come to the United States in search of a better life. Their initiation into the culture is difficult. In an economy that demands two, sometimes three jobs for them to provide for themselves and their families, it is unreasonable to expect that much time will be spent in the classroom. On the other hand, America has always been about improvement. The message to newcomers ought to be the same as always: in spite of the struggle, the only way to advance is through education.

An array of obstacles awaits Latino students, some of which are difficult to sort out, though not impossible. The challenge of language, for instance. How to welcome Hispanics in English when Spanish is the nation’s unofficial second tongue? Add to these racial and cultural differences, a sense of alienation, and awkward pedagogical methods, and the result is disastrous.

In any case, when it comes to education there’s no time to waste. Whenever a student abandons the classroom path, everyone pays the price. And the price is increasingly expensive: drugs, crime, and a betrayal of our common mission. It isn’t solely up to teachers and administrators to retain students. Nor is it the sole responsibility of the students’ providers. Or of politicians. This must be a joint effort made by society as a whole.

Preliminary statistical information for the past school year suggests that the situation hasn’t improved in any substantial way. Only 12% of Latinos 25 or older have a bachelor’s degree today. And without one, their chance of becoming a better-skilled worker for a higher-paid job is limited. The numbers must change – immediately.

It’s crucial to have a call into action. The vision promoted by Washington with the “No Child Left Behind” initiative misconstrues achievement on the basis of test scores. Both as a parent and as a teacher, I know that the profile one gets of students from exams is limited. An evaluation must be comprehensive, addressing multiple facets of the student’s performance. Education isn’t about quantification.

Instead, it is about insight. Unfortunately, schools have been turned into assembly-line factories. Students aren’t seen as individuals but as units. We must take action. The classroom ought to be a place where the art of thinking is fostered. And thinking is about making individual choices, about explaining the world around us creatively, based on empirical data.

It’s crucial for Latinos to feel that the classroom is home.

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Posted Thursday, September 20th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Filed under Education Tagged as Achievement-Gap, Dropout-Rates | Trackback | RSS Comments