The Latino population in the United States plays a significant role in U.S society by contributing to the social, political and economical sectors of the U.S. However, these contributions are overlooked due to negative cultural beliefs and stigmas attached to the Latino identity. One common cultural stigma attached to Latino identity is the stereotype that Latinos have low education levels because of Latino culture. These “claims” are backed up by data that indicates Latinos in the U.S do have low school completion rates, high dropout rates, low college enrollment/completion rates and low academic testing scores. However, upon closer inspection we can see that the educational disparities within the Latino population do not stem from cultural …show more content…
factors but from structural and institutional factors. Analyzing the structural and institutional issues that plague Latino education is important, addressing these issues can these inequalities be solved so that all individuals have chance to achieve “a better quality of life” (Zambrana 2011). Education is usually a tool that helps individuals gain upward mobility and raise their socioeconomic status. However, Latino students in the U.S often face an educational experience that is wrought with structural and institutional challenges that disadvantage them from other races/ethnicities (Zambrana 2011).
There are numerous structural inequalities that create disparities within Latino education but biggest hindrance to quality education for Latinos is poverty (Zambrana 2011). The structural inequality of poverty affects Latino students from the very beginning of their academic careers (Zambrana 2011). An example of this is the lack of access that Latinos students have to early education. Early education is a key factor in determining an individual’s success rate in school. Early educational activities include reading books, playing with educational toys, and signing up for extracurricular and educational activities (Zambrana 2011). However, as statistical data indicates Latinos because they live below the poverty line are “less likely than their…peers to be enrolled in preprimary programs” (NCLR). Another way that the poverty contributes to the disparity found within Latino education is poverty often forces Latino students to work (Zambrana 2011). An educational disparity is created because as Latino students try to balance work and school they often risk not graduating on time or at all …show more content…
(Zambrana 2011). Institutional inequalities found within the American school system also contribute to the disparities within Latino education. The increasing racial and class based segregation within U.S schools is a key institutional inequality that contributes to the disparities in Latino education.
Public schools in the U.S are funded through property taxes, which mean that schools located in poor neighborhoods, which are usually populated by minorities and low income families, go underfunded. This is problematic because it is Latinos that are more likely to attend these schools because as data indicates Latinos tend to “attend schools” that have “large concentrations of low-income students” (NCLR). These schools cannot offer things such as ACT/SAT preparation courses, A.P courses, college prep courses or counselors on staff that can help students with college and financial aid applications. As Zambrana (2011) argues, it is attending schools that lack those types of programs that produce the educational disparities found in Latino education. Another institutional inequality that creates disparity within Latino education is hiring of unprepared teacher that with no previous experience in Latino populated schools. The teachers that are hired have little to no experience working with Latino students and their parents. These teachers cannot grasp or understand
the various issues that Latino students and their families face. The teachers are also ill-equipped to deal with the language barrier, which often leads to a lack of communication between students/parents and teachers/schools. Another institutional inequality that contributes to the disparity within Latino education is the lack of financial aid offered to Latino students, this is a key factor that causes the low enrollment and completion rates of Latinos in college. As Zambrana (2011) argues Latinos are less likely to receive federal aid than any other racial or ethnic group. Analyzing the structural and institutional inequalities found in within the Latino education experience is important because it not helps us move past the “cultural determinist explanation” (Zambrana 2011) but it also helps address educational disparities within the Latino education that need to be fixed. However, it must be acknowledged that not all Latinos share similar educational experiences, this can be seen with Liz’s educational experience throughout her academic career. Liz is a twenty-one year old senior at UIC. Liz is double majoring in biology and psychology at UIC. Liz has been in school for a total eighteen years. Liz began her academic journey by attending Nathan Davis, a public elementary school in Chicago, from preschool to sixth grade. Following that Liz attended Mokena junior high school, a public school that operates in the Mokena, Illinois. The next academic institution that Liz attended was Lincoln-Way East high school, a public high school. Liz was graduated with high academic honors at Lincoln-Way East. Liz then applied and was accepted to Moraine Valley, a two year community college in Palos Hills, Illinois. Liz completed two years at the community college and then began applying to transfer to a four year institution to finish her college degree. Liz applied to UIC, Loyola and North Park University and was accepted to UIC and Loyola but because Loyola did not offer any financial aid Liz decided to attend UIC. Liz’s parents have always taught her the importance of having a college education; this ideology has shaped Liz’s educational experiences. Beginning in elementary school and continuing until high Liz participated in choir, band, basketball, debate club and volleyball. In high school Liz continued to participate in basketball and volleyball. Liz participated in all of the extracurricular activities that were offered in school to better her educational status. These activities were a financial burden on the family but her parents continued to encourage her because they wanted her to be able attend a good college. Another experience Liz had when she was in school was the experience of being free of economic burdens. Liz’s parents wanted to sure that all of Liz’s focus would remain on her education and so decided that she did not have to work even though the family needed the extra income. Another positive experience that Liz’s had in school was the experience not having to act as a bridge between her parents and school. Liz’s parents were very educated about the U.S school system they would actively research or visit each educational institution to make sure that the school offered a good curriculum, a helpful faculty and a large quantity of extracurricular activities. Her parents are the ones who found Lincoln-Way East high school in Frankfort, Illinois for Liz. Her parents knew through research and numerous visits that Lincoln-Way East offered many activities that would prepare Liz for college. Another experience that Liz had in school was that she was able to afford private tutoring on weekends to prepare for the ACT, which paid off because Liz got a score of twenty-eight first time she took the test. Another experience that Liz had in school was the she had three college guidance counselors available to her at school. The counselors would sit with her and help her apply to five different colleges and five financial aid contests. The counselors were also available to the students after and before school and even outside of school hours. Liz’s educational experience almost completely differs from the educational experiences most Latinos experience but even then there are similarities. Liz’s parent’s instilled the importance of education in their daughter because of their own negative experiences with the Mexican education system. Liz, herself, has never attended school in Mexico. However, her father’s experience with the Mexican education system has made her realize that her educational experience is a privilege. The Mexican education system when, compared to the U.S education system, is slightly more problematic. The Mexican educational system consists three levels of schooling the primaria (1st-6th), secundaria (7th -9th) and preparatory/ bachillerato (10th -12th) (Wiki). Many children attend primary school but only sixty-two percent out of those actually reach secondary school (Reuters). This number shrinks once again because only a small amount of individuals go on to pursue college. The number of Mexican student’s that complete secondary school is around forty-five percent (Reuters). However, when this number is compared to the seventy-five percent of U.S. students that complete high school a discrepancy can be seen between the two education systems (Reuters). Another problematic aspect of the Mexican education system is corruption within the education system in Mexico. At one point the education system in Mexico was held hostage under the control of the teacher union leader known “the teacher” who even “politicians fear to cross.” (Reuters). John, who grew up in small, claims that Mexican education system fails student’s in rural areas. The school buildings were falling apart, no resources are provided for students and the staff stationed at these schools are not well trained. The statistical data and Liz’s father’s personal experiences with the Mexican educational system indicate that the Mexican education system is problematic and needs to be reformed. Liz’s educational experiences are not representative of the educational experience that most Latino students have. One example of how her experience is not representative is that Liz never had act as bridge between her parents and the school. Liz’s parents were extremely educated about the U.S school system and fluent enough in English that they could interact with the school without a middle man. In most cases Latino students often have to translate or explain to their parents about what’s happening in school due factors such as language barriers or a lack of understanding the U.S school system. Another difference was that Liz’s parents encouraged her to join the various extracurricular activities offered at her school even though it was a financial burden. As Zambrana (2011) argues this is rarely the experience that most Latino students have. Their families “limited economic resources” (Zambrana 2011) mean that Latino students do not participate in extracurricular activities. Another difference is Liz’s access to many early educational activities. Liz’s mother would read to her every night, her dad would take her to the library and she was enrolled in an education based daycare during the summer. This was not a common occurrence for most Latino students, due to the low socioeconomic statuses of their families most Latino students do not participate in any early educational activities (Zambrana 2011). Another key difference was that Liz was able to completely focus on her education because she never had to join the workforce. However, for most Latino students joining the workforce while in school was inevitable because they had no other way to support themselves (Zambrana 2011). However, there are two similarities between Liz’s educational experience and the general Latino educational experience. One similarity is that Liz, like thirty-eight percent of Latinos in the U.S who are often choose to attend two-year college institutions rather than a four-year institution because they could not afford it. Another similarity between Liz’s educational experience and the general Latino educational experience was that like most Latino parents Liz parents also valued education and were well aware of how important their participation was in “positively influencing their children’s education” (Zambrana 2011). The Latino population within the United States continues to have a strong impact on all areas of American society such as politics, economy and culture. However, this population is facing the challenge of educational disparity. Latino education in the United States is riddled with structural and institutional inequalities that leave the Latino population heavily disadvantaged. Analyzing and identifying the structural and institutional inequalities that contribute to educational disparities is important because only then can society move past the victim blaming and cultural deterministic reasoning models that are popular within American society (Zambrana 2011). These models often blame Latino culture as the primary reason for the low academic achievement rates of Latinos in America. These models ignore structural and institutional inequalities such as poverty, lack of funding and school segregation, which are that actual causes for the educational disparity found within the Latino population.
In Subtractive Schooling: US-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring, Angela Valenzuela investigates immigrant and Mexican American experiences in education. Valenzuela mentions differences in high schools between U.S born youth and immigrants such as how immigrants she interviewed seemed to achieve in school as they feel privileged to achieve secondary education. However, she found that her study provided evidence of student failure due to schools subtracting resources from these youths. Both are plagued by stereotypes of lacking intellectual and linguistic traits along with the fear of losing their culture. As a Mexican American with many family members who immigrated to the U.S to pursue a higher education, I have experience with Valenzuela’s
The Latino Generation: Voices of the New America is a book written by Mario T. Garcia. This book tells the individual life stories of individual Latino Americans all attending the same class at University of California, Santa Barbra. The book discloses stories and events told by 13 students each who narrate from first person and give us a brief description of their life. The book is composed of 13 sections with an additional introduction and conclusion (Garcia, Kindle). Within this reflection I will describe the key points within this book and compare the stories within this book not only to each other, but also to additional stories of Latino Americans and how Garcia’s book rids the general public of misconception of Latinos.
The essay “Still Separate, Still Unequal”, by Jonathan Kozol, discusses the reality of inner-city public school systems, and the isolation and segregation of inequality that students are subjected to; as a result, to receive an education. Throughout the essay, Kozol proves evidence of the inequality that African American and Hispanic children face in the current school systems.
1. According to Pizarro, “Chicanas and Chicanos face the highest dropout rates of any major ethnic group in the United States- as many as half of a given cohort of Chicana and Chicano students does not complete high school- and their relative educational outcomes have been stable or have worsened over time.” (Pizarro, 1).
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” That statement holds strong for immigrants in America. Equal access to opportunities allows immigrants to achieve the American dream. Their success correlates with America’s success because of the contributions immigrants provide to America. Unfortunately, the current immigration policy in America denies many immigrants the American dream. It is crucial to understand the historical context of immigration in America. Initially, most immigrants were from Europe and were not restricted by any immigration laws. Now, most immigrants come from Latin America but are restricted to severe immigration laws. The Latino/a community is one of the most severely affected groups because the current immigration system disproportionally affects Latino/as. Recognizing how the experience of Latino/a immigrants have been both similar and different in the past from other immigrant groups and dispelling common misconceptions about Latino/as today bring an awareness how Latino/as are affected.
As the Latino population in the United States continues to grow, U.S. Census Bureau, 2001, increasing attention is being turned toward understanding the risk and protective factors of immigrant Latino and U.S.-born Latino children and families. The demographic data relating to Latinos in the United States estimate that one of every two people added to the U.S population was Latino, in July 2009 Latino population was the fastest growing minority group U.S Census Bureau, 2010. Despite the increased risk of growing the immigrant families are in lower risk of Social Economic Status, having parents with less education and limited with language and knowledge about education. Immigrating to one place to another is often the most stressful event
Immigration has always been an issue in the United States, which is often portrayed as harmful and as major threat to American culture. As a result, various anti immigration policies have been aimed against immigrants in order to prevent and preserve the miscegenation of American culture, such as English only policies. Among the largest minority groups in the U.S, are Latinos who currently compose of 15% of the U.S population (Delgado and Stefancic 3). Unfortunately, Latinos have been accused of taking American benefits, jobs, and have wrongfully been depicted as a result of not assimilating to American culture. Latinos are often accused of resisting assimilation, but what has failed to be acknowledged is that there are obstacles set in place that are preventing Latinos from completely assimilating. Among those greatest obstacles there is discrimination. Institutional as well as individual discrimination have prevented many Latinos from feeling a sense of belonging. As a result Latinos have been reluctant to assimilate. Another major component is proximity. Many Latinos are native to nearby countries which allows for easy communication with family members as well as their culture. Moreover, it also allows for a constant influx of immigrants that replenish and preserve Latino cultures and traditions in the U.S. Lastly, Latino movements are working diligently to promote unity among communities for the purpose of creating a sense of identity and pride amongst Latinos, such as the Chicano movement.
Stern, G. M. (2009). The 'Secondary'. Why Latino students are failing to attend college. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 75(1), 46-49. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
Hispanics will represent more than one-quarter of school-age children in the United States by 2025. These children are more likely than others to be educationally and economically disadvantaged. Presently, 36 percent of Hispanic students live in families whose income is below the poverty line. As a result, Hispanic students are concentrated in high-poverty, largely racially isolated schools, and they often have limited access to the resources needed for academic success, such as highly qualified teachers, small classes, 21st century technology, and modern school buildings.
My object of study is Hispanic women experience inequality in education due to the social constructs of subordination of women and Hispanic culture. Historically women have been conditioned with a patriarchal system, which a woman’s domain should be at home, to be a homemaker. The ideology of inferiority can and will justify the deprivation of natural born rights. During the progressive area and women’s rights movement women wanted to be seen as people, they wanted to have rights to own property, negotiate wages, legal documents, access to birth control, and the right to vote, those women who had the voice to deal with these issues were white upper and middle class women. During this time Hispanic women, amongst other minorities, were fighting battles against racism, segregation, exploitation in the work force, access to a good education, and oppression through Hispanic culture. It is not just a struggle to be Hispanic overcoming the inequalities within the education system but to be a Hispanic women within the education system has greater disadvantages. This case study will investigate what forces contribute to the inequality within the education system for Hispanic women in the United States.
America’s school system and student population remains segregated, by race and class. The inequalities that exist in schools today result from more than just poorly managed schools; they reflect the racial and socioeconomic inequities of society as a whole. Most of the problems with schools boil down to either racism in and outside the school system or financial disparity between wealthy and poor school districts. Because schools receive funding through local property taxes, low-income communities start at an economic disadvantage. Less funding means fewer resources, lower quality instruction and curricula, and little to no community involvement.
Cardenas, V., Kerby, S. (2012). The state of Latinos in the United States. Retrieved from www.americanprogress.org
Achieving the best education is a rewarding accomplishment for many students, especially for minority groups. It allows the individuals to pursue careers they love and be financially secure. But not everyone has been able to receive the best education possible . Throughout history Chicanos had to face inequality in the education system. They have been segregated, tracked, and denied culturally relevant programs. These problems have driven Mexican American student to fight for education rights with protests and lawsuits. Even though Chicanos have continued to struggle for many years, no progress has been made in the American education system. To this day, Chicanos continue to struggle with inequality in the education system such as the concerns with the increase dropout rates of no English speakers.
United States. ERIC Development Team. Latino High School Leaving: Some Practical Solutions. By Harriett D Romo. Charleston: ERIC, 1998. Print.
For decades, the United States educational system has provided opportunity for millions of Americans to attend school. However, the gap between the lower income and middle-class students continue to narrow in terms of who will drop out and who would succeed. The articles I chose speak both of issues regarding education and inequality and the growing gap of educational success between the haves and the have nots. In addition, how race and lower class play a large factor on those who succeed and those who do not.The articles also bring to life possible factors such as funding towards a child’s education, in particular the early years, parent involvement and race.