Latinx Education In The United States
Education is built on the idea that everyone should have equal access to quality education.
The objective is to provide students with adequate knowledge, skills, and training. While that is the goal, the mission is not upheld in practice. It does not hold up to standard when we look at this critically in the United States. The Latinx communities specifically have had to overcome a lot of educational barriers, “Hispanic students are also disproportionately low-income and the first in their families to seek higher educations, characteristics that make them more likely to drop out,” (Field, 2018, p. 18). The consideration of the social, and economic responses that have assisted and obstructed Latinos in connection to post-secondary education in the United States is a way to understand our current climate in education for Latinx students.
The upbringing of Latinos in education really depends on the resources available and the environment in which they are being taught and raised. Latinx communities have been growing in the United States and the education system needs to adapt to the needs of the students. Taking current issues such as school funding, socio-economic status, and social mobility that are affecting the Latinx community. Growing up and going to school has shaped our attitude regarding education through our K-12 years. Whether it was positive or negative it heavily depends on the material being taught, our teachers, and the resources available.
While there is an abundance of reasons as to whether a student will pursue higher education there are some that are substantially more influential in that decision. According to a report by the United States Department of Education, “poor communities have fewer local resources, such as libraries, parks, and museums, and fewer adult role models to support the academic aspirations of underrepresented youth” (Paige, 2001, p. 8). These are some of the few potential reasons that ultimately determine our understanding of education and if one will seek higher education. The accessibility of these resources contributes to social mobility and the overall wellness of a community. Because such programs can provide educational material, food access, housing, family counseling, and tutoring.
Impoverished parts of the country are more vulnerable to resource insufficiency. Although a lot of people assume that more federal and state funding would go towards those districts that are disadvantaged that is not the case. School funding is not distributed fairly, and it causes outrage because it is said that in a lot of states the school districts that are underprivileged receive fewer funds. According to the article In Most States, Poorest School Districts Get Less Funding, “In more than half of the states in the U.S., the poorest school districts do not receive funding to address their students’ increased needs” (Camera, 2018, p. 1). Students that are living in those affected districts are bound to continue this vicious cycle of limited opportunities. Hispanic poverty in rural areas in the United States continues to threaten children’s futures. Likewise, in urban cities where the Hispanic population is, they are still not able to have much access to programs that could shape a student’s academic success. As underserved populations, their needs should be accounted for and although we see some progress, we still need to address the systematic disparities in education.
“The quality of teachers and counselors can change a student’s level of engagement in their academic studies.”
Low-income communities and those that have a high population of minority groups have a stigma. The generalization is that the students enrolled in those poverty-stricken schools are not performing well and do not have the potential to pursue post-secondary education. According to a report by the United States Department of Education, “stereotypes and societal expectations for children of color (and low-income students) often differ from those held for other young people” (2001, p. A-6). This raises awareness that there is a lot of discrimination and inequality when it comes to education. People assume that these inequities do not exist anymore, but it is apparent that it is still going on. In school, the accessibility to prime teachers and counselors is reflected on the amount of funding these school districts can obtain. The quality of teachers and counselors can change a student’s level of engagement in their academic studies. They are the source of guidance students need to feel a sense of belonging and to have the academic assurance they need to push themselves.
The surge in the Hispanic population happened between the years 1996 to 2016 we see the numbers rise exponentially in the United States (Bauman, 2017). Having an increase in population results in having more Hispanics enrolled in post-secondary education. The more Hispanics enrolled the more college graduates there are and this ties into social mobility. Upward mobility is the outcome of Latinx pushing boundaries and taking risks so that they will have a better future for themselves and their family. Some of those boundaries are if they feel as though they are prepared to take on the challenge. It also relies heavily on the willingness for one to take a leap whether the feeling of being ready is there or not. While we speak on Latinx students we must recognize that a lot of those individuals are told not to further their education to hold them back from reaching their full potential. A lot of societal ideals influence our decisions and actions. We may think we are not affected by societal pressures, but we are whether it is subtle or obvious. The pressure to conform is there but many Latinx students have taken a step forward ignoring what many have told them along the way,
“We’re determined to get all our students across the finish line in the same amount of time, but we’re not all at the same starting line,” (Field, 2018). There’s a high potential for these students, and we must not overlook them.
In conclusion, after looking at the issue critically we see the need for an abundance of assistance needed to push forward the education for the Latinx community. We must recognize the value of every student and we should provide high-quality education to everyone. Although we are seeing more Latinos in higher education they are still behind and the struggles they face to get their degree can leave a strain in their life. The costs and their own self-image depend on their confidence in themselves. But if we set forth these educational goals throughout their years in school, we can prepare Latinos to go after higher education.
“There’s just as many smart kids in the poor high schools as the rich high schools,” said UC-Riverside Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox (Anderson, 2018).
References
Anderson, N. (2018). “Historic Latino Student Wave Reshapes Many Colleges. But Access Is Uneven.” The Washington. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/historic-latino-student-wave-reshapes-many-colleges-but-access-is-uneven/2018/12/17/86cc113c-c65e-11e8-b1ed-1d2d65b86d0c_story.html
Bauman, K. (2017). “School Enrollment of the Hispanic Population: Two Decades of Growth” United States Census Bureau.
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/blogs/random-samplings/2017/08/school_enrollmentof.html
Camera, L. (2018). “In Most States, Poorest School Districts Get Less Funding.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2018-02-27/in-most-states-poorest-school-districts-get-less-funding.
Field, K. (2018). “More Hispanics are going to college. The bad news? They’re still behind.” The Hechinger Report, https://hechingerreport.org/rising-college-rates-spur-hispanic-progress-in-higher-education/
Georgetown CEW (Producer). (2017, October 11). Latino Education and Economic Progress: Running Faster but Still Behind [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gfkTEhPGYU
Paige, R. (2001). “Paving the Way to Postsecondary Education: K-12 Intervention Programs for Underrepresented Youth.” Paving the Way to Postsecondary Education: K-12 Intervention Programs for Underrepresented Youth, doi: https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001205.pdf.
Wiltz, T. (2015). “Hispanic Poverty in Rural Areas Challenges States.” The Pew Charitable Trusts, www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/08/14/hispanic-poverty-in-rural-areas-challenges-states.
Photos used are from Unsplashed.com
Bantersnaps @bantersnaps https://unsplash.com/photos/9o8YdYGTT64
MD Duran @mdesign85 https://unsplash.com/photos/1VqHRwxcCCw
Siora Photography @siora18 https://unsplash.com/photos/ZslFOaqzERU
Third Photo Fresno State https://images.app.goo.gl/raRVrsA9uqmhj3GV7