Counseling Latino Students:

Supporting Achievement, Promoting Hope

Sonia Nieto

Latino Counseling Conference

University of Georgia

February 2007

Questions to be addressed

• Who are the Latino students in our nation’s schools?• How do they experience school?• What are the prevalent myths about Latino students,

and what are the realities?• What do counselors and other educators need to

learn about Latino students?• What strategies have proven to be effective with

Latino students?• What are the roles and responsibilities of effective

counselors?

Focus on several levels

Collective…

Institutional…

Ideological…

Personal…

Major issues to consider in the education of Latinos

• The need to take into account access and equity, i.e., who has access to high quality education? Why? How?

• The need to ask “profoundly multicultural questions” (Nieto, 2003):– Who’s taking calculus?– Who’s in the Gifted and Talented Program? Who’s

in special education?– Are there enough science labs for all students?– Is the bilingual program (or the special education

program) in the basement?

Prevalent myths about Latinos

• All Latinos are alike• Latino students do poorly in school because their

parents don’t care about education• Latino students don’t do well in school because

they’re culturally and experientially deprived• Once Latinos learn English, they’ll do well in school• Latino students are doing poorly in school because

they’re the newest immigrants; once they’ve been here awhile, they’ll catch up just like all those who came before them

What do Counselors need to know about Latinos?

1. The sociopolitical context of Latinos in the U.S.

2. The profile of Latino students3. Latino culture, history, and experiences4. Latinos’ cultural and linguistic strengths5. The importance of caring and mentoring

for Latino students

Who are the Latinos in the U.S.?

In 2004, Latinos numbered over 40 million - about three-quarters Mexican American, 4 million Puerto Rican, 1 million Cuban, and the remainder Central and South American. As of 2006, the total U.S. population reached 300 million and there were an estimated 42 million Latinos, making this group the largest and fastest growing “minority” group.

This number represents over 14% of the entire U.S. population

If Latinos in the United States were a country, we would be the fourth largest Spanish-speaking country in the world

Latinolandia

… and within 13 years, Latinos are expected to be a quarter of the U.S. population

Where do Latinos live in the United States?

• Latinos live in every region of the country• More than half (54%) live in suburbs• The rate of growth in Raleigh, NC was the largest in the country: 1,180 %

The southern states, including Georgia, have seen a dramatic increase in the Latino population since 1990

Latinos are not the newest in a long history of immigrants.The Latino immigration experience differs considerably from that of Europeans:

first jet-age migration first large-scale immigration of people of color first group of migrants who can return home easily Mexicans: “we didn’t cross the border: the border crossed us” Puerto Ricans: first American citizens to [im]migrate(“Diasporicans”)

Latinos are a heterogeneous population in race, social class, time in the United States, history in their country of origin and the United States, political orientation, language fluency, and so on. For example:

profile of Latino students

• Nearly 11 million Latinos are enrolled in pre-k - 12, representing 19% of the U.S. school-age population (up from 6% in 1972) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006)

• Latino children represent 58% of all immigrant students (Fix & Passel, 2003)

• Nearly half of all Latino children (5.1 million) are ELL students (Lazarin, 2006)

• Most attend poorly funded schools: districts enrolling the highest proportions of minority students have substantially fewer state & local dollars per student than districts with the lowest percentages of minority students (Education Trust, 2005)

• Most attend highly segregated schools; Latinos are now the most segregated of all students, including African Americans (Orfield, 2001)

• They have a higher dropout rate than almost any other group, a situation that has been true for more than fifty years (Nieto, 2000)

The Dropout Rate

Case study: North Carolina

High-stakes testing and Latinos

• High-stakes testing has affected Latinos negatively and disproportionately

• Latinos have high rates of retention - up to three times the rate for White students

• Case study: Massachusetts– retention increased in direct proportion to the introduction of the

MCAS (from 6% to 13% in one year)– dropout rates increased dramatically since the introduction of

the MCAS (40% in 2000 compared to 34% in 1997)– one in three Latinos didn’t reach the 10th grade to take the

latest MCAS exam; they were either retained or they dropped out

Latinos have by and large experienced poor academic achievement

• Between 1970 and 1990, the so-called “achievement gap” between Latino and White students narrowed by one half or more; since 1990, the gap has been flat or, in some subjects, is wider

• Nationally, 4th grade Latinos lag far behind their White peers in reading (57% of Latinos are “below basic” compared to 26% of Whites)

• Nationally, the situation is even worse in mathematics (60% of Latinos are “below basic” compared to 23% of Whites) (Education Trust)

poor academic achievement [con’t]

• Educational attainment is significantly lower among foreign-born Latinos 25 years or older (75%) than among native-born Latinos of the same age (46%) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003)

• Latinos are less likely than Whites to be enrolled in advanced math and science classes (NCES, 2004)

• Schools serving Latino students offer fewer rigorous academic classes (Achieve, Inc, 2006)

• Latino students are less than half as like to be placed in GT programs than White or Asian students (Harry & Klingner, 2006)

• In 2005, only 12% of Latinos had received a bachelor’s degree or higher compared with 30% of Whites (NCES, 2006)

obstacles in pursuing postsecondary education:

Results of “achievement gap”?

• The Latino college-going rate is lower than for almost any other group (about 45% of high school graduates, compared to 65% of White high school graduates), and their completion rate is much lower (10 % compared to about 35% of those who begin college)

• Latino 17 year olds have been taught math to the same levels as White 13 year olds (Education Trust)

Counselors need to learn about Latino culture, values, and history

• Latino history is U.S. history• A general understanding of the colonial history of

Latin America & the Caribbean• The racial and ethnic composition of the regions and

resulting cultural synchrony• An awareness of the history of particular groups in

the United States• An understanding of the deep meaning of culture, not

its superficial or surface manifestations

They need to understand the implications of social class: “When the United States sneezes, Latinos [in the U.S. and in their native countries] catch cold”

Educators need to know how socioeconomic and sociopolitical contexts affect Latinos’ educational achievement

Educators need to know Latinos’ cultural and linguistic strengths

• Impact of cultural and linguistic maintenance

• Danger of “premature assimilation” (Portes & Rumbaut)

• Particular strengths include:– Close family relationships– A focus on community responsibility– Resilience in the face of adversity

“The most important ‘secret weapon’ in addressing shortcomings in Hispanic educational attainment and achievement is unfortunately largely underutilized. The integrity, self-reliance, and closeness of the Hispanic family are among the greatest assets that it brings to the problem of educational improvement. Among values that characterize Hispanic culture are those of hard work, self-improvement, and respect for learning. Too often, however, these strengths of the Hispanic family are frustrated or ignored by schools and school systems.” (Center for Latino

Educational Excellence, 2003).

Educators need to know that Latino families value education

Beyond bake sales and homework

Build upon respeto

Mentor families

Educators need to know the importance of caring and mentoring

• Findings of the research literature from 1960s through present indicate the significance of caring for Latino students

• The same is true in fiction (Nieto, 1998)

• All teachers, not just Latina/o teachers, need to take on the responsibility to mentor Latino students

Beyond Knowing

• What can educators (teachers, counselors, and administrators) do to change this situation?

• How can they get away from the discourse of “best practices” while still being effective?

• What are the implications for policy and practice?

Educators need to explore their own identities, biases, and privileges

• They need to engage in “hard talk” (Cochran-Smith, 1997)

• They need to understand how their own autobiographies are implicated in their work

• They need to question “where they’re coming from” in terms of their students

• They need to confront how they may be complicit in reinforcing stereotypes and racist attitudes and behaviors (individually, collectively, and institutionally)

Educators need to find out who their students are

• They need to become learners of their students’ realities

• They need to create learning environments that welcome and affirm all students

• They need to connect with their students’ families and know their communities

Effective Counselors…

• provide information

• encourage achievement

• promote hope

• model success

• teach important social, academic, and cultural skills

Provide information

• GT programs, Honors, AP

• College and university

• Special programs (summer, internship, co-op)

• In-school and community resources

Encourage Achievement

• Push to the limit

• Make high expectations clear

• Check in consistently

Promote Hope

• Believe in students

• Understand and build upon their strengths

• Engage families

Model Success

Role model Mentor

Teach Important Social, Academic, and Cultural Skills

Become “institutional agents” : “those who have the capacity and commitment to transmit directly, or negotiate the transmission of, institutional resources and opportunities” (Stanton-Salazar, 1997)role modeling

emotional/moral support

funds of knowledge

feedback, advice, guidance

advocating

bridging

Institutionally-based funds of knowledge

1. Institutionally sanctioned discourses2. Academic task-specific knowledge3. Organizational/bureaucratic forms of

knowledge4. Network development5. Technical forms of knowledge6. Knowledge of labor and educational

markets7. Problem-solving knowledge

Letter from an educator:

Dear Dr. Nieto,

I am currently taking a graduate level course at National-Louis University in Wheeling, IL. In that course, which is titled Frameworks and Perspectives in Special Education, our professor uses one of your books as a means of discussing the various perspectives from which educators view the world of education.

Weekly, we are asked to read and reflect on the various chapters of Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education. While I have enjoyed reading the book,there is much written that I have a hard time accepting. Since I am a white male, this, of course, would probably not surprise you. Nevertheless, I have kept an open mind during the readings, accepting that what you were writing was based on your perspective and experience and willing from my own perspective to have an open mind…

Jerry Beyer

Educators need to demonstrate care in numerous ways

• Having high expectations and rigorous standards: “critical care” (Rolón-Dow, 2005)

• Developing strong interpersonal relationships with students and their families

• Respecting and affirming students’ language and cultures

• Building on students’ strength to support their learning

• Mentoring students

Educators need to become multicultural and bilingual

• Learning more about their students• Reforming their roles - what they do and how• Seeking ways to meaningfully involve families in

school matters• Promoting students’ first and second languages• Recruiting bilingual and Latino faculty and staff• Providing, and participating in, relevant professional

development• Learning Spanish

Coming “out of the closet”

Bill Dunn

In my work, I often act as a bridge between different cultures. Part of my evolution as a teacher has been in self defense: I have learned to make my life easier by making life easier for my students; but another, greater part of my experience has been a deep curiosity and yearning to understand the lives of my students. In my struggle to understand, I have learned not only a great deal about my students, but also about myself…

Beyond the Personal:Educators need to confront racism and other

biases

• They need to question whether school policies and practices are truly equitable

• They need to understand and confront how such biases are institutionally perpetuated both inside and outside of schools

• They need to become advocates for Latino (and other) students who have not benefited from education

The Job Ahead:

• Lobby, advocate, and press demands for equal, high quality, and equitable education for all children

• Critically review counseling practices and assumptions on which they’re based

• Develop allies at all levels: other staff, families, community organizations, local and state legislators, and others