Percent of 25-29 Year olds with BA or more
0
50
100
Asian 43 60 58
White 24 24 29 34 37
Black 11 12 15 18 21
Latino 9 11 9 11 12
1975 1985 1995 2005 2008
Why Does it Matter?
California is NOW a Latino state: 52% of K-12 students are Latino.
By 2025, California will be short 1 million college degrees to fill existing positions
By 2020, 11% decline in per capita income in CA; (40% increase between 1980- 2000)
California is on the brink of economic disaster if it does not better educate these students
The Broken Pipeline Problem Begins Before Kindergarten
0
10
20
30
40
50
% TopQuartilereading
% TopQuartilemath
%LowQuartileReading
%LowQuartile
Math
ECLS-K, NCES 1998
White
Asian
Black
Latino
And Doesn’t Improve with Time
4041
1315
42
50
1115
0
10
20
30
40
50
Reading Math
Percent Profiicent Grade 8, NAEP 2007
White
Asian
Black
Latino
High School Completion, 2008 96% of Asian Students 94% of White Students 88% of Black Students 68% of Latino Students
National Center for Education Statistics, 2009
Is language the problem?
Educational policies/interventions for Latinos have focused on learning English, BUT
Middle class immigrant Latinos with consistent schooling abroad typically out-perform native-born Latino students
Over-emphasis on language has obscured the deeper problems of inadequate schooling and harsh social conditions
Over-emphasis on language has also led to counter-productive language policies, e.g, “English as quickly as possible”
Speaking another language is NOT a deficit But we treat it like a deficit; Policies that focus on English ASAP
shortchange students’ academic education Data from states that have adopted English
only policies show policy failure; Gaps are bigger in those states
Research shows both academic and cognitive advantages of bilingualism
Bilingualism is a cultural and labor market asset
But most English learners are taught in English only by monolingual teachers
Conditions for Latino Students
According to international comparisons, 37% of Latino youth live in poverty
73% are eligible for free/reduced lunch More than 60% of Latinos in cities in the west attend
hyper-segregated schools (90%+) 1/3 of Latino families are without health
insurance Highest residential mobility; unstable parental
employment Half of all Latino babies are being born to single
moms--fastest growth for any group The best predictor of school performance is
parent education and 40% of Latino parents have not completed high school
Current Education Policies/Practices Don’t Address
the Real Problems Higher standards without sufficient resources Blaming teachers instead of supporting them Sole focus on “achievement” instead of drop out Charter schools: more segregated and serve few
English learners English only instruction and assessment in
English for students who don’t speak English Emphasis on narrow set of skills Ignoring the cultural and linguistic assets of
Latino children. . .and funds of knowledge of parents
Little focus on poverty reduction
We need:
A campaign to prepare more Latino and bilingual teachers
Strong, affordable preschool education for Latinos Acknowledge schools can do much but cannot do it
all; bring social and health services to the schools To better educate Latino parents to advocate for
their kids To build on students’ linguistic assets Focus more on drop out prevention and school
engagement Find creative ways to break down the isolation in
which Latino students live and go to school
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