COUNSELING HISPANIC IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS & STUDENTS
The achievement gap:
How far has the system left
Latino students behind?
Of Every 100 White Kindergartners:
93 65 33
Graduate from high school Complete at least some college Obtain at least a Bachelors Degree
(25-to 29-Year-Olds)
Source: US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. March Current Population Surveys, 1971-2001, in The Condition of Education 2002.
Of Every 100 Latino Kindergartners:
from 63 Graduate high school at least 32 Complete some college
11
Obtain at least a Bachelors Degree
(25-to 29-Year-Olds)
Source: US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. March Current Population Surveys, 1971-2001, In The condition of Education 2002.
Nationally, 4th Grade Latinos Lag Behind Their White Peers in Reading (2005)
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP Data Explorer, http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/
And Things Are Similar in 8th Grade Mathematics (2005)
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP Data Explorer, http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/
Too few High School 9th Graders Graduate Four Years Later
Source: Jay P. Greene and Greg Forster, Public High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates in the United States, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, September 2003.
Hispanic teens are more likely than
blacks and whites to attend public high
schools that have the most students,
the highest concentrations of poor students and highest student-teacher
ratios
Source: Pew Hispanic Center, November 2005: http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=54
Equity is..
Eliminating the racial predictability and disproportionality of student groups which occupy the highest and lowest achievement categories..
Raising the achievement all ALL students while narrowing the gaps between the highest and lowest performing students
Barriers K-12
Lack of early childhood education High Poverty Schools Limited English Proficiency Limited parental Involvement Low Expectations Family Duties
Barriers to College
Legal: Immigration Status Underrepresented in AP classes and Talented and Gifted programs Over represented in Special Education programs Lack of exposure to college educated adults as mentors Lack of Financial Support
College Graduates by Age 24
Young People From High Income Families Young People From Low Income Families
58% 10%
Low income refers to families with annual incomes of $36,174 or less, high income refers to families with annual incomes above $96,056.
Source: Tom Mortenson, The Pell Institute, Unpublished Analysis, 2004.
Latino Student Focus Group
June, 2010
Revealed: Feelings of inferiorty due to parents education level Do not feel they are treated equally at the school, felt targeted Worry a lot about the future
any mistake or bad grade means I am not going to college if the bar is set too high for us, probably quit I have a lot of pride, if I dont get it I wont ask the teacher Feel uncomfortable in class, other kids get it why dont I There is a lot of pressure to go to college, I mean, they [parents] tell us they came
here for us to have a better life. So you really have to do good because of their sacrifice..
Latino Student Focus Group
June, 2010 Important to have a caring teacher, someone who will help you if you fail, who would feel proud of you if you did really good. It makes you want to try harder, even noticing that you got a hair cut or you wear a new shirt. Someone that cares more about the tests but also about your home life.
What else helps Instruction Slow down Clearer transitions More interesting topics Repetition, saying things more than once
Ethnic Identity Issues
Unfamiliar cultural context Balance between familial and academic mandates Dual racial identity? Diversity of Hispanic/ Latino racial identity Classism, Native American identification, regionalism*
Conformity Stage alienation of own cultural group Resistance Stage self-segregation, mistrust of white staff Marginal Person Concept Ethnic Enclaves Over - Westernization
White Identity Issues
Goal: recognize stage of self and client avoid misinterpretation of student behavior informed, nuanced view of how race affects student Conformity Stage assimilation, treat everyone the same, ignorance of racial issues Resistance White liberalsyndrome (paternalistic protector), overidentification Commitment to anti-racist action - training, cultural guide, experiential learning, advocacy
