Similar to other chapters in this volume, this chapter moves beyond the descriptive and explores some of the institutional and student-level factors that appear to be hindering Hispanic educational success. This chapter presents the current state of educational opportunities available to the majority of Hispanic students in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools. Census Bureau, 2001a), and the increasing importance of a college degree even for entry-level jobs ( Carnoy, 2000), the barriers Hispanics face in realizing their educational ambitions is a major policy concern (see Chapter 4). Given the growth of the Hispanic population in the United States, most notably in the past decade ( U.S. Whenever possible, analyses in this chapter attend to such differences.Įducational attainment of the population 25 years and over by country of origin (percentage), 2002. Most data sets do not distinguish among Hispanic subgroups, disregarding important cultural and economic differences among them. Cuban Americans report the highest levels of high school completion, and “other Hispanics” report the highest levels of bachelor's degree attainment. As shown in Figure 6-1, Mexican Americans, who are the largest and fastest growing Hispanic subgroup in the United States, have the lowest rates of educational attainment compared with other groups. When examined by country of origin, educational attainment for Hispanics varies. These numbers represent all Hispanic groups and include recent immigrants. 1 Even more troubling, more than one-fourth of Hispanic adults have less than a ninth-grade education ( U.S. This is especially the case for Hispanic high school students, particularly those whose parents have not attended college ( Nuñez, Cuccaro-Alamin, and Carroll, 1998).ĭespite high educational expectations, Hispanics are among the least educated group in the United States: 11 percent of those over age 25 have earned a bachelor's degree or higher compared with 17 percent of blacks, 30 percent of whites, and 49 percent of Asian Americans in the same age group ( U.S. Although parents and children share high educational aims, their aspirations do not necessarily translate into postsecondary matriculation. High educational expectations can be found among all racial and ethnic groups regardless of their economic and social resources (p. This attitude is reflected in the educational expectations parents hold for their children and in the expectations that young people have for themselves ( U.S. Today, most parents and their children believe that a college degree is necessary for obtaining stable and meaningful work ( Schneider and Stevenson, 1999). The situation of Hispanic educational attainment is cause for national concern. Initial disadvantages continue to accumulate, resulting in Hispanics having the lowest rates of high school and college degree attainment, which hinders their chances for stable employment. As Hispanic students proceed through the schooling system, inadequate school resources and their weak relationships with their teachers continue to undermine their academic success. For Hispanics, initial disadvantages often stem from parents' immigrant and socioeconomic status and their lack of knowledge about the U.S. Many Hispanic students begin formalized schooling without the economic and social resources that many other students receive, and schools are often ill equipped to compensate for these initial disparities. For Hispanics in the United States, the educational experience is one of accumulated disadvantage.
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