Challenges and Opportunities Facing Hispanics in America Today

(Also available in Spanish)

Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic minority in the United States today. However, many Hispanics are faced with financial difficulties, which some scholars, activists and policymakers attribute to the lack of educational attainment and access to resources (Pew Hispanic Center, 2003).

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, the dropout rate of Hispanic youth between age 16 and 19 grew dramatically from 1990 to 2000. One-third of Hispanic students perform below grade level while more than 50 percent of Hispanic dropouts have less than a 10th-grade education. The dropout rate for Hispanics between age 16 and 19 who have poor English language skills is 59 percent, and nearly 40 percent of immigrant Mexicans are high school dropouts (Pew Hispanic Center, 2003; U.S. Senate HELP Committee, 2002). This contributes significantly to Hispanic dropout in educational institutions, leaving Hispanics with high unemployment rates and low-paying jobs.

The broad gap in the higher education achievement between Hispanic students and Caucasian students is another factor contributing to the financial difficulties that Hispanics face today in the U.S. Only 16 percent of Hispanics hold a bachelor’s degree while 37 percent of Caucasians hold a bachelor’s degree. Among the best prepared college students at non-selective colleges and universities, 81 percent of Caucasian students completed a bachelor’s degree compared to 57 percent of Hispanics with a bachelor’s degree (Pew Hispanic Center, 2004). A study indicates that the completion of high school education and improved preparation for postsecondary institutions are the keys to increasing the number of Hispanics with a bachelor’s degree in the U.S. (Pew Hispanic Center 2003).

Despite the high rate of high school dropout and the low figure of higher education completed by the Hispanic population in the U.S., the Pew Hispanic Center emphasizes that the education profile of foreign-born Hispanics has improved remarkably during the past 30 years. The rate of high school and college education completed by both Hispanic immigrants and Hispanic natives has increased notably, as the rate of Hispanic immigrants and Hispanic natives with primary or less-than-primary education decreased dramatically from 1970 to 2000 (Pew Hispanic Center, 2002). For example, Hispanics with secondary education increased from 18 percent to 41 percent, while Hispanics with college education almost doubled from nine to 18 percent from 1970 to 2000. In addition, longitudinal research conducted on some 25,000 youth from 1988 to 2000 shows that highly qualified Hispanic students enroll at nation’s top universities and colleges at the same rate as the Caucasian students when the resources and the preparation for higher education were provided (National Educational Longitudinal Survey). Therefore, it is evident that sufficient educational attainment can provide Hispanics a pathway to financial stability and economic success.

The AFT recognizes the significance of Hispanic students in public schools as the Hispanic population continues to grow in the U.S. To improve the quality of education for Hispanic students, educational institutions have to promote more academically rigorous coursework for Hispanic students and reinforce dropout prevention programs. The AFT emphasizes the importance of promoting research-based information on effective instruction for linguistically and culturally diverse students and stronger professional development programs for teachers on effective instruction for English language learners. There is a strong urgency for the U.S. education system to provide Hispanics with the educational resources and the support they need to move forward in their educational attainment and economic success in a long run.