The real education crisis: Latino educational attainment by Katie Reed

At least since the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the popular media has referred to the “education crisis.” In most accounts of the crisis, it is defined cross-nationally. Compared to students in other developed countries, American students perform mediocre at best, or so the narrative goes. While I believe there is an education crisis that demands urgent attention and action, defining the crisis internationally is a red herring that distracts from the real crisis: the persistently poor education outcomes of Latino students.

Several weeks ago, the Census released 2011 data on educational attainment in the United States. Several media outlets summarized some of the findings, yet they skimmed over what I consider to be the critical part of the story: the attainment gap between non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics increased[1]. Although both groups experienced gains since 2001, gains among whites outpaced those of Hispanics.

The widening Hispanic-white gap is troubling for all, not just those of us with a special interest in educational equity. Figure 1 shows the highest level of education attained for adults 25 years and older. Nearly two-thirds of Hispanics (65%) aged 25 or older only have a high school degree or less, in comparison to 38% of whites, 50% of blacks, and 33% of Asians. Hispanics are concentrated at the lowest levels of educational attainment, and as educational credentials are increasingly the primary distinguishing feature between the “have’s” and “have-not’s,” Figure 1 suggests that Hispanics are likely to be among the “have-not’s.”

This lag causes concern on several fronts. First, persistent educational inequalities violate our foundational principle that everyone has the right to pursue “the good life.” When an entire ethnic group is disadvantaged in terms of almost every educational outcome, this suggests problems inherent to the educational system and a serious mismatch between what the system offers and what students need to be successful. Second, as Hispanics historically and continually earn educational credentials at lower rates than other groups, an “underclass” is created, which has profoundly negative consequences for society, in terms of unemployment, crime, and civic engagement.  The Supreme Court used this same logic in Plyler v. Doe, reasoning that systematically denying education was too large a deficit for any group to overcome. Though Hispanics have not been denied entry to public schools, the reality of their relatively low attainment means we are still in danger of creating an underclass.

The data shown in Figure 1 merit action on their own, but when they are considered in light of population data (presented in Figure 2), they suggest the possibility of even greater problems on the horizon—a true crisis. Figure 2 implies that if left unchecked, the current disparities in educational attainment will become even more salient.

Figure 2 depicts the total resident population of the U.S. (un-shaded) and the Hispanic resident population (shaded). It breaks down each group by sex and age, so that the percentage of males in each age group is on the left side of the pyramid, and the percentage of females is on the right. The shaded pyramid is roughly the shape of a Christmas tree, with a large base and smaller top. The un-shaded pyramid is more rectangular and is heavy in the middle (around ages 45-60). What this means is that Hispanics are concentrated among the youngest age groups while the total population is concentrated among the older groups. Practically speaking, Figure 2 reveals that the problems of Figure 1 are amplified when we consider that the Hispanic population is, on average, younger than the total population, and is also the fastest growing segment of the population. In terms of the impact on schools, this means that Hispanics will continue to make up a greater percentage of the school-aged population, and that we cannot assume this problem will resolve itself naturally.

I am not the first to take note of these trends—as early as the 1980’s others were discussing many of the issues I mention here. I hope this serves as an urgent reminder and as an alarm bell for policymakers who have moved on to other issues without finding solutions to this one. Where solutions exist, they must be applied in combination, and they require patient, sustained investments on the parts of the public, politicians, and educators. Research suggests that providing language support, holding students to high expectations, and exposing them to same-race role models can foster success. Parental involvement is also positively related to academic success, a finding which must be considered in light of the fact that for many Hispanic parents, especially recent immigrants, asserting themselves in school activities is unfamiliar and uncomfortable. We must also recognize the differences among Hispanics in terms of country of origin and in terms of generational status.

The educational crisis we should be investing our resources in is the one where the fastest growing segment of the population is also the lowest achieving, and we must address the problem strategically and comprehensively. That means beginning at the beginning, with programs designed to promote school readiness and early childhood education, with old standbys like Head Start and with new programs like Baby College. It means supporting English language learners as they deal with mastering new content while learning English, and assessing their learning fairly. It means facilitating parental involvement and parents advocating for their children. Schools, especially those with lots of Hispanic students, should hire Hispanic teachers (and universities should provide incentives for Hispanics who choose to become teachers). The way leaders deal with this education crisis reflects our national values and helps determine our future, and I recommend maximizing urgency and thoughtfulness—not expediency—as we generate solutions.

Reference:

Hedges, L.V., & Nowell, A. (1999). Changes in the black-white gap in achievement test scores. Sociology of Education, 72, 111-135.

Note:

Figures created by author. Source tables for Figure 1 can be found here: http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/data/cps/2011/tables.html  Source tables for Figure 2 can be found here: http://www.census.gov/popest/data/national/asrh/2009/index.html