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The National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) just unveiled an excellent resource aimed at helping parents and families prepare for college. The intuitive visual media content is meant to help Spanish speaking parents navigate the overly complex college system – from beginning to end.

Bravo NCFL!

Just came across this fantastic program aimed at supporting Latino men through the educational pipeline. Project MALES aims to create and cultivate a support network for Latino male students at UT-Austin, within local school districts, and throughout the surrounding community.

While all Latinos need support, it is especially true of young Latino men who are showing a widening educational gap as compared Latinas’ educational progress. Kudos to the research team at UT Austin for establishing this great program in cooperation with Austin schools and the surrounding community.

Check them out when you have a chance.

A couple of reports that provide some insight about perceptions and realities in regards to Latinos and other U.S. demographic groups. The first report is from Ninth Allstate-National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll which examined Americans’ views of economic opportunity in a time of demographic transformation.  A lot of juicy tidbits that reflect distinct demographic perspectives in the United States. According to Allstate news which help sponsor the poll:

The results also show that Americans of all backgrounds believe that economic divides between rich and poor are the most significant contributor to disagreements on important issues – a greater wedge than ethnic, racial, or cultural divides.

Cue the reality report! Indeed, when it comes to providing opportunity to an affordable education, low-income students still face a significant challenge. According to a report by the Education Trust, the vast majority of colleges and universities are still, at least financially, out of the reach for those that need it the most:

Nationwide, nearly 1,200 four-year colleges and universities have comparable data on what low-income students pay for college. Of these, only five institutions demonstrate success in three key areas:

 • They enroll a proportion of low-income students that is at least as high as the national average.   • They ask these students to pay a portion of their family income no greater than what the average middle-income student pays for a bachelor’s degree.  • They offer all students at least a 1-in-2 chance at graduation.

It is noteworthy that none of the highly profitable, for profit college companies, well-endowed public flagships, or private nonprofits appears among this list of five. Moreover, many of the public flagships and private non-profit institutions that do manage to keep costs relatively low for students of modest means enroll far too few of these students. The data in this study show that, increasingly, financial aid policy choices—at the national, state and institution levels—benefit affluent students more than those exhibiting the greatest financial need.

Sara Goldstein has fast become one of my favorite bloggers when it comes to educational reform and minorities. She “gets it” in her latest piece regarding internships for credit:

There are loads of problems with the majority of current internship-for-credit schemes. First, they are largely confined to four-year colleges and universities, and so exclude the neediest young Americans, those who don’t proceed beyond high school or community college. Second, colleges often require classroom hours in addition to on-the-job time in order for a student to earn credit for an internship, which makes it difficult for the student to work a paying job simultaneously, further limiting access for less-affluent kids.

Orlando Rodriguez revisits a topic that I’m very familiar with – both personally and professionally – the impact of family ties on Latino success. When I worked at the University of Texas at El Paso Career Center back in the mid-1990s, one of the biggest challenges we faced (and feedback we often received from employers) was the reluctance of our students to leave El Paso for job or even an internship. Since over 70+ percent of our students were Latinos, family proximity was a significant factor in student career decisions. I still remember one student whose mother spent the Summer with her during an internship in Dallas.

Over the years, I’ve noted somewhat of a reversal in this trend, particularly in 2nd and 3rd generation Latinos. While the strong family ties exist, many students are more willing to expand their experiences by leaving home taking positions well outside the reach of their family. 

Many years ago, I faced the same decision. Having grown up in Southern California, leaving to attend college out of state was a significant event in my life. While I craved the independence of college life, I was well aware of the potential consequences of not having the always present family support. The first few months were horrible. However, over the next months and then years, I grew exponentially as a person and a professional.  Were family ties a hinderance? In my case, I would say not.

You can check out the original report by PEW that Orlando references here.

This is an insightful article from Hispanic Outlook magazine regarding the under-representation of Latinos in higher education. While some progress has been made, it’s really been insignificant. Even during my college days at the University of Texas at El Paso, a student body with a 70+ percent student body, less than 10% of faculty was Hispanic. I think the total number of Hispanic professors during my undergraduate and graduate studies totaled two. Zero Hispanic professors for my doctorate.

We focus much of our efforts in getting Latinos through the educational pipeline and into college, yet we don’t focus on assuring there’s a supportive community for them once they arrive – at all levels of the college environment.  And while administrative representation, support services, and other resources are important for Latinos in higher education, just as important is the representation of Latino faculty. The lack of Latino academic representation means students are not able to interact with faculty that understand their background and experiences. And sadly, Latino professors are not able to share their experiences with Latino students.

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) is holding its annual National Capitol Forum on Hispanic Education in Washington D.C. today and tomorrow. There is a great line up of speakers and discussions. I’ve been following tweets from @HACUNews and via  #HACU. Browse through some of the excellent thoughts regarding Hispanics, higher education, workforce, and other issues from those in attendance.

A lot of  good information via a Department of Labor (DOL) report on the Hispanic workforce - a “snapshot” if you will – within the context of the economic recovery. Lots of graphics and tables for you data junkies.  Great to see an emphasis on education from elementary to college from the Obama Adminstration going forward. One of the many strategies the DOL will be following:

Increasing college attendance and graduation rates among Hispanics and encouraging more Hispanics to pursue careers in science, engineering and technology. The President’s initiative of “Skills for America’s Future” seeks to: increase the number of college graduates; increase training in science, technology and engineering, and mathematics; and improve industry partnerships with community colleges or training programs by matching classroom curricula with employer needs.

Great to see Goshen College in Indiana launch a new research intiative aimed at studying academic success of Latinos in the Midwest.

The Institute for Latino Educational Achievement will be the research arm of the college’s Center for Intercultural Teaching & Learning. Research will focus on factors that affect the academic success of Latino students in higher education settings. Students, faculty and visiting research fellows will participate in the research.

As I make my transition to Wisconsin in the coming weeks, I’m excited to see a genuine interest in Latino educational attainment.

That, I think, was the outcome from last night’s Town Hall Meeting on Latino Education sponsored by Univision. While the core message regarding the academic success of Latinos was important, much of the discussion lacked some depth. No doubt there is a sincere effort being made by the Obama Administration to support the educational success of Latinos, and I applaud the President’s effort. A lot of good discussion on parent involvement, educational budget allocations, and early childhood support. A few good laughs as well regarding the President’s use of technology. However, some of the chatter on Twitter via #latism and other Latino channels was somewhat divided. Some wanted to hear more policy discussion and while others questioned the “politics” of such an event, especially after the census results. Not sure how much could have been addressed in a 60 minute program. In either case, the event illustrated the importance of the growing Latino population and its importance to the economic future of the United States.