The Importance Of Latinos In Education

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There is a serious educational crisis in the United States. The most powerful country in the world is failing to provide a quality education to its students. Particularly, Latino students are the ones who are worse off compared to any other ethnic group. It is not a recent issue; it is a situation that has been going on throughout many decades, yet these students are not being helped out of this crisis. They are being ignored and pushed aside, forcing them into a poor education. The Latino race is quickly becoming the largest ethnic group in the U.S. This means that they are becoming the majority in the country. Latinos may be in charge of running the country in a few years. However, this raises a question: what can we expect for our country…show more content…
Latinos are the worst performing among all groups. Latino students are being neglected by the education system in our nation; they are not receiving the proper education to succeed in life. It is predicted that Hispanic population will rise quickly. “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2036 Hispanics are projected to compose one-third of the nation’s children ages 3 to 17 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008).” There will be many Hispanic students enrolled in school. Latino children enter school speaking mainly Spanish. Spanish is the primary language that is usually spoken in Hispanic homes. It is difficult for a student to transition into an only English speaking classroom without any or very limited prior exposure to English. That already puts Latino students at a disadvantage. Putting students in a classroom without them knowing the language is a problem. Once children grasp a basic understanding of English, they place them in ESL and remedial classes where again they are kept behind. Pre-school is a great program that is used to make the transition for children smoother, but preschools are very limited in…show more content…
The typical Hispanic family is living in a low income household. They normally live off a minimum wage salary and are living from paycheck to paycheck. “The poverty for Hispanic children under eighteen by contrast, was more than 28 percent, double that of white children, of whom 14 percent lived in poverty (Gandara 59).” Latino students are in a worse financial situation than other children from other ethnic groups. A student can easily notice the financial struggles the parent goes through to make ends meet. This potentially affects the student’s interest and achievement in their education. Gandara and Contreras explain the negative effect of financial struggles on students; they state, “Children who live in poverty lack not only material comforts and a sense of possibility; many also lack attention to the basic needs that will condemn them to repeating the cycle of under education and poverty that they are born into (61).” Children who do not receive their basic necessities cannot be expected to perform well in their academics. Because of their poor education, they remain in low- skill entry level jobs. They end up working in the type of employments their parents occupy, such as in factories, or farming. The cycle continues and repeats itself. Generation after generation, Latinos are undereducated and very few of them break free from it. It is an ongoing

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