Rising to the Challenge
Finding solutions to the Hispanic education crisis

By Mayra Rodríguez Valladares - Recent U.S. Census Bureau data confirms that education pays off. According to a recent Census Bureau study, full-time workers who hold degrees in law, medicine or business make about $110,000 a year; those who have a bachelor’s degree make $52,000; those who graduated from high school earn $30,000; and those who dropped out make $23,000—if that. Only 65 percent of high school drop-outs have full-time jobs.

A case in point is Isabel Rodríguez, who was 11 years old when she left Cuba to come to the United States. She was alone. Her parents were unable to join her for two years. Even when they came, the family was not together for long: Her father died two years after he arrived; her mother died two years later.

Rodríguez was 17 and alone, except for her older brothers. “I went on automatic and moved ahead—not much else I could do, except take advantage” of the opportunities that came up, she remembers.

A job at the Catholic high school for girls she attended helped her pay the tuition. Many nights, she worked as a baby-sitter to earn extra cash. Later, financial aid enabled her to attend Loyola University of the South in New Orleans. Family members also pitched in.

“I was lucky that I had two older brothers and a very involved sister-in-law,” Rodríguez says.

Then she met a couple—both lawyers—and they encouraged her to apply to Tulane Law School. “They paid for my LSAT, had the application fee waived at Tulane and, when I was accepted, offered me a home during the three years of law school.

“There was only one condition: I was not to work during school so that I could concentrate on my studies.”

Her experience highlights the benefits of a tight-knit Hispanic family and the generosity of the people in the United States, she says. Rodríguez became a successful lawyer and now works as president of Fairfield Learning, LLC, in Connecticut.

And she’s not alone. Education has opened the path to a better life for many. Along the way, most are supported by family and/or businesses, community organizations and the government. Educators say that all must work together if Hispanic Americans are going to overcome high dropout rates.

The President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans recently completed an 18-month study that arrived at similar conclusions. After speaking to 1,600 parents, educators, leaders of faith-based groups and business people, the commission recommended steps such as setting new and high expectations for Hispanic American children; helping Hispanic parents better understand the U.S. educational system; training teachers to meet the needs of students with poor English-language skills; doing more educational research; and improving the accountability and coordination of educational programs within the federal government to better serve Hispanic families.

The commission found a number of significant problems that contribute to the educational crisis. First, the problem begins at home, it found. “It’s not the kids’ fault; it is our fault and that of our teachers, administrators and others. The kids can learn,” says Charles García, who is a member of the commission and sits on the Florida State Board of Education.

Iris Zucker, principal and founder of Marble Hill School for International Studies in the Bronx, New York, believes the “way to solve the educational problem among Hispanics is to engage the parents in the education of their children.” But the Puerto Rican educator says Hispanic parents are usually intimidated by the system.

María Rodríguez, president of Vanguard Communications in Washington, D.C., which is involved in several projects to help children get a college education, can testify to that.

“My parents came from very humble beginnings,” she says. “They grew up in rural villages” in northern Spain, raised in houses without running water. Neither attended high school; “they worked the land.”

Remembering her school years, Rodríguez says her greatest obstacle “was that my parents couldn’t help me with any of my school work. Neither of them had finished high school, but more importantly, neither of them spoke English.”

In addition, “I didn’t have many college-grad role models in my life; most of my parents’ friends and family members shared their type of background and education,” she says.

Her experience led her to conclude, as many educators have, that providing role models for children at a young age is essential. “It’s important for them to see that people who walked in their shoes have succeeded.”

Counselors are also critical, says Virginia Valdez, director of the Chicago Land Hispanic Educational Research Institute (CLERI) at Aspira Inc. in Chicago. Her research suggests that counseling services have a significant impact on whether students fall through the cracks and drop out of school or successfully graduate from high school and go on to college.

Valdez studied counseling services at four high schools with large Hispanic student bodies in Chicago and found that Hispanic students met with their counselors far less often than did their peers. Often, students don’t understand the role counselors play or are afraid of being seen as problem kids if they speak to them, she says.

Reducing class sizes and creating small, specialized schools are another effective way to improve graduation rates, say educators. Zucker has sought and obtained foundation monies from the likes of Microsoft’s Bill Gates for her specialized school, which offers a personalized approach to education.

She is convinced that smaller classes and schools are more effective, not only for students, but also for families. “I see the difference when parents are free to call or visit us. It sends a different message to the child who, in turn, becomes more responsive,” she says.

As principal, Zucker works closely with her teachers to design a “global curriculum” for the 100 students who come from regions as diverse as Latin America, Kosovo, Pakistan and western Africa. Getting personal attention from the faculty—mostly former Peace Corp volunteers—gives the kids a sense of pride in their school and encourages them to dare to dream, she says.

Another way to help children succeed and stay in school is to provide after-school tutoring and training programs. One such effort is led by KnowledgePoints, Inc. (www.knowledgepoints.org), founded four years ago and implemented through strategic associations with local sponsors and nonprofit organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCAs. To date, 84 centers are operating in 23 states.

In Isabel Rodríguez’s tutoring program, instructors focus on teaching children the basics, tailoring the program to students’ needs. Teachers test the children and
tackle their specific needs.

“We find that child’s level for each skill: He may be at a certain grade level in phonics, but for example, his failure to infer meaning from what he reads may put him at a lower level in comprehension.”

The system builds self-esteem, she adds. Children start at a level that they can easily master and move up as their abilities improve. Further, tutors talk to parents at regular intervals and encourage communication with the classroom teacher.

“The student cannot hide,” she says. In an age of budget cuts, companies such as Rodríguez’s, educators, non-profit organizations, corporate leaders and families can’t wait for the federal government to solve the education problem, says García of the White House Commission: “They all need to take a more active role.”

Hispanic students also need to take advantage of the opportunities that exist. When finances are a problem, for example, a growing number of Hispanics are turning to the U.S. armed forces as a way to serve their country and also receive money for their college education.

According to the Pentagon, about 8.7 percent of the total force is Hispanic, or 122,500 soldiers, with nearly half being of Mexican descent.

The number of Hispanics in the military has increased dramatically in recent years. Twenty years ago, only about 4 percent of new recruits were Hispanic; today, that figure is 11 percent.

But ultimately, says García, all education is local.

Last year’s passage of the No Child Left Behind law, which introduced tests in reading and math for all students in grades three through eight, among other educational reforms, is an important step forward, he says. “But the state has to implement the program.”

García recalls visiting L.A.’s schools after former Colorado Governor Roy Romer became that district’s superintendent. In just 18 months, Hispanic children in that school district had risen from the 32nd to the 66th percentile.

“These are often kids who come from poor families and who do not speak English as a first language,” he says. “Romer raised expectations and kids realized that they would be judged by the standards for all other kids.”

One factor that should positively influence Hispanic educational achievement in the future, some say, is the ongoing acculturation of Hispanics into mainstream American culture. The more that Hispanics understand the American educational system and the strong connection between remuneration and education, the more likely they will be to strive for educational success.

Indeed, understanding this reality might, in the long run, make the biggest difference of all.