Hispanics and Higher Education Essay Example

Hispanics and Higher Education Essay Example Hispanics and Higher Education Essay Hispanics and Higher Education Essay Introduction: Society keeps the hype that higher education is the key to success, so if one graduates one has take several steps forward to succeed in life (Sewell, Shah). Such success comes easy for white Americans since a study done by Newsweek (2011) an online news company demonstrated that 9 out of 10 white Americans graduate in four years meanwhile 5 out of 10 minorities graduate in 7 years. Why is this? B. Background: Some more background for you, did you know that in California less than 15 percent of Hispanics hold a bachelors degree, and near 10 percent of African Americans hold a bachelors compared to 34 percent of white Americans. If we take what Shah and Sewell comment about success, why isn’t minority success the same? C. Relevance: In order to have a bigger picture of the world, and be informed of social injustices D. Credibility: I am a Hispanic/Latino American who has taken two Latin American Studies courses, one focusing on higher education. Besides it wouldn’t be the same if an Anglo-American gave this speech E. Preview of Main Points: 1. Problem: Very few role models in Hispanic/Latino American lives with higher education degrees 2. Problem: Schools in low income communities do not have the same funding that schools in high income communities have 3. Solution: Higher funding for schools in low income communities Transition 1: William Sewell and Vimal Shah (1967), retired doctorate professors of sociology at the University of Wisconsin state that role models in society are used to set the bar of success by others. II. First Main Point: Hispanics/Latinos have very few role models in their lives A. Third Generation Hispanic/Latinos apply to college 1. Beginning with immigrant workers in the 1950s and 60s, due to the migratory status of first generation Hispanics/Latinos College was not an option since financial aid was not available to them nor was there many jobs available to them. Therefore they would end up with weak economic stability (Ovink, Veazey, 2011). 2. Following the line second generation Hispanics/Latinos did not apply to college but instead searched a job right after high school (if they graduated) to help their parents with their debt (2011). 3. It’s usually a third generation Hispanic American who applies to college since the parents might have more economic stability than the grandparents and since more financial aid makes college affordable (2011). B. Not many Hispanic Role Models 4. If it takes two to three generations for Hispanics/Latino Americans to attend college, there is a lack of role models for them to set the bar. a. Compared to white Americans who have had generations going to college, and who only need to turn on the television to see an individual with a degree (MacDonald, Botti, Hoffman, 2010). 5. White Americans have many more role models . Take for example an Ivy League school; a minority must apply with pure merit mean while a person with a certain last name or certain amount donated gets instant admission (2010). c. There are not many Hispanic/Latino American individuals who have a large sum or amount of money to donate to schools nor are there many renowned Latinos (2010). 6. The article by these three individuals (2010) continues to state that the only role models Latinos really have is movie actors and music artist who are usually not even American Transition Statement 2: Lets look at the second problem though. III. Second Main Point: Lack of economic aid to low income communities, A. Low funding for schools in low income schools 1. Due to recent budget cuts teachers are being laid off while the number of students continues to grow, creating bigger class sizes (Clemmitt, 2007) 2. Less individual attention to each student (2007) 3. Take Southern California for example, schools are highly underfunded since the drop out rate for Hispanics/Latinos is 32. 8% (2007) B. Show graph, Minority Funding Gaps By State (Funding Gaps 2006, The Education trust) 4. The average funding for a student should be $2,000 or more through out his/her school year. Indicated here, less than $500 (Clemmit, 2007) 5. A study conducted by UCLA showed that the school most funded by LAUSD was Beverly Hills High School with a 90. 8% graduation rate where minorities are less than 20% (Neil and Balfanz, 2007). C. Show next graph, Blacks, Hispanics Attend High Poverty Schools (â€Å"The Condition of Education 2004 in Brief† National Center for Education, 2004) 6. 75% percent of Hispanic/Latino Americans attend high-poverty schools, while less than 5% of white Americans do (Neild and Balfanz, 2007) D. Show last graph, Majority of Drop Outs Are Hispanic, Black (â€Å"The Cost and Benefits of an Excellent Education for All of America’s Children† Teachers College, Columbia University, 2007) 7. As one can notice not only are Hispanics in low income schools, but as a result they are the most that are high school drop outs. Transition Statement 3: As you have noticed there is a serious social problem, an injustice with not only Hispanics but minorities in general. To every problem there is a solution though. IV. Third Main Point: Higher Funding and Role Models A. According to Luis Ricardo Fraga, Kenneth J. Meier and Robert E. Englan in their article on the Journal of Politics (1986)) representation of minorities in higher education has stayed low and will stay low unless Hispanics create public figures with professional degrees (p. 856) 1. How can this be done? B. Higher Funding for low income schools 2. Low Income schools need more funding to redirect resources to creating a better educational curriculum so that programs and acts such as No Child Left Behind can reach their full potential (Kelly, Scheider, Carey 2010) C. Prompting Hispanic Americans to finish college 3. According to Kelly, Schneider and Carey (2010), its not so much learning about the problem in minority graduation rates but also about creating role models for Hispanic Americans even if they are not the same ethnicity. 4. The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research an organization funded by Bill Gates also states in the same article that even if one is not Hispanic one should take initiative in ones community and become a role model for minority students not just Hispanic students by volunteering at a high school or school (2010). . Doing this will help create a stronger and smarter society through education diminishing gender, and racial lines (2010) Transition Statement 4: As we can see, Education in Hispanic Americans is a serious problem and a social injustice for other minorities also. V. Conclusion A. Review of Main Points: 1. MP/Problem- Hispanic Americans do not have many role models in their lives due to how it takes two or three generations for a Hispanic American family to have a college graduate. The popular role models that Hispanics currently have are artist, or actors not college graduates 2. MP/Problem- Not enough money is being funded into low income schools causing less money or funding to create high school graduate individuals and college graduates 3. MP/Solution- By giving minorities not only Hispanics/Latinos help in graduating one would be helping society not only certain ethnicities reach success B. Restatement of Thesis: I have just informed you on the social injustice of education for Hispanic/Latino Americans C. Conclusion: Lets hope that in the next ten years, the statistics will read differently