Fewer Caps and Gowns for Hispanic Girls - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Black Issues in Higher Education, Feb 15, 2001

WASHINGTON

Hispanic girls have a higher high school dropout rate than girls in other racial or ethnic groups and are the least likely to earn a college degree, according to the American Association of University Women.

Schools must do more to recognize cultural values that saddle Hispanic girls with family responsibilities, such as caring for younger siblings after school, and take away from educational endeavors, researchers said in a report last month.

"If we want Latinas to succeed as other groups of girls have, schools need to work with and not against their families and communities, and the strengths that Latinas bring to the classroom," says Angela Ginorio, the study's author.

The report, citing Census Bureau statistics, said the dropout rate for Latinas ages 16 to 24 is 30 percent, compared with 12.9 percent for Blacks and 8.2 percent for Whites.

Only 10 percent of Hispanic women completed four or more years of college, compared with 13.9 percent of Blacks and 22.3 percent of Whites, according to the National Council of La Raza, an umbrella organization for Hispanic groups.

"Many Latinas face pressure about going to college from boyfriends and fiances who expect their girlfriends or future wives not to be `too educated' and from peers who accuse them of `acting White' when they attempt to become better educated or spend time on academics," the study says.

Latinas are the country's fastest-growing female minority population, while Hispanics as a whole will account for 25 percent of the nation's school population in 2030.

The researchers recommended educators pay closer attention to the cultural issues faced by Hispanic girls, recruit Hispanic teachers who can serve as role models and involve entire families in decisions about college.

Among the study's other findings: Hispanic girls are under-represented in gifted and talented and advanced placement courses; Hispanic girls are less likely to take the SAT college entrance exam than their White or Asian counterparts, and those who do take it score lower on average than the other girls; among Hispanics, more girls than boys take the SAT exam, but the girls score lower; and more Hispanic women than men obtain associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees, but more men earn professional and doctorate degrees.