Education of Hispanic youth: a cultural lag

Adolescence, Spring, 1996 by Adele M. DeBlassie, Richard R. DeBlassie

INTRODUCTION

A great deal of attention has been paid recently to the issue of ethnic minorities, especially in relation to the ever-increasing populations and most especially in relation to their sociodemographic characteristics and educational attainment. The purpose of this paper is to survey the literature with respect to the causes of the educational lag in Hispanic youth. Chapa and Valencia (1993) further support the study of trends of the Latino population regarding educational issues. This paper is divided into two major sections: contributing factors, and strategies for improving educational levels in Hispanic youth. Also included is a section dealing with relevant definitions.

Definitions

For purposes of definition, this paper focuses on the Hispanic minority group, although in recent years the term "Latino" has gained in popularity in preference to the term "Hispanic." Hispanic encompasses a group comprised of people of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and other Hispanic origin. Table 1, taken from the U.S. Census Bureau, 1990, illustrates the distribution of the Hispanic population by subgroup.

Table 1. Distribution of the Hispanic Population by Subgroup, 1990

Group                   Population (in Millions)   Percentages

All Hispanic origins    22,354                     100.0
Mexican origin          13,496                      60.4
Puerto Rican            2,727                       12.2
Other Hispanic          5,086                       22.8
Cuban origin            1,043                        4.7

Litsinger (1973) noted that traditional Hispanic values affect students behavior with regard to their goals, the activities they see as appropriate for attainment of those goals, and their expectation of achieving them.

School Segregation. Segregation has been, and continues to be, a major obstacle to the attainment of equal educational opportunity for a substantial number of Hispanic students. Donato, Menchacha, and Valencia (1991), for example, traced the roots and contemporary conditions of segregation faced by Hispanic students and underscored the close connection between ethnic isolation and limited educational opportunities. Given the growth of immigration, the high birthrate of Hispanics, and the slow pace of desegregation efforts, school segregation of Hispanics is increasing. Donato et al., (1991) and Orfield (1992) have suggested that Hispanic students now have the unfortunate distinction of being the most segregated ethnic/racial group in our nation's schools.

The correlation between school segregation and adverse learning/ achievement outcomes is strong (Donato et al., 1991). Achievement scores on standardized tests (on all grade levels) are declining. At the secondary level, the dropout rate is rising, the number of college preparatory courses offered are diminishing, and the average college admissions test scores are dropping.

Orum (1986, p. 35) concludes: "In sum, as the nation progresses through the 1990s and beyond, and as Hispanics continue to grow in large numbers, Latinos will attend more segregated schools. Pessimistically speaking, the deleterious outcomes of attending segregated schools, especially low achievement, high dropout rates, and inferior college preparation, are likely to intensify."

Reyes and Valencia (1993, p. 272) conclude: "Current reform legislation of choice encourages segregation and resegregation among students. It is clear that a few Latino students will be able to use vouchers or tax-credits for their education. White students can make full use of those mechanisms to attend a better school . . . leaving only Latino students in the local school. The likely outcome is that segregated schools will increase."

Strategies for Improving Educational Levels in Hispanic Youth

Although the educational outlook and attainment levels for Hispanic students appear to be dismal, it is the intent of this paper to suggest a direction for educators that may brighten the outlook.

Teacher preparation programs. With the diversity in our schools, teachers must be made aware of and become sensitive to the many differences among students, and have skills to adapt educational techniques to meet individual needs (Burstein, Cabello, & Hamann, 1993). To address these issues, Burstein and Cabello (1989) suggest three major goals for teacher preparation programs: (1) assist teachers in examining their beliefs about the influence of culture on students and themselves, (2) expand their knowledge about culturally diverse students, and (3) help teachers adapt their methods to the diverse needs of their students. However, as Cloud (1993) cautions, teacher educators need to be aware of the dangers of labeling culturally and linguistically diverse students as such. Further, Cloud (1993) recognizes the importance of ". . . establishing educationally valid frames of reference that promote effective teaching practices" (p. 62).

In addition to the three goals, Cloud (1993) made the following suggestions for the development of curricula for teacher preparation classes. The first goal of assisting teachers in examining their beliefs about the influences of culture on students and themselves, is built around six basic tenets: (1) examination of future teachers' attitudes toward particular languages and speakers of those languages, (2) examination of the values of future teachers of students' bilingualism and the use of primary and secondary languages during instruction, (3) examination of beliefs held by future teachers about language acquisition and growth, especially in second language students, (4) examination of the personal experiences of future teachers with second language students, (5) examination of the awareness of the definitions of future teachers of normal versus abnormal behaviors as demonstrated by levels of student participation, amount of in-class verbalizations, and learning styles, and (6) examination of the ways these factors shape current conceptualizations of all processes involved in educating students.