ipl-logo

Racial Inequality In Education

1434 Words6 Pages

1 . Introduction
On February 24, 2009 President Barack Obama set the ambitious goal that the United States “should once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by the year 2020” (U.S. Department of Education (!!!)). With the US currently only ranked 12th in the world in four-year degree attainment among 25-34-year olds this would require at least eight million more young adults to earn a postsecondary degree by 2020 (The White House; U.S. Department of Education (!!!)). The White House has announced that in order to achieve this goal “President Obama and his Administration are working to make college more accessible, affordable, and attainable for all American families”. However, many authors such as Andrew Kelly, …show more content…

Admittedly, Hispanics are neither the only nor the first minority facing educational difficulties: achievement differences among ethnic groups have existed before and Latinos are definitely not the only group that has been afflicted by race inequality in education. (!) However, right now Latinos are the lowest performing population group regarding educational achievement in the United States (Gándara, Contreras 18). While 90 percent of whites, 85 percent of African-Americans, and 89 percent of Asian-Americans between the age of 25 and 64 have finished high school, only about 64 percent of Latino 25- to 64-year-olds have earned a high school diploma (Maxwell 2). Their postsecondary attainment not only lags behind the attainment of white but also of black and Asian students (Adams 1). Moreover, the college completion rates of Latinos are considerably lower than those of most other ethnic groups: according to the U.S. Department of Education “in 2010, among Hispanic 25- to 29-year-olds, 14 percent had earned a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 19 percent for African-Americans, 39 percent for whites, and 53 percent for Asian-Americans” (qtd. in Maxwell 2) (!). For all other minority groups, the percentage of college degree holders has increased significantly over the past decade, yet for Latinos it has not increased for more than two decades (Gándara, Contreras 10). The fact that Latinos are not only the fastest-growing ethnic minority but also “the most undereducated major population group in the country” (Gándara, Contreras 18) should illustrate once more how much Latino education matters to everyone.

Show More
Related

  • Utilization Trends Of Latino-American And Latino Students: A Case Study

    874 Words  | 4 Pages

    For the purposes of this project we will focus on Latinos. In the United States, Latinos are one of the fastest growing minority groups. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2001) has predicted that by the year 2050 Latinos will account for 25% of the total population. While Latinos as a whole have typically been underrepresented on college campuses, the number of Latinos in universities has recently grown and is expected to continue to increase (Gonzalez,

    Read More

  • Civic Engagement Research Paper

    586 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the Latino population of the United States continues to burgeon, so does its influence in all aspects of American society. The far-reaching influence of Latinos has exploded in the past few decades, with 17% of the U.S. population who identify as Latino controlling over $1.5 trillion USD in spending power. A section of society where Latino influence continues to rise is in the American political process and the formation of public policy. Latinos have managed to fill a vacant position in nearly every spot of government, culminating with a U.S. Latino holding a crucial stake in a fierce battle for the presidency. As Latinos continue to grow in size and influence, attention should be invested in promoting civic engagement and enhancing political representation of Latinos at all levels of government.

    Read More

  • Latino Leadership: The Increase In Latino Politics

    539 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Juan Gonzalez, in 2009 Latinos “represented slightly more than 1 percent of all elected officials in the country at the time when Latinos were 15 percent of the population.” Latino issues may be raised right now, but their needs

    Read More

  • Civic Engagement Latinos

    196 Words  | 1 Pages

    Civic engagement will become incredibly important for the Latino population in America as we seek to enhance our political representation at the local, state, and federal levels. It is no secret that a Latino majority is coming to our great nation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2014 there were more than 20 million children under 5 years old living in the U.S., and 50.2 percent of them were minorities, mostly Latino. Given these numbers, it is especially troubling that research indicates a low level of civic engagement for Latinos across the nation. Because the number of Latinos in the United States is relatively large and growing, the extent to which Latinos remain less engaged in civic life represents a serious gap in America’s public

    Read More

  • College In America By Caroline Bird Analysis

    249 Words  | 1 Pages

    “College in America” Caroline Bird thinks that a college education may not be the best choice for all high school students because college education does not bring about social equality, it does not benefit them financially, and it is not guaranteed that college will lead them to an elite profession. First of all, high school students are expected to bring about social equality through four rigorous years in college. However, college is an expensive way to categorize the highs and lows in society. It is pressuring to younger students to pursue a higher education that only a few could achieve, and is also difficult for them to established an identity in society. Second, a college education does not benefit the youth financially because it is

    Read More

  • Racial Disparities In Schools

    125 Words  | 1 Pages

    Daniel J. Losen wrote a policy brief called “Discipline Policies, Successful Schools and Racial Justice.” This piece is a compilation of reviews conducted by researchers that address racial disparities in schools regarding disciplinary policies. Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education, delivered a speech that suggested “that students with disabilities and Black students, especially males, were suspended far more than their White counterparts.” For example, research conducted in 2006 found that “over 28% of Black male middle school students had been suspended at least once, nearly three times the rate for White males.” () Another key point is that law makers and school officials should keep schools safe while using alternative practical methods

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Education In The Latino Community

    415 Words  | 2 Pages

    An education should be a priority to all students and we, as the Latino community, must reshape the policy flaws to establish a foundation that will help the growing Latino community. From my own personal experience,

    Read More

  • Racial And Ethnic Disproportionality In Schools

    276 Words  | 2 Pages

    Youth of color specifically are at an increased risk of being suspended at an extended time out of schools. Consequently, they are casted into the streets, which ultimately sends them into juvenile detentions or into prison. The problem of racial and ethnic disproportionality in the discipline of schools is not new issue. In 1974, in one of the earliest investigations of disciplinary policies and practices, “the Children’s Defense Fund revealed that suspension rates for African American students were between two and three times higher than those for white students”( Thomas Rudd February 05, 2015) Ongoing research are still showing that in many places, this problem have worsened significantly.

    Read More

  • Unequal Opportunity: Race And Education

    975 Words  | 4 Pages

    How does race impact how much education you receive? I ask this because, back in the 1940s, everything was segregated including the school system. Whites couldn’t go to black schools, and blacks couldn't go to white schools. This caused a lot of problems into schools white schools would have a better learning environment, while black schools would n’t have a well educated teacher to teach students; Does that school systems aren’t desegregated. School systems are still segregated even after years of the “Brown vs Board of Education” decision.

    Read More

  • Latino ELL Students: A Case Study

    2036 Words  | 9 Pages

    Some students may come from urban areas; others from a small town with small classroom environments. All of these students can enrich the curriculum with stories of their customs, experiences and lifestyle. Schools must hire staff that reflect the cultural diversity of their students. Many Latino ELL students feel more comfortable opening up to other Latino students and to bicultural staff. Teachers must remember that their Latino students may come from different socioeconomic backgrounds and not assume that all Latino students are poor or deprived.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Texas And The Dream Act

    1228 Words  | 5 Pages

    Introduction Texas holds a numerous of issues that coexist analyzed, which include from the death penalty to same-sex marriage. Furthermore, one of the issues that Texas has coped with, yet remains essential would be The Dream Act. According to Luis Miranda a White House Hispanic media Director, “The Dream Act is a legislation that consist of giving students an opportunity that are pursuing a better education in the United States to continue with higher education, participate in the U.S Military, and to embrace the well-being to the country” (1). Moreover, the desire of getting a higher education for students that have been in the low-income branch continues to be immense. Overall, these students want to be successful not only for themselves,

    Read More

  • Latino Politics Essay

    609 Words  | 3 Pages

    The increasing numbers of Latino youth who obtain college degrees are become active in politics, with the biggest trend of Latino population is youth and growth we can only hope for even more support in politics. “For the first time ever, Latinos accounted for one in ten votes cast nationwide in the presidential election, and Obama recorded the highest ever vote total for any presidential candidate among Latinos, at 75%” (Barreto and Segura 145). The Latino vote is becoming a crucial element to politics because of their size in population. . “While turnout declined nationally from 2008 to 2012 (by 2%), among Latinos there was a 28% increase in votes cast in 2012 (from 9.7 million to 12.5 million) and Obama further increased his vote share among Latinos in 2012 compared to 2008” (Barreto and Segura 145). In recent polls

    Read More

  • Essay On The Cost Of College Tuition

    1145 Words  | 5 Pages

    Many people dream of a life filled with riches, but that dream is hard to obtain without a college degree. It is somewhat ironic how people dream of being a successful student and going to college but the cost of tuition turns that dream into a horrible nightmare. It is not a shock to most people when they that college tuition is expensive, but in the past few years it has increased to an all-time high. Lower and middle class students have now begun to realize that college tuition is holding them away from their dreams. Even though college tuition could provide opportunities for job creation and economic growth, tuition is not affordable for the average American household which in effect, prohibits students from taking opportunities like going to college in the first place.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Racial Inequality In Education

    733 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martha Peraza SOC 3340 Inequality in Education California State University, Bakersfield Abstract In the United States, there exists a gap in equality for different demographics of students. The factors contributing to educational disadvantages include socioeconomic struggles, gender of students, language or culture, and particularly for the scope of this paper, race.

    Read More

  • Racial Inequality In Today's Apartheid Schools

    463 Words  | 2 Pages

    Today 's “Apartheid schools” are still unequal. “Apartheid schools” have higher concentrations of poverty, much lower test scores, less skilled teachers and fewer innovative placement courses. Students in fully integrated schools perform better on tests, possess elevated aspirations for educational and occupational attainment, and live more integrated life. As shown in the movie, “A force more powerful,” there are obviously many challenges in fighting racial inequalities using the nonviolent approach. The non-violent approach requires a lot of training and patience to attain the fixed goals, similarly to fixing a segregated school system.

    Read More

More about Racial Inequality In Education

Open Document