“We have a responsibility in middle school to put children on a track that will take them through the high school years and college beyond that.”Working with Students
In 2001, 8.4 million Latino children and youth were enrolled in U.S. public schools, accounting for 16% of all students nationwide.1 The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2005 American Community Survey estimated an even higher number, reporting that almost 11 million Latinos over the age of 3 are enrolled in nursery school through grade 12.2 Unfortunately, the high rates of Latino student enrollment coincide with unacceptably low rates of educational attainment.
Among Latinos between the ages of 18 and 25, 48% hold less than a high school credential.3 Latino students are also less likely to complete a college degree than students from other ethnic backgrounds.4 With low academic achievement identified as a leading cause of poverty among Latinos5 and with postsecondary education becoming a requirement for overall prosperity, the Latino community's low levels of educational attainment signal a crisis.
In 2005, PALMS staff began a study of how educators were increasing Latino middle-grades students' access to postsecondary education. In the course of a year, we documented the exemplary practices of college access programs around the country. This section describes the nuts and bolts of college access programming for Latino middle-grades students. These descriptions include several vignettes that illustrate real-life examples of what school and community leaders can do to increase the chances that students will attain a two- or four-year college degree. We also present a summary of the research on the academic achievement of Latino middle-grades students. With Latinos estimated to comprise a quarter of the U.S. population by 2050, families, schools, and communities must work together to ensure that today’s middle-grades students will contribute fully to the society that awaits their leadership.
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1. Pew Research Center. Trends 2005. (Washington, DC: Pew Research Center), p. 83.
2. US Census Bureau. 2006. Table B14001I: School enrollment by level of school for the population 3 years and over (Hispanic or Latino).
3. Ruppert, S. (2003). Closing the College Participation Gap: A National Summary. Denver: Education Commission of the States.
4. Hernandez, J. (2000). Understanding the retention of Latino college students. Journal of College Student Development, 41(6), 575-588.
5. Jasinski, J.. (2000). Beyond high school: An examination of Hispanic educational attainment. Social Science Quarterly, 81(1), 276-290.
