Comments on: Disturbing Statistics about Latino Educational Attainment

By: Sharky

Sharky — Thu, 06 May 2010 23:46:33 +0000

Latino and Hispanic American have the lowest educational attainment in the US. They also have the highest poverty levels. The criminal rates are also high. Unlike White and Asian Americans. White Americans have lowest poverty(that is good thing) and high income, and Asian Americans have the highest educational levels and low crime rates. Even though there are many famous Latinos and Hispanic Americans: like actor and actress, athletes, singers, businessmen…, but most of them are not that success. [MOST] Latino and Hispanic students would most likely in receiving gold medals for using swearing words if there is a competition. They are born with low manner. The above descriptions are refer to many or most of Latino and Hispanic Americans, but not every single of them b/c I also have a favorite Latino teacher.

By: irma

irma — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:47:58 +0000

I have not seen Soledad O Brien’s “Latino in America”, but what I have read about it, she should produce a second segment …..
Educational attainment in the Latino community? Bottom line, at least in the Mexican American community (my background) there has rarely been an emphasis on education except in isolated pockets. I am
52 years old, and can remember being mocked
by my Mexican American peers for “talking white and not speaking Spanish.” My Mexican parents had a response for that ” They think they are speaking Spanish, in Mexico they call
that pocho. There is no such thing as speaking
“white.”. Armed with this support, I went on
to get two degrees (BA and a PhD) and along the way I learned to read, write and speak
Spanish at the university level. My parents
were especially pleased with my decision to learn proper Spanish.

My point is that many Latino youth are getting the wrong message at home about education and about learning to speak English. Education
“belongs” to no one specific group. Education is something to be treasured, not something to
endure like a spoonful of cod liver oil. Education is the key to power and success- something my father stressed on many an occasion.

I would like to see more Latinos in science
(my career choice). I encourage young Latinos
every chance I get – to consider being a
Biochemistry , Physics, or Chemistry major.
But, if they choose to go to college at all- I am happy with that…………

By: BettyM

BettyM — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:22:03 +0000

John, congratulations. I’m sure everyone agrees that there is no single cause for the poor performance of latino youth nor is there one solution to the problem. I do agree that the first step in ensuring that our youth receive a sound education is encouragement from their parents.

By: John

John — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:05:04 +0000

As a Latino father who just had two daughters graduate from Yale, it is the parents that need to be educated. It was sad to see in a class of about 1500, only about 30 students of Mexican descent were there. When will the parents realize that their kids can do and achieve what ever they want.

By: Michaelr

Michaelr — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:35:48 +0000

We all have our horror stories, especially those of us who endured public education in minority dominated schools. But the reality is based on our ambitions, and those accomplishments we achieved on our own. Everything else is just excuses.

By: Anna

Anna — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:53:47 +0000

Re: “Not only from my parents but from my teachers and advisors.”

Yeah, college advisors aren’t very good. I have read that minority peer advisors are better in terms of retention.

By: Anna

Anna — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:51:52 +0000

Re: “We will take this crap from CNN as long as we blindly watch their network and then get excited that they throw us a bone like Latino in America.”

If 1 million Latinos canceled their cable service over CNNs racist hiring practices and Lou Dobbs, that would wake them up. When Lou Dobbs costs them money, they’ll get rid of him. Wring letters and changing the channel isn’t enough.

By: stephen

stephen — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:55:44 +0000

I have a 5 year old and she reads and writes and adds multiple-digit numbers (kid books, not Nietzche of course). Her school is almost 90% white and they all are at the same level in her kindergarten class.
She’s sitting on the table now writing a “book” and adding random numbers at 9:50 pm. I can say I never did this in kindergarten and nobody cared to make sure I knew how to. I caught up pretty fast, and I’m a professor now, but expectations were always low. Not only from my parents but from my teachers and advisors.

By: webmaster

webmaster — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:39:15 +0000

Anna,

I will write a longer post about the CNN series. I haven’t watched it, but I have mixed feelings about CNN showing this documentary series, while continuing to allow Lou Dobbs to have a platform on their network on a daily basis. I know some people who went to the LA screening of LIA, and some liked it and even liked Soledad’s work.

We will take this crap from CNN as long as we blindly watch their network and then get excited that they throw us a bone like Latino in America.

But to get back to the education topic, I can agree that Latino parents need to let their children learn and experience life beyond serving their parents’ needs. If more parents valued education, they would not let the children work or serve them to the detriment of their studies.

By: Anna

Anna — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:24:45 +0000

What do people think about the upcoming CNN series Latino in America? I happened to watch the above mentioned segment as I was changing the channel, but I have no intention of watching the series.

When do we get to tell our own stories in the media like other Americans? Soledad O’Brien does not speak for me at all. I want to see stories about successful Mexican-Americans like astronauts and Nobel Prize winners.

How long are we going to take this crap from CNN?!