HispanicVista Columnists
Latino Education: Beyond the Millennium
By Manuel Hernandez-Carmona
June 1, 2007
- Latino Education: Beyond the Millennium
- By Manuel Hernandez-Carmona
- However, despite the fact that Latinos have recently made
some academic gains, disparities still exist in academic performance
between Latinos and non- Latino White students. Very few Latino
immigrants have the ambitions and aspirations for anything more than
providing a decent living for their families here in the United States
or in their native countries. Most of them are hard workers,and they
seem satisfied just with living life with whatever they can get from
their labors. Latino education is in dire need of role models willing
to go back and visit these inner city neighborhoods and talk and speak
out on the power of education, it being the key to success.
The journey in itself is fast-paced, and technology is ever-changing; Latino education needs a clear vision and a steady direction. Although the journey is filled with uncertainties, Latino education will undoubtedly, cast away its traditional mentality and will rise to its academic expectations. But we Latino leaders must do it ourselves, now and today; our generations will benefit from our passion and efforts, but we gotta act "ahora"...tomorrow may be too late. - ________________________________________________________
- (The author is a proud parent of a senior in high school and works as a high school English teacher in the same school his first born will be graduating from with honors in May of 2007. He is also the author-editor of the textbook, Latino/a Literature in The English Classroom) Contact at: mannyh32@hotmail.com
- ________________________________________________________
About the author: Hernandez-Carmona lives in Naguabo, Puerto Rico and enjoys spending his free time with his beautiful wife, Maria and his seventeen-year old son, Jose Manuel and his newborn son, Josue Esteban. He is a disciple at Abundant Life Church in Fajardo. Also visit: http://www.puertoricans.com/
(Editor's note: Manuel Hernandez-Carmona created a Yahoogroup for the discussion of literature and education. HispanicVista highly recommends this effort and urges its readers to join and participate. Write to Manuel at: mannyh32@yahoo.com or visit and join at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/latinoliterature
The Latino preschool, elementary,
secondary and high school population has grown and become an important
factor of the education in America today. Much of the recent growth
in enrollment in elementary and secondary schools may be attributed to
the rise in the number of Latino students. Latinos continue to come into
the United States at unprecedented rates. Although it is a matter of
survival at the beginning of the immigration process, Education is key
value cherished by Latinos, but at the same time, they are many times
less likely to receive a quality education than other American ethnic
groups. The educational journey is rough and bumpy, but Latinos have
realized that their opportunities are based in the educational
empowerment of the people.
After numerically proving in the past two major elections
that they should not be taken for granted; the education of Latinos must
be a top priority for the President's administration and the newly
appointed Congress. While the War on Terror continues to be the
number one priority today in America, more and more Latino children find
themselves out of school and without the academic support needed to walk
within the American educational school system. Census projections go as
far as placing them over the 100 million mark by mid-century, but the
numbers are meaningless unless high school drop out rates, national
testing scores and other educational mishaps are addressed immediately
by the Department of Education.