March 6, 2004
Latinos and
Educational Reform in the United States
(Part I)
By Manuel Hernandez/HispanicVista.com
Although
educational task forces have been
confronted with ignorance, prejudice and
disillusionment, Latinos have learned
from past experiences and are walking
forward to a present and future with
educational empowerment. The educational
outcome of the contemporary American
educational system has been to create
critical thinkers who become pro-active
participants in society. As a result,
Latinos have become aware that the
educational development of their
community is intrinsically related to
their struggles to achieve economic,
social and political justice in the United
States of America.
For many
Latinos, the educational system has been
a hurdle to high to jump and a revolving
door for many as well. The poverty rate
of Latino children born into poverty rate
is higher than 70%, and the unemployment
rate is close to 14%. The status of
education for Latinos in New York City is
in a state of crisis. The United States
Census Bureau expects the number of
Latinos to double in the next 27
years. There is a need for
educational reform, but we ourselves must
begin to change our mentality and
attitudes towards education. In Sandra
Maria Esteves’ “It is Raining
Today”, the speaker examines
history, identity and education:
Bring back truth
Return the remnants of my
identity
Bathe me in self-discovered
knowledge...(Latino/a Literature in the
English Classroom p.269)
But how de we change
attitudes and mentalities that have been
deeply rooted and ingrained in our minds
and hearts? First, we need to see
ourselves as one people and one culture.
A 40 million plus Latino population
divided into Mexicans, Puerto Ricans,
Cubans, Dominicans and so forth. The
Supernatural Forces that govern the
universe are Three, but They act as One.
The human body has many cells, but they
function as one to keep the body working
harmoniously. The 2003 World Series
Champions played as one to beat the lords
of baseball.We cannot afford to lose any
more games on education.
Second, we must
redefine our values. In Tato Laviera’s
“Boricua” poem, the poet makes
a statement on values that we all should
consider:
We must respect
Each other’s
values,
But guess
what,
We’re
not the only ones
An we offer
what your
love has
taught us,
and what you’re
worth
in our
self-respect,...Latino/a Literature in
the English
Classroom, p.202) The Latino family was
founded on values of love, honesty,
integrity, sincerity and respect. Let us
not change what has defined us as a
nation, a people and a country.
We have reached “la
cima” in music , entertainment and
sports, but we cannot disregard the value
of education. The greatest teacher of all
time said, “Go ye therefore teach
all nations...Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded
you...” (Matthew 28: 19-20). In America’s
war on terror, unity is its strongest
ally. In a world of many distractions, it
is time to focus our attention on our one
and only true salvation: education. The
new Presidential Immigrant Reform needs
close attention and careful
consideration, but our number one
priority is education.
How can our children
compete in a new found world with higher
academic standards? How can our children
be part of a society when they feel a
lack of personal involvement in schools?
How will we as the leaders of our
children see it that they receive a
better education? We must reform, but it
will only occur from within ourselves
first.
Looking within will help us
to see ourselves in a mirror to assess,
reflect and implement the strategies and
initiatives necessary to transform. We
are all tired of the statistics; they are
a reality, but the truth is in our minds
and hearts. As a parent of a handsome
young fifteen year old adolescent, I want
the best for him, but I cannot ignore his
generation. Unity and values are the
first stage in any educational reform,
and these are the cornerstone of our
present and future generations.
________________________________
Manuel Hernandez, a
contributing columnist to
HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com),
lives in Puerto Rico where he teaches
school. He has a B.A. and MA Teaching
English. He is a candidate for a PhD. He
has just published a textbook titled,
Latino/a Literature in The
English Classroom (Editorial Plaza
Mayor, 2003). For more information,
e-mail him at mannyh32@puertoricans.com
.
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