Why does an achievement gap exist between Hispanic students and other groups? In order to address this question, I did research on the National, State and Local levels. My searching, included, literary sources, statistical data, and hands on contact with Hispanic students and their educators. “Hispanics are the United States’ largest and fastest growing minority group and overall the least educated racial or ethnic group” (McCaffrey, 2007, p.170). They have low standardized testing scores, high dropout rates, and low four-year college enrollment rates. There are many varied factors that contribute to the lagging academic performance of Hispanic students. To tackle this pressing educational problem, we need to consider effective strategies and behavior modifications, which will help Hispanic students to achieve. In order to address the problems of Hispanic students, we need to interpret the statistical data regarding their performance. In addition, we need to understand the reasons for low performance by Hispanic youths, identify behavior management modifications, discover effective instructional strategies, and create school practices that promote better achievement among Hispanic students.
Statistical data indicates poor academic performance by Hispanic students. As the Hispanic population in the United States continues to grow, there is not a proportional corresponding growth in student achievement. Hispanic students continue to lag behind in standardized test score results, have higher than the average high school dropout rates, and have lower than the average college enrollment rates.
Standardized tests are used to measure how students are acquiring basic skills. They give an understanding of how much learning is taking place in our schools. Statistics on the High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) and the School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) indicate that white and Asian students do much better than blacks and Hispanics on average (http://www.njssi.impacthosting.net/goals). The following charts show evidence from a study done by the New Jersey Department of Education, which shows that white and Asian students perform better than blacks and Hispanics in proficiency testing.
http://www.njssi.impacthosting.net/goals
There is a higher level of proficiency in math over Language Arts for Hispanic students. It also shows a slight improvement in overall Hispanic proficiency from the years 2002-2007. The overall level of performance for New Jersey Hispanic students, however, remains low.
The high school dropout rate is used to measure student performance and predict outcomes of success. The National Center for Education published statistics in 2001, showing a dropout rate of 21.1 percent for Hispanic students. “This dropout rate was more than three times greater than the non-Hispanic, “white alone” dropout rate of 6.9 percent” (Fry, 2003, p.3). The following bar chart shows the comparison of high school student graduates in relation to student population in New Jersey. (http://www.njssi.impacthosting.net/goals).
‘’Hispanics are graduating from high school at less than the rate we would expect based on their representation in the population (http://www.njssi.impacthosting.net/goals). The indicators of high dropout rates clearly point to the disadvantage that Hispanic students have on average as they enter society as adults. “All Hispanic U.S. educated students dropout at higher rates than white students and thus it is likely that for the foreseeable future Latino adult educational attainment will trail white educational attainment” (Fry, 2003, p.4)
The dropout rate in New Jersey reflects the nationwide dropout rate. The New Jersey Department of Education’s statistics shown in the following charts show the dropout rate of Hispanic student s attending West Side High School and Barringer High School in Newark, New Jersey, and the overall statewide rate.
| 2007-2008 | 2006-2007 | |||||
| Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who dropped out during the school year. | School | District | State | School | District | State |
| White | 6.7% | 1.7% | 1.2% | 0.0% | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| Black or African American | 1.8% | 4.0% | 3.2% | 2.0% | 4.4% | 3.7% |
| Hispanic | 3.2% | 2.4% | 3.1% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 3.9% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3.2% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | | | 0.6% | | | 0.5% |
| Two or More Races | | | 0.4% | | | 1.8% |
| | ||||||
| Male | 2.1% | 3.7% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 4.7% | 2.3% |
| Female | 3.5% | 3.0% | 1.6% | 1.5% | 2.9% | 1.7% |
| | ||||||
| With Disabilities | 3.2% | 4.2% | 2.9% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.4% |
| | ||||||
| Limited English Proficiency | 4.0% | 2.7% | 4.7% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| | ||||||
| Economically Disadvantaged | 1.1% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 0.6% | 1.3% | 0.4% |
| | ||||||
| Total | 2.7% | 3.4% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 3.7% | 2.0% |
| 2007-2008 | 2006-2007 | |||||
| Percentage of students in grades 9-12 who dropped out during the school year. | School | District | State | School | District | State |
| White | 0.0% | 1.7% | 1.2% | 0.0% | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| Black or African American | 4.3% | 4.0% | 3.2% | 5.2% | 4.4% | 3.7% |
| Hispanic | 5.4% | 2.4% | 3.1% | 19.2% | 3.0% | 3.9% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | | 0.0% | 3.0% | | 0.0% | 3.2% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% | | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | | | 0.6% | | | 0.5% |
| Two or More Races | | | 0.4% | | | 1.8% |
| | ||||||
| Male | 4.2% | 3.7% | 2.1% | 5.4% | 4.7% | 2.3% |
| Female | 4.4% | 3.0% | 1.6% | 5.5% | 2.9% | 1.7% |
| | ||||||
| With Disabilities | 4.6% | 4.2% | 2.9% | 1.3% | 0.7% | 0.4% |
| | ||||||
| Limited English Proficiency | 0.0% | 2.7% | 4.7% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| | ||||||
| Economically Disadvantaged | 1.2% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 1.3% | 0.4% |
| | ||||||
Both charts show a higher rate of dropout among black and Hispanic students over the rate of white students, in both schools and statewide. Statewide, the dropout rate of Hispanic students is almost three times that of white students. There is a lower rate of Hispanic dropout from the 2006-2007 school year, to the 2007-2008 school year; however, the rate is still considerably higher than whites and Asians.
Hispanics have a low college enrollment rates in comparison to other groups. “Though the Hispanic American population is booming, there has not been a corresponding increase in Latino college attendance or graduation rates” (McCaffrey, 2007, p.146). Disparities exist in student’s taking upper level college bound courses. According to the United States Department of Education statistics, in 2003, “while sixty four percent of white students took Algebra II, only fifty five percent of blacks and forty eight percent of Hispanics students were enrolled”(http://edweek.org). The percentage of Hispanics that are prepared to enroll in college is considerably lower that the white student population. A national study conducted by the Manhattan Institute of Policy Research shows that there is a wide disparity among racial and ethnic groups in percentage of students who leave high school eligible for college admission. “About 40% of white students, 23% of African-American students, and 20% of Hispanic students who started public high school graduated college-ready in 2002” (www.manhattan-institute.org).
The research I found regarding the lagging performance of Hispanic students holds true in Newark, New Jersey. Newark is a prototypical inner city environment that represents a large number of ethnic and racial students. The problems of poverty in Newark, effects it residents. The by-products of poverty, including low income, unemployment, drug abuse, and crime create an environment that negatively impact student academic achievement. Hispanics have the extra burden of needing to conquer the language barrier. In examining the disadvantages confronting Hispanic students I visited the neighborhoods that house Barringer High School and Westside High. In addition, I spoke to students from both schools and interviewed a teacher and an Assistant Administrator of the Superintendant of Schools for the Newark Public School System.
My visit to the neighborhoods that house Barringer High School and Westside High School locate in Newark, New Jersey, was very enlightening. I mapped out and have attached the route that took me from Barringer High School located at 90 Parker Street to Westside High School at 403 South Orange Avenue. The approximate two mile walk allowed me to experience both neighborhoods and make observations of the inner city culture. I observed the physical conditions, the economic conditions, and the social conditions that many Hispanic students are a part of.
The physical conditions in my area of exploration were overcrowded, dirty, colored by graffiti, and had an abundance of fast food restaurants, liquor stores, and a variety of run down places of business. The economic conditions showed the effects of poverty. Many people appeared to be homeless, unemployed, and lacking in material amenities. The social conditions showed evidence of drug abuse, a lack of respect for the rules of law and a lack of respect for the value of human life.
The overall conditions that I witnessed of the inner city life in the neighborhoods that I visited were poor. The social, cultural, and economic environment of students, impact their ability to achieve in academics. Hispanics as well as other living in the inner city of Newark are functioning educationally with a disadvantage.
While visiting the disadvantaged neighborhoods, I attempted to interact with students in their natural setting. I initiated conversation with several Hispanic students playing soccer at Branch Brook Park, located across the street from Barringer High School. The students were between the ages of thirteen and seventeen and passionate about the game. They interacted with each other in Spanish and seemed reluctant to engage in conversation with an outsider. One student named Carlos was forthcoming and told me that he has become bilingual, but only speaks Spanish at home and that his parents were totally non-English speaking. My conversation with him confirmed the information I had received through research regarding the issue of language.
In order to get an insight into how better to serve the needs of Hispanic students I interviewed a classroom teacher, Mrs. Pamela Savaryn and an Assistant to the Assistant Superintendent of Newark Public Schools, Mr. Gus Della Pia. Mrs. Savaryn believes that the main overriding issue that hinders performance in Hispanic students is the language barrier. The Hispanic minority has the extra problem of learning the English language, while trying to comprehend subject matter. In addition, many Hispanic students have parents that do not speak English and therefore cannot help their children. Non-speaking English parents cannot help with homework and/or help reinforce basic skills needed for success. She believes that in order to tackle the disparity between white and Hispanic student performance rates, we need to perfect the task of teaching English to our non-English speaking students.
Mr. Della Pia also confirmed that the language issue is critical in the assessment of Hispanic students. He believes that the Hispanic culture values family and the nurturing of children, but that many Hispanic parents are not able to help or encourage their children academically because of a lack of knowledge regarding the importance of education and because of the language barrier. It is his belief that Hispanic students who learn English at an early age, perform better than those that enter English speaking schools at an older age. He favors the immersion method of teaching students English as part of the curriculum, rather than teaching them subject matter in Spanish. He said that “holding Hispanic students to the same standards as English speaking students forces them to learn faster”. He further said that the key words teachers need to focus on when teaching all students, and particularly minority students are “rigor” and “relevance”. He explained that teachers need to rigorously attack the learning process to adapt to diverse groups and keep learning relevant to the culture and environment of minority students.
My research enlightened me to the problems and causes of poor academic achievement by Hispanic students. It also opened up for me many ideas regarding how best to challenge these issues. In order to solve the problem of poor performance by minority Hispanic students, we need to understand the possible reasons for the low performance. Understanding the reasons that the problems exist will help create the solutions to the problems. This in turn will strengthen our educational system. Circumstances and environmental factors that surround students impact their ability to achieve academically. Factors including socioeconomic status, culture, and language, all impact learning and achievement.
Socioeconomics effects educational achievement. Many Hispanic students are products of low-income families. They often live in poor neighborhoods, where they attend overcrowded, instructionally inferior, poorly staffed, and under resourced schools. Because “they are the largest immigrant group and tend to be poor and to be residentially segregated….it is nearly impossible for school districts in Hispanic areas not to be mostly poor, mostly minority, and mostly non-English speaking” (McCaffrey, 2007, p.155). Minority students frequently attend inner city schools and “receive poor quality education, have fewer high caliber teachers, and have access to fewer resources” (Christie, 2002, p.19). The conditions inherent in poverty do not leave parents much time to help with homework or encourage the importance of education. It is hard for the work ethic to be encouraged when students living in economically troubled areas see adults around them facing limited employment opportunities and low levels of economic success. Poverty is not a good breeding ground for learning, nor does it encourage a path to success.
Culture influences education and motivation for achievement. The culture of Hispanic immigrants limits early childhood education. Lack of knowledge regarding educational opportunities, cost factors, and not realizing the benefits of preschool education often, keeps Hispanic children from early education. “While efforts exist to provide children with early education through programs such as Head Start, the majority of Latino children often do not enter schools until kindergarten or even first grade” (McCaffrey, 2007, p.155). Although Hispanics may recognize the value of education, major emphasis is not put on higher education. “The pressure for a Hispanic male student to get out of school quickly and get married or go to work and help with the family is far greater than anyone who is not a part of the world can imagine” (McCaffrey,2007, p.165). Hispanic students are often in conflict over time spent on schoolwork and time needed to help out at home. Many Hispanic youths do not believe that remaining in school will improve their futures and there is not enough parental support to promote academic achievement.
Language is also a major factor in the Hispanic students’ achievement rate. “Statistics show that Latino students, particularly those who can’t speak English are lagging behind their peers” (McCaffrey, 2007, p.32). Learning a new language puts an extra burden on Hispanic students. In addition to having to learn English while comprehending subject matter, there is often little help from non-English speaking parents. Non-English speaking parents are not in a position to help their children with homework and/or help them to enrich their reading, writing, and math skills. How best to teach English while teaching subject matter, is an important matter. The controversy over integrating Hispanic students by using bilingual or immersion education continues. A study done in California by the American Institute for Research and West Ed. concluded, “we do not see conclusive evidence that bilingual education is superior to English immersion, and we don’t see conclusive evidence for the reverse” (McCaffrey, 2007, p.151). The successful integration of the growing Hispanic population is linked to the task of the English language instruction.
Despite the adversities facing the education of Hispanic youth, there are effective strategies that can be implemented to improve academic performance. Teachers need to be aware of cultural differences in values and behavior and have to adapt their teaching to those differences. To work effectively with culturally diverse students, teachers require cultural sensitivity. Cultural sensitivity is the awareness of the general problems culturally diverse students experience in school, how cultural differences influence students’ learning styles, how they may cause students to behave in ways that are acceptable in their culture but not in the school, and how these differences may lead students to react in unanticipated ways to behavior management techniques (Grossman, 2001, p.24). When educators do not adapt instruction, students learn less effectively, and are often referred to special education because of supposed learning and cognitive problems. Perhaps, they could be helped using adaptive methods, without needing to be labeled for special education.
Teachers need to make an effort to identify with minority cultures in order to reach minority students. Ninety-two percent of teachers are from the white majority culture. This means that there is a strong chance that teachers will misinterpret their pupil’s culturally based behavior and use classroom techniques that are culturally biased or counterproductive (McIntyre, 2002, p.110). Students whose ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds are different from their teacher’s may get into trouble if they behave in ways that are acceptable in their homes and communities but not in school (Grossman, 2001, p.21). Understanding students’ cultures will help teachers understand how and why students act and perform as they do. Understanding the culture of students and how that culture impacts students’ ability to learn, is crucial to success in reaching Hispanic students, as well as student from all ethnic and racial backgrounds.
Educators should devise a plan for teaching all students the social behaviors acceptable in school. Teachers also need to be open to examining the causes of perceived misbehavior. For example, Hispanic culture tends to be male dominant and adolescent boys may resist the demands of female educators, therefore cooperation may be gained by making requests instead of demands. Our majority culture places great emphasis on completing assignments in an allotted time period, while many minority groups have a more flexible view of time and may not work quickly. Many teachers use a reward system of gold stars, stickers, or prizes, not realizing that Hispanics tend to be interested in the approval of others, not the material reward. Teachers should use praise and should stress that Hispanic families would be proud of them for work or a deed well done. It is important to recognize that all methods do not work on all students groups. Individualizing teaching will help in reaching diverse students and their needs.
Education should strive to be meaningful and responsive to students’ needs. Cooperative learning that takes into account the active and emotional needs of Hispanic students could encourage achievement. Teachers should promote teaching that incorporates into the curriculum the everyday concerns of students. Open ended question and cooperative learning gives Hispanic students’ opportunities to discuss and defend their ideas and thus promote complex understanding. “The use of technology to facilitate learning will help Hispanic students become more active in the learning process, and find information or pictures that help them understand” (Padron, 2000, p.3). Educators need to be creative and do what is necessary to get through to all culturally diverse students. More important that subject content, is the ability to motivate students by approaching each student based on the sum total of the environment that helped to create them.
Teachers play an essential role in determining students’ academic success or failure. There are ways to develop a valuable teacher-student relationship that promotes success. All students need to perceive that teachers care, and getting to know students is one way to show this. Getting to know each student as an individual is pertinent because it will help develop a positive rapport that will facilitate and support the student’s learning process. For example, a student having difficulty deciding what to write about for a writing assignment can be encouraged when a teacher knows the student’s interests and can suggest things to write about. When there is good rapport, the teacher will be better able to evaluate the best ways to teach each individual.
The growing number of minority Hispanic students need to be reached and evaluated as individuals. Evaluating the individual strengths and weaknesses of each student is so important. In addition, knowing the culture that contributed to these strengths and weaknesses will help teachers, to help students. Individual conferences and meaningful evaluation systems can help students to feel valued as individuals. “One-on-one conferences can teachers to learn about a student’s personality concerns, attitudes, ambitions and thought processes, and will assist teachers in determining the best way to instruct each student” (Jacobson, 2000, p.124). A combination of methods to reach diverse cultures are required to make a positive impact on minority education.
Understanding the reasons for poor academic performance by Hispanic students will help to create the solutions to the problem. Discovering effective strategies and creating school practices that encourage growth in learning for the diverse Hispanic culture is needed. In order to accomplish this, a continuous effort needs to be made to understand the culture, in order to help the students of that culture to grow. It is also imperative that the integration of the English language be perfected to take away the burden that the language barrier presents. The closing of the achievement gap between Hispanic students and other groups should be the goal.
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