Hispanics and the Future of America

The educational experience of Hispanics is one of accumulated disadvantages. Many Hispanic students begin formalized schooling without the economic and social resources that many other students receive, and schools are often ill equipped to compensate for these initial disparities. For Hispanics, initial disadvantages often stem from parents’ immigrant and socioeconomic status and their lack of knowledge about the U.S. education system and the fact that most parents did not go to college. As Hispanic students proceed through the schooling system, inadequate school resources and their weak relationships with their teachers continue to undermine their academic success. Initial disadvantages continue to accumulate. Hispanics have the lowest rates of high school and college degree attainment, which hinders their chances for stable employment. Mexican Americans, who are the largest and fastest growing Hispanic subgroup in the United States, have the lowest rates of educational attainment compared with other groups.

*National Research Council. 2006. Hispanics and the Future of America, Washington, D.C. The National Academies Press.

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