Latino Students Need Help to Overcome “Stereotype Threat”

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

Teachers can use positive intervention strategies to help overcome the “stereotype threat” that Latino students often feel, a recent Stanford University study found.

The study was published in February in the Journal of Personality and School Psychology.

The researchers found that positive affirmations can help battle the “stereotype threat” of feeling stigmatized as a member of an ethnic group that is perceived as inferior. Past research has found that the stress of this threat can hurt students’ academic performance.

The Latino middle school students participating in the study practiced certain affirmative activities. They were given a list of values such as being good at art, religious, or being humorous. They were then asked to writes about the values they viewed as the most important.

In another assignment, they were asked to reflect on the things in their lives that were most important. In yet another, they wrote a brief essay about how the things they valued would play a role in the coming months.

Students worked on such exercises through the year during important moments that can prove stressful, such as before taking tests and right as they were starting the school year.

According to the researchers, Latino students who went through the affirmative activities had higher grades than those in the control group, and that the positive impact lasted for three year. The activities did not appear to impact white students.

“Self-affirmation exercises provide adolescents from minority groups with a psychological time out,” Stanford professor Geoffrey Cohen said, according to a new release. “Latino Americans are under a more consistent and chronic sense of psychological threat in the educational setting than their white counterparts on average. They constantly face negative stereotypes about their ability to succeed, so they are the ones to benefit the most from affirmations that help them to maintain a positive self-image.”

- “Interventions Help Latino Students Beat ‘Stereotype Threat,” Study Says,” Learning the Language Blog, Education Week.

- “Study finds intervention can close achievement gap,” The Bakersfield Californian.

Latino Test Performance Varies Significantly by State

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

It’s often said that the zip code a child is born into is a strong predictor of their future academic performance and the quality of education that they will receive. But perhaps the same can be said about the state where a child is born.

The New York Times recently reported on an analysis by the National Center for Education Statistics of the five states with the largest populations, showing the different performance levels of Latino students on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exam.

Those “mega-states” studied are California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Texas. Th five states enroll more than half of the country’s English language learners, a total of 2.9 million–nearly 1.5 million of whom are in California. They also enroll about 40 percent of the nation’s public school students, or 18.7 million students.

NAEP scores are seen as the best tool by which to compare academic performance across state lines.

One notable headline: California Latino students struggled considerably across the board, while Florida and Texas were strong-performers. While the analysis also shows that Latino students continue to lag white students considerably in performance on the tests (full report here), there was considerable variation in Latino performance between states.

The percentage of Latino eighth-graders performing at the proficient level or above in math in 2011 are below, with Texas leading the nation:

California: 13%, Florida: 22%; Illinois: 19%; New York: 13%; Texas: 31%; Nation: 20%.

And the performance of Latino eighth-graders proficient or higher in reading in 2011, in which Florida and Illinois led the nation:

California: 14%; Florida: 27%; Illinois: 23%; New York: 20%; Texas: 17%; Nation: 18%.

The performance of fourth-graders proficient or higher in math, in which Florida and Texas leading:

California: 17%; Florida: 31%; Illinois: 20%; New York: 20%; Texas: 29%. Nation: 24%.

The performance of Latino fourth-graders proficient or higher in reading was as follows in 2011, with Florida leading:

California: 12%; Florida: 30%; Illinois: 18%; New York: 20%; Texas: 19%; Nation: 18%.

And here is the performance of Latino fourth-graders proficient or higher in science in 2009, with Texas and Florida leading:

California: 8%; Florida: 23%; Illinois: 10%; New York: 13%; Texas: 16%; Nation: 13%

And the performance of Latino eighth-graders proficient or higher in science, with Texas leading the nation:

California: 11%; Florida: 24%; Illinois: 11%; New York: 12%; Texas: 23%; Nation: 16%.

Jack Buckley, commissioner of the NCES, said there was no “consistent pattern among these states,” The Times reported. And that, “each state seems to have areas where it shines and others where they lag behind its counterparts.”

The analysis includes the data broken out by other racial/ethnic categories and factors such as income and ELL status.

Learn more about the analysis of performance in the top five largest states here.

- Mega-States: An Analysis of Student Performance in the Five Most Heavily Populated States in the Nation.

Latino Preschoolers Show Social Strengths

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

Latino children may tend to begin preschool with a smaller vocabulary than white children, but some researchers say that doesn’t necessarily mean they lack social and emotional skills.

Part of that could possibly be traced back to the often warm and nurturing home environments that they come from. NPR reporter Claudio Sanchez recently reported on a University of California, Berkeley, and UCLA study that examined 4,700 Latino children when they were between the ages of two and five years old.

“We found that Latino kids bring to school strong emotional skills and strong social skills, which means they know how to share with their peers,” said Claudia Galindo, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, about the report‘s findings. “They know how to follow instructions. They know how to listen. And one other thing that we found is that these kids are being raised in very supportive and warm family environments.”

Bruce Fuller, one of the authors and an education professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said that it’s a mistake to view Latino children as slow or deficient. Education policy-makers mistakenly believe that the issue is “we need to fix the parenting skills,” he told NPR

In a commentary piece in The Next America written by study authors Fuller, Galindo and Alma Guerrero, the three described the childrens’ strengths. They observed that Mexican-American kindergartners “display robust cooperative skills, respect adults, and eagerly participate in classroom tasks, whether their behavior is judged by parents or teachers.”

Despite the parents’ nurturing skills, the children lagged. The researchers noted that Mexican mothers did not read as often to their children, which held back the children’s language and cognitive skills.

- “Study: Mexican American Children Don’t Lag in Social Skills,” Latino Ed Beat.

- “Opinion: Mexican-American Kids Have Better Social Skills, Misunderstood by Institution,” National Journal, The Next America.

- “Mexican American toddlers lag in pre-literacy skills, but not in their social skills, new study shows,” UC Berkeley News Center.

Latino High School Graduation Rate Sees Large Increase

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

The National Center for Education Statistics has released a new report showing a huge increase in Latino high school graduation rates. The rate increased to 71.4% in 2010, up from 61.4% in 2006.

The report shows more positive outcomes for all students. About 78.2% of students graduated on time within four years in 2010. The report also breaks out data by state.

Jack Buckley, director of the NCES, told The Huffington Post that the last time the country had a similarly high graduation rate was in 1968. The NCES put out its first such report in 2005, but made estimates dating back to the 1970s.

“This is the highest estimated rate of on-time graduation,” Buckley said.

Despite those gains, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, said while there has been much progress, still more is needed.

“…Our high school dropout rate is still unsustainably high for a knowledge-based economy and still unacceptably high in our African-American, Latino and Native American communities,” he said in a statement.

Nevada reported the worst rate for Latinos in 2010, at 47.2%. Meanwhile among the states with the nation’s two largest Latino populations, Texas reported a significantly higher graduation rate than California. Texas reported 77.4%, and California, 71.7%.

Some of the 2010 rates for Latinos in other states with large Latino populations included Arizona, 70.6%; Colorado, 65.9%; Florida, 71.1%; Illinois, 76%; New Mexico, 65.3%; and New York, 60.7%.

- “Public School Graduates and Dropouts from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2009-10,” National Center for Education Statistics.

- “Latino High School Graduation Rates up 10%,” Fox News Latino.

CDC Study Finds Obesity Common Among L.A. Preschoolers

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that between 2003 and 2011, obesity rates among poor preschool-aged children in Los Angeles rose at one point to a high of 21 percent, according to a story by the Associated Press.

The study found that at the same time obesity rates among children in New York fell from 19 percent to 16 percent.

Sadly, the reason given for the higher rates in Los Angeles is that obesity rates among Mexican-American children are particularly high when compared with other groups, the AP reports.

The study found the obesity rate in LA was initially 17 percent, peaked to 21 percent in 2009, and then dropped to 20 percent.

The AP reported that researchers focused on three- and four-year olds who were enrolled in the WIC government program, which provides food vouchers to low income families. About 85 percent of children in the L.A. study were Hispanic, most of whom were Mexican-American. In New York, just 46 percent of the children studied were Hispanic, including not many Mexican-Americans.

According to the CDC, about 12 percent of all preschool-aged children are obese.

Report Projects Rapid Diversification of College Campuses

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

A new report takes a sweeping look at the “new normal” coming soon to college campuses across America.

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education’s study, Knocking at the College Door, predicts that while the number of high school graduates in the United States is expected to decline in the coming years after peaking in 2010-11 at 3.4 million, the diversity of graduates will rapidly increase.

The study urges policymakers to address the change by better serving students who have not been served well in the past.

The report also breaks down its predictions on a state-by-state basis. Just three states are expected to see swift expansion in high school graduates–Colorado, Texas and Utah.

The study predicts that by 2019-20, about 45 percent of public high school graduates will not be white, driven in large part by growth in the Latino population. Between 2008-09 and 2019-20, the report projects that white high school graduates will drop by 228,000 as Hispanic graduates increase by 197,000. Asian graduates are expected to increase, and black graduates are projected to decrease.

The report also predicts that by that year graduating high school classes will become majority-minority in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Maryland and Nevada. Currently, California, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas are majority-minority.

Detailed data on a state-by-state basis can be found here.

WICHE has 15 states that are members and works on public policy research and expanding educational access. The report was also backed by the ACT and College Board.

- “College admission may get easier as ranks of high school graduates drop.” The Los Angeles Times.

- “Wave of Diverse College Applicants Will Rise Rapidly.” The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Many California Children Live in Poverty

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

A new study finds that 30 percent of Hispanic children ages zero to six years old in California live at or below the poverty line–threatening the state’s economic strength in the years to come. The rate is higher than the average of 23 percent for all California children.

The report, Prosperity Threatened, was released by the non-profit group The Center for the Next Generation, which focuses on improving opportunities for children and families.

The researchers highlight the stark differences in poverty rates by age, reporting that fewer than one in ten of the state’s senior citizens live in poverty.

They also looked at data by county, finding that Merced County had the highest overall poverty rates and San Mateo County, the lowest.

The group recommends increasing funding to the highest poverty school districts, and urges the state to create a new school financing system. They also say that family income stability can be improved by strengthening benefit programs.

The argument that childhood poverty now threatens economies of the future is becoming a common theme elsewhere in the country. Former Texas state demographer Steve Murdock testified that the challenges facing Latino children require greater investment from the state during a school funding trial last October.

How have you framed this discussion in your own state?

- “Prosperity Threatened: Perspectives on Childhood Poverty in California.” The Center for the Next Generation.

- “We can’t abandon the next generation.” The Sacramento Bee.

Latinos Take Longer to Attain STEM Doctoral Degrees

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

The years of study required and the steep tuition costs for students pursuing doctoral degrees can be daunting.

Some new research by the Center for STEM Education and Innovation at the American Institutes for Research concludes that Latino and black students tend to take longer to complete their doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and math fields than white and Asian students.

“These findings are troublesome because they result in minority students in graduate STEM programs experiencing more of the financial and personal burdens of a graduate education relative to non-minority students,” the study says.

The researchers used the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates from 1989-90 to the 2008-09 school years. They looked at degree earners in engineering, mathematics, computer and information sciences, biological/biomedical sciences, physical sciences and agricultural sciences. They also only considered U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

The median time to completion in STEM fields in 2009 was 6.7 years for Latinos, 6.8 years for black students and 6.3 years for non underrepresented minorities such as white and Asian students. The median time to completion has been decreasing across all groups since 1990, although Hispanics have changed less than other groups.

The study also examined how other factors impacted the time to completion for different demographic groups, including the field of study, whether students first completed a master’s degree, student debt levels, how their education was funded and whether they had dependents.

Some other interesting data from the study:

- Latino male students took longer to complete their degrees. The median time for Latino male students was 6.7 years, and for females it was 6.5 years.

- The time to completion varied depending on the study area. In computer and information sciences, the median time for Hispanics was 8.4 years. In engineering, it was 6.7 years.

- For Latino students who completed a master’s degree prior to their Ph.D, the median was 7.0 years, versus 5.8 years for those who did not first receive a master’s degree.

- Latino students carrying heavier graduate school debt took longer to complete. Hispanic students with more than $30,000 of debt took a median of 7.7 years to complete. Latino students with no debt took a median of 6.3 years–essentially the same as all the demographics groups carrying no debt.

- Outside family obligations also impacted the time to completion. Married Latino students with dependents took a median time of 7.5 years to complete, compared with 6.3 years for never married Latino students with no dependents.

- Whether the students’ parents had attended college did not make as much of an impact. Latino students with parents who did not attend took a median time of 6.7 years, versus 6.5 years for those whose parents did attend college.

- “How Long Does It Take? STEM PhD Completion for Underrepresented Minorities.” The Center for STEM Education and Innovation at the American Institutes for Research (AIR).

Study: Mexican American Children Don’t Lag in Social Skills

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

Mexican-American children may significantly lag behind white children in their early language and cognitive skills–but that doesn’t mean that they are struggling with social skills, according to findings by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, published this week in the Maternal Child Health Journal.

In fact, they find that there are no distinguishable differences in social skills between the two groups, despite economic disparities. They urge that educators and others to “not assume social-emotional delays, even when language or cognitive skills lag somewhat behind.”

According to a press release from UC Berkeley, the researchers included pediatricians, psychologists and a sociologist. The findings are from a sample of 4,700 children tracked for three years between the ages of two and five.

In previous findings, researchers have discovered that concluded that Mexican American children are read to less by their parents than white children and lag in their language skills as early as age two. They also found that despite the developmental gaps, Hispanic mothers have nurturing and warm interactions with their children.

- “The Social Organization of Early Education: Serving Latino Children and Families.” UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education.

- “Study finds Mexican mothers nurturing, but less likely to emphasize education.” Latino Ed Beat.

- “Hispanic Immigrants’ Children Fall Behind Peers Early, Study Finds.” The New York Times.

Study: Many Young Latinos are Out of School and Unemployed

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Katherine Leal Unmuth

A new study finds that American teens are finding it increasingly difficult to find work—creating a generation of disconnected youth. The Annie E. Casey Foundation estimates that almost 6.5 million teens are out of work and are not attending school.

The troubling numbers are even more pronounced among Latino and black teens ages 16 to 19–about 16 percent of whom are not working or in school. About 11 percent of white youth are in the same position. Among youth ages 20 to 24, about 23 percent of Latino young people are not in school or working–compared with 17 percent of white young people in the same age range.

The report provides state-by-state data breakdowns, which is useful because the percentages vary quite a bit depending on where you live in the country.

In the report “Youth and Work: Restoring Teen and Young Adult Connections to Opportunity,” the foundation suggests that a number of steps can be taken to combat the growing crisis. They include creating a national youth employment strategy, aligning resources among public and private funders, and encouraging employers to sponsor “earn and learn programs.” The organization wants to encourage collaboration between government, philanthropy and communities to make a change.

An article in The Los Angeles Times highlights one program that is working to reverse the numbers. Backed by $13 million in federal funding, the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District have partnered to offer education and job training at 13 youth centers throughout the city.

Are there any efforts under way in your community to combat this problem?

- “Nevada teens struggle to find jobs as national youth employment rate hits low point.” Las Vegas Review-Journal.

- “Youth and Work: Restoring Teen and Youth Adult Connections to Opportunity.” The Annie E. Casey Foundation.

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