What’s Behind the High Drop-Out Rate for Latino Students?
December 6th, 2006Financial Future of High School Drop-Outs is Dismal
There’s no denying that high schools are faced with a serious dilemma when it comes to Latino students: keeping them there. This is not good news for the career success of millions of Latino American students. According to a report released by the US Census Bureau, students who drop out of high school face much lower incomes than students who have finished high school. Previously on this blog, we covered the issue of how college degree-holders earn 68% more than high school graduates who didn’t attend college. This is due to rising competition for high-earning jobs and a higher value being placed on education by most employers. But, the future is much more dismal for those who never even completed high school at all.
“In 2004, high school dropouts earned an average annual income of $19,169. College graduates earned an average of $51,554. Those with graduate degrees had an average salary of $78,093. Lower wages mean less money paid in payroll taxes, and a greater strain on safety nets such as Medicare and Social Security.”
Is Hard Work Enough?
Unfortunately, Latino students have a very high drop-out rate (50%). This is line with a national trend where drop-out rates are increasing for all students, with the average being around 30%. Its not limited to rural or urban or one particular ethnicity or social group, however Latinos seemed to be hit particularly hard according to Ruben Navarrette Jr., a columnist at the San Diego Union-Tribune. He believes that “while [Latino parents] value education for their children, they don’t always value it for themselves. Many Latinos have decided that the way to get ahead is through hard work, and that is where they focus their passion.”
While hard work certainly goes a long way in securing success, in today’s information-based society, the competition is far too steep to rely on that instead of a solid education. Yet, the behavior of one’s parents has a huge impact on what paths children choose. People naturally follow the examples of those in authority, of who they admire, which may go a long way towards explaining why a child’s future income and education level can be correlated with that of their parents.
Innovative Radio Documentary Sheds Light on the Problem
A recent documentary released this year helps illuminate some possible causes and repercussions of the high drop-out rate for Latino students. The radio documentary, called “Aprendemos juntos” which means “We learn together,” was produced by a Hispanic advocacy group called Hacer. The director of Hacer, Claudia Fuentes, noticed that several Minnesota towns she visited had a vibrant Hispanic presence, yet were plagued by high drop-out rates in the community. This was especially the case in the town of Long Prairie, where not a single Latino student had ever graduated from high school despite the overall graduation rate being at about 97%!
So, she and a graduate student at the University of Minnesota (Jason Ruiz) decided to document the story through interviews with all 30 of the Latino students at Long Prairie High School. They came to focus on 5 students’ stories that were particularly compelling, with the resulting documentary revealing a much greater understanding as to the “inhospitable school atmosphere” that kept the dropout rate high. Go check out the radio documentary here.
