LATINO STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN US SCHOOLS

Educational researcher Gandara (2008) stated the following: The most urgent problem for the American education system has a Latino face. Latinos are the largest and most rapidly growing ethnic minority in the country, but, academically, they are lagging dangerously far behind their non-Hispanic peers. For example, upon entering kindergarten 42% of Latino children are found in the lowest quartile of performance on reading readiness compared to just 18% of White children. By 4th grade, 16% of Latino students are proficient in reading according to the 2005 NAEP, compared to 41% of White students. A similar pattern is notable at the 8th grade, where only 15% of Latinos are proficient in reading compared to 39% of Whites. This presentation offers several strategies and professional development practices for educators who want to improve Latino students' educational achievement in urban, rural and suburban schools in the United States. Our public schools are failing our Hispanic students. If we want them to be successful academically we need to train future teachers and current teachers in becoming culturally sensitive towards the needs of Hispanic and other minority students. Baltimore (1995) explains, most minority students, including Hispanics, experience cultural shock in the alien academic world of achievement, with its Anglo customs and traditions. To a greater degree than other students experience loneliness and isolation, set unrealistic goals, and fear performance evaluation. They feel alienated from the dominant culture and style, and feel little internal control over the events in their lives (p. 67-84). This statement written in 1995 is still valid in 2015. The focus of this presentation is to offer suggestions and resources that will help in the development of culturally competent teachers who know how to work with Latino students and their families. It will mention some of the difficulties Latino kids and their families may have in achieving academic excellence and educational attainment in our public schools and it offers concrete strategies and resources that can aid educators in helping our Hispanic students achieve their academic and professional dreams. Some of the strategies that will be presented will be incorporating the students culture into the curriculum and classroom practices. The strategies and professional development resources that will be mentioned in the presentation can be used with other minorities in urban, rural or private schools.