“Issues in Latino Education

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School

Northern Arizona University *

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210

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Anthropology

Date

Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by alympakes

Abstract: “Issues in Latino Education | Race, School Culture, and the Politics of Academic Success” is a book that offers a comprehensive exploration of everyday challenges that Latinos face living in America through their educational experience. The authors dissect the entangled association between race, school culture and political forces that Latino educators and students experience. Through the eyes of Latino students commonly misunderstood concepts about the education system are unveiled. By addressing issues of representation, language, and systemic inequality the authors advocate for education reform. This book gave me a lot of insight on the K-12 school experience for students who don’t have the luxury of speaking the language their education is being taught in. It was eye opening to read their stories and the real problem we are facing in America in our education systems. Regardless of the release date of this book these problems have certainly not changed. This book is important for people of all ethnic backgrounds to read. Manny and Carla’s testimony confirm that Latinos share the same goals as the majority although they have to work harder. Manny and Carla did not have many people rooting for their academic success which is why graduating high school was such a significant achievement for them. Not only did the two break the negative stereotypes that were constantly thrown at them but paved the way for other neglected Latinos to succeed. This piece was powerful in the way it exposed poor counselors and educators when dealing with culturally diverse students. As a fellow Latino, I grew angry when hearing some of the stories from insensitive educators. When as a society are we going to put our foot down and stop normalizing neglect? This is not normal. It is not normal to disregard the communities we serve and make no efforts to understand our students. Questions: Question 2: Manny’s statement “I don’t fit in here, I don’t fit in over there” reveals his embolus and defines his culture and identity. If you were Manny's teachers how would you assist him in dealing with this feeling? Creating an inclusive environment is an ongoing important process that involves the support of an entire school. It’s important to foster strong ideas of cultural acceptance and understanding so students like Manny feel encouraged and supported. Manny constantly felt like he was not fitting in with the students around him. If I were Manny’s teacher, I would be able to relate extremely well to him because growing up I felt very similarly. I would encourage open dialogue with him and create an atmosphere where he felt safe to open up about his struggles or feelings. Often one person can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Students who feel a sense of belonging are much more likely to have a positive emotional well-being. Having a negative emotional well-being can lead to mental health issues like anxiety or stress. I would also bring this conversation into the classroom and get an idea of what other students are feeling. Manny could benefit from hearing other students talk about their cultural identities. Creating an inclusive classroom will enhance learning amongst all the students. Exposure to a wide variety of cultures creates an enriched and diverse environment. Creating an environment like this better prepares students for the real world wherever they choose to live. Bullying and discrimination come from environments where diversity is not appreciated. An environment where students recognize and celebrate differences from them, and

their peers bullying is a lot less present. After taking an account of different students' experiences through a classroom discussion I would create a peer support group. This could be a group of kids that meet every few weeks at lunch or during school hours to get together to hang out or talk. This could allow them to find safety and guidance through people their age struggling with similar issues. This could also create a sense of community amongst a smaller group of students to help diminish feelings of isolation. I would also get together with those students to figure out ways we can celebrate diversity and shed more light on their cultures. This could be a number of things like classroom events or even decorations or informative posters that acknowledge and celebrate our students’ culture. Question 7: Standing for a full hour facing a wall is one of the punishments Manny received at school for being late can you please explain the difference between a consequence and a punishment does discipline mean punishment what are some problems with using punishment to teach have you ever experienced any of these problem yourself Consequences and punishments are not the same thing. Creating a balance of discipline is essential for a well-rounded educational setting. Consequences are the positive or negative outcomes that come from an action. For example, the consequences of forgetting an assignment due date are getting no grade on that assignment. A punishment is a specific type of consequence that is given to decrease the likelihood of a specific action happening again. An example of a punishment for forgetting an assignment due date is your teacher making you write a three-page paper on why you forgot to do this assignment. Punishments cannot be the primary tool for behavior management because it can cause a lot of issues. When using punishment in schools it can often focus on fear and negative consequences. Punishments neglect the opportunity to give students ways to grow and understand the full extent of their actions. Students might also get confused on the real reason that they are given a punishment. Instead of doing their homework because it helps them learn and grow as a student, they may only do their homework to avoid writing a three-page paper on why they forgot to do their homework. Punishments often do not address the underlying causes of poor behavior. Students need to develop strong coping mechanisms to address the root of their issues. Discipline does not mean punishment. Discipline is very important in a child’s life especially because it teaches them responsibility, understanding of the consequences to their actions, and self-control. Punishments can not only have a negative emotional impact but focus on compliance and not understanding. I have experienced a lot of unfair punishments in my adolescent days. It was frustrating as a kid when I got an unfair or unrelated punishment because I was confused and had a lot of questions on why I had to do something. Most of the time the person giving me the punishment would say because I said so which never felt good. There was hardly any open communication between me and the adults that would punish me as a kid. The punishment I received did not make me rethink my actions but resent the adults. Question 7. What programs are practices you would incorporate in the school curriculum to create mutual understanding in learning across diverse groups what existing programs have such goals.

Curiosity is one of the greatest gifts we were given. To foster a positive creativity amongst my students I would create a question about cultures. In this box students could write or ask questions and they could be answered every few days. I would make an announcement to my class that if you ever wonder why someone may celebrate a different holiday than you or why they believe something different than you you should always ask in a respectful way but if you are scared to ask you can write a question in the question box anonymously. This way my students could express their curiosity amongst their classmates in a respectful manner. This would be a great opportunity for Multicultural education through cultures that are prevalent in the classroom. Students would gain different perspectives and broaden their understanding. I would also implement a calendar where students can mark off days that are important to them and their culture. On a day of importance Students could be given the chance to share about why the state is important to them in their culture and bring in any food or decorations that they used to celebrate. This would be a very beneficial modern day version of show and tell.I would also take advantage of international holidays and turn those into a fun way to learn about a specific country or culture. Students of that culture could do presentations so students understand what that culture means for them. My favorite way to introduce different cultures to students is through penpals. Students could choose a country that they want to explore And right to a penpal in that country. Through this program students can communicate and learn about the daily lives of a child their age that lives in a different part of the world from them. Question 10 H ow does Carla interpret academic success? Why did she return and graduate? Carla described success as “the process of achieving all your goals on professional spiritual and personal levels”. Carla viewed success as more of the journey rather than the end goal. She found success in fulfillment throughout her life. Carla Felt as if she had no one cheering for her in her corner. Her parents did not recognize her need for education and didn't pay much attention to it. The one in Carla's immediate family went to college but her aunt did which inspired her to. Carla's parents viewed her as a party girl that was not serious about education. Carla wanted to prove them wrong and go to college and graduate. Carla wanted to find success through the children who had similar stories to her. Question 4: The educators in the study explain their views on who should teach Latino studies courses. What are your views on this issue? Latino studies courses should be instructed by someone who shares and experiences the same values. The instructor holds significance in shaping the educational experience for the students. Representation and cultural understanding is a crucial aspect of the teaching process. Instructors with a Latino background bring a unique lived experience and cultural insight That enhances the curriculum. An instructor with a Latino background can also answer a lot more questions based on their life experience than an instructor who only knows what they were taught from the culture. Having an instructor who shares the cultural context of the subject gives a deeper connection between students and the material. Instructors who is Latino will also have a greater passion for the subject.

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Question 7. Is language testing useful? How frequently should be carried out, what should the objectives be, who should do the testing? Language testing can be a valuable tool if used thoughtfully to help with educational goals. Language testing should always be done with different cultures in mind. It is crucial to ensure that language tests avoid bias and include all students.Language testing should be done by teachers or language experts of different cultures. This way students feel comfortable during an assessment. The more comfortable a student is the more accurate the results will be. Testing should be done by all students twice a year, the first at the beginning and the end of the academic school year. The test at the beginning of the year can help set up the academic language schedule for the remainder of the year. The test at the end of the year can track improvement amongst students and set a starting point for the following school year. Throughout the year language can be tracked through a portfolio assessment where students work is gathered overtime and used to track progress and area of improvement. The objectives of these tests are to diagnose learning needs, determine the language capacity, monitor progress, and can be used to evaluate the current curriculum. Statistics : The first statistic that really surprised me: What is the primary language among first, second and third generations (pg 27). I was very surprised that first generation Hispanics are 61% Spanish dominant. There is an educational consequence for these individuals because some schools may not be well equipped to handle students who are learning English as their second language. Some schools in more Hispanic dense areas have better tools to navigate these individuals through school. The shift in the second generation toward English dominance becomes quite apparent as only 8% remain Spanish dominant.The third generation sees the furthest decline in Spanish dominance with only 1%. These trends and language dominance may have complications for cultural identity and educational experiences. It may be difficult to preserve cultural heritage and strong ties to the community with these shifts in language dominance. Language plays a crucial role in cultural identity and the decline of the language may impact a sense of connection. Emphasizing the importance of bilingualism as an asset rather than something that needs to be overcome can greatly impact the students educational experience. Collaborative effort between communities and schools can aid in integrating cultural heritage. I did some further research regarding Native Americans generations by language And found that the statistics are similar but not as drastic as Hispanics. The second set of statistics I found very interesting was table 3.3 Arizona 2014-2015 Enrollment Count and Dropout Rate by Race/Ethnicity on page 50. I was very surprised to find that the number of Hispanic enrollment is higher than the enrollment for White individuals. It is quite surprising that even though those numbers are so close the dropout percentage is almost double for Hispanics opposed to White. Dropout rates can vary based on a lot of factors including Socio economic status and educational policies. On average Hispanics may face higher levels of Socio economic disadvantage. Some common disadvantages are lower household income and limited access to resources. These challenges can certainly impact a student's ability to stay in school. Language barriers are another disadvantage that Hispanics may face. Dropouts

may face Limited job opportunities and have the ability to earn less than people who have higher education. Overall this contributes to the cycles of poverty.To reverse this trend it is important that schools serving minority communities have access to all of the resources they need to get these students to excel. Curriculum that is culturally relevant and inclusive should also be implemented. Families and communities should be involved in the educational process to foster an approach that is realistic for a student's success. When comparing Hispanics and Native Americans dropouts the dropout rate for Native Americans is almost 3% higher than Hispanics. Native Americans have the second least enrollment count while hispanics have the highest. The last set of statistics I wanted to discuss was table 3.6 student and teacher demographics by race and state. This table discussed the amount of white black Hispanic and other demographics between students and teachers in Arizona and Texas. I did not think this information was very surprising because there have always been a lot of white teachers among the educational system in the US. The part that is surprising and this data is the amount of white students versus white teachers. There are almost 50% more white teachers than students. This is a problem for me because if most of the students do not share the same cultural background as their teachers there becomes a lack of diversity. Students may feel a disconnect culturally if their teachers do not share similar backgrounds to them. This can impact engagement with the educational content. A diverse staff is key for breaking down common stereotypes that happen within schools. Staff with diverse perspectives can help students understand classmates who are different from them. From a young age students need to be immersed in an environment with different people of different ages and cultural backgrounds. Our world is becoming more and more diverse every day so exposure to different people at a young age will help break the racism cycle. The efforts to increase diversity amongst teachers can be done through recruiting and supporting educators from under-represented backgrounds. These efforts will improve educational outcomes for all students. Conclusion : This book highlights the need for diverse representation amongst educators in the United States K-12 education system and the harsh reality of being a minority in America. This implication is very educational for future teachers because it involves fostering and nurturing inclusive environments, advocating for representation amongst all cultures, and creating new disciplinary approaches. These issues cannot be fixed overnight but it is clear that there is a need for educators to explore the cultures of the communities they serve. Students from diverse backgrounds need to feel understood and appreciated for greater chances of success. Language dominance is the unfortunate reality for many hispanic families and is often overlooked. It is unbelievable the stereotypes and lack of compassion that comes with it. These problems can be overlooked especially for those who have not dealt with it first hand. To resolve these challenges it needs to come systematically. Programs and strategies need to be put in place to create a more inclusive environment that strives to be culturally aware. Learning is a great privilege and it is a shame that so many Latinos are robbed from this opportunity. This story made me realize that not everyone has true compassion and love for humankind. The fact that some educators could be so heartless and avoid educating or helping students simply because of a language barrier is

pitiful. The educational journey in America should be celebrated. We as a country should be proud of how well we prepare the future of our country but it is quite the opposite of that. America as a whole needs to step up and integrate new systems to embrace and foster diversity to encourage high academic achievement for all.

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“Issues in Latino Education

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