Hispanics and Higher Education

Ralph K.M. Haurwitz of the Austin American-Statesman has an interesting article in today’s edition regarding Hispanics and higher education. Haurwitz sheds light on a state education goal established in 2000 that seems to be unattainable as we approach the deadline in 2015.

Haurwitz notes:

“Officials pledged to address Hispanic achievement as well as shortfalls in technology-related degrees, research funding and other benchmarks in "Closing the Gaps by 2015," the state’s set of goals for higher education. One of the goals is to have 5.7 percent of each major ethnic and racial group in the state to enroll.”

Even though Hispanics have enrolled at significant rates, compared to those of African Americans or whites … they would still need to enroll an additional 309 thousand students by the 2015 deadline.

The predicament at hand seems to be influenced by other social issues such as poverty, health insurance, high proportion of unwed mothers and educational shortcomings that start early in life are impacting our educational goals.

"Too few Hispanic students graduate from high school," the report said, noting that only 54.2 percent of Hispanic seventh-graders in 1995 went on to graduate from a Texas public high school, compared with 61.3 percent of all students.

Critics on the right claim that Hispanics are lazy, stupid and a drain on the economy. In fact they make the false assumption that Hispanic correlates with illegal immigrant and thus should be deported as soon as possible.

It is this type of negative feedback and perspectives that will continue to hinder any goals that the state may propose. As a young Hispanic with an undergraduate degree from what I consider the best University in the State of Texas … The University of Texas at Austin – I can attest that there are countless of Hispanics who wish to educate themselves. I saw them enter 40 acres with the hunger to succeed but their school systems had failed to educate and prepare them for the challenges at a top tier school.

Republicans are great at blaming Hispanics for their shortcomings when it comes to education but I have to inquire … Don’t you think there is a correlation, a pattern in the State of Texas where Hispanics are left behind in drastic numbers? It can’t just be the fault of these Hispanic students … obviously our education regime is not up to par, when countless of students regardless of race or ethnicity are left behind.

As Hispanics become the majority-minority in the City of Houston and the population in the state overall continues to rise … this issue of the lack of adequate representation by Hispanics will have to be addressed.

As Hispanics we have waited too long to rise up and demand change … it is time we hold our politicians accountable and expect them to provide the social infrastructure that will create the environment necessary for not only Hispanic but all students regardless of racial background to succeed in the 21st century.