Wise Latina t-shirt

But sadly, the news has turned bleak again for Latinas. Most recently, the focus is on the dropout rate among this particular group being up 41 percent. Dropout is implied as students unable to complete high school within 4 years.
Here are links to the studies completed bythe National Women’s Law Center and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) to show this trend:

• MALDEF: Listening to Latinas: Barriers to High School Graduation
• National Women’s Law Center study

“Many Latinas are influenced by family and societal expectations, often based on stereotypes of Latinas as submissive underachievers and caretakers,” the report said. “When these stereotypes are internalized, they may cause Latinas to doubt their chances for academic and career success.” – CNN Article

The report did give some recommendations to provide support to one of the largest female groups in US schools . The recommendations include (summarized on the CNN article):

• Congressional investment in Latino children through early education initiatives and child care, and outreach to Latino families.
• More outreach to Latinas in schools, including providing them with role models.
• College preparation by schools for Latinas, with funding from Congress.
• More school measures to stop discrimination in educational programs and activities.
• School use of comprehensive, age-appropriate material to teach sex education to avoid the rising pregnancy rates among teen Latinas, and additional support for those who get pregnant.

A professor at the Art Institute is working towards his PhD. He has been doing studies on Hispanic males in high school and trying to find ways to help them graduate on time. Most recently he has felt hopeless, his studies show that even intervention programs are not making much progress. They are of value, but not to the extent to make a large change. The only findings he says show actual progress is simple, parental involvement. Things like showing interest in your child’s life, helping them with their homework, reading to your child, and asking how their day went. While that does sound simple, there are realities that make it difficult. Single parents trying to balance work and home, grandparents raising grandchildren, or parents with several children. Not to mention, parents educational level not up to par as their child.

With this information the outreach recommendation stands out to me. I encourage everyone to become a Big Brother or Big Sister. Something as simple as just hanging out with a young person can make a difference. By you being there, you are not only showing support, but also giving them another perspective, another person with experiences that may be far different from their own. You are a role model, and you fill holes that you may not even realize are missing in that child’s life. To respect her privacy, I won’t post a picture of my Little Sister, but she is awesome and I love her.

While this post may be about Latinas, we can’t forget the other half. Recently, BBBS of Central Texas told me they desperately needed Big Brothers. They have to start paring Big Sisters with Little Brothers because the volunteer number in males is so low. Taking one day a month (or more) can making a difference in any child’s life (whether latino or other), believe me, you won’t regret it.

Below is a CNN video discussing the Latina dropout issue: