The nation’s largest minority group has fallen behind academically, but dedicated scholars and programs are working to close the gap.
By Ronald Roach

Lorretta Chavez knows that for poor Mexican American children in Colorado, getting a quality education means overcoming monumental odds. She is all too aware that poorly funded public schools and a lack of parental and community support often make it difficult for Mexican American children to aspire to and attain higher education. Chavez, a public school teacher and a doctoral student at the University of Colorado, is writing her dissertation about the families, communities and academic struggles of six public school teachers and four teachers-in-training, all of Mexican-American origin.

“These are ten people who struggled against tremendous barriers, and it’s important to know why and how they persisted,” Chavez says.

Lawmakers have made the closing of racial and ethnic academic achievement gaps an acknowledged priority of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. But so far the research has largely explored common factors explaining why Black and Latino students generally lag behind Whites and Asian Americans. Chavez and others argue that scholars must do research that delves deeper into the experiences of Latino children.

Numerous national education and Latino civil rights organizations have joined the cause of “Latino education.” And in states and cities where Latino communities have grown rapidly, local colleges and universities have launched research centers, faculty positions and community outreach programs designed to boost Latino student achievement.

“About 80 percent of the fastest-growing jobs require postsecondary education, yet only about 10 percent of Hispanic Americans have a college degree. In other words, a college education is more important than ever, and far too few Hispanic Americans have one,” U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings told attendees at the 30th anniversary of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.