As California’s Latino population steadily rises, the
group’s educational attainment and opportunities stagnate,
according to a study released by the Chicano Studies Research
Center.
But within this large population, more than half of its adults
lack even a high school diploma.
“This is five times higher than the non-Latino white
population,” said Chon Noriega, director of the center.
Almost one-third of Californians are Latino or Hispanic, and 45
percent of them reside in Los Angeles, according to the study,
based on 2000 census data.
Given Latinos’ substantial and growing state population,
educational inequalities cause concern not only for individuals in
the workforce but for California as a whole, according to the
analysis.
“The state’s economic health is intimately tied to
the well being of its Latino population, as (Latinos) are a
critically important source of California’s labor,”
said Lisa Catanzarite, senior research sociologist with the center
and the study’s author.
According to Catanzarite’s findings, Latino youths
continue to face large educational deficits, despite their
citizenship and bilingualism. Sixty-eight percent of Latinos in
California are U.S. citizens and 67 percent are bilingual.
“Even when a high proportion of Latinos are citizens and
speak English, they still deal with structural problems that are
inherent in (the state) system,” said Ricardo Aguayo, a
fourth-year Chicano/a studies and sociology student and academic
affairs director for the Latino American Students’
Association.
“Although proficiency in two or more languages is a
positive feature, the state doesn’t encourage its people to
retain their language, so it’s surprising that so many
Latinos do,” Catanzarite said.
Spanish-speaking relatives, Spanish-language media and the sheer
size of the local Latino population are some factors that enable
long-term immigrants to retain their language, according to the
study.
“This retention should be considered an asset, a huge
resource that native-born Latinos can offer, but the state
doesn’t regard it that way,” Catanzarite said.
The center also found that very few Latinos have received a
college education or are currently enrolled in college.
While Latinos make up 47 percent of the kindergarten population
in California, only 24 percent of California’s college
students are Latino.
Different factors contribute to these percentages.
“There are a variety of reasons why youths don’t
pursue a higher education,” Noriega said.
Some from lower-income families still consider college a luxury,
in spite of scholarship and loan options.
“Many families look at indebtedness unfavorably,”
Catanzarite said.
“To not go straight to work after high school in order to
support the family is often considered detrimental too; higher
learning is just regarded as lost earnings sometimes,” she
added.
The study also found that low-quality schools with little
funding can contribute to high dropout rates and limited resources
for college preparation.
“Latinos and other disadvantaged groups don’t always
know about requirements specific to individual colleges,”
Catanzarite said.
“Overall, they have fewer adult resources available also,
such as parents who have attended a four-year university,”
she added.
This point is evident among some UCLA students.
“I’m the first to attend college from my family, so
I relied a lot on my high school’s limited yet available
college resources,” said Aguayo.
About 15 percent of UCLA undergraduates identify themselves as
Chicano or Latino, according to the Office of Academic Planning and
Budget Fall 2002 reports. Many of these students are also the first
in their families to attend college.
The low percentages of college enrollment for Latinos and
Hispanics may, in part, be related to disparities in funding for
K-12 education, but the taxation structure for schools still goes
largely unquestioned, Catanzarite said.
“Given the size of this taxpaying community and the
spending power they provide, Latinos aren’t getting
what’s owed to them in terms of education,” Noriega
said.
“As Latinos’ population steadily increases, their
influence has to go beyond the labor force, and take on structural
school issues,” Catanzarite said.
“They must keep voting, and vote more,” she
added.
Latinos’ disadvantages in formal schooling must be
addressed, with specific attention paid to high school retention,
outreach programs and funding, insisted Noriega and other advocates
of the study.
Though the research center’s analysis exposes
Latinos’ lagging behind other ethnic groups, Catanzarite and
others insist that the influence necessary for change is there.
“Latinos must preserve outreach projects, and just
exercise their political clout a little more,” she said.