Hispanic Culture and Implications for Education

1
Hispanic Culture and Implications for Education

• Sherry King
• EDCI 5300
• Fall 2006

2
Introduction

• This PowerPoint will explore the Hispanic
• culture and examine the implications for
  education.
• As the Hispanic population continues to grow in
  the
• United States, the need to educate and meet the
• needs of Hispanic children grows. Many teachers
• are at a loss as to how to teach the children
  that
• enter our schools in high numbers speaking little
  or
• no English. As a result, the educational system
  is
• failing our Hispanic students.

3
Overview

• An overview follows consisting of statistics
• relating to Hispanic students, cultural values,
• learning styles,research based teaching
• practices, education, government involvement,
• and the preparedness, impact, and feasibility of
• a college education. A conclusion and
• references complete the presentation.

4
Statistical Information Regarding Hispanics

• In a May 2006 press release, the U. S. Census
  Bureau noted that Hispanics continue to be the
  largest and fastest growing minority group at
  42.7 million.
• Hispanic as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau
  refers to people whose origin are Mexican, Puerto
  Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other
  Hispanic/Latino, regardless of race.
• Approximately one-third of the entire Hispanic
  population is under the age of 18.

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Statistical Information Regarding Hispanics
continued

• Hispanics accounted for almost half (1.3 million,
  or 49 percent) of the national population growth
  of 2.8 million between July 1, 2004, and July 1,
  2005.
• Of the increase of 1.3 million, 800,000 was
  because of natural increase (births minus deaths)
  and 500,000 was because of immigration.
• The Hispanic population in 2005 was much younger
  with a median age of 27.2 years compared to the
  population as a whole at 36.2 years. About a
  third of the Hispanic population was under 18,
  compared with one-fourth of the total population.

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Cultural Values of Hispanics

• One characteristic of paramount importance in
  most Hispanic cultures is family commitment,
  which involves loyalty, a strong support system,
  a belief that a child's behavior reflects on the
  honor of the family, a hierarchal order among
  siblings, and a duty to care for family members.
  This strong sense of other- directedness
  conflicts with the United States' mainstream
  emphasis on individualism.
• Hispanic adolescents are more inclined than Anglo
  adolescents to adopt their parents' commitment to
  religious and political beliefs, occupational
  preferences, and lifestyle.

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Cultural Values of Hispanics continued

• Spirituality, the dignity of each individual, and
  respect for authority figures are valued
  throughout Hispanic culture.
• Hispanic culture emphasizes cooperation in the
  attainment of goals.
• Hispanic male adolescents display more and
  earlier independence than the male adolescents of
  the general U.S. population.

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Hispanic Students and Education

• The number of Hispanic students attending public
  schools has increased dramatically in recent
  decades, yet Hispanic students as a group have
  the lowest levels of education and the highest
  dropout rate of any student group.
• Conditions of poverty and health, as well as
  other social problems have made it difficult for
  some Hispanics to improve their educational
  status.
• Cultural and historical practices have also
  placed numbers of Hispanic children at risk for
  educational failure.

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Hispanic Students and Education continued

• Hispanic graduates in 2005 earned an average ACT
  composite score of 18.6. This is significantly
  lower than the national average score of 20.9.
• The majority of Hispanic students fall short of
  ACTs College Readiness Benchmarks, the scores
  that indicate the likelihood that a student will
  succeed in particular first-year courses in
  college.
• Students need to be identified by eighth grade
  and earlier to make sure they have a solid
  foundation of basic knowledge and skills needed
  for high school-level courses

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Government Involvement

• The 2003 report, From Risk to Opportunity
  Fulfilling the
• Educational Needs of Hispanic Americans in the
  21st Century,
• issued by the White House Commission on
  Educational Excellence
• for Hispanic Americans makes the following
  recommendations
• Set new and high expectations for Hispanic
  American children.
• Help Hispanic parents better understand the U. S.
  educational system.
• Train teachers to meet the needs of students with
  poor English-language skills.
• Do more educational research
• Improve the accountability and coordination of
  educational programs within the federal
  government to better serve Hispanic families.

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Government Involvement continued

• The following steps are also recommended to
  encourage academic
• success.
• Educating parents about the importance of
  pre-school and of reading to their children.
• Demanding better teachers and counselors.
• Expanding after school programs.
• Creating programs to tutor students.
• Increasing the number of scholarships for
  college, technical, and vocational schools.
• Letting Hispanics know that joining the armed
  forces can pay for their college education.
• Making sure the government is focused on
  improving educational opportunities for
  Hispanics.

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Government Involvement continued

• Parents are intimidated by the educational system
  and are unable to help their children with school
  work due to their own limited English abilities.
• Zero dollars are provided to fund the Parent
  Assistance Centers recommended.
• The report excludes Hispanic Americans who are
  not yet citizens, including recently immigrated
  students, students with limited English
  proficiency, and migrant students. One out of
  four dropouts is related to their immigration
  status.
• Financial support for federal education programs
  that have the potential to help, such as
  bilingual education, parent programs,
  after-school programs, adult ESL programs, and
  migrant education is noticeably lacking.

13
Learning Styles

• Research indicates that Hispanic students prefer
• A cool temperature and formal design
• Conformity
• Peer-oriented learning
• Kinesthetic instructional resources
• A higher degree of structure
• Late morning and afternoon peak energy levels
• Variety as opposed to routines
• A field-dependent cognitive style

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Effective Instructional Practices

• Culturally Responsive Teaching Makes new
  subject matter and everyday lessons relevant and
  significant by working from and validating
  students existing knowledge base through the
  incorporation of the everyday concerns of
  students such as important family and community
  issues.
• Cooperative Learning Uses small groups in which
  students have have specific roles in order to
  accomplish specific tasks and activities.
  Through collaborative practices, students develop
  the social skills and inter-group relations
  essential to academic success.

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Effective Instructional Practices continued

• Instructional Conversations Emphasizes dialogue
  between teachers and classmates which develops
  language and complex thinking skills as well as
  guiding students in their learning processes.
• Cognitively-Guided Instruction Focuses on the
  direct teaching and modeling of cognitive
  learning strategies and gives students
  opportunities to practice them.
• Technology-Enriched Instruction Teachers
  facilitate learning through the use of multimedia
  and other sources of technology. Helps students
  connect learning in the classroom to real-life
  situations, creating a meaningful context for
  teaching and learning.

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Hispanic Students and College Education

• America's long-term economic security and social
  stability require that the cycle of
  under-education among Hispanic children be
  broken.
• As the fastest growing segment of the U.S.
  workforce, increasing college graduation rates
  among Hispanics will lead to better paying jobs
  for more individuals, families, and communities.
  This will produce a sizeable increase in tax
  revenues-including much needed support for Social
  Security and Medicare-and vastly more disposable
  income for Hispanic consumers which will help
  fuel the country's future economic growth.

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Hispanic Students and College Education continued

• Doubling the rate at which Hispanics earn college
  degrees (to only 18 percent) by 2010 would yield
  7.6 billion in increased tax revenue over the
  lifetime of the students and generate at least
  14 billion in disposable income for savings,
  investment, and economic stimulus.
• It would also significantly reduce public
  expenditures on social services nation-wide and
  decrease the racial/ethnic divides that could
  undermine social and political cohesion in our
  country. Higher levels of education in any
  community translate into lower public
  expenditures on welfare, health, law enforcement,
  and other social programs. Increasing the rate
  of college graduation in the fastest growing and
  most undereducated segment of the countrys
  population will lead to huge savings in
  government spending-at 5.4 billion if the
  Hispanic graduation rate is doubled by 2010.

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Obtaining A College Education

• With college tuition and related costs continuing
  to skyrocket, the financial resources needed to
  support a college education constitute the most
  serious challenge for many Hispanic families. Too
  many committed parents lack the resources to
  finance their children's education. The Hispanic
  Scholarship Fund provides more scholarship
  support to the Hispanic community than any other
  organization in the country with over 144
  million granted to date-nearly 30 in the past 12
  months alone. HSF offers scholarship
  opportunities to graduating high school seniors,
  community college students seeking to transfer to
  four-year universities, continuing university
  students seeking to complete their degrees, and
  to students in graduate and professional programs
  as well.

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Obtaining A College Education continued

• Hispanic families often lack experience with the
  college application and financial aid processes
  and a cultural commitment to higher education.
  Even today, many Hispanic college students are
  the first in their families to pursue a college
  degree, and many forms and procedures required
  for admission and financial aid can be
  intimidating, confusing, and inaccessible to
  families that lack experience with college. HSF's
  Outreach Programs are designed to demystify the
  admissions and financial aid processes and
  provide students and families with the
  information, support, and encouragement they
  need. Through national tours of their Town Hall
  Meetings and Steps for Success Saturdays along
  with publications and on-line resources, HSF is
  striving to make college accessible to all
  communities.

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Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and
Excellence

• http//crede.berkeley.edu/
• CREDE is a federally funded research and
  development program focused on improving the
  education of students whose ability to reach
  their potential is challenged by language or
  cultural barriers, race, geographic location, or
  poverty.
• From 1996-2001, CREDE funded 31 research projects
  around the country. Researchers in these projects
  gathered data and tested curriculum models in
  wide-ranging settings and with diverse student
  populationsfrom classrooms with predominantly
  Zuni-speaking students in New Mexico to inner
  city schools in Florida to California elementary
  schools with large populations of native
  Spanish-speaking students.

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Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and
Excellence continued

• During 2001-2003, seven synthesis teams extracted
  the key findings and practices from the field,
  including work done by CREDE's two
  predecessorsthe National Center for Research on
  Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning
  (NCRCDSLL) and the Kamehameha Early Education
  Program (KEEP). The teams are producing a range
  of publications and other tools to help teachers
  implement best practices in the classroom.
• CREDE offers a wide range of multi-media products
  (interactive CD-ROMs, videos, online
  directories), print publications, and a useful
  website for practitioners, researchers, and
  parents.

22
Clearing House on Early Education and Parenting

• http//ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/index.html
• The Clearinghouse on Early Education and
  Parenting (CEEP) is part of the the Early
  Childhood and Parenting (ECAP) Collaborative at
  the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
  CEEP provides publications and information to the
  worldwide early childhood and parenting
  communities.
• Early Childhood Research Practice (ECRP) is a
  bilingual Internet  journal on the development,
  care, and education of young children that is
  also available on this website.
• Information is provided in both English and
  Spanish.

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Education Digest

• Published by
• Prakken PublicationsP.O. Box 86233970 Varsity
  DriveAnn Arbor Michigan 48107-8623United States
  of America
• An academic journal of education and management.
• Covers the entire education field from
  pre-elementary to college levels for school
  libraries and administrators, superintendents,
  supervisors and principals

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Hispanic Magazine

• Published by
• Hispanic Publishing Corp.6355 NW 36th
  StreetVirginia Gardens Florida 33166United
  States of America
• Periodical that covers issues such as ethnic and
  multicultural studies ethnic and multicultural
  issues travel and tourism.
• Articles are for and about Hispanics, travel,
  investing, music, book and motion picture
  reviews.
• A useful tool for parents and educators.

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Hispanic Business

• http//www.hispanicbusiness.com/
• Offers a variety of business services such as
  career placement, recruitment services, business
  research, surveys and advertising.
• For nearly a quarter century, Hispanic Business
  Inc. has given a voice to the vibrant and
  fast-growing U.S. Hispanic community. As a
  preeminent Hispanic media group, Hispanic
  Business Inc. informs and represents the most
  highly educated, affluent, and influential
  segment of the booming Hispanic market through
  integrated channels of print, online and events.
• In addition to providing current business-related
  news, Hispanic Business covers the growth of the
  U.S. Hispanic market, economic trends within the
  Americas, best business practices, and career
  development opportunities, delivering
  research-driven content to the nations top
  policy makers and power brokers

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Hispanic Scholarship Fund

• http//www.hsf.net/
• The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) is the
  nation's leading organization supporting Hispanic
  higher education.
• HSF was founded in 1975 with a vision of
  strengthening the country by advancing college
  education among Hispanic Americans-the largest
  minority segment of the U.S. population. In
  support of its mission to double the rate of
  Hispanics earning college degrees, HSF provides
  the Latino community with more college
  scholarships and educational outreach support
  than any other organization in the country.
• Headquartered in San Francisco, HSF has opened
  regional offices in Southern California, the
  Southwest, the Southeast, the Northeast and the
  Midwest. In addition, HSF launched the
  Washington, D.C.-based Hispanic Scholarship Fund
  Institute to create public partnerships in
  support of its work.

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Hispanic Scholarship Fund continued

• During its 31-year history, HSF has awarded more
  than 78,000 scholarships totaling 195 million to
  Latinos from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, U.S.
  Virgin Islands and Guam. HSF scholars have
  attended more than 1,700 colleges and
  universities.
• Additionally, information links about Outreach
  programs as well as a Career Center for Alumni
  and Current Scholars and Employers are provided.

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United States Census Bureau Information

• http//www.census.gov/
• Provides population estimates of various ethnic
  groups.
• Provides estimates in the growth rate of various
  ethnic groups.
• Provides parents and educators with information
  specific to their community and its diversity.

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Conclusion

• The importance of family and community as well as
  other factors must be recognized as key
  components that influence the education of
  Hispanic children.
• As the fastest growing immigrant population, the
  educational system as a whole must be thoroughly
  informed and trained regarding sensitivity to
  Hispanic culture and learning styles.
• It is imperative that best research based
  instructional practices be evaluated and those
  determined effective implemented in classrooms
  and schools to address this growing populations
  educational needs.
• Funding and incorporating appropriate educational
  practices to ensure students receive a quality
  education and meet the academic standards for
  college will offset costs of social programs in
  the long run.

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References

• About the hispanic scholarship fund. (2006).
  Retrieved
• October 1, 2006, from Hispanic
  Scholarship Fund
• Web site http//www.hsf.net/about.php
• Bernstein, R. (2006). Nations population
  one-third
• minority. Retrieved October 1, 2006,
  from United
• States Census Bureau
• Web site http//www.census.gov/PressRel
  ease/
• www/releases/archives/population/006808.
  html

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References continued

• Griggs, S. R. Dunn. (1996). Hispanic-American
  students and
• learning style. Retrieved October 1,
  2006, from
• Clearinghouse on Early Education and
  Parenting
• Web site http//ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecea
  rchive/digests/1996/
• griggs96.html
• Padron, Y., Waxman, H., H. Rivera. (2002).
  Educating
• hispanic students Effective
  instructional practices. Retrieved
• October 1, 2006, from Center for
  Research on Education,
• Diversity, and Excellence
• Web site http//repositories.cdlib.org/
  cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
• article1091contextcrede

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References continued

• Record number of hispanic students take ACT test
  Many
• hispanic graduates not ready for
  college-level coursework.
• (2005). Retrieved October 1, 2006, from
  Hispanic Business
• Web site http//www.hispanicbusiness.c
  om/news/newsbyid.
• asp?id24888catHispanicPRWiremore/
  hprw/
• Stern, G. (2004). Hispanic students ambushed
  again. Education
• Digest, 69, 47-51.
• Valladares, M. (2003). Rising to the challenge
  Finding
• solutions to the hispanic education
  crisis. Hispanic, 16(7/8),
• 26-30.