More Hispanic students finishing high school

The following is a post from Literacy San Antonio:

More Hispanic students finishing high school

A higher percentage of young Hispanic adults is finishing high school, and the number attending a two-year college has nearly doubled over the last decade, according to Census data released Wednesday.

The percentage of Hispanic 18- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school and don’t have an equivalent degree was 22 percent in 2008, down from 34 percent in 1998.

Meanwhile, the number attending a 2-year college increased 85 percent, from 540,000 in 2000 to 1 million in 2008.  “It’s an amazing level of growth,” said Kurt Bauman, the chief of the Census Bureau’s education branch.

Researchers said the numbers on high school completion were the result of several factors, including targeted efforts to reduce the number of Latino students dropping out, as well as an increasing percentage born and attending all their schooling in the United States.

But several experts also expressed concern that high numbers are choosing two-year colleges, where students tend to have lower completion rates and frequently do not go on to earn a bachelor’s degree.

Jose Cruz, vice president for higher education policy and practice with the Education Trust, pointed to studies that show a majority of Latino students aspire to earn a bachelor’s degree, but noted they are overrepresented in 2-year institutions. He attributed the gap to issues of K-12 preparation, insufficient counseling and the overwhelming financial contribution low-income families must make in order to attend a 4-year institution.

Frank Alvarez, president of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, himself a community college graduate, said that many students fail to finish an associate’s degree because they find themselves inadequately prepared and lacking guidance once they make their way into the system.

“If you’re going to community college because it’s less costly, or because it’s the option that’s closest to you, there’s nothing wrong with that, but please continue to a four-year school,” Alvarez said.

The Census report contained a number of other education indicators, including data on early education and demographics. The number of students enrolled in kindergarten has increased from 2.9 million in 1978 to 4 million in 2008. Higher numbers are also going to full-day instead of part-day programs.

Among nursery school students, Hispanic students made up 18 percent, an increase of 5 percent from 1998.

Deborah Santiago, vice president for policy and research at Excelencia in Education, said the findings on high school completion should be celebrated, though she cautioned there was still significant work to be done targeting dropout factories and increasing college readiness.

“What this does is create an opportunity to think about the population even more clearly as a college-going community, as a community that does have educational success,” Santiago said.

I'm back

So, I’ve been away from my blog for a few days. Seeing as how I try to post something everyday, that might seem a little strange. The truth is my temporary hiatus was intentional. I was going through a series of unfortunate events that forced me to take a step back and reevaluate where I was headed both personally and professionally. I found that my writing was beginning to suffer and I didn’t want any of the negativity and uncertainty I was feeling to spill over into my blog. Out of respect for you and for myself, I wanted to hold off until I felt I was ready to provide quality content. I spent the past few days in introspection and I’ve evaluated the things I’ve needed to evaluate and made the difficult decisions I’ve needed to make. On Monday, I received a thank you card in the mail. In it, they wrote that my “passion and desire to do good things for the world is contagious.” That card couldn’t have come at a better time, and helped me with some of the things with which I’ve been struggling. With that said, I’m back and ready to continue moving forward. Below are some of my personal resolutions:

I will to stay in San Antonio…for now

Due to a number of circumstances, I was seriously considering leaving San Antonio and moving to D.C., Austin, Detroit, Chicago, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, or London. Although one of these destinations is a very real possibility sometime in the future, I feel as though I have unfinished business here in San Antonio. I feel an obligation to leave a place better than I found it, and I have much work to do here before I can feel truly confident that I have given at least as much as I have taken from this city. I will continue to be the best colleague and bring the most value I can to those with whom I work. However, besides work, I have a passion for literacy and want to help build stronger literacy and literature programs for people of all ages and backgrounds. Literacy has the beautiful effect of leading people to make better decisions and providing a feeling of self-confidence and self-esteem.

I will become more involved in cultural education

I feel that cultural education is extremely important in a society as diverse as this. Better understanding various backgrounds, histories, arts, etc. leads to the celebration and exploration of differences rather than the condemnation and dismissal of them. Unfortunately, many people are either unaware of cultural education opportunities or simply don’t have access to them. Recently, I’ve gone to a few productions hosted by the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center of San Antonio and have seen the tremendous value this hidden gem provides within the community.

I will become more active in my volunteer activities

Volunteering has provided me with some of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Recently, I haven’t made the time to be as active as I would like. That will change immediately. This past weekend I helped out for about six hours with Munny Maker, a fundraising event hosted by, and for the benefit of, the San Antonio chapter of the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts). I’ll talk more about that tomorrow, but it was amazing and I had a really good time. Some events I have coming up are the Great Strides 5K run/walk to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Chalk It Up!, hosted by Art Place San Antonio, and Oh Snap! in Austin, which will help raise money for students abroad who want to study at UT Austin. I’ll keep you informed on these and other opportunities. If you want to get involved with anything I talk about, let me know and I’ll try to put you in contact with the right people. Also, if there are events you need help executing, feel free to let me know.

Brian Flynn of Hybrid Design and I at the end of the Munny Maker event. He was a very inspirational guest speaker.

I will make time to relax

I tend to work so hard and so long that I often forget to do things like sleep, eat, look at stars, sleep, workout, catch a movie, sleep…well, you get the picture. My day normally starts at around 5:00 a.m. and ends at about 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. the following day. I love being busy, but I need to make sure I don’t let life pass me by. Mom, I hope you’re reading this. The need to relax applies doubly to you!

I will stop neglecting emotions with some of the decisions I make

I tend to be of the Plato philosophy that true, rational thought, devoid of emotional influence, leads to better decisions. I’ve found this is not true, and can actually be the wrong decision in many situations. Thank you to everybody who told me I don’t need to be completely objective about everything. It’s finally starting to sink in. I would name all of you, but this post is already long enough.

I will make this blog more valuable to you

I’ve always had the reader in mind whenever I write any of the posts that appear on this blog. However, I want to make sure I’m brining the greatest amount of value that I can to you. Therefore, moving forward, I want to add value by providing more posts on which you can act. Expect to see more spotlights on socially conscious businesses and entrepreneurs. Expect to see more advice on leadership, marketing, and personal/professional development as guest posts from other people with different perspectives. Eventually, I will introduce a calendar of events with information on how to get involved. If there is anything you want to see more or less of, please let me know. If you agree or disagree with something you see here, leave a comment. Call me. Text me. Your voice is always welcome here. My hope is that through open dialogue we can learn from each other and leave places better than we find them.