Latino Education in Georgia: Challenges and Possibilities

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Latino Education in GeorgiaChallenges and
Possibilities

• Paul Matthews, Bernadette Musetti, Elida
  Perez-Knapp
• September 23, 2004

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• The Center for Latino Achievement Success in
  Education Who we are and what we do
• Professional Development
• Summer Institute Action Plans
• Fall and Spring Follow-Up Conferences
• Team-based model11 in 2003-04 13 in 2004-05
• Top-Quality Consultants and Experts as Resources
• Counselor, Liaison, Other Conferences
• ESOL Endorsements

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• Resources and Support
• Website and List-Serves
• Publications (e.g., GA ASCD Reporter)
• Community Resource Guides
• Mexico, Costa Rica Experiences
• Faculty and Graduate Student Outreach
• Oasis tutoring project
• Mother/Daughter program
• Guest speaking/Professional Development

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Georgia Demographics Responding to a Need

• -Statewide, Georgias overall
• population is about 8
• Hispanic est. 660,000.
• -Many counties and
• communities are already
• over 25 Hispanic
• -Poultry, construction, carpet, agriculture,
• -By 2008, at least 12 counties are expected to be
  gt25 Hispanic some as much as 75! (UGA Selig
  Center) And by 2050 the largest group

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http//factfinder.census.gov/leg2/98/33492998.gif
2000 Census results, Hispanic/Latino by County
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Latino Students in Georgia

• As of 3/4/2004, the GA DOE counted 106,126
  Hispanic students grade Pre-K through 12 in
  Georgia schools.
• Predominantly at lower grades fewer than 20,000
  in grades 9-12.
• 774,157 total student count statewide so about
  13.7 of GA students are Hispanic.
• 2/3 of all Latino students are in just 12
  counties
• Gwinnett has 19.9 of all Latino students
• Cobb Co., 10.0 DeKalb Co., 6.5 Fulton Co.
  5.9 Hall Co., 5.7
• But smaller counties may be highly impacted too!

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More Demographics

• According to the GA DOE, as of Spring 2001,
  almost 61 of Hispanics (42,551 out of a total of
  69,953) were classified as Limited English
  Proficient (LEP).

• Hispanic students in Georgia on average do not
  test or graduate at the same level as other
  groups, at least in part due to language issues.
• Georgia had lowest high school graduation rate
  of all 50 states (Manhattan Policy Institute)

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On the 2004 CRCT tests

• Does not meet Meets Exceeds
• White 5 37 58
• Hispanic 19 54 26
• LEP 32 57 11
• All students 10 46 44
• http//www.doe.k12.ga.us/_documents/curriculum/tes
  ting/testing_crct_results_2004_details.pdf

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2004 Pass Rates by Student Groups, Georgia High
School Graduation Test

• English/Lang. Arts Math Social Studies
  Science
• White 96 91 81 63
• Hispanic 78 82 60 36
• LEP 54 71 38 16
• All Students 91 89 76 59
• From http//www.doe.k12.ga.us/doe/media/04/051304.
  asp

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Issues in Higher Education

• Dropout rate and young population of Latinos
  means limited college enrollment
• Barriers include finance, climate, and
  unfamiliarity with system and requirements
• Undocumented students must pay out-of-state
  tuition and not eligible for HOPE
• Some colleges/universities use tuition waivers
  for high-ability Latino students
• UGA student body about 1 Latino

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Common Barriers in Education

• Communication/Language
• Limited/Interrupted Formal Schooling
• Socioeconomic Issues
• Immigration Status
• Cultural Differences and Differing Norms for
  Education
• School personnel not always prepared for working
  with Latinos or English learners

But Latino families and parents DO consistently
indicate that they value education highly!
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What Do We Know?

• Latino students are here to stay They are the
  FUTURE of Georgia!
• Bilingual Education IS legal in Georgia and can
  be extremely effective (though logistical
  barriers in GA exist)
• Need to produce bilingual, biliterate, and
  bicultural graduates, not just English-proficient
  ones

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What Do We Know?

• Teacher expectations are a very strong factor in
  student achievement
• Access to the Core Curriculum for all students
  (including ELLs) is a fundamental issue (and a
  civil rights one!)
• Family engagement is important in education but
  schools can be successful even without
  traditional parent involvement

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What Do We Know?

• Some barriers, such as tuition for undocumented
  students, will have to be dealt with by
  policy-makers.
• Other issues, such as school climate, educational
  programs, etc. can be handled by teachers and
  administrators.
• A common reason Latino students give for dropping
  out is that they dont feel welcome.
• Schools and teachers CAN make a difference!

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What Are Schools Doing?

• Parent and Family Involvement
• Home visits by faculty
• PTA meetings with interpretation in apartment
  complexes
• PACT and family literacy programs
• More communication in home languages
• Offering resources to parents (e.g., ESOL with
  child care transportation vouchers for
  conferences, etc.)
• College information sessions (e.g., HSF)
• Family journaling

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What Are Schools Doing?

• Programs for Student Achievement
• Preview/Review models
• Bilingual support
• Newcomer Centers, Programs for LFS, Academies
  for intensive English
• Sheltered Instruction
• Inclusion rather than pull-out for ESOL
• Clubs, activities, extracurricular involvement
• After-school programs (biliteracy, tutoring,
  sports, Scouts)
• Literacy campaigns (reading and writing)
• Pre-K programs

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What Are Schools Doing?

• Educator Professional Development
• Spanish for Teachers
• Home Visits
• CLASE training
• ESOL endorsement for regular teachers
• Resource sharing by ESOL teachers
• International experiences
• All teachers must be teachers of English

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What Are Schools Doing?

• School Climate
• Awareness and promotion of multilingualism and
  multiculturalism (e.g., events, clubs)
• Orientation videos
• Parent/community volunteer programs
• Forms and signs in Spanish
• More interpretation and translation available
  more bilingual staff and parent liaisons
• Announcements in Spanish

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Some Good News!

• In Georgia we have opportunity to learn from
  other states and to move more quickly to achieve
  success
• CLASE programs making a difference
• Proactive leadership (Gwinnett Co., state Dept.
  of Education, Governors Commission)
• Education of Latinos is an investment in the
  economic and social future of Georgia

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What Resources Exist?

• CLASE www.coe.uga.edu/clase
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund www.hsf.net
• Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
  (MALDEF) www.maldef.org
• Latin American Association in Atlanta
• At UGA and Locally
• Oasis Catolico
• Garnett Ridge Boys Girls Club
• Catholic Social Services
• Fanning Latino Youth Leadership Program
• Steps to College
• CLACS (Center for Latin American Caribbean
  Studies)
• Latino Advisory Board
• Hispanic Student Association
• TELL (Teachers for English Language Learners)
• Bilingual Media (e.g., Eco Latino, 90.5 FM, cable
  tv)

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What Can You Do?

• Learn more about the local Latino community
  through volunteering and attending activities
• Advocate for Latino, immigrant, and migrant
  students and families
• Take ESOL endorsement and implement effective
  teaching strategies
• Promote and recognize value of multiculturalism
  in all activities
• Become a teacher and a good one!
• Forthcoming course in Latino education (ELAN
  5710/7710)

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Adelante!
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Questions?

• Elida Perez-Knapp, Community Liaison Specialist,
  eperezkn_at_coe.uga.edu
• Dr. Bernadette Musetti, Co-Director,
  bmusetti_at_coe.uga.edu
• Dr. Paul Matthews, Co-Director, pmatthew_at_uga.edu
• Website www.coe.uga.edu/clase