ARTICLE IN THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION ON "GAP BETWEEN COLLEGE ASPIRATIONS AND SUCCESS" IN LATINOS

The article in the Chronicle of High Education talks about a poll funded by the "Associated Press-Univision...and... co-sponsored by the Nielsen Company and Stanford University" found a couple of interesting things. First off, of the "1,521 Hispanics polled", "94 percent of Latinos expect their children to attend college". This is an amazing testament to how Latinos view a college degree; there are very few Latinos who would shun the advantages in quality of life and self knowledge that it brings. However, of the Latinos polled, only "13 percent of Latinos...[had]...at least a bachelor's degree, compared with 30 percent of the U.S. population."

Moreover, "Eighty-seven percent of Hispanic Americans value higher education as being extremely or very important, compared with 78 percent of all Americans." Therefore, it would be hard for one to disagree that Latinos find education important. And this is true, but might we calibrate for hubris and the "ridiculousness" of the question. In other words, what fool, living in these United States, would not consider a college degree of the utmost importance. So, the bent of this poll now aims to understand the difference between Aspiration and Success. However, the authors of the study did come up with some reasons as to the gulf might exist.

The authors of the study suggest that "causes for the discrepancy between aspiration and achievement: lack of money and a reluctance to borrow it, familial obligations, and tepid support from parents and teachers." Which is nothing new, although I was surprised by the acknowledgment that "tepid support from parents and teachers" was making ground as a reason why inner city schools chock full of Latinos are failing to educate our minority children. College needs to not even be a question of volition, but of decision, and we need to ensure that Latino children are successful in college and outside of college, as citizens, denizens of an important minority.

The url for the article is, http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Poll-of-Hispanics-Finds-a-Gap/25866/