Latino parents face a huge learning curve when it comes to helping their children go on to college, according to a comprehensive study conducted by the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute at Pitzer College in Claremont.
"College Knowledge: What Latino Parents Need to Know and Why They Don't Know It" shows that by the year 2015, "Latinos will have the lowest percent of college graduates of any major ethnic group in the United States." Dr. Harry Pachon, president of the institute, says, "In order for this statistic to change, high schools, colleges and parents must work together to assure students the opportunity to attend college."
The college's telephone survey of more than 1,000 Latino parents in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, as well as detailed case study interviews of 41 of those parents, found that 65.7 percent of the parents failed a mini-test on factual college knowledge. The findings, according to experts, suggest that unless these deficits are corrected, Latino children are likely to miss out on crucial steps that lead to college.
Latino leaders within CTA agree that the report sends a message to schools, the community and parents that Latino students face a crisis in moving on to college.
"Having parents more knowledgeable is an important aspect in getting students into college. They need that information to encourage their kids," says Rachel Maldonado Aziminia, vice president of the Community College Association.
"Students with parents who have a college-level education are getting the information, but it's that 'first generation' we need to reach," says Maldonado Aziminia.
As a counselor at Chabot College in Hayward, she would like to see the University of California and California State University systems do more recruitment of students within the California Community Colleges where 83 percent of the Latino students begin - and often end - their college careers.
"Parents and Latino students see the community colleges as a gateway - and sometimes, it's the only one - to a better life. I'm often talking to college recruiters urging them to come here. Our community college students are more mature than many high school students and are more likely to go on to college."
At the same time, to be entirely successful, the quest for college must begin as early as seventh grade, says CTA President Wayne Johnson. By high school, students need to be actively enrolled in classes that meet requirements for the University of California or the CSU systems.
Mary Ann Pacheco, instructor in Rio Hondo Community College's Puente Project, a program designed to assist Latino students transfer to four-year colleges, would like to see CTA become even more involved in helping Latino students go on to college.
"There has been such a focus on getting kids through K-12, no one is thinking about getting kids into college," says Pacheco. "Even when they get here, they don't always get the information they need. Many of these students think 'undecided' is a major."
For many Latino students, college just isn't within their realm of experience, she adds. "We have a real challenge, and a real need, to provide this information in any way possible. Really, the message has to be that higher education starts in kindergarten."
The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute has similar recommendations, which include:
- Launching increased and focused college knowledge outreach to Latino parents in low socio-economic status communities.
- Increasing the scope, frequency and visibility of college events.
- Making campus visits more economically feasible and logistically accessible to Latino parents.
- Increasing the number of high school counselors and teachers who are bilingual.
"These are all valid recommendations and we all need to start working on them in our schools, at home and in the community," says CTA Secretary-Treasurer David A. Sanchez. "We cannot allow another generation of Latino students to pass through our schools without doing everything we can to move them on to college."
For more information, contact the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute at (909) 621-8897 or visit the website at http://www.trpi.org/.
