Latinos in Education.

Overview & Synopsis

This booklet provides a snapshot of Latinos in the U.S. education system from early childhood through graduate education. Latino students comprise about 15 percent of the K-12 population today and are expected to reach about 25 percent by 2025. California, Texas, and Florida serve the highest concentrations of Hispanic students. Latino educational attainment lags behind that of the rest of the nation. Differences in achievement between Hispanics and non-Hispanics begin as early as kindergarten and continue through high school. Latinos in higher education tend to be concentrated in a relatively small number of institutions in five states. A section on Latinos in early childhood education covers the under-5 population, enrollments of Latino children aged 3-5 compared to other ethnic groups, urban-suburban comparisons, influence of parental education and income, and school readiness. A section on Latinos in elementary education (K-8) discusses population, enrollment, urbanicity and poverty, academic achievement, limited English proficiency, computer usage, and Hispanic teachers. A section on Latinos in secondary education (9-12) reviews population, enrollment, academic achievement, dropout rates, course selection, high school completion rates, and college preparation. A section on Latinos in higher education covers population, enrollment rates, type of institution, concentration in a few institutions and states, part-time students, student financial aid, college completion, and degrees awarded. A section on Latinos in graduate education discusses enrollment, gender differences, financial aid, degrees awarded, and Latino faculty. (SV)