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Sunday, October 11, 2009

To Our Readers

By Martin Salazar
Journal Staff Writer
          Today, we launch a series on the achievement gap between Anglo and Hispanic students that has vexed our state and country for decades.
        It's a problem that hits close to home for me.
        I'm the youngest of six Hispanic children born to a mother and father who never had the benefit of a high school education, let alone college. My parents, who struggled financially, taught us that getting an education was critical to our futures.
        Statistically speaking, it was unlikely that all of us would graduate from high school and go to college. Still, one by one, my siblings conquered high school and college, and they went into the world of work: a financial controller, two accountants, a teacher and an engineer.
        When it came time for me, the path had been carved out, and the thought of not getting a high school diploma or a college degree never crossed my mind. I graduated from high school and from the University of New Mexico on my way to a career in journalism.
        As I've been writing about the state's low graduation rate and the large achievement gap between Anglo and Hispanic students, I frequently ask myself how my family was able to beat the odds when so many others didn't. In New Mexico right now, only about 56 percent of Hispanic students graduate within four years, compared with 71 percent of Anglo students.
        And the gap isn't unique to Hispanics. About 61 percent of blacks graduate in four years, while the figure is about 50 percent for Native Americans.
        I like to think the reason for our success was my father, a fierce believer in education who frequently told us he dug ditches so we wouldn't have to. When I gave his eulogy in January, I told the story of how he locked my then-4-year-old sister in a dark bathroom for a few minutes when she refused to learn her ABCs.
        It was a different time, and it's probably not a good idea to try that now. Still, his message was clear: He would not tolerate any of us slacking when it came to education.
        While my father's push for education no doubt played a key role in our success, there's no question that there were other factors. It helps to have the angels on your side — in our case, teachers, family friends and others who guided us through the maze.
        Among the other Journal staffers who will contribute to the series are:
        •Columnist Joline Gutierrez Krueger, a Chicago native who grew up in Albuquerque. She attended a private Catholic school here and graduated from Albuquerque High and later the University of New Mexico.
        •Reporter Juan Carlos Rodriguez, who grew up in Olympia, Wash., and earned a bachelor's degree from Evergreen State College and a master's in journalism from Northwestern University. He covers social services, including the Children, Youth and Families Department, and is a general assignment reporter.
        •Reporter Andrea Schoellkopf, who has covered education for more than 15 years and has two children in the Albuquerque Public Schools system. She graduated from St. Pius and New Mexico State University.
        •Reporter Elaine Briseño, who was born in Artesia and graduated from Cibola High in 1990. She was raised primarily by a single mother who was the first in her family to graduate from college. Briseño earned her bachelor's degree from UNM. She has a son who attends middle school at Rio Rancho Public Schools.
        Previous stories and links to resources can be found at ABQjournal.com.
       

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