Front Page  opinion  guest_columns

Friday, June 19, 2009

Social Costs of Unschooled Stagger State

By Jose Armas, Karen Sanchez-Griego And Adrian Pedroza
Latino/Hispano Education Improvement Task Force
          Question: with all the commotion about education these days, what has been missing? It's the unwillingness to specifically and openly confront what poses the greatest threat — and greatest promise — to the social and economic future of our state: Latino achievement.
       Here is the “New Reality” we're reluctant to come to terms with:
       n New Mexico became the first Latino majority state in 2003. Seemingly overnight, our children have become the vast majority (Latino 54.4 percent vs. 30.2 percent Anglo).
       n The Latino dropout rate statewide is 50.5 percent, while the state's largest school district, Albuquerque Public Schools, only managed to graduate 37 percent of Latinos in four years.
       n Latinos make up 67 percent of APS elementary school children, foreshadowing New Mexico's future population trend.
       n The state's Standards-Based Assessment test indicates that Latino achievement gap — Latino students' scores averaged 31 percent lower than those of Anglos during the most recent five-year period for which figures are available — has not significantly closed for years.
       n Our children make up almost 80 percent of those held in juvenile detention!
       Outrageous, right? There is more. The Alliance for Excellence in Education's economic impact report finds that an average high school dropout earns $17,299 compared to $26,938 for a high school graduate; and each dropout contributes $60,000 less in taxes to society over their lifetime. New Mexico's cost of failing to educate the tens of thousands of Latino students in loss of income, unemployment, working poor, underemployment, food stamps, welfare, prison and uninsured costs is staggering.
       Consider that had we improved graduation rates 1 percent a year for the past 30 years, Latinos would still have a higher dropout rate than Anglos. Can you imagine the benefits we would be enjoying from increased purchasing power, higher tax receipts, higher levels of worker productivity and healthier families from those thousands of additional high school graduates?
       We need a new education delivery model. From one that looks at our students as deficient to a transformational paradigm that builds from our strengths and assures that our parents and community belong in the education process. Fix the Latino achievement crisis and it will lift our standing as one of the poorest states and forever remove New Mexico's dubious distinction of being one of the worst states to raise a child. Guaranteed.
       It's irresponsible for New Mexico to fail to educate the overwhelming segment of its majority children. But no alarm has been sounded. Not one state agency has made this crisis a policy initiative. Not one school district has specifically made Latino achievement, graduation and dropout rates a priority. Institutions seem adamant in ignoring our plight.
       The Latino/Hispano Education Improvement Task Force was formed to confront this dismal reality. The picture is so grim that we've asked the governor as well as the APS superintendent to declare a state of emergency and to have all available resources, both human and financial, marshaled to address this crisis.
       We're not blaming anyone. We just need to fix this travesty now. We have been building partnerships within the community, the state, APS, the unions and the Hispano Chamber of Commerce to compile solutions.
       New Mexico's disgraceful Latino education record is fixable — and we must make it possible. There are examples of school districts in other states with high poverty and limited English proficiency that still manage to graduate 87 percent of Latinos in four years; a rate higher than even Anglo students in New Mexico. Why wouldn't we welcome this education paradigm shift here?
       We appreciate that Gov. Bill Richardson has responded positively and asked Education Secretary Veronica García to work with our Task Force. Likewise APS Superintendent Winston Brooks, union leadership and elected officials have all offered proactive ideas. Garcia has now publicly taken from our positions that current achievement rates are unacceptable and that bold new directions must be undertaken. We all now need to specifically target, without fear, all Latino achievement and graduation rates.
       All New Mexicans will benefit when Latinos' education is addressed. As César Chávez might say, “Si se puede.” After all, education belongs to all of us. Can we afford to not act?
       

---

You also can send comments via our comment form