NEA Issues Report on Status of Hispanics in Education : The National Education Association today issued A Report on the Status of Hispanics in Education: Overcoming a History of Neglect. The report finds that Hispanic students often face unique challenges in student achievement, influenced by the fact that Hispanics have poverty rates that are two to nearly three times higher than whites; Hispanics cite Spanish as their dominant language and more than 20 percent say they do not speak English or do not speak English well; and 40 percent of the Hispanic population is foreign born.
The result is that many Hispanic students must overcome language, cultural and socioeconomic barriers to succeed in school. In March 2006, NEA and the League of United Latin American Citizens convened an education summit in Denver to address the challenges that are hindering Hispanic youngsters from achieving educational success. Educators and community activists gathered to share views and make recommendations on how to improve the education of Hispanics. The results of the summit discussion along with supporting research are published in the NEA report.
