Education is the primary route to security for children of ethnic minorities, a University of Arizona professor concludes in a study that his publisher says is the most-extensive ever done on Hispanic youth.
Dr. Julio Cammarota, an assistant professor in the UA’s Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology and the Mexican American Studies and Research Center, wrote Suenos Americanos, Barrio Youth Negotiating Social and Cultural Identities,( $39.95, University of Arizona Press, July 1, 2008, ISBN-10: 0816525935, ISBN-13: 978-0816525935.) It is based on his observations and extensive interviews of youth living in “El Pueblo,” the name he gives to the barrio along the California coast where he conducted his research.
“In my research I found that education is a primary route to rewarding employment and economic security,” Cammarota said. “And that education is particularly significant for the future prospects of children who are ethnic minorities, were born into disadvantaged economic circumstances, or are dealing with language barriers.
From 1993 to 2000, Cammarota interviewed and observed 40 youth between the ages 17 to 24 and selected six of the youth to investigate in depth for Suenos Americanos, according to the publisher."
