Column: Latinos need help to end 'dropout crisis' - Opinion - USATODAY.com: President Obama recently outlined his plans for improving the nation's schools in a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 'For America to compete and to win in the 21st century ... we will need a highly educated workforce,' he said. Obama noted that more than a million kids do not finish high school each year, and that over half of these are black and Hispanic.
The dropout problem has long bedeviled the Hispanic community. According to a 2009 report by the Pew Hispanic Center, the Latino high school dropout rate is 17% — nearly three times the rate for whites (6%), and almost double the rate for blacks (9%). Hispanics also attend college at lower rates than their peers.
This is not to say Latinos don't value education. Nearly three-quarters of those who didn't attend college said it was due to cost. While many Latino immigrants come here for a better life for their children, financial pressures often force their kids to cut their education short and start working.
President Obama is seeking $900 million for school turnaround grants. These federal funds would be distributed to states and school districts willing to improve their graduation rates and academic achievement. Obama also urged educators, elected officials, and business leaders to help solve the 'dropout crisis.'
