Latinos and Education in Iowa

19 de octubre, 2016

David Romero

Consejero Académico

y

Activista estudiantil

Académico: de
Iowa State University

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education”.

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Latinos are undeniable an important part of the future of Iowa.  As this important block of the population continues to grow they will continue to make great contributions to the economic and cultural fabric of this great state.  As we continue to move towards this future we must ask the question: How can we make sure this growing segment of the population succeeds?  A great education system is one answer. It is well documented in academic research that increasing the educational attainment of individuals is key to increasing their success and social mobility.  By providing Latino students with strong educational opportunities we will be ensuring that future generations of Latino Iowans find a way to contribute to the economic success of the state.   The growing number of Latino students in many schools districts in Iowa highlights the important responsibility that school and city leaders have to understand and find ways that will encourage and promote the educational attainment of Latino students.  

According to 2014-2015 enrollment data from the Iowa department of education Latino students now make a great part of the student population in some places like Crawford, Buena Vista, and Marshall counties and they continue to become a strong presence in Polk and Woodbury County.  However, although Latino student enrollment in many districts has grown their academic achievement still lags behind other groups in the district.  For instance, Latino students achieved an 80% high school graduation rate during the 2014-2015 school year.  While this is an improvement from the previous 2013-2014 academic year when Latino students achieved only a 67.5% graduation rate, there is still a great room for improvement.  For instance, there is a persistent achievement gap that in Latino student performance in reading, mathematics, and science.  This begs the question – What can we do as school administrators, teachers, families, and city/state officials to close this achievement gap so ALL students in Iowa succeed and thrive in our schools?  This is a complex question that offers to easy answer, but there are ways we can start heading in the right direction.  In a 2013 annual higher education report, the Lumina foundation outlined three steps that Iowa can follow in order to increase its educational attainment.  

The report from the Lumina foundation made the following recommendations “1. Improve the quality of student outcomes in terms of completion, learning, and employment.  2.  Align investments with state priorities and student needs.  3.  Create smarter pathways for students”.  The highlights and action steps from Lumina’s report will become the focus of our next series of columns in La Esquina de La Educacion.  Their purpose will be to bring attention to solutions and innovative actions that can assist us in facilitating the academic success of students in Iowa.

Resumen en Español:

Los estudiantes Latino en Iowa continuaran siendo una parte importante en los diferentes distritos escolares de Iowa. 

Es vital que prestemos atención y encontremos maneras de cómo asegurar el progreso educativo de esta población que continuara siendo una parte importante en el futuro de Iowa.

Las próximas columnas de la Esquina de la educación se enfocaran en como podemos asegurar el éxito académico de todos los estudiantes en Iowa.

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