Abstract
Families and educators play critical roles in determining ways to successfully guide Hispanic males to graduate high school, reach their full potential, and ultimately pursue a college education. However, lower graduation rates, poorer grades, and smaller enrollment numbers in post-secondary programs demonstrate reason for concern particularly for this minoritized group. Despite positive relationships in young Hispanic males' lives, most still do not pursue a college education, leading to fewer Hispanic males in professional roles, running a business, as teachers, and in the medical field. This chapter focuses on specific challenges faced by this minoritized group in rural communities and how those challenges coincide specifically to the issues presented in the field of education. As the population of Hispanic members grows in the United States, so should the representation of this group in colleges, businesses, and the professional workforce.
TopIntroduction
Students’ transition to life after high school is full of apprehension, trials, and uncertainties, but it also presents an exciting opportunity to make decisions for what comes next. Regardless of trajectory, and even with supportive families, friends, and teachers, this transition period challenges most students. With the grim graduation rate of Hispanic males, this time is even more concerning for this demographic group. Hispanic males in the United States are of particular concern when (Behr et al., 2014; Greene & Winters, 2006; Knight-Manuel et al., 2019) addressing the achievement gap. Of all the major ethnic groups, Hispanic students have the highest national high school dropout rate (Behr et al., 2014). According to the Texas Education Agency (2001), Hispanic students comprised 59.5% of the non-graduates of the 2018 class. For those Hispanic males fortunate enough to navigate the educational system and graduate from high school, college is often still not seen as a viable option (Jackson et al., 2014; Reyes, 2007). Frequently, family obligations keep graduates at home to care for others, send them straight to the workforce, or force them to hold down a job while attending college to help support their family financially (Desmond & Lopez Turley, 2009; Harklau, 2013; Kao & Amaya, 2019; Mendez-Luck et al., 2016; Rudolph et al., 2005). Many rural communities driven by agricultural or other service industries face additional unique circumstances in which they have seen an influx of migrant workers, and the school systems are ill-equipped to educate the students properly (Villalba et al., 2007).
The United States is in the midst of a crucial time when social issues surround discussions involving equity, justice, and discrimination against marginalized groups of people (Berry-James et al., 2021; Matthew, 2017; Pager & Shepherd, 2008). The academic achievement gap that continues to exist for marginalized racial and ethnic groups as a result of decades of suppressed opportunities should also be at the forefront of these national debates (Greene & Winters, 2006; Safavian & Conley, 2016; Texas Education Agency, 2001; Torres, 2017). Although multiple stakeholders attempt to close the achievement gap, a significant crisis still exists. In particular, Hispanic students continue to graduate high school and enroll in higher education institutions at a lower percentage than other demographic groups (Barry, 2013; Jambunathan & Burts, 2003; Musu-Gillette et al., 2016; Safavian & Conley, 2016; Texas Education Agency, 2001). Of critical importance is the graduation rate for high school Hispanic males. According to Greene and Winters, in 2006, only 49% of Hispanic males graduated from urban high school settings. In Texas in 2018, the demographic population of Hispanic students consisted of 50.5%, but accounted for 59.5% of the non-graduates in the class (Texas Education Agency, 2001). Despite various attempts to remedy this situation, there is still a wide discrepancy between Hispanic males and other demographic groups. This difference is not just evident when investigating academic achievement in high school. This gap exists when examining college applications, enrollment, and degree completion rates (Knight-Manuel et al., 2019; Reyes, 2007). In 2013, only 21% of Hispanic males in New York state were considered college and career ready upon graduation (Knight-Manuel et al., 2019). According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2019, 33% of Hispanic males ages 18–24 were enrolled in college or graduate school (IES: NCES, 2021). In Texas, only 21% of the Hispanic population possesses an associate’s degree or higher, and they have a graduation rate of 47% from four-year institutions (Latino College Completion: Texas, 2018). Without Hispanic males attending college at the same rate as other demographic groups, this marginalized group is missing from vital parts of operating society where a need for their presence exists.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Communal Learning: The process of learning as a community rather than solely as an individual; an educational learning process.
Marginalized: In regard to groups of people, to be treated as less, insignificant, or unimportant.
Acculturation: Assimilation to a new culture while leaving behind current cultural characteristics.
Self-Efficacy: The belief in one's own ability to achieve goals.
Familism: A cultural construct in which the value and needs of the family or the group is placed above the needs of the individual.
Incongruent: In regard to race/ethnicity in the educational classroom, where the race/ethnicity of a student does not match that of the instructor.
Cooperative Learning: The process of learning and working as a group with assigned roles and jobs rather than working as an individual; an educational learning process.
Multicultural Education: Educational idea that promotes the various cultures, beliefs, traditions, and values of all students.