Latinos lag in high school graduation and college completion rates, but the numbers are improving and the demographics are changing quickly, according to Frank Alvarez, the president of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.
“What we’ve begun to see, because of the slowing down of immigration, is that there are more native births,” said Alvarez. “We have begun to see that students have started to consider themselves differently than they did before. There is a change in the dominance of language—it’s less Spanish for the generation that is coming.”
Alvarez, who was in New York to participate in the HSF’s Alumni Hall of Fame and Education Summit and announce the second cohort of Obama Scholars on Monday and Tuesday, said it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution to boost educational attainment among Latinos.
“Kids today don’t identify themselves as one box. They check multiple boxes now, and so how do you deal with that?” said Alvarez.
Mark Lopez, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center, spoke at the summit and highlighted major findings in a new report.
Latinos are starting to graduate high school in higher numbers, and they now make up a majority of students on community college campuses. “It’s not only the economy, but eligibility, that is increasing the enrollment of Hispanics,” he said. In 2008, Latinos made up about 8 percent of college graduates.
“More so than any other group, young Latinos, in fact all Latinos, are more likely to say that a college education is important for success in life today,” he added.
