STATE AND LOCAL POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR LATINOS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF LATINOS IN HIGHER EDUCATION 4 I. Latino Undergraduate Education 5 II. Latinos Level of Education 5 III. Latinos in Graduate Education 6 IV. Government Programs Supporting 6 V. The aim of this paper is to assess the policy framework and programs initiated to foster the uptake of education among Latinos in the United States as well as their contribution in the programs. The federal government has initiated many programs in the federal and local levels to facilitate Latino education. The Higher Education Act(HEA) remains the key policy framework for education in the postsecondary level. The confluence of the policy and the programs informs the trajectory for educational activities that would improve the access, persistence and completion of education among Latino students. The HEA has undergone extensive modifications informed by the cost and financial issues of colleges and universities in the United States.

In the recent past, average tuition and fees have risen almost 50 percent at public undergraduate colleges and universities and 22 percent at community colleges. For instance, in the years coming to the 2010- 2014, the average tuition and fees increased almost 15 percent for students at both public baccalaureate and community colleges to pay for their education, most college students receive some form of financial aid (GAndara & Frances, 67). According to a College Board report, Trends in College Pricing, almost 60 percent of undergraduate students receive some form of financial aid to help them pay for their education (Lipman, 247). This financial aid includes grants, loans, work-study and tax credits from federal, state, local, and institutional sources. However, Department of Education data shows that a decreasing portion of federal aid is distributed according to need.

S. Census Bureau). Due to this traditional student, comprise of merely 40 percent of students in higher education today. The majority of students in higher education are “non-traditional,” including many Latino students (Gandara, 27). In most cases Latinos are enrolled in community colleges near where they live, attend college part time, commute to college, work, are first-generation college students, are low-income, have less academic preparation than their peers, and are concentrated geographically in a small number of states and institutions of higher education throughout the nation. According to Banks et al (34) about 45 percent of Hispanic undergraduate students are enrolled in about 230 institutions of higher education identified as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). These 230 institutions represent seven percent of all postsecondary institutions. The HEA describes the HSI as accredited degree-granting public or private non-profit institutions of higher education with low educational and general expenditures, a high enrolment of needy students, and at least 25 percent total undergraduate Hispanic full-time-equivalent student enrolment, of which at least 50 percent of Hispanic students are low-income (Tollefson & monica, 1587-93).

II. Latinos Level of Education Current studies show that Latino students are less likely to complete college through the traditional path. Programs in the HEA target many diverse stakeholders in higher education: students, parents, teachers, not-for profit organizations, and institutions of higher education. These programs include financial aid to students, support for improving colleges and universities, investment in research, and promotion of collaborations between community organizations and institutions supporting the academic preparation of students (Chapa &Richard, 174). Programs in the HEA are authorized through federal legislation and then separately funded through the Congressional appropriations process. To demonstrate the process and underscore the distinction between authorizing a program and funding it through appropriations, note that the Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions program was originally created through authorization in 1992, yet funding for the program was not provided until 1995.

Most funding for higher education programs is discretionary, meaning that the level of funding for each program is not set at a specific level and may be adjusted or eliminated every year by Congress. The Developing HSIs program was first authorized in 1994, when about 130 institutions met the criteria for eligibility. In the last ten years, the number of institutions meeting the criteria has almost doubled, reflecting the large increase in Latino enrolment in higher education. More than 200 grants averaging about $375,000 per year have been awarded to these institutions of higher education. About 45 percent of Latinos in higher education are enrolled in Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Therefore, one avenue for targeting services to large numbers of Latino students is through HSIs. Institutions receive grants to increase their recruitment and support of these students.

In 2000-01, less than 10 percent (7,100) of Latinos who earned bachelor’s degrees received degrees in science and engineering. While the number of Latino graduates in science and engineering is not large, it has grown since the inception of MSEIP. Many participating institutions credit the program with helping them to develop effective recruiting mechanisms to identify interested Latino, black, and Native American students and to diversity their student body in these disciplines (Hodara, 256). VI. The credit covers 100 percent of the first $1,000 of qualifying expenses plus 50 percent of the next $1,000. Latinos receive the lowest average amount of financial aid awarded in reference to type and source of aid accorded to any ethnic group. Full-time, full-year undergraduate degree-seeking Latino students received the least financial aid of any major racial/ethnic group (including federal aid or non-federal aid).

Latinos also received the smallest grants of any ethnic group, larger loans than Black or American Indian/Alaska Native students, and lower work-study awards than White or Asian/Pacific Islander students. EDUCATION CRISIS FOR LATINOS The deficiency of improvement in college completion affects not only Latinos but also the society as a whole. Language difference is commonly perceived to be the primary educational barrier for Latino students, and, unfortunately, most attention has been placed on debates over what kind of language program to provide. This distracts educators and others from the more important questions about educational quality. While language is an issue for some Latino students, it's not the critical issue. A recent study12 found that English Learners (primarily Latinos) received an inferior education along seven different dimensions, even when compared to other poor and low-income students.

Chief among the educational inequities suffered are teachers unprepared to address their needs. In this, factors like access to school, wealth, health and safe environments will aid the development of both adults and children at all levels across the American society. Given that most Latinos live in the low income, low-opportunity regions, the remain more marginalised in development. This calls for the realignment of school districts and providing for balance in the schools. The implementation of such integrative policies is critical for the development of the education of the minority groups and is a collective action for all stakeholders in the education sector. iii. Improving on the costs and incentives would attract teachers in the Latino populated areas, a scenario that would greatly improve the quality of education for Latino students.

v. With the effects of globalization affecting all persons and countries equally, the United States ought to take advantage of their comparative advantage in terms of population. There is need to develop the people capacity to interact across distinct cultural; and linguistic barriers. This issue of language ought to make a resource that need extensive exploitation as it is too valuable and opens up for cognitive development (Hodara, 267). Valencia. Latino population growth, demographic characteristics, and educational stagnation: An examination of recent trends. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 15. Crisp, Gloria, and Amaury Nora. Hispanic student success: Factors influencing the persistence and transfer decisions of Latino community college students enrolled in developmental education. Educational Leadership 67. Hodara, Michelle. The effects of English as a second language courses on language minority community college students.

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 37. Jung, Youngok, et al. Perez Huber, Lindsay, et al. Still Falling through the Cracks: Revisiting the Latina/o Education Pipeline. CSRC Research Report. Number 19. UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (2015). Radical Pedagogy 13. U. S. Census Bureau, 2003. Current Population Survey, March 2002, Detailed Tables (PPL-169), Table 7.