Are Mexican Americans Treated Unfair

African American students account for the larger majority of minorities in public schools in the United States. Most areas in the northern part of the United states and coastal areas are ethnically diverse. However, down south this is not the case. Students of color will experience a harder time in the education system. African American students meet the obstacle of educators who will not want them to succeed based on a preconceived thought. In fact, Caucasian teachers make up for 85% of all

Currently, general education classrooms have increasingly become diverse with both disable students and students from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In order for educators to ensure that they effectively teach these classrooms, meet the needs of each student both successfully and individually, effective research that is based on strategies need to be implemented. The U.S. Department of Education suggest that, the current school-age population is becoming more diverse as time passes, yet, majority of the teachers in these schools are white non-Hispanic women. According to another report by The Condition of Education in 2006, American schools are portraying increased diversity and growth. The report suggested that, forty two percent of students in public schools were ethnic or racial minorities in the year 2003; this increased from twenty two percent since 1972. Owing to these reasons, teachers in these schools are expected to educate a diversified class of students including those that come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Teachers are therefore, required to implement a number of key strategies that will ensure that every student in specific classroom feels that he or she belongs there (Worrell, 2010).

In a 2004 journal by Susan Auerbach, the concept of parental influence and support for Latina/o students is addressed. Auerbach shares that, “Research suggests the pivotal role of parents in promoting students’ college going” (Auerbach, p.127). It is no mystery that parents have great influence over their children, and when a parent is uneducated on how to best advise their child regarding higher education, they are unable to use this influence to encourage attendance. Auerbach states, “Families without a tradition of college going do not have sufficient knowledge to help their children navigate pathways to college” (Auerbach, p.140). According to the Latino Eligibility Study, the single most important barrier to college access for Latino students in California is lack of active knowledge of the steps needed to go to college (Gandara, 1998,2002). Parents of first generation students need tools that can aid in the child’s success and serve as a means of knowledge on what can be a challenging and confusing process. Another issue tied to parent involvement and understanding is that, “Poor and working class Latino families come to college preparation relatively late in students’ careers, with fewer resources and more obstacles” (Auerbach, p.136). The journal supports the idea that Latino/a parents are in need of early access to college preparation education in order to be able to challenge and support their

Conversely, some believe that Latino apathy toward education, rather than institutional racism, is what impedes academic success. It is their work ethic and lack of familial support that disengages students from the learning process. If Latino students would stop being lazy and commit to their studies and if parents would get involved and show some interest in their children’s education, instead of blaming poor performance on teacher bias, then success would

The U.S. Department of Education’s Digest of Education Statistics (2010) compiles data on educational trends and statistics in the United States. According to the digest, in 2009 African Americans earned about 10 percent of all bachelor degrees awarded. Furthermore, about 20 percent of African Americans currently hold a college degree. When compared to the same rates for the white non-hispanic population, African Americans are largely lagging behind. The challenges that African Americans are facing must be met by post secondary institutions if this group is going to continue on the path of economic and career prosperity. This need is discussed in the report Minorities in Higher Education:

The Hispanic/Latino community has been known to be underrepresented on college campuses, both at the community college and four-year university level. Factors such as low-income households, poor or harsh living conditions, under-educated parents, cultural and family commitments, and unfamiliarity with the college process, all serve as unfortunate barriers that keep Hispanic/Latino students from reaching the goal of attaining college degrees. Although these barriers keep many students from succeeding, many others overcome these obstacles and continue on their paths to creating a better future for themselves. They choose to look past the expectations that society has for them and break out of the stereotypical mold. However, Hispanic/Latino students face, yet, another challenge upon successfully making it on to a college campus... the challenge of graduating.

In the educational setting, Mexican Americans have faced discrimination, segregation, and inequality for many years. This paper discusses the struggles and inequalities that Mexican Americans have faced in education. I will focus on different educational time periods and discuss the problems and struggles that occurred in those time periods. The time periods that I give focus to include education in the Spanish-Mexican era (1519-1848), education and early Anglo rule in the Southwest (1836-1890), the expansion of American education (1890-1960), and education in the contemporary period (1960-present).

The exponential growth of the Latina/o population is symptomatic of an unquestionable shift in the demographic landscape, and is also reflected in the demographic make-up of higher education. As of 2012, Latina/os constitute the largest ethnic/racial minority group in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). Furthermore, Latina/o undergraduate students constitute the largest minority group on college campuses, at 19% of total students enrolled (Pew Research Center, 2014). Research also indicates that Latina/o students experience continued racial discrimination on college campuses (Chavez & French, 2007; Yosso, Smith, Ceja, & Solórzano, 2009; Cokley, Hall-Clark, & Hicks, 2011; Zeiders, Doane, & Roosa, 2012).

What were the different ways that the establishment (police, school administration) responded to the walkouts?

In the article “Status of the Historiography of Chicano Education: A Preliminary Analysis” Guadalupe San Miguel Jr mentions Several factors that have altered and molded Chicanos throughout time. The cultural imbalance, geographical and society changes caused Chicanos to feel unfit for the Anglo-Society. This prevented Chicanos students from attending school and developing English literacy. For instance, the article mentions how schools located in California and Texas excluded Mexicans from attending primary and secondary school because Chicanos lacked an understanding of the language English. After the Bilingual Eduction of Act of 1968 was passed, school districts created special programs to encourage students of low-income to develop a better understanding of English. In reality, Chicanos felt welcomed and not motivated to continue to pursue a career and further their education. Overall, the article analyzes more reasons of as to why Chicanos are not pursuing an education.

Currently, more than half of the public schools are Hispanic so teachers and activists are now demanding schools to teach Mexican American studies. The controversial issue over the newly proposed Mexican American textbook being used in Texas public schools brings up multiple issues in the educational system. Critics call it inaccurate, racist, and ignorant and it should be not released. "There's no way this textbook can be corrected. The errors are so extensive," says Trinidad Gonzales, a history professor at South Texas College (Isensee). The authors of the book can’t even depict the difference between a Mexican and a Chilean. If the State Board of Education has Mexican American studies as a course of study in all Texas public schools, publishers

The United States of America is known for being a country filled with people of many different ethnic backgrounds. Likewise, the student population in schools is just as diverse as it continues to grow. Lynch (2015) notes that schools are expected to teach their students “how to synthesize cultural differences into their knowledge base” as this will help “facilitate students’ personal and professional success in a diverse world” (para. 8). Educators must be able to provide for the diverse needs of students and are expected to equip students with skills that can lead to healthy development as it can affect higher levels of student achievement and students have more opportunities of success in their future. Providing students with tools and skills requires an awareness and acceptance of their ethnic identity. Once students have developed self-acceptance about their ethnic identity, they can begin to feel empowered and motivated to do well. Through cultural empowerment, students of color can develop intrinsic motivation and achieve academic success.

Discrimination is a huge issue and is the main variable standing in the way of having culturally diverse education system. Unfortunately, many minority students are unawaringly victims of prejudices and injustices in the classroom. Low expectations and pre-determined ideas about specific minority groups make it difficult for students to excel while at the same time making cultural integration almost impossible. Lack of minority information in the curriculum causes disengagement in African American and Latin American students, providing them with the opportunity to engage in unfavorable or illegal activities. As we transition to a minority majority society, we must look at ourselves and the values we possess about multicultural students. As educators, it is important to eliminate any biases and discriminating ideas and values we uphold. In doing this, multicultural education will be up-to-date as we transition to a predominantly minority

The Mexican Constitution, established in 1917, outlined the necessity for public education, creating a definitive forum for addressing the educational needs of the country at the beginning of the century (Althaus 1). Though the Constitution addressed the issue of education, it did not provide a directive for promoting educational systems, and Mexico has had to address the difficult problem of providing an educational system for hundreds of different indigenous languages and cultures (Improving 1). Though the Mexican governments of the last two decades have attempted to address educational reform, there are a number of difficulties that have presented themselves, including a growing school-aged population and the

About 89% of students reported that being a minority did not affect academic achievement prior or after attending college. Eight out of the nine students interviewed stated they had attended private schools before making an appearance on Colorado College – it is important to notice that these students attended private schools because of high socioeconomic status; most of their parent’s income came from careers of being doctors, restaurant owners, teachers, etc. These students also voiced that the private schools they had attended provided the best resources to advance their