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Boss, Eric,

I am sending you my last two columns about latinos, and latinos and education, that you might find of interest


Thanks, have a good weekend

Gabriel


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabriel-sanchez-zinny/why-dont-politicians-get-it-with-hispanics-_b_1432838.html <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabriel-sanchez-zinny/why-dont-politicians-get-it-with-hispanics-_b_1432838.html>

Why Don't Politicians Get It With Hispanics?


Gabriel Sanchez Zinny <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabriel-sanchez-zinny>


Managing Director at Blue Star Strategies, Washington, DC

It looks like both Republicans and Democrats are missing the target when they talk to Hispanics. Or should we call them Latinos, or something else? More on this in a minute.

The latest Pew Hispanic Center survey among 1,220 cases of Latino adults, carried out from November to December 2011, sheds some light on many of the clichés about Latinos.

It is official now: we prefer not to call ourselves Latinos or Hispanics. According to the report, a majority of us, 51 percent, identify with our country of origin while only 24 percent prefer a generic term. If this is the case, why don't politicians and strategists understand this?

Another assumption about Latinos that became a cliché is that Latinos should be conservative, but don't know it, because they are family-oriented, appreciate hard work, and attend church. However, the reality is always more complex than market segmentation.

Yes, Latinos believe in hard work, and travel to America to find opportunities they otherwise would not have in their countries. Pew found that 75 percent think that working hard is the way to move up in the social ladder, 17 points more than what the average American believes. This doesn't define Latinos' political affiliation though, and neither does their religion or family values.

Religion still plays an important part in the Latino community. According to Pew, "69 percent of Latino immigrants say religion is very important in their lives." But, this sentiment has decreased the longer they have stayed in America, transferring this attitude to the next generation. Among U.S.-born Hispanics, only 49 percent share that feeling.

Another stereotype in political campaigns has to do with language--something we are starting to see again this year. Politicians try to speak in Spanish, record TV and radio advertisements in Spanish, and think we will react more favorably if we are approached by our parents' language. Although Latino immigrants' English skills are typically not as strong as those of U.S.-born Latinos, 87 percent of Latinos agree and believe that it's important to learn English to succeed in the U.S. They also believe that speaking Spanish is very important for future generations. Although, in this global world where speaking two languages is always a competitive advantage in a professional career, who doesn't?

Latinos might like to use Spanish when we watch television or other means of entertainment, but not when we want to participate in politics, or want to be seen as equal Americans by our future elected representatives. Many Latinos find this pejorative more than welcoming.

Clearly the Latino population is more complex than political strategists and pollsters describe. Latinos strongly support America and 79 percent said they would immigrate again if they had to. However, they don't want to be treated as a monolithic group. They have conservative views about family and religion, but have liberal feelings about being mistreated and discriminated against. Their political beliefs are also influenced by a love-hate relationship with a United States whose geopolitical relationships with their native countries have varied over the years. Perhaps even more challenging for Latinos' to overcome is the level of trust in government, possibly the most important factor that unites U.S. society. Indeed, Latinos trust the government less than the average American. This could also stem from attitudes in origin countries, where it is uncommon to trust the government because it was often corrupt, run by elites, and rarely delivered on campaign promises.

Not even immigration, as the cliché goes, is the priority among Latinos. Latinos are more concerned about employment, their own income levels, and their children's education, like everyone else in the U.S. In January a Univisión/Latino Decisions poll shows that 65 percent of registered Latino voters considered jobs and the economy as their most pressing concerns. Only 23 percent named immigration as their top priority.

The Pew report demonstrates the misreading of Latinos by many politicians. Calling all of them Latinos, talking to them in Spanish, and focusing only on immigration issues will probably not be the best way to secure their support. When will politicians learn this?


http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/04/14/hispanics-education-and-their-role-in-us-economic-competitiveness/


Hispanics’ Education and Their Role in US Economic Competitiveness


By Gabriel Sanchez Zinny <http://latino.foxnews.com/archive/author/gabriel-sanchez-zinny/index.html> , Laura Agosta

Published April 14, 2012

Fox News Latino

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There are currently 50 million Hispanics living in the United States, a figure that represents 16 percent of the country’s total population. As such, their level of education, skills and capabilities will have a strong impact on the economic development and competitiveness of the U.S. The level of education among the Hispanic community is not only a social issue but is also a vital economic concern.

Hispanic children between five and 17 years of age often face educational challenges, usually scoring lower than the average student in annual reading and mathematics standardized tests. In this context, there are three main aspects to consider in the debate on educational public policy for Hispanics: the increase in their school enrollment rates in the last decade, their low level of educational attainment and the educational gap between whites and Hispanics in the U.S.

Compared to other ethnic groups in the country, Hispanics lend a higher degree of importance to education, according to a 2009 Pew Research Center study. This fact, in addition to the effect of public policies and the increased influx of immigrants in the country, contributes to the growing enrollment rates among the Hispanic community. According to the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, the average enrollment of K-12 Hispanic students is higher than the average for the general population.

However, reports have shown that the schools that Hispanics are enrolled in are typically lower quality school systems. In addition, the dropout rate in high school is 17.6 percent among Hispanics, as compared to 5.2 percent among the white population and 8.1 percent among the entire U.S. population, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Quality continues to be an elusive goal. Although there is a reduction in the gap between the white population and Hispanics in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics average scores from 1973 to 2008, this change is not sufficient evidence to show a decrease in the overall educational gap of Hispanics. Regarding SAT scores, Hispanics are scoring lower in mathematics and critical reading than the average U.S. student.

Elements that are prompting the problems associated with the characteristics described above include:

(i) Factors that influence educational achievement. According to the U.S. Department of Education, there are four factors that affect student achievement: Having a mother who has less than a high school education, being a member of a family on welfare or receiving food stamps, living in a single-parent family, and having parents whose primary language is one other than English. By the end of the 20th century, “about seven out of 10 entering kindergarten from Hispanic or Black families have one or more of these risk factors, compared to about three out of 10 of those from white families.

(ii) Low quality of the schools that they attend. Hispanics are more likely to attend minority-heavy public schools that are often low performing.

(iii) Constraints to parents when it comes to the possibility of choosing their children’s schools. The White House Initiative for Hispanics highlights how the challenge of the low educational achievement that Hispanics suffer from represents a problem not only for the community, but also for the entire country, given the importance of this minority within American society. Addressing the challenges that Hispanics face in the U.S. has become quite serious and their growing importance in number and participation in social, economic and political life gives greater credence to their growing demands to live in a more fair and prosperous society.

Gabriel Sanchez Zinny is the managing director at Blue Star Strategies, Washington, DC, where he focuses his expertise on Latin American and domestic related policy issues. Laura Agosta is a project manager for Formar Foundation, based in Washington, DC.