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Essay on Hispanic Struggles in American Schools

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Challenges Faced by Hispanic Students in American Schools and How Schools Can Address Identified Needs

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Abstract The United States Hispanic population continues to increase each year. In turn, school populations of Hispanics increase as well. Hispanics, although improving academically, continue to have high school dropout rates, higher than other racial and ethnic groups and continue to lag behind school peers. The discrepancy between Hispanic students and other students’ achievement is the result of many factors, including acculturalization, language acquisition, poverty, and school factors. Schools …show more content…

101). Emergence into a new culture requires courage, toppled with humiliation. Despite the energy or the will, unfamiliar territory/language and events present unrelenting and unavoidable tensions. Hispanic students encounter teachers who fail to support them in maintaining aspects of their cultural identity. For some ELL students honoring and respecting another’s culture may diminish some of the struggles these students face. Unfortunately, students of other cultures are faced with physical consequences for failure to completely adopt with American culture. Conde highlighted some Cuban children’s desire to escape the educational setting. Having experienced painful physical reprimands and comments from teachers for refusing Americanization, many students complied while others were determined to hold onto their culture and language (Conde, p. 126).

Poverty In addition to the problems associated with acculturalization, Hispanics are faced with high levels of poverty. Poverty is correlated to academic and linguistic failure of all races of students. According to the National Education Association (NEA), Hispanic students face unique challenges in student achievement (“Hispanic Students Face Unique Challenges”, 2007). Factors such as poverty directly impact the level of achievement although they have made gains since 1980. Duvall (2011) stated, “Although

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