UC Irvine is the ‘Most Popular’ University in CA for Latinos



Latinos have made great strides in education in recent years, with more enrolling two- and four-year colleges and universities than ever before. Despite these gains, there is still a significant gap between Latinos and other racial and ethnic minorities in obtaining college degrees. Many universities around the country are coming up with new and innovative approaches to not only increase the enrollment of Latino students, but to also help them succeed when they get on campus. In all, 492 campuses in 19 states and Puerto Rico have been designated Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), which allows them to apply for about $100 million annually in federal research grants. For the University of California – Irvine campus, these strategies have begun to pay off. The Irvine (10.05% ...

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How a Short Task in Middle School Puts Latinos on a Path to College


latino school boy desk class student

A simple assignment has the power to sharply increase Latino middle-schoolers' chances of getting to college, researchers have found. The assignment? Write essays about your core values and why they are important to you. For the past few years, Stanford University-led researchers followed 81 Latino, 158 black, and control students in middle schools who wrote these types of essays—which can provide "self-affirmation," reinforce adequacy, and add resilience, John Timmer reports in Ars Tecnica. Researchers then compared these essay writers to other students who wrote on neutral topics, like their afternoon routine. For Latinos, the self-affirmation essay writers cut their risk in half of ending up on the remedial track, and they were more than twice as likely to end up ...

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Univ. of Michigan to offer free tuition to some in-state students



Obtaining an education is one of the key social determinants of health. While Latinos have made great strides in this area in recent years – high school dropout rates are at an all-time low and two- and four-year college enrollments for Latinos is at an all-time high – Latinos still lag behind other racial and ethnic minorities in obtaining college degrees. The University of Michigan recently announced an initiative that could help many of the state’s Latino and low-income families achieve their goal of going to college. The school’s Board of Regents passed a program that will give free tuition for families who live in the state of Michigan (4.72% Latino population) and earn less than $65,000 per year. Dubbed the “Go Blue Guarantee,” the program will launch on January 1, ...

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The School-to-Prison Pipeline is Slowing in Texas



School suspensions are usually thought of as the last resort punishment for severe disruptions in the classroom. But did you know that children as young as three years old are being sent home for behavior problems which could have been addressed with positive school supports? In June of 2017, Texas House Bill 674 was passed which prohibits so called “discretionary suspensions” in Pre-K through 2nd grade children. These types of suspensions create a zero tolerance policy which studies have shown lead to higher rates of school dropout, lower academic performance, and decreased academic performance. This effect is widely known as the “School-to-Prison Pipeline”. Reasons for discretionary suspensions include horseplay, dress code violation, and violation of classroom rules.  This ...

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Latino Parenting Master Classes Help Young Kids Succeed



Latinos are the nation’s largest racial/ethnic minority group. They are expected to grow from 1 in 6 people today to 1 in 4 by 2035 and 1 in 3 by 2060. The long-term health and success of Latinos is going to be crucially important to the United States for decades to come. In the Pacific Northwest community of Walla Wall, WA (23.68% Latino population), one group has taken steps to ensure their Latino community has all the tools necessary for their success. The Walla Walla Valley Early Learning Coalition is offering a free, 10-week series of parenting master classes aimed at Latinos. Using “cultural perspective” and taught in Spanish, the Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) program is designed to support Latino parents in their roles as family leaders and teachers to their ...

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Americans without a College Degree Struggle Financially


Stress, Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Latino Family Caregivers of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Latinos have made great strides in education in recent years, with more enrolling two- and four-year colleges and universities than ever before. However, there is still a significant gap between Latinos and other racial and ethnic minorities in obtaining college degrees. Education is one of the main determinants of health; the more education you obtain, the better your chances for higher paying jobs, financial stability, upward mobility, and better long-term mental and physical health. Overall, the economy has rebounded from the mid-2000s economic downturn. However, according to a new report by the Federal Reserve, those households that do not have a college degree are struggling more than ever. As reported by Reuters, the annual report serves as “temperature check” on the ...

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What can Colleges do to Help Latino Students Succeed?


college enrollent among Latinos students studying

Attaining an education is one of the key social determinants of health. Education impacts future economic well-being, job growth, and your long-term physical and mental health. Latinos have made great strides in education in the last decade. As of recent reports, the rate of Latino high school dropouts is at an all-time low while rates of graduation are at all-time highs. Latinos are also enrolling in more two- and four-year colleges and universities. While things are looking up, there is still a significant gap in educational attainment between Latinos and other racial and ethnic groups. In order to make an impact on this gap, more colleges and universities are addressing this problem in creative and “outside-the-box” manners. In order to reduce health disparities, it is ...

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Latino Kids Enroll in ECE Centers at Lower Rates than their Peers



Latinos are the largest ethnic and racial minority group in the country and their numbers are rapidly growing. They are expected to grow from 1 in 6 people today to 1 in 4 by 2035 and 1 in 3 by 2060. Despite their prevalence in the country, Latinos suffer vast differences in health conditions compared to whites. These health disparities are often rooted in social disadvantage. Health inequities are found in several often unavoidable areas, including housing segregation, access to care, income, and educational attainment. Latino children currently make up roughly 25% of all children in the United States. Given this substantial number, how they fare academically will have a massive impact on the social and economic well-being of the country as a whole for generations to ...

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LA Supports No More McTeachers Nights for LA Schools!



A healthy movement is growing in Los Angeles (48.5% Latino) where schools are saying no to the unhealthy marketing of McTeachers nights. This week of May 12, 2015, schools are being asked to vote on nutrition and fundraising policies, including voting on policies around food marketing for local wellness school policies. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has outlined updates for school districts on local wellness policies (LWP) to include a policy around food marketing in schools by June 30, 2016. School marketing includes any advertising, promotion of oral written, or graphic statements made for the purpose of promoting the sale of food or beverages, explains a resource from Voices for Healthy kids and the Center for Science in the Public Interest ...

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