Advocacy Project
The project I have designed would be to host a Hispanic/Latinx culture celebration. This celebration would be open to the public and house vendors, food booths, and stages designed to educate other people about Hispanic and Latinx culture while also creating a space for the Hispanic and Latinx community to celebrate their personal culture and come together as a community. I would most likely do this on a smaller scale, perhaps just at the school, I am interning at. Research has shown that a protective factor for students, especially Hispanic and Latinx students, is a sense of community (Gonzalez, 2015; Quinones & Marquez Kiyama, 2014; Benner, 2011). The Hispanic and Latinx students can work together to create this celebration of their culture while also being empowered to educate others. The students would be able to show off their personal culture to the rest of the school and educate the student body on what makes their own culture unique. This would also be an educational experience for teachers and other school staff on the importance of discussing students’ social and cultural capital.
Servant Leadership Project
Through my research and discussion with members of the Latinx and Hispanic communities, a common theme that keeps resurfacing is the importance of community and family involvement in the education of students. Studies have cited that positive peer relationships (Benner 2011) and family involvement (Quinones & Marquez Kiyama 2014) are factors in the academic achievement of Latinx and Hispanic students. My plan for a servant leadership project is to provide Latinx and Hispanic students with an open line of communication to the school and staff members through a group. The group would be designed to help Latinx and Hispanic students with their academic plans to graduate and eventually go to college. The group would involve members of the Latinx and Hispanic school community, including students, staff, and the ELL coordinator. The group would be a place for students to discuss their questions about continuing their education after high school. There would also be a time for the students to invite their parents to the school to speak directly with school staff (counselors and other teachers) about their options for education or training after high school. This group would help the students involved develop a sense of community with other Latinx and Hispanic students while increasing their self-efficacy by promoting their own research into their educational options after high school. It also opens up the lines of communication with their parents and families by giving them direct access to staff members.
When thinking about the needs of the Hispanic/Latinx community, the first thing I thought of was acceptance and comradery within their communities. The current political climate has shaken up some people within the Hispanic/Latinx circles. The rhetoric from White communities surrounding Hispanic and Latinx heritage is not positive, which can be frightening. Establishing a place where people of Hispanic and Latinx heritage feel comfortable expressing and identifying with their heritage is important to their identity development and to their quality of life. I chose this picture of the In the Heights cast because the musical is about a Hispanic and Latinx community living life together, supporting one another and challenging each other to chase their dreams. The people in the community all come from different countries but all feel supported in their heritage. One of the girls I interviewed is Chilean and Puerto Rican, but she does not speak Spanish. She sometimes feels left out of the community because of the language barrier. She feels stuck between two identities and heritages most of the time: her Hispanic heritage and her White heritage. Fostering a sense of community where all people of Hispanic or Latinx heritage feel accepted is important. This community can help people who do not speak the language or who don’t have many connections to the community discover their heritage. This story provides hope for the future in incorporating the Hispanic/Latinx heritage into the mainstream society and making it normal. This neighborhood is almost exclusively Hispanic/Latinx, but I hope that in the future these people would feel comfortable taking pride in their heritage in the “majority” culture.
The first interview I did for the immersion project was with a half Hispanic, half-German woman who is a Speech Pathologist for a local school district. She also grew up in an evangelical Christian church. When I asked which institution she was a part of was most oppressive to her Hispanic identity, she replied with the church. She was clear that the Gospel message was not oppressive, but the people in the church. She personally felt that the people there had white-washed the Gospel message and the church in general. Most of the people in her church were white and she did not have anyone there to share two of her most important identities with. This stained glass window turned black and white reflects how the systemic church suppresses diversity whether intentionally or unintentionally. This white-washing of culture can also be seen in many other institutions, not just religious organizations.
Benner, A. D. (2011). Latino adolescents’ loneliness, academic performance, and the buffering nature of friendships. Journal of Youth Adolescence, 40, 556-567.
Benner (2011) conducted a longitudinal study of Latinx and Mexican-American students’ feelings of loneliness through the first 2 years of high school. The researcher examined academic success, including end of course exams and grades across the two years. Benner found that the majority of the adolescents researched reported low levels of loneliness throughout the 2 years, but that a small percentage (11%) experienced chronic loneliness. This number is consistent with previous research on the topic. Benner also found that the students who were more consistently lonely across the study spoke Spanish at school more than the other students. This fact can have multiple explanations, but one is that speaking Spanish excludes a large group of students in everyday conversation. While common language can be a factor in making friends, it also excludes a large group of students.
In relation to educational success, Benner (2011) found that students in the low but increasing loneliness category made the least academic progress of all students examined. Loneliness can result in disengagement from peers, but it also presents as disengagement in course material. One theory for the link between loneliness and academic performance is that students who are lonely in school may begin to associate school with negative emotions. These negative emotions can affect their academic performance and decrease their motivation to succeed. Benner (2011) suggests that, based on the evidence from this and previous studies, fostering an environment where Latinx and Hispanic students make connections at school can decrease the dropout rate and increase the overall academic performance of Latinx and Hispanci students.
Brice, A. E., Shaunessy, E., Hughes, C., Alvarez McHatton, & Ratliff, M. A. (2008). What language discourse tells us about bilingual adolescents: A study of students in gifted programs and students in general education programs. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 32(1), 7-33.
Brice et al. (2008) sought to examine the relationship between being bilingual and how that affected students in a gifted track and in a general education track. The focus was on Latinx students who were bilingual. The researchers begin by examining the underrepresentation of minorities, including Latinx students, in gifted education programs. They discover that Latinx students are identified as gifted half as much as White students are. The researchers propose that a students’ bilingual abilities can be a protective factor in gifted education programs.
The ability to switch between two languages automatically is what the researchers call language alternation. This requires a difficult cognitive function that most Latinx students are able to do automatically and with little issues. The researchers interviewed bilingual students from the gifted and general education program to see if they could discern a difference between the two. The researchers found that the bilingual students in the gifted program were more aware of their language abilities than the students in the general education program. The students in the gifted program saw their language abilities as a tool rather than just another aspect of their identity. However, teachers in the gifted program saw bilingual language ability the least important trait a student could have. This research shows a need for bilingualism to be seen as a positive attribute rather than something teachers need to work around.
Garcia-Reid, P. (2008). Understanding the effect of structural violence on the educational identities of hispanic adolescents: A call for social justice. Children & Schools, 30(4), 235-241.
Garcia-Reid (2008) is a school social worker who explains the effect of structural violence on the educational outcomes of Hispanic students. She defines structural violence as “any constraint on human potential that is due to economic and political structures” (pg 236). Garcia-Reid notes that, while the dropout rate of Hispanic students is declining, it is still higher than that of non-Hispanic White students. The author cites multiple reasons for the dropout rates, including structural (ex: poor academic instruction), lower societal educational expectations, and lack of school resources. Garcia-Reid also cites a lack of cultural understanding between the school staff and the Hispanic students contributes to the higher dropout rates. School staff are not always trained to recognize the cultural capital that multicultural students bring to a school, and often times simple try and ignore it.
Garcia-Reid (2008) then gives multiple implications for social workers (and anyone else reading) to consider. She gives an example of a model that seeks to investigate and address instances of structural violence as it relates to students. The model is intended to be used as an assessment when working with students and seeks to help student support staff recognize the structural, cultural, and societal barriers students face. She then encourages social workers to continue to examine their school settings and look for ways to combat the barriers faced by Hispanic students.
Gonzalez, L. M. (2015). Barriers to college access for latino/a adolescents: A comparison of theoretical frameworks. Journals of Latinos and Education, 14, 320-335.
Gonzalez (2015) identifies numerous barriers that Latinx students have to accessing a college education. She also provides some examples of possible theoretical frameworks that could be helpful in breaking barriers for Latinx adolescents. Gonzalez (2015) outlines categories of barriers Latinx adolescents experience: relational, individual, and systemic. Relational barriers include the inability of supportive people in the adolescents’ life (family, friends, etc.) to help the student access higher education. This lack of access includes difficulty finding college prep materials, limited knowledge of the college application process, and language barriers. Other barriers also included immigration status, lower parental education level, and socioeconomic status. Individual barriers include student academic readiness, decreased motivation to complete college papers, and experience with discrimination in the educational setting. Gonzalez (2015) found that even high achieving Latinx students were less likely to complete a college application because of a combination of individual barriers. Systemic barriers include schools putting Latinx students into lower-achieving classes, poor communication with families, and less community resources.
Gonzalez (2015) also mentioned theories that could help Latinx students achieve. The theories she examines are social capital theory, social cognitive career theory, and bridging multiple worlds model. While not every Latinx student is affected by every barrier, most Latinx students experience at least one barrier to higher education.
Quinones, S., & Marquez Kiyama, J. (2014). Contra la corriente (against the current): The role of latino fathers in family-school engagement. School Community Journal, 24(1), 149-176.
The researchers, in partnership with the Latino Education Task Force, examined Puerto Rican fathers’ perspectives and experiences of an urban school district in New York State. The researchers used a mixed methods approach that utilized focus groups and other interviews to collect data. The researchers begin by approaching the research with a strengths-based perspective. Previous research has been conducted with a deficit perspective in regards to Latinx family systems and education, and the researchers here take a different approach. The researchers also examine Latinx parents’ perceptions about what education is. They found that most Latinx parents believe that education is mainly to provide moral and responsible character, which is something that Latinx parents strive to teach their children at home. These beliefs are the researchers support to promote a family engagement approach to education. The researchers also cite a previous study done in 2007 that contrasts previous findings about Latinx families and education. This new study suggests that Latinx fathers want to be involved in their child’s education and believe that it is important for both parents, not just the mothers, to be involved. This research opened up a new educational question: are Latinx fathers an untapped resource in education?
The researchers found that the fathers who participated in the study all perceived well-behaved and well-liked children as a point of pride for them, and they all believed that education was a family affair. The fathers encouraged their older children to set a good educational example for their younger children and to take advantage of any educational resources that were made available to them. Another theme that the researchers found was the fathers’ unhappiness with the school communication. All the fathers in the program were frustrated with the school staff in one way or another. They have all had negative experiences with communication with the school. Another theme that presented itself was the difficulty that the parents had with advocating for their children at school. The parents all had the desire to be advocates for their students but faced many barriers. The parents were also vulnerable to a system that was not designed to be accessible to everyone.
The conclusion to this article states that parents, specifically Latinx and Hispanic fathers, are an integral part of their children’s’ education. The researchers encourage school staff to utilize parents’ passion and desire for change and to continue to reach out to families and engage them in the education process.