National Successful Latina/o Students

The National Successful Latina/o Students Project:

Providing Role Models to Latina/o Students

The goal of the National Successful Latina/o Students Project is to provide Latina/o students positive role models. Role models that communicate that “Sí, podemos educarnos”- “Yes, we can achieve an education.” To accomplish this goal, the project will seek and publish in its website stories of students who are completing their high school education and/or are engaged in the process of completing a degree in higher education.

Introduction

 The Latina/o population in the United States has experienced a significant and consistent growth, particularly among children and youth during the last decades (Nieto, 2003; Valverde & Scribner, 2001). Latinos are now the largest minority group in the country, reaching 37.4 million (or 13.3 percent), and the largest amongst individuals under 18 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003a).  Projections suggest that by 2025, one-fourth of all U.S. public school students will be Latino (Gregory, 2003).  Furthermore, recent reports indicate that in contrast with demographic data, participation of Latinos continues to be low in all levels of education in the United States (Valverde & Scribner, 2001). Only 57.0% of Latina/o students completed high school in 2002, compared to 84.8% of White students (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003b); and, only 26.3% of the Latina/o high school graduates enrolled in college in 2001, compared with 44.2% of White students (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003b).  Latino youth have the highest dropout rates and have low college enrollment rates (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1996; 2004). The drop out rate of Latinos was estimated to reach 44 percent, compared with 7.7 percent for White students in 1999 (National Center for Educational Statistics, 1999). Despite the increments in the number of Latino students entering post secondary education, they are less likely than other groups to be enrolled in or graduate from college, and receive less financial aid than other undergraduates (Pinto, 1997). 

 Beliefs about the learning potential of Latina/o students vary among administrators, counselors, and teachers. Many believe that Latina/o students are not interested in, or capable of succeeding in an academic setting. Remarks such as “They are not interested in education,” “You have to lower the standards for those kids to pass these examinations,” or “They are not college material,” are still heard in school settings. These types of expectations can contribute to the students’ achievement gap. Studies about self-fulfilling prophecy (Rosenthal & Jacobson, 1968) have demonstrated that negative beliefs significantly contribute to low academic performance. Contrary to their beliefs, research have shown that despite disparities in their mastery of skills and resources available to support their achievement, Latino youth in school districts have as much desire to succeed in schools as their White and Asian (Minority Student Achievement Network, 2002).

The following are additional factors identified in the research literature as contributing to Latino students displacement from education (Alson, 2003; Chacon, 2002; Gregory, 2003; Harrell & Forney, 2003; Valverde & Scribner, 2001): Racism, poverty, lack of educational leadership, poorly prepared teachers, inadequate early childhood literacy development, impersonal education environments, failure to establish a cultural context, low teacher expectations, insufficient parental support, negative peer pressure, instruction not aligned with student needs, inadequate assessments, and  lack of mentors and positive role models. Because of these barriers, many Latina/o students who are interested in education tend to abandon school and to have a narrow view of their possibilities for the future of their education.

Despite the barriers, some Latino students succeed in gaining access to a college career. They select a college, present an effective admissions letter, and apply to appropriate financial aid. Often, the mediating factor making the difference for these students seem to be a teacher, a family member, or a role model who helped them stay focused on their education (Immerwahr, 2003).

Latina/o students need role models to help them see their educational opportunities and to show them how to navigate the college system. For many of these students, this knowledge may not be available from other sources (Harrell & Forney, 2003). One Latina student said, “I didn’t have any college role models in my life; my parents only attended first grade and most of my parents’ friends and family members shared that type of background and education.” Another Latina student illustrated the importance of having a role model in this way, “… providing role models for Latino youngsters is essential because it helps us to see that people who walked in our shoes have succeeded.” The negative effects of the lack of role models were illustrated in the following comments, “… because we were poor, my brothers and I did not have much opportunities to see the world around us …we didn’t have a role model to follow."

Role Models in the Latina/o Student Culture

 Seeking role models is engrained in the Latina/o culture. This is reflected in the saying “Dime con quien andas y te diré quien eres (Tell me who you associate with and I'll tell you who you are).” Therefore, Latino students seek role models that share similar backgrounds and provide a network within the area in which the student wants to get involved (García & Figueroa, 2002). The importance of role models is also recognized in reports and programs developed to improve the education attainment of Latino students. For example, the report “The State of the Latino education in the San Francisco Bay area: A crisis in student performance” call for the creation of Latino role model mentoring programs (Chacon, 2002).  Similarly, the “Hispanic programs FY 2005” (Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, 2004) proposes to “Identify and recruit active professional Hispanics in the State of Idaho as role models (p. 409).”

Many professionals believe that the student's professional aspirations are profoundly influenced by the presence or absence of role models (Vasquez, 1990). The majority of the mainstream children never have to ask themselves the question, "Can I really be a teacher, doctor, astronaut, politician? Unfortunately, many Latina/o youth have never seen models that look like them in those professions.  For this reason, it is important to provide credible Latina/o role models to students (Davison-Avilés, Guerrero, Barajas-Howarth, & Thomas, 1999). Furthermore, a study conducted by Zirkel (2002) found that having the same ethnic/race and gender role models were "significantly and consistently predictive of a greater investment in achievement concerns" on the part of young people (p. 371).

 The Importance of Role Models from a Developmental Perspective

 Theories of development suggest that the main focus of adolescents is to establish an identity and determine their role in society (Bandura, 1986; Echevarria, 1998; Ericson, 1994; Freud, 1949; Mead, 1934).  In order to achieve this objective youngsters reflect on themselves and their future, and attend to the world around them seeking information about who they might become (Piaget, 2000; Harter, 1999). Role models play a special role in the development of the adolescent’s identity. Frequently young people compare themselves with others. The availability of role models is critical during this period. These models provide an image of possibilities and success. Adolescence is also a period in which individuals seek to achieve a psychological sense of autonomy from their parents (Modell, Furstenberg, & Hershberg, 1976). In our society, achieving a college degree constitutes one of the pillars of individual autonomy. However, many Latino adolescents who begin college do not always complete a degree (Solberg & Villarreal, 1997). The lack of role models place Latina/o students at greater risk for problem behaviors in the area of social experiences, including education (Pidcock, Fischer, & Munsch, 2001). Role models serve as sources of information about acceptable or successful way of behaving (how to behave) (Bandura, 1986), as sources of support and guidance (mentors) (Echevarria, 1998), and as sources of concrete examples of what is possible for young people (models) (Zirkel, 2002).

Importance of Having Similar Role Models

Role models that are of similar race and gender (similar role models) play a special role in the development of the adolescent’s identity. For the Latina/o student, similar role models help them realize opportunities available to members of the student’s own social group. All high school students know that some people go to college to get a degree as school counselors, but school counselors that are similar in race and gender to the student communicate the message that it is possible for “people like me” to go to college and become a school counselor. Furthermore, similar role models provide information of particular importance to members of their own cultural group. For example, observing a Latina school counselor provides the Latino student with information about how others respond to a Latina counselor or how the Latina professional deals with students from different backgrounds. Furthermore, similar role models in desirable positions allow young Latina/o students to believe that they too can achieve such professional success. These models help them think, “If he/she can do this, maybe I can too (Zirkel, 2002)." Middle and high schools Latino youngsters who focus their attention on similar college student role models may learn about strategies for turning hard work into a successful transition to college. Successful college student role models may likely lead young people to pursue academic goals. These role models accomplish this goal by modeling confidence, success, and the potential of "people like me."

Furthermore, race- and gender-similar role models provide concrete information to young people regarding what is possible for them as members of specific social groups. (Sumrall, 1995; Zirkel, 2002). According to Zirkel,

“Young people learn the racial and gendered structuring of the culture in which they live by noting the race and gender of adults in different professional positions. The presence or absence of like others in different social positions implicitly conveys information to young people about the possibilities for their futures (2002, p. 357)”.

Most Latina/o youngsters pursue what they can perceive and recognize as achievable. The availability of successful Latina/o role models provides a sense of opportunity to Latina/o students and increases their investment in achievement (Zirkel, 2002). These role models have a positive impact on Latina/o students' educational aspirations and achievements by showing them that education is within their reach. The models communicate that "Sí, podemos educarnos," "Yes, we can achieve an education" (Zalaquett & Feliciano, 2003, 2004).”

The Impact of Positive Role Models

 Latina/o students represent the largest minority, with an alarming K-12 and higher education drop-out rate. Few students complete high school and even a fewer number graduate from college. When Latino college dropouts are asked “What could have prevented you from dropping out?” they include in their responses learning about credible Latina/o role models. More over, to reduce dropout they suggest bringing to school successful individuals who can share with them his or her story (Echevarria, 1998). However, research has shown that there is a shortage of models of successful Latina/o students available to our students (Davison-Avilés et al., 1999; García & Figueroa, 2002). In addition, when role models are made available to middle and high school Latina/o students there is a tendency for these models to be adult professionals in advance stages of career development. Rarely, do role models match the developmental stage of the students. Models representing a developmental continuum could illuminate Latina/o students about the different aspects to be achieved at each stage of their educational development.

Goals of the National Successful Latina/o Students Project

 The specific goals of the National Successful Latina/o Students Project are to:

(a) collect the stories of successful high school and college Latina/o students;

(b) document their stories;

(c) publicize their stories; and

(d) study their stories to determine the factors that helped these Latina/o students pursue higher education programs of study.

 The stories, representing  successful Latina/o student role models, would be made available to other Latina/o students via Internet/print to increase their awareness of educational possibilities and help them make positive decisions about higher education programs. We aim to post 40 new stories within our first year of operation.

 Methodology

 School teachers and college faculty will be asked to invite Latina/o students that have maintained a GPA of 2.8 or higher to write their personal stories.  Stories will be collected from successful high school students, college freshmen, and college seniors/graduates.  To facilitate the development of the stories, each category of students is provided a demographic sheet (link) and a set of specific questions. These questions are included in Appendix B (high school students), Appendix C (college freshmen), and Appendix D (college seniors/graduates).

All of the stories will be considered for inclusion in the National Successful Latina/o Student Project. Each story will be sent to two randomly selected professionals for documentation. The professionals will be asked to evaluate if the stories could serve to encourage other Latina/o youth to pursue a degree in higher education. The following questions will guide their evaluations: Does the story represent the challenges Latina/o students face in their quest for higher education?   Does the story suggest what kind of elements helped the student to overcome these challenges? Does the story present a positive role model that can inspire other Latina/o students to believe that they too can pursue a higher education degree? This evaluative step is included to ensure the representativeness and relevancy of the stories for Latina/o students.

Analysis of the Latina/o Students' Stories of Success

 A qualitative method of analysis will be used to study the Latina/o students’ stories. The purpose of this analysis will be to identify the barriers, challenges, sources of support, and coping strategies of successful students using a scientific, inductive methodology. The information obtained from this analysis will help college/university personnel facilitate the educational achievement of Latina/o students.

Publication and Dissemination of the Latina/o Students' Stories of Success

All the stories evaluated as representing positive role models for middle and/or high school Latina/o students will be published in the National Successful Latina/o Student Web Site (http://www.coedu.usf.edu/zalaquett/s/m.html). The web site will help make this information available to academic institutions interested in attracting and retaining students from this ethnic background. In addition, the information will be available though the National Successful Latina/o Student Web Site to everybody in middle and high school, especially those teachers and counselors interested in furthering the education of students from this ethnic background. Last, but not least, this information will be available to all Latina/o students interested in the pursuit of the academic degree at a higher education institution. In addition, the information will be presented at educational events and annual conferences of organizations involved in higher education. Finally, efforts will be made to compile in a book a selected number of stories for further dissemination of the results.

Institutions Endorsing the National Successful Latina/o Students Project

 The following institutions and organizations endorse national Successful Latina/o Student project:

University of South Florida

University of California, Irvine

Enlace

California Latino Psychological Association

The National Successful Latina/o Students Project was established to provide Latina/o students’ positive role models. The project aims to collect and publish in its web site, stories of students, all of whom have demonstrated a deep interest in and commitment to pursue and complete a degree in higher education. These students will serve as positive role models, conveying the message "Sí, podemos educarnos," "Yes, we can achieve an education" to Latina/o students thinking about going to college.

We believe that presenting the stories of successful Latina/o students places their life experience, their interest in education, and their ability to pursue post secondary studies at the center of our focus. By reading their stories we can gain a richer understanding of their values and the factors that helped them succeed. Furthermore, learning about these students may increase our awareness of their common experiences and motivate us to take action to increase the number of these students pursuing a higher education degree.

For students, these stories can be transformative and empowering. Students can learn from these role models that a higher education degree is achievable and feel encouraged to set positive and challenging educational goals. We believe that once students recognize that other Latina/o students who are like them are achieving what they may have thought to be the impossible, these young women and men will decide to further their education beyond high school, stay in school, and realize that they can overcome obstacles and create positive options for themselves.

Researchers and educators can acquire a deeper understanding about these students’ educational interests, goals, aspirations, and needs.  Furthermore, these stories may inspire them to learn more about other students’ experiences as well.

Finally, school teachers, school counselors, school psychologists, and other school and college personnel could use these stories to build a more positive school climate for Latina/o students, encourage them to excel academically, and facilitate their pursuit of higher educational degrees.

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