I am so thoroughly thrilled at the thousands of Latino high school students here in Houston who are taking to the streets to protest the immigration legislation passed by the house of representatives. Adelante, raza! I think it's the family issue that has ignited their imagination -- this is relevant to life. Leaders should take this opportunity to creatively strengthen school interest and performance. Lack of education is our Latino community's Numero Uno challenge.
A report in 2004 from Harvard's Urban Institute found: "while 75 percent of white students graduated from high school in 2001, only 50 percent of all Black students, 51 percent of Native American students, and 53 percent of all Hispanic students got a high school diploma in the same year. The study found that the problem was even worse for Black, Native American, and Hispanic young men at 43 percent, 47 percent, and 48 percent, respectively."
I don't agree with the threats some school administrators are using against the students(up to $500 fine)particularly when other misdeeds get by.
But I do think our superintendent of schools got it right when he said:
"Our schools are working closely with our young people to encourage them to find the right ways to express their feelings on these issues. Some schools are assigning students to write papers about the proposed legislation. Others are holding group meetings with students to talk about the issue. We want our students voices on these issues to be heard. But it is vitally important, for their own safety and their academic standing, that students be in school and learning during the school day, and that they follow the standards of conduct."
am
