<p>I also don’t know if that is true, Westsidewolf, but clearly some cultural traditions are holding back educational achievement in the latino community. For example, I watched an interview regarding a young latina in California a couple of years ago. She was a high-achiever in high school, but was FORCED to turn down offers from out-of-town colleges because her father thought that it wasn’t proper for her to live away from family and didn’t want her residing on-campus at any school. Months later when a counselor from a nearby Catholic college spoke to her family on her behalf, he relented to her becoming a commuter student for the time being with hope of living on campus later.</p>
<p>I also live in an area that’s primarily hispanic. My large, public high school is mostly hispanic… yet, the honors and AP classes that I take are mostly white. I’ve noticed so much self-segregation within the school - taking a ‘regular’ class is like going to a different high school. In my school, it’s the kids in these honors and AP classes that get the college advice - we’re the ones who are told how and when to sign up for the SAT and ACT, and we’re the ones exposed to college discussion. In short, it makes sense to me that so many fewer hispanic students make it to college because in large public high schools (at least in my case) the good teachers who know about colleges and how to get in are teaching self-segregated white kids from middle class backgrounds.</p>
<p>Sad but true Pixie because I’ve seen it replicated elsewhere, including among Black students in relatively affluent areas (see “the Shaker Heights Syndrome”).</p>
<p>well i live in miami which is mostly cuban and my high school is ranked the 20th in the country among public high schools…my school is probably about 50% hispanic and a huge portion of my school is on free or reduced lunch…i’m also cuban and i have a 3.7 gpa and i took 3 aps and an ib last year in sophmore year so its not really true that hispanic families dont put that great of an emphasis on education(my dad is white and hes not close to as strict on grades as my mom is and shes hispanic)…also it said 40% of white students go to college while 30% of black students and 25% of hispanics attend college so accordin to the percentages its not the drastic of a difference</p>
<p>“In short, it makes sense to me that so many fewer hispanic students make it to college because in large public high schools (at least in my case) the good teachers who know about colleges and how to get in are teaching self-segregated white kids from middle class backgrounds.”</p>
<p>It’s really easy to blame the teachers and the schools. How about parental involvement and the students’ choice of classes? A lot of times, this is self-selective, or students test into certain classes.</p>
<p>“well i live in miami which is mostly cuban and my high school is ranked the 20th in the country among public high schools…my school is probably about 50% hispanic and a huge portion of my school is on free or reduced lunch…i’m also cuban and i have a 3.7 gpa and i took 3 aps and an ib last year in sophmore year so its not really true that hispanic families dont put that great of an emphasis on education(my dad is white and hes not close to as strict on grades as my mom is and shes hispanic)…also it”</p>
<p>Cuban culture differs from Mexican culture. In addition, if there are so many new immigrants, esp illegals, on free lunch programs and other government handouts, then the US does have to look at the immigrant mix being ALLOWED to come into this country. We can’t afford all of the people on public assistance if they are not here legally. I believe that most Cubans have legal status, but I could be wrong. They can’t just jump over a fence to get here and get free services, as millions of Mexicans have and will continue to do. This is thanks to Bush and the other government officials bought out by businesses that want to pay lower wages and avoid benefits.</p>
<p>" well i live in miami which is mostly cuban and my high school is ranked the 20th in the country among public high schools…my school is probably about 50% hispanic and a huge portion of my school is on free or reduced lunch…i’m also cuban and i have a 3.7 gpa and i took 3 aps and an ib last year in sophmore year so its not really true that hispanic families dont put that great of an emphasis on education(my dad is white and hes not close to as strict on grades as my mom is and shes hispanic)…also it said 40% of white students go to college while 30% of black students and 25% of hispanics attend college so accordin to the percentages its not the drastic of a difference "</p>
<p>Of course there are exceptions numbering in the thousands. I know alot of successful Hispanic students. But (at least in my opinion) the MAJORITY do not place much value in education. </p>
<p>For ex. in Harvard College, almost 60% of their students are White, about 20% are Asian, 10% African American and about 8% Hispanic. Even there, we are still the lowest minority ALTHOUGH we are the largest minority in population in America. </p>
<p>Of course there are many successful Hispanics, but how come if we are 17% of the American population and African Americans are 13%, there are much more African Americans in college?</p>
<p>And about the immigration thing pointed out by collegialmom, to my knowledge, most immigrants (even illegals) do pay taxes. The government gives them a tax payer number and they can open bank accounts, send their children to school, etc. with this. So they are paying taxes. HOWEVER, there is a number (I don’t know the percentage) that doesn’t and I do think it’s very unfair that they get public assistance if they don’t contribute. </p>
<p>And to collegialmom: thank you so much. 
God bless you.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention something really important. </p>
<p>While the Cuban culture and Mexican culture might be very different, let’s not overlook a critical fact:</p>
<p>ALL Cubans & Puerto Ricans can enter the U.S. The Cubans that are coming in now are not the political diplomats that left 50 years ago. Those left for good. However, Cuba has it really bad, and the great, great majority that come are normal, poor people. Again, this is just a generalization. </p>
<p>About Puerto Ricans, they have U.S. citizenship so ANY of them can come. </p>
<p>What I mean by this is the following:</p>
<p>ANYONE who enters through the Mexican border can be ANYONE. It can be a rapist, a delinquent, a doctor, a magician, etc. It could be ANYONE. </p>
<p>And ANYONE that comes from CUBA can be anyone as well. Most are people from the Cuban ghetto (All Cuba is a ghetto but the exception of Castrol’s close circle of friends) that come for a better life. The fact that they come from there DOES not mean they have more education than Mexicans. ANYONE can come through the Mexican border just like ANYONE can come from Cuba. </p>
<p>The same with Puerto Rico. Because they are granted U.S. citizenship (I don’t know why…) ANYONE can come. Again, this could be a rapist, a singer, anyone. </p>
<p>This is very different with other Hispanics that come i.e. from Argentina. The difference is that if they come here LEGALLY (no border) and are NOT from Puerto Rico or Cuba, it CANNOT be anyone. This is because in order for them to be granted a Visa (even a tourist one) the American embassy looks for certain factors that attach them to their homeland: ownership of a house, steady work, etc. Which is why the “poor” people of South America are NOT coming to America 'cause they can’t come. They won’t let them and I think that’s okay. The only people from so far away that can afford to come are the ones that have a steady job or profession, that own a house, that make a good living. They check criminal records, etc. SIGNS that tells the American embassy that these people are just coming for a vacation and not to stay. Of course many of them do stay. (Sadly, many proffesionals in third world countries don’t find jobs in their homelands. I’ve seen doctors driving taxis 'cause they weren’t hired anywhere for years)</p>
<p>Bottomline is:</p>
<p>ANYONE can come through the Mexican border, Cuba, or Puerto Rico. Because they all have it bad, and because they can come, the great majority DOES come. The rich, educated people (for the most part) don’t come because hey, they have it good. Why would they change their whole lives and learn a new language? THE POOR- mostly uneducated- are the ones who come looking for a better life. </p>
<p>Which means that “Mexicans” are by no means in a lower status than “Cubans”. If you don’t believe me, please come to Miami and look at the great majority of students in “Little Havana”.</p>
<p>Thank you for clarifying that. I was thinking of the initial wave of Cuban immigrants many years ago, who came when Castro first came to power. Many of them were the wealthier people who wanted to come to the US to preserve their status and financial status, and were more educated. </p>
<p>I think that now that is obviously much different. How many Cubans actually get into the US now?</p>
<p>“I think that now that is obviously much different. How many Cubans actually get into the US now?”</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.hacer.org/current/Cuba055.php[/url]”>http://www.hacer.org/current/Cuba055.php</a></p>
<p>From the above article:</p>
<p>"During the 12 months that ended Sept. 30, the Coast Guard intercepted 2,712 Cubans trying to reach the United States. That compares with only 1,225 during the same period in 2004 and is by far the most since 1994, the year a massive Cuban exodus led to a new agreement for more orderly migration between Cuba and the United States. </p>
<p>Over the same time frame, 2,530 Cubans made it to U.S. shores, more than double the 954 who arrived in 2004, according to the U.S. Border Patrol. </p>
<p>Under the U.S. “wet foot/dry foot” policy, Cubans who are interdicted at sea are generally returned to Cuba, while those who reach U.S. shores are usually allowed to stay after they have been in the United States for at least a year." </p>
<p>"Still other reasons involve obstacles that U.S. officials say Cuba uses to hinder people from legally immigrating, forcing some to try illegal means. </p>
<p>“Castro is not granting Cubans their U.S. legally approved visas to come to this country and, in acts of desperation, they are risking their lives to join their families,” said Republican U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (news, bio, voting record), a senior member of the House International Relations Committee. “This mode of entry is fraught with danger and too many have already died.” </p>
<p>This is a very small number of Cubans compared to the number of illegal Mexican immigrants that come to this country. Vincente Fox in Mexico is only too happy to let the US take in his workers since he can’t improve the economy and wants billions of US dollars sent back there each year to support his life style.</p>
<p>Will you folks PLEASE STOP associating the term ‘Hispanic’ exclusively with the words ‘illegal’ and ‘immigrant!’</p>
<p>Most of America hasn’t noticed but there has been a problem with the educational achievement of American CITIZENS of latino heritage for decades, primarily Chicano. Chicano advocates and continue to attempt to address the disparity. Some will say that the problem was largely caused by the farm labor and migrant lifestyle. Yes, a lot of migrants were citizens in the not too distant past. That type of life doesn’t encourage the scholastic progress of young children.</p>
<p>As for latino immigrants from countries other than Mexico, I must disagree with the statement about poor educational priorities in Cuba. Clearly, the place is a totalitarian cult of personality [and a mess], but Castro has kept primary and secondary educational acheivement a high priority. Please don’t try to refute this by reiterating the obvious; that Cuban kids are indoctrinated and there is a lack of freedom. Everyone knows that already. We all hope for a better day in Cuba but you can’t objectively dispute the country’s focus on education, despite having ghastly inadequate resources and assets.</p>
<p>In yet other Latin nations, it’s the elite (typically white/European descent) that often send their kids to the U.S. for college. One of my classmates [ages ago] was from Argentina, was quite urbane, and had traveled to Paris on ocasssion. No, latino immigrants in American cities these days probably haven’t spent much time sipping espresso in European cafes. I wager that this is particularly true for impoverished Amerindians and Afro-Latins. I guess my point is that that is some horrendously imprecise stereotyping going on in discussions about Hispanics, culture, and education.</p>
<p>“In yet other Latin nations, it’s the elite (typically white/European descent) that often send their kids to the U.S. for college. One of my classmates [ages ago] was from Argentina, was quite urbane, and had traveled to Paris on ocasssion. No, latino immigrants in American cities these days probably haven’t spent much time sipping espresso in European cafes. I wager that this is particularly true for impoverished Amerindians and Afro-Latins. I guess my point is that that is some horrendously imprecise stereotyping going on in discussions about Hispanics, culture, and education.”</p>
<p>That is true that the elite from South American countries send their children here sometimes. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that there are millions of illegal Mexicans with poor education and whose children often do not succeed educationally for various reasons. The debate is whether this is the responsibility of the average American taxpayer to support these illegals financially, therefore taking the burden off Mexico. Personally I think it is a tremendous drain on the US to give free medical care to these illegal immigrants, free education and other government benefits that should be reserved for US citizens and LEGAL immigrants. Obviuosly others feel just as strongly that the US should TAKE THEM ON!</p>
<p>"First of all, not all Hispanics are gangbangers, and to say there’s no coming back only shows ignorance, because that’s not true at all, I know because it’s happened to a family member of mine. And if they are, it’s usually for their own protection and/or for money to support their families. You’re in a great financial status, so you might not understand what I mean there, but I think you do. The truth is is that drug dealers make a decent amount of money for the amount of time they work, and if you really need that money, it looks pretty damn appealing. "</p>
<p>Before you start talking I think you need to get the full picture. I live in Westchester County, yes wealthy neighborhood, but I live 45minutes away from where most of my family lives, the Bronx. I see my cousins spending $300 or $4oo for a pair of jeans so that they can look fresh and yet you ask them to buy a $10 book and they start flippin out. They make lines in the middle of the night for the NEW JORDANS. First of all I do not refer to all Hispanics as gang bangers they just want to go out acting like one. Do not start talking to me about drug dealing being the only way out of a financial crisis. I have 2 drug dealer cousins who live at their mothers house with no kids and no responsibilities. My mother enrolled them into a city college, paid in full, and then they disrespected my mother by going only once to class. After all is said, there are numerous upon numerous upon numerous Hispanics that do not fit this description and I truly have respect for them. What ticks me off is that my intelligent cousins, cause believe me they are, are wasting their lives doing nothing. I am very passionate about this because I feel that as Hispanics we really have to arise to the occasion and give ourselves a good name. I know not all people are destined for college and great jobs but many who are just do not take the opportunity to do so.</p>
<p>its the culture. the kids who wan tot be gangster fail. the ones that work hard, as i witness at UMD-CP out-perform the asians (im one of them asians haha).</p>
<p>point being, ANYONE can find success if they work hard and have a goal in mind.</p>