ARIZONA LATINOS FACE BARRIERS IN EDUCATION.

Did you know that if we took steps to reduce the Latino student dropout rate by 50%, those high school graduates would add $23M in annual spending to Arizona’s economy?

Critical decisions impacting Latino students are made without adequate input from the Latino community. Today, 46% of Arizona students in kindergarten through 12th grade are Latino. However, far fewer Latinos are educators and school administrators. Research indicates that test scores and attendance improve when children have teachers who are like them.

Many external factors limit the ability of Latino children to come to school ready to learn, including health, transportation, food insecurity, and safe housing. Addressing these barriers to education will increase attendance and graduation rates and, in turn, prepare Arizona’s workforce for the future.

LATINOS IN ARIZONA EDUCATION

28%

of local school board members

14%

of state Board of Education members

16%

of school administrators

16%

of teachers

More on stats

Many external factors limit the ability of Latino children to come to school ready to learn, including health, transportation, food insecurity, and safe housing. Addressing these barriers to education will increase attendance and graduation rates and, in turn, prepare Arizona’s workforce for the future.

SOLUTIONS

HELP PARENTS HELP THEIR CHILDREN LEARN

Latino parents and caregivers are interested in their children’s education. We need to address barriers to their full engagement in it, such as long working hours, multiple jobs, lack of transportation, lack of familiarity with the public school system, and lack of bilingual staff.

Latino parents care deeply about their children and want to help them learn and grow. Let’s create opportunities and resources that help them help their children.

MORE MULTILINGUAL, MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION TO BENEFIT ALL STUDENTS

We live in a diverse world, not just in Arizona but across the country. Equipping all of our children with skills to work with people from different backgrounds will open up possibilities for education and employment far into the future.

Multilingual education fosters creativity and increases the ability to adjust and adapt to the world around us—key skills for success in work and life.

HELP TOMORROW’S WORKERS SUCCEED IN SCHOOL TODAY

Today’s high school students are tomorrow’s workforce.
According to the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, reducing the Latino student dropout rate by 50% (from 4.6% to 2.3%) will result in an additional $23M in annual spending for Arizona’s economy.

Let’s help students succeed and thrive by preparing them for jobs and higher education.

More information about Latinos and education