A report issued by the Pew Hispanic Center indicates that nine out of ten Hispanics say it is necessary to get a college education – more than any other ethnic or racial group. However, fewer than half of Hispanic 18 to 25-year-olds plan to get one –well below the 60% of all other young people.
Why is this so? The report suggests several reasons including language difficulties, financial problems an student’s felt need to support their families(74%). Thirty-nine percent say they do not need more education. Twenty -one percent say that their grades are not high enough to get into college. Some Hispanic students start in 2-year community colleges but only one in 10 get an Associate Degree.
With Hispanics now the largest minority group in the country and the fastest growing ethnic group, this portends to be major national problem. Taken with the fact, that the Hispanic population is the largest group to not complete high school, this adds to the national education problem, today and tomorrow.