Qualified Latinos Fall Into College Attendance Gap
Millions of young Latinos are qualified for college but never attend, often becoming stuck in dead-end, low-paying jobs, according to a study released last week.
The study by the Educational Testing Service, the firm that produces the SAT, said 22% of Latinos ages 18 to 24 attend college, compared with 32% of the general population of that age group.
Closing that gap would produce 430,000 more Latino college students and more than 100,000 more Latino college graduates, the study said.
“You have the makings of a huge problem, a tragedy,” said Antonio Flores, president of the Hispanic Assn. of Colleges and Universities, a partner in the study.
Those with college experience and degrees could then get higher-paying jobs, said the study’s author, researcher Anthony Carnevale. Latino workers currently are concentrated in lower-paying jobs that require less education, he said.
“Hispanic workers are competing against others, but they aren’t as well-armed in the competition for jobs,” Carnevale said.
The study found that Latinos from an early age have lower expectations of attending college.
Only 55% of Latino eighth-graders expect to go to college, compared with 64% of blacks, 72% of Asians and 68% of non-Latino whites, Carnevale said.
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