Important facts for us to know from a special report on education in the September 2007 issue of Latina magazine:
22% of Latinos between the ages of 16 and 24 were not in school in 2005 (that is 2x the number of African-Americans not in school in the same age group and 4x the number of whites). What is 22%? 1.4 million kids. And for recent immigrants in that age category, 36.5% of them are not in school.
49% of Latino students attend the poorest schools. 56% of Latino students attend the country’s largest schools (compared to 26% of white students).
1/3 of 9-to-15 year old Latinas (who dropped out) cited pregnancy or marriage as the reason. Not a typo there. I did mean to type 9 to 15 year olds.
Dropouts have an average annual income of $22,000. High school graduates will earn an additional $300,00 over the course of their career. And college graduates will earn $2.5 million in a lifetime.
45% of schools serving a majority of Hispanic and other minority students offer advanced courses (but 74% of minority girls would like the extra challenge).
Make a difference in the life of a child or young person. Call your local school about tutoring or mentoring or go to www.mentoring.org to find an opportunity near you. Other options you can check out include www.girlsontherun.org, www.writegirl.org. Feel free to list any of your suggestions for organizations that provide great volunteering/ mentoring oppotunities (to work with girls and young women) or to tell us about your experiences.
