Robyn Gee, Turnstyle News

Could bolstering the Latino teacher workforce have an impact on the widening achievement gap between Latino students and their white and black peers in America?

According to the Washington Post, more than 21 percent of schoolchildren are Latino, compared to seven percent of teachers, a wider disparity than any other racial or ethnic minority in the U.S. The article cites research that suggests that having more Latino teachers would lead to better attendance, fewer behavioral problems, and better test scores for Latino students.

Traditionally, Latino students in the U.S. struggle to perform academically compared to their white and black peers. Education Week reports that in 2007, 27 percent of Hispanic children lived in poverty compared with 10 percent of white children, which had a trickle down effect. Hispanic children were less likely than their white or black peers to recognize letters of the alphabet, and know how to write their name, or count to 20 or higher.

In response to this problem, Teach for America (TFA) and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) have partnered to create a unique scholarship fund geared towards Latino undergraduates who plan on studying science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM). A spokesperson for TFA said that Latino students impacted by Teach for America Corps members are traditionally less proficient in these areas. The hope is that Hispanic college students supported by the fund will decide to apply for Teach for America, and that their future students would benefit from having an expert at the front of the room. The Washington Post reports that only eight percent of TFA’s incoming corps of teachers are Latino, while more than 40 percent of children reached by the organization are Latino.

The question: Will Changing the Numbers Have the Desired Impact on Student Achievement?

The power of text messages and social networking sites in political communications was proven during President Obama’s campaign. People continue to spread change only this time the issue is immigration reform.

The Center for Community Change in Washington, DC created a text message network managed by the Reform Immigration for American campaign (RI4A) in order to better communicate with people. The company noticed that most Latinos don’t have access to email, blogs, or internet but do have access to phones. The Huffington Post quoted Rachel LaBruyere, Deputy Online Director of RI4A about their new texting network. "Text messaging is a tool that's immediate enough to drive calls quickly, but also sophisticated enough to build a much larger network, which enables ongoing action and cultivation of engaged activists. Texting from a mobile network makes it possible for the community to quickly respond in real time when President Obama or another legislator makes a controversial or important comment about immigration reform."

Here is an example of a text message:

“Immigration Alert:1000's of Haitian undocumented immigrants risk deportation 2 Haiti. Call Obama, ask 4 Temporary Protected Status NOW! 866-930-3396 Pls Forward"

Their goal is to send a text message no longer than 160 characters including spaces. It’s short and simple and according to them effective. RI4A also uses text messages to organize events.

Currently there are 12 million undocumented people living and working in the United States and according to Diego Graglia from Feet in 2 Worlds Obama is walking a thin line with Latinos.

“Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D.-Ill.), who last year introduced an immigration reform bill in the House, is even calling for Latinos to punish Democrats and Republicans alike at the polls this year, saying that if the issue sees no action before April’s Congressional recess, it won’t be addressed at all in 2010.Gutierrez told the Mexican news service Notimex, the reform movement should set a March 21 deadline for the Democratic administration to get the issue started.“If the issue is not broached by that date, the Hispanic vote will have to reflect on the idea of a punishment with a vote of absence in the next elections, so that our power and importance are felt,” he said, in a statement that was reported in Spanish by the wire service.”

If politicians want Latino support then immigration is the way to obtain it. I know President Obama is busy with health care and fixing the economy, but kids continue to be taken from their parents. This is an issue that needs some attention.

A new phone app is being developed to help undocumented immigrants cross the border from Mexico into the U.S—it's called the Transborder Immigrant Tool. The app is being created by Ricardo Dominguez who works in the visual arts department at the University of California San Diego. Dominguez says he will be working with communities south of the border and organizations that deal with people preparing to cross the border to help train them to use the app. 

“Using the cheapest cell phones possible (specifically the under-$30 Motorola i455, which comes with a GPS applet), Dominguez and his team were able to create a hack that added navigation functionality and the ability to locate water and highways.” via Switched

According to the creator, the app is “a safety tool” and nothing more.
 

"I would imagine [anti-immigration militias] won't be too happy with us, but again we're not trying to hide. It's a safety tool. It's not trying to resolve the political anxieties of these communities or resolve the inadequacies of a fictional border for a so-called free-trade community. Again, our position is that it's not a political resolution; it's a safety tool. That, at the core, is what we're attempting to do."

 

Latinos are sorely underrepresented in higher education. In New Mexico, a state where the Hispanic/Latino population nearly reaches 45%, only 56% of Hispanics/Latinos students graduated from high school in 2008.

There has been an increasing argument that CNN news anchor Lou Dobbs spreads myths and distorted information concerning Latinos. Three weeks ago, Albuquerque joined 25 other cities around the United States in telling CNN “BASTA” with Lou Dobbs. The video below illustrates the current debate regarding Lou Dobbs' prominence on CNN and his remarks abouts Latinos in America.

Can you imagine not having a computer or no high-speed internet? It's 2009—a year where people are geared up with the hottest gadgets, but despite that there are those who still live in the shadow of technology. A recent study by the  Public Policy Institute of California shows that more than half of Latino households have no computer and more than half have no high-speed internet. Read more...

I’ve always felt looked down on, simply because my brown skin represents immigration. You see, I belong to the fastest growing minority group -- a group that isn’t always welcomed, but has always been worth hiring because of their cheap labor.

Many illegal immigrant students are accepted into prestigious colleges every year, but cannot attend because they are not eligible for government aid. Ana Rojas Mejia, a high school valedictorian and illegal immigrant, tells her story.

(download mp3)

19-year-old Machlyn Blair lives in Jeremiah, Kentucky in a mostly white, rural area and finds the current immigration debate relevant to his life, and the history of his family. His essay was a collaboration between Youth Radio and the Appalachian Media Institute.

(download mp3)

Antony Jauregui reports on a California bill that calls for banning all youth from acting as interpreters in medical situations for family members. He explores why the issue is complicated for immigrant families like his.

(download mp3)