Note: please note that this page should (a) link back to the issue overview on this topic, (b) be focused either the local, state, national, or global level, and (c) be neutrally presented, based on facts, and include footnotes for each of the items.  See the Research Guide and 

Information Sources

 to assist you. 

• Link here to the overview page:  Latino Achievement Gap

Scope of the Problem  factual statements on the extent of the problem in the past, current, or future

• As the fastest growing minority population in Washington State, the Latino population in K-12 schools has grown by 372 percent since 1986.^[1]
• Latino students comprised 14.6% of the K-12 population in Fall 2007, and are expected to experience a 150% growth in population by 2030. ^[2]
• Alarmingly, only 56.9% of Washington Latino students in the 2005 cohort graduated from high school and less than 25% graduated college-ready.^[3]
• While only 7.7% of caucasian parents have less than a high school diploma, 43.8% of Latino parents did not graduate from high school, which translates into low income and high poverty rates.^[4]
• It is imperative in this global and education-based economy that all students have de facto access to the equal public education that is guaranteed de jure in the national community, both for the well being of the individual and the economic advantage of an educated work force – since nearly 20 percent of kindergartners in Washington State are Latino, in less than 20 years the work force will consequently be comprised of one Latino for every 4 non-Latino individuals.^[5] 

Current Policy  summary of current policies in the form of legislation, programs, and funding

•  The WSU Tri-Cities GEAR UP grant currently manages the One Vision and Harvest of Hope Partnerships which provide over $23 million towards early intervention efforts for cohorts of students in local school districts with more than 50% of students eligible for free or reduced lunches.^[6]
• GEAR UP efforts are shifting from dropout prevention to an emphasis on academic rigor through the Partnership's support of AVID elective classes, Literacy First, tutoring services, summer programs, and remedial classes.^[7]
• The Walla Walla School District will pioneer a new case management program, Check and Connect, which provides individualized mentorship and accountability to students and their families.^[8]
• Abriendo Puertas, a program developed by Texas A&M University, focuses on acculturating new families with limited English proficiency that have moved into the school district into the school system and has achieved limited success due to lack of bilingual staff.^[9]
• March 29, 2010 the Governor of Washington signed HB 3026 into law, which gives the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction the legal power to enforce instances of civil rights discrimination in the public schools. This serves as an important implementation of the recommendations given by the achievement gap oversight and accountability committee based on their investigations in 2009.^[10]

Key Organizations/Individuals   contacts for public and private organizations and key individuals

• Government

• Washington State GEAR UP - 

  http://www.gearup.wa.gov/

  This website provides information for students, parents, and educators on the college planning and application process, as well as reports documenting the achievements of GEAR UP's programs. 

• Washington State University and Tri-Cities GEAR UP - http://gearupserv.tricity.wsu.edu/v3/

  Learn more about the Harvest of Hope and One Vision Partnerships that currently fund the GEAR UP programs in Eastern Washington. The site includes a news feed of local projects that are facilitating academic preparation and awareness of higher education in its partner school districts.

• Higher Education Coordinating Board. http://www.hecb.wa.gov/collegeprep/gu/guindex.asp

• Non-Profit - Advocacy/Membership/Network

•  

  http://blog.WALatinos.org

  Edited by other Whitman students engaged in local research in the fields of education, neighborhood improvement, voting rights, and farm workers' rights, the Washington Latinos blog provides a comprehensive view of recent discoveries and conversations about the state of Washington State for Latinos.   

Bibliography  web sites, reports, articles, and other reference material 

•  Contreras, Frances E. “Literature Review of the Best Practices in Intervention at the Middle and  High School Levels.” February 2009. 

•  Contreras, Frances and Tom Stritikus. “Understanding Opportunities to Learn for Latino  Students in Washington.” University of Washington, 2008. 

Footnotes

1. Frances Contreras, “Literature Review of Best Practices in Intervention at the Middle and High School Levels,” Prepared for the Early Outreach Partnership Project, February 2009, p. 3. ▲
2. Frances Contreras and Tom Stritikus, “Understanding Opportunities to Learn for Latino Students in Washington,” Report submitted to the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, December 2008, p. 7. ▲
3. Contreras, Frances and Tom Stritikus. “Understanding Opportunities to Learn for Latino Students in Washington.” University of Washington, 2008. ▲
4. Contreras, Frances and Tom Stritikus. “Understanding Opportunities to Learn for Latino Students in Washington.” University of Washington, 2008. ▲
5. Frances Contreras and Tom Stritikus, “Understanding Opportunities to Learn for Latino Students in Washington,” Report submitted to the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, December 2008, p. 11. ▲
6. Superintendent Dr. Richard Carter, interview by author, Walla Walla, Washington, September 29, 2009. ▲
7. Chuck Hallsted, interview by author, Walla Walla, WA, October 16, 2009. ▲
8. Jerry Doyle, interview by author, Walla Walla, WA, October 7, 2009. ▲
9. Mike Gwinn, interview by author, Walla Walla, Washington, October 21, 2009. ▲
10. http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=3026 ▲