Study: Second, third-generation Hispanics get farther in school
Second- and third-generation Hispanics in Nebraska are earning high school and college degrees at rates far higher than first-generation immigrants, according to a new study by two University of Nebraska at Omaha professors.
Nearly 74 percent of the state’s first-generation Mexicans do not have a high school diploma.
But that number drops to 26 percent for the second generation and 19 percent for all third-generation Hispanics, the study found.
And while less than 3 percent of first-generation Mexicans have a bachelor’s degree or higher, 23 percent of the second generation and 9 percent of third generation Hispanics do.
That confirms what researchers have long known: First-generation immigrants of all races tend to be the least educated thanks to tough battles against language, financial and social obstacles.
“What this means is that given the right opportunities, (later generations) will achieve,” said Lourdes Gouveia, director of UNO’s Office of Latino/Latin American Studies and a co-author of the study.
“This goes against the myth that nativists and xenophobes like to repeat like a mantra: That Mexicans and Latinos and their parents don’t care about education.”
Gouveia’s co-author in the study is Mary Ann Powell, an associate professor of sociology at UNO.
The pair found the vast majority of Hispanic parents work in low-wage jobs like meatpacking and construction. And many of their children — more than half of first-generation respondents — said they had to work to help support their family.
Further, 70 percent of Latino children said they would not be able to attend college without a scholarship.
“It’s, ‘I must work to help my family,’” Gouveia said.
That commitment, she said, could keep many Latino children from pursuing higher education.
And once in college, some Latinos find their financial obligations too great to continue, she said.
Some, particularly first-generation students, lack guidance from home and can’t adjust to a rigorous academic environment, said Juan Franco, vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“They just don’t know how to access the system, and unfortunately, sometimes some of them do fall through the cracks,” Franco said.
Other Hispanic students report struggles with racism.
“There is a constant demonization of immigrants,” Gouveia said. “It is a tough environment. Kids are hearing constant negative messages, which then can create self-fulfilling prophecies.”
She blamed racism in part for the drop in college attendance from second-generation immigrants to the third generation. Growing costs of education may also be a factor, she said.
“It is that third generation that feels more disenchanted,” she said. “They’ve been stigmatized for so long, it weighs on them. It becomes a cumulative effect.”
All that, Gouveia and Franco agree, calls for Nebraska’s colleges to ramp up recruiting efforts of underrepresented students — especially as the state’s Hispanic population continues to grow.
“We’re doing a lot already, but as the numbers go up, it’s imperative that we do our part to educate these students,” Franco said.
“We’re going to see more coming onto campus, and we need to make sure they know that they’re welcome.”
Reach Melissa Lee at 473-2682 or mlee@journalstar.com.
Nearly 74 percent of the state’s first-generation Mexicans do not have a high school diploma.
But that number drops to 26 percent for the second generation and 19 percent for all third-generation Hispanics, the study found.
And while less than 3 percent of first-generation Mexicans have a bachelor’s degree or higher, 23 percent of the second generation and 9 percent of third generation Hispanics do.
That confirms what researchers have long known: First-generation immigrants of all races tend to be the least educated thanks to tough battles against language, financial and social obstacles.
“What this means is that given the right opportunities, (later generations) will achieve,” said Lourdes Gouveia, director of UNO’s Office of Latino/Latin American Studies and a co-author of the study.
“This goes against the myth that nativists and xenophobes like to repeat like a mantra: That Mexicans and Latinos and their parents don’t care about education.”
Gouveia’s co-author in the study is Mary Ann Powell, an associate professor of sociology at UNO.
The pair found the vast majority of Hispanic parents work in low-wage jobs like meatpacking and construction. And many of their children — more than half of first-generation respondents — said they had to work to help support their family.
Further, 70 percent of Latino children said they would not be able to attend college without a scholarship.
“It’s, ‘I must work to help my family,’” Gouveia said.
That commitment, she said, could keep many Latino children from pursuing higher education.
And once in college, some Latinos find their financial obligations too great to continue, she said.
Some, particularly first-generation students, lack guidance from home and can’t adjust to a rigorous academic environment, said Juan Franco, vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“They just don’t know how to access the system, and unfortunately, sometimes some of them do fall through the cracks,” Franco said.
Other Hispanic students report struggles with racism.
“There is a constant demonization of immigrants,” Gouveia said. “It is a tough environment. Kids are hearing constant negative messages, which then can create self-fulfilling prophecies.”
She blamed racism in part for the drop in college attendance from second-generation immigrants to the third generation. Growing costs of education may also be a factor, she said.
“It is that third generation that feels more disenchanted,” she said. “They’ve been stigmatized for so long, it weighs on them. It becomes a cumulative effect.”
All that, Gouveia and Franco agree, calls for Nebraska’s colleges to ramp up recruiting efforts of underrepresented students — especially as the state’s Hispanic population continues to grow.
“We’re doing a lot already, but as the numbers go up, it’s imperative that we do our part to educate these students,” Franco said.
“We’re going to see more coming onto campus, and we need to make sure they know that they’re welcome.”
Reach Melissa Lee at 473-2682 or mlee@journalstar.com.
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