With the latest Census data indicating that one in six U.S. residents is Hispanic, this steadily and rapidly growing segment of the population is going to be critical in helping the nation achieve President Barack Obama’s goal of re-establishing the country as the world’s leader in college attainment by 2020.
As a sobering backdrop to the president’s goal, a recent Pew Hispanic Center survey revealed that while 89 percent of Latinos ages 16 to 25 say that college education is important for success in life, only 48 percent plan to get a college degree. In today’s economy, 80 percent of jobs require some education beyond a high school diploma, yet only 53 percent of Americans earn some sort of postsecondary degree or credential.
Hispanic families generally have high aspirations for their children to pursue higher education, but they often lack the resources and support needed to achieve this goal. There is a direct and effective way to help more of these families tap into the promise of higher education.
Family literacy has a strong role to play in helping more families navigate the U.S. college system and its application process, learn about financial aid options, and discover how to help their children prepare academically for the rigors of higher education.
The critical role of parents
Parents, particularly those from underserved communities, are essential partners in the nation’s educational quest. To produce 5 million new college degrees in a decade, we need to ensure that more non-traditional adults—including those with insufficient formal educational experience or limited language skills—are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
Moreover, all parents must be well-prepared to inform and nurture the educational aspirations of their children. A single year of parental education has a greater impact on the likelihood of a child attending a postsecondary institution than an additional $50,000 in parental income, according to the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. In addition, findings from the 2010 MetLife Survey of the American Teacher indicate many parents and students feel a pressing need for more information about how to access and pay for college.
That is why the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) has launched a nationwide effort to help more Hispanic families and adult learners gain access and information necessary to prepare and succeed in college and beyond, using a vast network of literacy programs across the nation to reach as many families as possible.
Helping more Americans—including those among the roughly 50 million who are Hispanic—obtain some kind of postsecondary education is the key to our nation’s competitive and economic success.
Community colleges have become an effective entry point for non-traditional students seeking the additional education and training necessary for today’s labor market. NCFL’s research and more than two decades of experience suggests that strengthening the capacity and interaction of family literacy programs and community colleges can increase the numbers of non-traditional students entering college and completing a degree. Only by improving family literacy can we impact multiple generations and inspire hope for a better future.
Resources to help adult learners
To help in this effort, NCFL has produced five distinct resources, with support from MetLife Foundation, that are available free at www.famlit.org/myfamilygoestocollege. The research-based materials focus on helping adult students transition into postsecondary education certificate or degree programs. Tested with educators and families, the materials are designed for Hispanic parents who are learning the English language, first-generation college students, as well as community and college leaders and policymakers.
The resources include:
“As all of American higher education struggles to provide a better pathway for Hispanics to enter college, resources such as En Camino provide an engaging, readable and interactive way for low-literacy families to introduce family members to the power of a college education in a way that respects the authority and dreams of parents for their children,” said Gail Mellow, president of LaGuardia Community College in New York and an advisor to NCFL.
NCFL’s approach is two-pronged. Although adult college students face multiple obstacles—such as lack of preparation for postsecondary education demands, financial barriers, and balancing work and family life—helping them get into, succeed in and graduate from college is crucial because they are affecting and serving as role models to the next generation. Family literacy programs are a proven venue for getting low-literacy parents, and their children, on the path toward greater educational attainment and career success. Creating stronger connections between these programs and community colleges can help us produce the skilled workforce we need to tackle our nation’s economic challenges.
This approach reaps a double reward by increasing the skill levels of adults while simultaneously raising the aspirations of their children for higher education and training.
Family literacy provides a supportive, academic environment for adult learners and their children. Together with community colleges they can compound their impact by raising academic performance and providing the tools to convert educational aspirations into a reality for the entire family—and for our nation.
Darling is president and founder of the National Center for Family Literacy.