Texas Educator Advises on How to Meet Needs of Hispanic Students

The Hispanic population is now the largest minority in the United States, and this influx of Hispanic people is causing many educators to wonder what they need to do to accommodate these students.

Ana Guzman, president of Palo Alto College, San Antonio, Texas, describes the needs of Hispanic students during Sunday's session.

Ana Guzman, president of Palo Alto College, San Antonio, Texas, addressed the specific needs of Hispanic children during Sunday's session "Understanding Hispanics to Create Educational Environments of Excellence."

"More and more Hispanics are settling in different areas of the country because that's where the jobs are," Guzman said. "School officials are asking, "What are we going to do with these children?"

Guzman offered specific ideas in three different areas-bilingual education, discipline and high expectations. In terms of bilingual education, Guzman said it is crucial for Hispanic children not to begin reading English until they are proficient at reading Spanish.

"If you do both at the same time, it is absolutely confusing," she noted.

Based on her own bilingual teaching experience, Guzman observed that Hispanic children are ready to enter mainstream education by the third grade.

"[My students'] averages in English reading by the time they entered the mainstream were higher than the average for children in that same school," Guzman said.

As for discipline, Guzman said Hispanic children come from homes where order and structure are valued. The chaotic environment of many urban schools is a disconcerting experience for Hispanic children.

"We need to develop systems that show we care enough about students to create a place that is safe for them," Guzman said. Educators also need to care enough to set high expectations for students, including Hispanics.

Guzman said that Hispanics are often nudged toward the easier general education classes and not the more advanced courses.

Educators often make the mistaken assumption that Hispanics cannot handle advanced courses, she noted. "Hispanic children do not need an easy curriculum," Guzman said. "An easy curriculum gets Hispanic children nowhere."

Listen to a pre-conference interview with Guzman.