Comments on: Listen to podcast interview with author Ernesto Caravantes about his book Clipping Their Own Wings http://www.hispanicmpr.com/2007/06/25/listen-to-podcast-interview-with-author-ernesto-caravantes-about-his-book-clipping-their-own-wings/ Providing you essential information on America's largest minority Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:32:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Tania Bowman http://www.hispanicmpr.com/2007/06/25/listen-to-podcast-interview-with-author-ernesto-caravantes-about-his-book-clipping-their-own-wings/#comment-453290 Tania Bowman Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:08:54 +0000 http://www.hispanicmpr.com/2007/06/25/listen-to-podcast-interview-with-author-ernesto-caravantes-about-his-book-clipping-their-own-wings/#comment-453290 Mr. Caravantes does not quote one specific piece of research or evidence to show that the cultural values of Latinos negatively impact Latino educational success. His statements asserting that Latinos have a resistance to learning English and assimilating into the American culture is at best anecdotal nonsense and embarrassingly ignorant. He states that family solidarity is a primary cultural value and that education is a distant fourth or fifth Latino value. White Americans largely believe that Family, God and Country are the most important values to have. How have these negatively impacted the educational attainment of White Americans? The answer is that they haven’t. Much research shows that poor diet, anemia, and iron deficiency impair mental and psychomotor development in infants and toddlers. Lead absorption, hearing loss and uncorrected vision all elements of poverty and a lack adequate medical care are associated with higher risks of school failure. Large schools have been shown to have a huge negative impact on poor communities and conversely small schools have shown to bring a high degree of success. The research is rich in what works to decrease drop-out rates and increase college attendance and none of that research blames “the Latino culture” for a lack of school success. Mr. Caravantes does not quote one specific piece of research or evidence to show that the cultural values of Latinos negatively impact Latino educational success. His statements asserting that Latinos have a resistance to learning English and assimilating into the American culture is at best anecdotal nonsense and embarrassingly ignorant. He states that family solidarity is a primary cultural value and that education is a distant fourth or fifth Latino value. White Americans largely believe that Family, God and Country are the most important values to have. How have these negatively impacted the educational attainment of White Americans? The answer is that they haven’t.

Much research shows that poor diet, anemia, and iron deficiency impair mental and psychomotor development in infants and toddlers. Lead absorption, hearing loss and uncorrected vision all elements of poverty and a lack adequate medical care are associated with higher risks of school failure. Large schools have been shown to have a huge negative impact on poor communities and conversely small schools have shown to bring a high degree of success. The research is rich in what works to decrease drop-out rates and increase college attendance and none of that research blames “the Latino culture” for a lack of school success.

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