BOOK REVIEW

The reading is about Latinos in Higher Education and how the statistics for graduating or enrolling in a four year university is so low. The authors all have a good idea about what they are talking about, there are 3 authors. Sarita E Brown is the president of her own not-for-profit organization where she tries to work on improving the overall success of Latinos in Higher Education, the name of the company is Excelencia in Educations. Deborah Santiago another author, is the Vice President of Policy and Research of Excelencia in Education. This company studies the problems,issues and strengths with Latinos in Higher Education. Estela Lopez is also an employee of Excelencia in Educations, her position is a Senior Associate.The article discusses recommendations for how these astonishing statistics should be acted upon and how they can get the Latino community and their low numbers in enrolling. It also focuses on the importance of Higher Education and why Latinos should be reached out to. Two terms that are explicitly spoken about and defined are "Hispanic" and "Latino". "The terms 'Hispanic' and 'Latino' are used interchangeably in this article and refer to a group of Americans who share a language and common cultural origins but who come from diverse nations and backgrounds with distinctive histories and socio-economic and political experiences." (Brown, Sarita E., Deborah Santiago, and Estela Lopez, p.41) This really clears up some confusion between what people might mean or what the authors mean when they reference Latinos or Hispanics. One point that I found interesting was, "[m]any are first-generation college students, are low-income, have a less academic high school education than their peers, and enroll in community colleges. They are concentrated geographically in a small number of states and institutions of higher education" (Brown, Sarita E., Deborah Santiago, and Estela Lopez, p.41)  This really stood out to me for my paper because it really explains why many of the Latino population inst receiving the same education as everyone else or the same opportunities. Another point that was mentioned that caught my attention was, "The cost of college is a chief concern. Many Latino families do not know the actual cost of a college education or the sources of financial aid and therefore conclude college is not affordable for their children" (Brown, Sarita E., Deborah Santiago, and Estela Lopez, p.42) This really makes me think about how privatization has affected not just any student but specifically those that are misinformed and don't have all the information like the Latino population. The material found in this article helps me realize all the different types of aspects that contribute to the low rate of Latino students found in higher education. It makes me more interested in my topic to find out why is it that these statistics are so low. Some of the other readings I have read pertaining to my topic all bring a unique idea to the table. All thinking differently as to why the rate is so low. Many agree it has to do with money, but some articles emphasize more religion than others where as many other articles only refer to the money aspect or the lack of information being provided to these communities.