1. CULTURAL SNAPSHOT Hispanics/ Latinos in South Omaha

2. “ ROUGHLY ONE-FOURTH OF THE NATION'S KINDERGARTNERS ARE HISPANIC, EVIDENCE OF AN ACCELERATING TREND THAT NOW WILL SEE MINORITY CHILDREN BECOME THE MAJORITY BY 2023.”- (YEN, 2009)

4. The term “Hispanic” as it refers to an ethnic group was created on May 4, 1978, when the U.S. Office of Management and Budget published the following regulation in the Federal Register : &quot;Directive 15: Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal Statistics and Administrative Reporting&quot; that defined a Hispanic to be &quot;a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race&quot; (p. 19269). This definition (refined, with minor adjustments, in 1997) largely focuses on the countries of origin (which may be generations in the past) and assumes that peoples in these countries share a common &quot;Spanish culture&quot; that is also shared by some people living in the United States. Hispanic- American-Families. Marriage and Family Encyclopedia. Net Industries. 2009. 8 April, 2009. <a href=&quot; http://family.jrank.org/pages/773/Hispanic-American-Families-Hispanics- Latinos-Group-Definition.html&quot;>Hispanic-American Families - The Hispanics/latinos And Group Definition</a>. **The terms Hispanic and Latino are NOT interchangeable for many individuals living in this country. Many choose their own terminology based upon their personal feelings to their mestizaje or mixed blood that is not solely European (Spanish or Portuguese) but also their Indigenous background that dates prior to the European conquest. Definition of Hispanic

6. READING: HISPANICS/ LATINOS (2007-08) SOURCE:NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

7. READING: MIGRANTS SOURCE:NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

8. READING: ELLS SOURCE: NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

10. MATH: HISPANICS/ LATINOS SOURCE: NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

11. MATH: MIGRANTS SOURCE: NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

12. MATH: ELLS SOURCE: NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

14. SCIENCE: HISPANICS/ LATINOS SOURCE: NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

15. SCIENCE: MIGRANTS SOURCE: NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

16. SCIENCE: ELLS SOURCE: NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

18. WRITING: HISPANICS/ LATINOS SOURCE: NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

19. WRITING: MIGRANTS SOURCE: NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

20. WRITING: ELLS SOURCE: NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

21. General Trends & Issues • Demographics – The Hispanic population is the nation's largest minority group – http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=96 – The largest Hispanic subgroup in the United States is of Mexican origin, comprising about two-thirds (66 percent) of the Hispanic population. – By 2020, the Hispanic population is expected to account for about half the growth of the U.S. labor force. • 117 million people will be added to the population during this period due to the effect of new immigration, 67 million will be the immigrants themselves and 50 million will be their U.S.-born children or grandchildren. • Latino population growth in the new century has been more a product of the natural increase (births minus deaths) of the existing population than it has been of new international migration. • http://pewhispanic.org/files/factsheets/hispanics2007/Table%201.pdf • Illegal Immigration – There were 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States in March 2008, indicates that unauthorized immigrants make up 4% of the U.S. population.

22. General Trends & Issues • Crime – In 2007, Latinos accounted for 40% of all sentenced federal offenders-more than triple their share (13%) of the total U.S. adult population. Among sentenced immigration offenders, most were convicted of unlawfully entering or remaining in the U.S. Fully 75% of Latino offenders sentenced for immigration crimes in 2007 were convicted of entering the U.S. unlawfully or residing in the country without authorization. • English Speaking Ability – http://pewhispanic.org/files/factsheets/hispanics2007/Table%2019.pdf • Birth Rate – Latino immigrants have birth rates twice as high as those of the rest of the U.S. population, foretelling a sharp increase ahead in the percentage of Latinos who will be in schools and the work place. – Hispanic women have a higher fertility rate than non-Hispanic women: 84 births per 1,000 women in the year preceding the date of the survey, compared with 63 births per 1,000 Non-Hispanic women.

23. General Trends & Issues • Poverty & Unemployment – Hispanic Families are twice as likely as non-Hispanic Families to live in poverty; 20% of Hispanic individuals are poor compared with 11% of non-Hispanic . – Hispanic individuals comprise about 21 percent of those living in poverty in the United States. As for Hispanic children specifically, 28 percent were living in poverty. – http://pewhispanic.org/files/other/middecade/Table-30.pdf

24. General Trends & Issues • Hispanic Population in Omaha – People of Hispanic origin make up 7.4% of Greater Omaha’s 2007 population. Approximately 61,223 Hispanic individuals are currently living in the Metro area. – It is projected that by 2012 the Hispanic population in Omaha will increase to 75,615, comprising 8.7% of the population. – Http://pewhispanic.org/states/?stateid=NE

25. Hispanic children represent a large proportion of school-aged immigrant children. Specifically, Hispanic immigrant children account for more than half (58%) of all immigrant youth in the U.S. (Kohler and Lazarín 2007). There has been significant growth in the number of Spanish-speaking Head Start participants. While in 1993 17.5% of Head Start children were Spanish-speakers, by 2004 the proportion had grown to more than 23% (Kohler and Lazarín 2007). Special Education: Hispanics are about as likely as Whites to receive special education services, but more likely than Asians/Pacific Islanders and less likely than Blacks and American Indians/Alaska Natives to do so (NCES 2003). Latino and Black students are more likely to attend schools that serve a large concentration of low-income students. “Among 4 th graders, 49% of Hispanic and 48% of Black students are enrolled in schools with the highest measure of poverty, compared to 5% of White and 16% of Asian/Pacific Islander 4th-grade students” (Kohler and Lazarín 2007). ISSUES AND TRENDS IN EDUCATION: AN OVERVIEW

26. MINORITY ENROLLMENT: PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE RACE/ETHNICITY OF PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GRADES K-12, BY REGION: FALL 1972 AND 2004 1 Includes Asian/Pacific Islanders # Rounds to zero Source: National Center for Education Statistics, “Racial/Ethnic Distribution of Public School Students: Indicator 5,” The Condition of Education 2006. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 2006, p. 32.

28. AREAS OF CONCERN FOR SCHOOLS Absenteeism: Hispanic 8th- and 12th-graders have higher absenteeism rates than Whites. “School absenteeism can be a concern because it decreases the amount of learning opportunities children have at school. In 2000, 26 percent of Hispanic students in the 8th grade and 34 percent of Hispanic students in the 12th grade reported that they had been absent 3 or more days in the preceding month” (NCES 2003). Grade retention, suspension, and expulsion: Hispanic students have retention and suspension/expulsion rates that are higher than those of Whites, but lower than those of Blacks (NCES 2003). “ In 2004, for example, 11% of Hispanic youth who had dropped out of high school had been retained in a grade at some point in their school career, compared to 4.3% of Hispanic youth who completed high school.” (Kohler and Lazarín 2007). Dropout rates: Hispanic students have higher high school dropout rates than White or Black students. “ The average status dropout rate for Hispanics is partly attributable to the markedly higher dropout rates among Hispanic immigrants; more than one-half of Hispanic immigrants never enrolled in a U.S. school, but are included as high school dropouts if they did not complete high school in their country of origin” (NCES 2003). “ High school dropout rates are particularly high for 16- to 24-year-old foreign-born Latinos. Foreign-born Hispanic dropouts account for 25.3% of all dropouts in the United States” (Kohler and Lazarín 2007).

36. AGENCIES & CURRENT PROGRAMS Health Care One World Community Health Centers One World offers medical and dental care services. Charges for services are based on the patient’s ability to pay. 4920 South 30th Street, Suite 103 Omaha, NE 68107 Phone: (402) 734-4110 Fax: (402) 991-5642 http://www.oneworldomaha.org/ Misc. Juan Diego Center The Juan Diego Center offers a food pantry, SHARE food buying program, individual or family counseling, family enrichment programs, micro-business training and development, as well as immigration legal assistance. 5211 S 31st St Omaha, NE 68107 Phone: (402) 731-5413 http://www.ccomaha.org/ Latina Resource Center The Latina Resource Center is a collaborative project of Catholic Charities, the Chicano Awareness Center, Family Service and the YWCA. It serves the Hispanic community, providing resources for Latina women including crisis counseling, parenting classes, domestic violence services, ESL and driver’s education. In September 2005 alone, seventy-one women participated in the programs offered at the LRC. 5211 S 31st St Omaha, NE 68107 Phone: (402) 898-6760 http://www.ccomaha.org/ Office of Latino and Latin American Studies (OLLAS at UNO) (From OLLAS Website) “ Our principal mission has been to open an academic space for the study, understanding, and incorporation of the nation's historically and increasingly important Latino population. The mission and purpose of OLLAS is at the core of UNO's official mission. As such, OLLAS enhances the range of academic programs that the University strives to offer; it expands the educational aspirations and quality of life of all Nebraska and Omaha citizens, including the next generation of Latinos; and it builds understanding and respect through cultural diversity.” Arts and Sciences Hall, Room 106 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE 68182 (402) 554-3835 http://www.unomaha.edu/ollas/contactus.php

40. Student Interview Source: Walter Willman & Antonio Aguirre

41. SOURCES Kohler, Adriana D. & Melissa Lazarín. “Hispanic Education in the United States.” Statistical Brief No. 8. National Council of La Raza, 2007. National Center for Education Statistics, “Racial/Ethnic Distribution of Public School Students: Indicator 5,” The Condition of Education 2006. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 2006. National Center for Education Statistics, “Status and Trends in Hispanic Education.” U.S. Department of Education: Institute of Education Sciences (NCES 2003–008). April 2003. Nebraska Department of Education, (2008). State of the Schools Report. Retrieved March 7, 2009, from Nebraska Department of Education Web site: http://reportcard.nde.state.ne.us/Main/Home.aspx Yen, H. (2009). Hispanic enrollment in schools, colleges rising. Associated Press . Retrieved March 25, 2009, from http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5if7MqOx7roM3NayjcbRNSpqjtKbQD96NM4U00 Pew Hispanic Center: A Pew Research Center Project. &quot;Chronicling Latinos Unique Experiences in a Changing America&quot;. (2009). Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. http://pewhispanic.org/