News (Noticias) Tagged ‘Tomás Rivera Policy Institute’

Latino College Dollars, a website offering interactive, no-cost information about scholarships available to Latino students, received over 110,000 unique visitors in the first eight months of 2008.

“We are continually updating the website,” said Corina Espinoza, Director of the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) Kids to College program. “And the 2008-09 directory will be coming out in late October.”

Latino College Dollars currently offers over 325 sources that students may contact for college scholarship information. The website grew from a TRPI research project assessing information available on the web to Latino students. “Curiously, we found that half of the websites on Latino scholarships were not functional,” stated Wendy Chavira, Associate Director of Operations at the Institute. “However, the remaining websites offered relevant information. Rather than saving the information, we decided to publish it.”

According to TRPI research, lack of information on college financing options is widespread among Latino youth and parents. Latinos lag behind in college preparation, resulting in only 7.2 % of Latinos between the ages of 18-24 enrolled in a 4-year college institution.

Please click here to visit TRPI’s Latino College Dollars website.

Click here to view the 2007-2008 directory.

TRPI encourages organizations offering scholarships for Latino students to contact the Institute to be included in the next Latino College Dollars directory.

About TRPI Founded in 1985, the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute advances informed policy on key issues affecting Latino communities through objective and timely research contributing to the betterment of the nation. TRPI is an affiliated research unit of the University of Southern California School of Policy, Planning, and Development, and is associated with the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy at Columbia University.

Contact:

TRPI @ (213) 821- 5615″

TRPI Latino Voting Statistics 2008 PDF

TRPI has released a report entitled: African American and Latino Enrollment Trends among Medicine, Law, Business, and Public Affairs Graduate Programs. The purpose of the report is to provide an analysis of the fields of medicine, business, law, and public affairs, and to present other relevant data pertaining to African American and Latino students in graduate education. The first section provides an overview of action policy and court cases. The second analyzes the relationship between affirmative action and nationwide enrollment trends of African American and Latino students in the four selected professional programs indicated.

Discovery:

• There have been significant improvements since the 1970s in high school graduation rates of African American and Latino students. Despite this, a low rate of African American and Latino high school alumni restricts the pool for medicine, business, law and public affairs students, because these disciplines require a bachelor’s degree.
• Multiple reasons and processes account for an underrepresentation of African American and Latino students in certain graduate programs, including factors stemming from affirmative action policy and court cases that have resulted from it.
• Institutional enrollment data from a significant number of schools need to be more transparent and more available so that the results of data analysis can be made public.
• Latino and African American applicants do not often have a lineage rooted in education from elite institutions, reducing their access to these gateways in fields of law, medicine, business and public affairs. (Half of the country’s business leaders come from elite schools, which comprise .5% of the nation’s colleges.)

National Enrollment Trends:

• The elimination of affirmative action has sharply decreased the number of underrepresented students enrolling in medical schools. African American applicants who applied to the top 10 public and private medical schools declined by 25%, from 5,379 in 1995 to 4,033 in 2001. Latino applicants to the same schools decreased 38.6%, from 2,769 in 1995 to 1,700 in 2001. Together, African American and Latino enrollment in the nation’s top 10 public and private medical schools declined by 11.2% and 27.2% respectively.
• From fall 1995 to fall 2006, the number of admitted African American and Latino students in University of California’s three law schools declined by 28% under California’s anti-affirmative action movement.
• Over the past nine years, there has been an increase in undergraduate business degrees awarded to African American and Latino students. These degrees rose from 9% of total degrees in the US in 1995-1996, to 15% in the 2003-2004 academic year. However, it should be noted that this statistic is not in keeping with growth of the African American and Latino population in the U.S., currently at 25%.
• MBA degrees for African Americans and Latinos are increasing faster than that of other master’s degrees (though it is also not in keeping with growth of the African American and Latino population in the U.S.).
• Public affairs master’s degrees train students for careers in government, business, media, nonprofit organizations, NGOs and other international organizations. M.A.s in underrepresented groups have increased from 18% in 1996 to 25% in 2004 (though the numbers are inconsistent with the growth of the African American and Latino populations in the U.S.).

Going further, TRPI’s Professor President Harry P. Pachon said, “It is not a question of affirmative action, it is a question of realizing the full intellectual potential of minority students in these programs.”

Download this report from Publications page under the education header at www.TRPI.org.

The report was prepared by Rodolfo de la Garza, and Sepehr Hejazi Moghadam, from the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute office at Columbia University.

Special thanks to the Ford Foundation who made this project possible.

A major survey released by the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) today gauged Mexican attitudes on the impact of remittances sent by their co- nationals living in the U.S. Remittances are defined as moneys earned and sent back to family or other organizations.

The TRPI study revealed how positively these remittances from the U.S. to Mexico are perceived. In this groundbreaking study, a nationally representative sample (N = 1000, error margin +/-3.1%) of Mexican nationals were interviewed to determine the impact of immigrant remittances.

Findings:

• Remittances are part of the fabric of everyday life for many families in Mexico: 32% of the respondents have received one to two remittances in the past year; 35% have received three to five remittances; and 33% have received six or more.
• In the past, Mexican immigrants were sending remittances to family members on a person to person basis. Responses from the study show a trend toward remittance money benefiting beyond familial support. Remittances include support for economic, social and health programs as well as funding for economic development and non- governmental organizations.
• Around one-third of respondents are aware of groups and programs working to extend the productive impact of remittances. 34% indicate some awareness of U.S. based immigrant and Mexican hometown associations that send money back to communities.
• Concerns surrounding the remittance industry are evolving. 51% of respondents said that the most important factor when receiving money from the U.S. is that it arrives securely. For 17%, the most important factor is that the monies arrive on time while 16% stated that collecting the money easily was a factor. Thirteen percent (13%) cited the cost of the transaction and only 4% mentioned the exchange rate.
• 95% said that there are more choices now than five years ago regarding the number of companies available to receive a remittance.

“Mexicans in remittance receiving communities recognize the value of monies sent by their co- nationals in the U.S. in improving the qualities of Mexican life,” said Rudy de La Garza, Ph.D., Vice-President of research for TRPI.

The World Bank estimates that over 24 billion dollars are received by Mexico, accounting for 3% of the country’s GDP.

“The amount of monies these remittances represent is enormous,” said Harry P. Pachon, President of TRPI. “For most countries in Latin America, remittances exceed U.S. foreign aid.”

If you have questions about the survey and the study’s findings, please contact Dr. Rudy de La Garza via phone at (212) 854-2292 or Dr. Harry P. Pachon at (213) 821- 5615.

About TRPIFounded in 1985, the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) advances informed policy on key issues affecting Latino communities through objective and timely research contributing to the betterment of the nation. TRPI is an affiliated research unit of the University of Southern California School of Policy, Planning, and Development and is associated with the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy at Columbia University.”*

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today convened an inaugural summit titled “America’s Competitiveness: Hispanic Participation in Technology Careers,” an effort to bring together leaders in business, education, government, and community organizations to find ways to increase the number of Hispanic students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math in the United States.

The effort is aimed at a looming problem resulting from the significant decline in the numbers of Hispanic students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (or STEM). This decline could affect America’s competitiveness in the increasingly global market. Demographic data show that the Hispanic community is expected to constitute 25 percent of the overall U.S. population by mid-century, making the U.S. home to the largest Hispanic population in the world. Meanwhile, Hispanic students dropping out of high school are at a 24 percent rate.

To address the issue, IBM along with ExxonMobil, Lockheed Martin and Univision, and 150 other leaders will meet on May 5 and 6 in New York, to examine the ways the Hispanic community can improve their participation in STEM.

“The Hispanic community is one of the fastest growing in the country and young Latinos are rapidly joining our workforce,” said U.S. Senator Robert Menendez. “It is important that they have the option to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math, not only so they can fully develop their potential, but also so they can become professionals in areas that are vital to our economy, our security, our future as a nation. I salute IBM for this important initiative and hope this summit will open up new roads to success for our Hispanic youth.”

The magnitude of the nation’s STEM career gap is most apparent in the field of engineering where the need for talent is increasing at three times the rate of other professions. This demand is countered by trends that demonstrate few American students are entering STEM-related studies.

“IBM is deeply committed to galvanizing the U.S. corporate sector and other stakeholders in addressing the serious shortage of professionals in STEM careers, particularly in the Hispanic community,” stated Nicholas M. Donofrio, Executive Vice President, Innovation and Technology. “This summit is a call to action to challenge business leaders to address an issue that could undermine the country’s leadership in today’s global economy.”

Participants of this strategic gathering will be presented with newly released reports commissioned by the IBM International Foundation from respected research organizations like The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute and Public Agenda, which outline the challenges and opportunities to the nation’s Hispanic community and their partners as regards the pursuit of STEM careers.

Among the key findings of The Public Agenda study, “A Matter of Trust,” released today in conjunction with the conference, reveals a deep-seated anxiety within the Hispanic Community about attaining a college education despite it being a requirement for a decent job and middle-class life in nine of ten young Hispanic adult households. The reasons identified in the study are:

• Nearly half of Hispanic parents say it is a serious problem that students are not taught enough math and science.
• Hispanic parents are more likely to support making sure U.S. standards match those in Europe and Japan.
• Less than half of Hispanic young adults believe that qualified students can find a way to pay for college.

“Education and higher education in particular are even more highly-prized and respected among Hispanic parents than among parents in general, despite some erroneous conventional wisdom to the contrary,” state authors Paul Gasbarra and Jean Johnson, of the Public Agenda. “Overall… far too many Hispanic families are underserved by public education — and to a significantly greater degree than the general population.”

As a means of enabling Spanish-language-only parents to better communicate with teachers — one of the needs outlined in the Public Agenda study — IBM is today announcing that it will provide its automatic two-way, English-Spanish, e-mail translation and web translation software called ¡TradúceloAhora! to all U.S. schools at no cost to them.

Additionally, schools and nonprofit organizations will be given unlimited use of the ¡TradúceloAhora! software. And Hispanic older adults and those with disabilities can access the free translation software along with other free software called AccessibilityWorks that helps them view web pages in a customized format for easier and more effective reading and navigation on the web.

And, according to The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI), which also today released the report, “STEM Professions: Opportunities and Challenges for Latinos,” the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S. also suffers from a worse gender gap in STEM careers compared with Asians and African Americans.

The TRPI report, however, noted some signs of optimism: “As the youngest and fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S. today,” state the authors, Maria Teresa V. Taningco, Ann Bessie Mathew and Harry Pachon. “Latinos have a unique opportunity to aim high and to strive for STEM careers, given the high demand in these fields.”

In response to the need to provide mentors for Hispanic students, IBM commits to expanding the MentorPlace program to focus on school districts in the U.S. with a significant number of Hispanic students, and matching them with IBM employees who can serve as their online mentors.

• Additionally, IBM will expand its cascade mentoring program - currently at the University of Arizona at Tucson - to at least 3 universities in California, New York and Texas.
• The cascading mentoring program is an internet based system that enables professional mentors, university students, and K-12 students to engage in a three-way mentoring relationship through secure online discussions. These discussions focus on past academic experiences and exploration of what could be in terms of future goals and opportunities.
• This program completed its third year in Tucson, Arizona and involved IBM employees, the University of Arizona SHPE (Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers) Student Chapter, and students from two high schools.

In addition, IBM is making further commitments aimed at bolstering early education resources with innovative technology tools for the classroom:

• IBM also will make a donation of 1,000 KidSmart units at early childhood centers in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and New York - in neighborhoods that support the Hispanic community.
• IBM commits to expanding the Reading Companion grant program - a web- based, voice recognition technology that helps adults and children gain literacy skills - to any school district in the U.S. that is interested, with a special focus on school districts with a significant number of Hispanics.

Key moderators and facilitators will lead attendees in highly focused work groups designed to encourage dialogue and develop actionable strategies to increase Hispanic participation in STEM-related curriculum. Confirmed moderators include Tom Luce, Chief Executive Officer, National Math and Science Initiative, Inc. (former Assistant Secretary, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development); Irving Wladawsky-Berger, Chairman Emeritus, IBM Academy of Technology and Visiting Professor of Engineering Systems, MIT; Stanley Litow, President of the IBM International Foundation and Vice President, Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs, IBM Corporation; and Adalio Sanchez, Vice President of Corporate Strategy, IBM Corporation.

The issue of skills and the need for America to produce more graduates with degrees in math, science, engineering and technology also will be addressed.

“The shift to a digital economy in the last 10 years requires that young people be prepared to enter the workforce with ’21st Century skills,’” said AMD Chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz. “Fostering STEM skills is critically important in developing an adept workforce to fill the jobs of this expanding digital economy.”

In keeping with its commitment to the development of STEM professionals for the future, IBM has been in collaboration with over 5,000 premier universities and over 100,000 business partners globally to prepare students with 21st century skills for jobs in the new IT workforce.

In the U.S. alone, IBM has trained faculty at over 3,150 institutions on software skills and over 150 on mainframe skills. Students and future STEM professionals can also access the IBM Academic Initiative which includes an online portal that provides access to FREE software and hardware as well as training and course materials. Also through the web, IBM offers hundreds of resources for integration into college curricula to help teach students how to master the fast-growing market of open technologies. Perhaps most significantly, IBM is working with more than 150 leading universities to promote the global adoption of a new academic discipline, Service Science Management and Engineering (SSME).”*

The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) today released a new report: Latina and Latino Nurses: Why are there so few? The report identifies current and projected shortages in U.S. nursing professionals as a growing concern threatening the integrity of the health care system. Further exacerbating this shortage is a lack of diversity and the increasing average age among nurses. The new TRPI study also provides recommendations for policies and interventions most likely to increase Latina and Latino participation in the nursing workforce.

Barriers for Hispanic nurses and assistant nurses:

• Lack of time to study due to family obligations.
• Difficulty getting admitted to nursing school due to limited seating availability.
• Lack of financial support for nursing school.
• Lack of academic preparation and training.

Barriers for Hispanic non-nurses:

• Lack of knowledge about the nursing profession.
• Lack of a role model in the field.
• Nursing is considered too stressful and demanding.

Recommendations:

• Improvements in educational access in terms of better academic preparation during high school, more financial aid for higher education, more awareness and information about nursing degree programs, and greater cultural sensitivity in the teaching and treatment of nurses.
• An overall improvement in working conditions faced by nurses in terms of understaffing, administrative support and job-related stress.

To view the full report, please click here.

The report was prepared by Rainbow Vogt, Ph.D., and Maria Teresa V. Taningco, Ph.D. If you have questions about this report and the study’s findings, please contact Dr. Vogt via phone at (213) 821 5615.

TRPI would like to extend a special thanks to the California Wellness Foundation who made this project possible.