This report on Texas metros among most uneducated in U.S. sadly aligns to another study by consumeraffirs.com reported by Alexis Simmerman titled, "Texas is 3rd-worst state to move to in 2024, recent study says. This tells me that Texas is underinvesting in public education, health and other areas. It also tells me that we need better leadership in government that's willing to fund our schools equitably and at a higher level. We are too big a state for us to rank at the bottom. Lastly, it doesn't mean that many among us haven't dedicated our lives and careers to make Texas a better state.

Neither report takes into account what could and should be a bright spot regarding the benefits that immigrants bring to Texas and our nation. Check out this helpful analysis by Benjamin Wermund in a July 26, 2024 article published in the Houston Chronicle titled, Recent wave of illegal immigration could net the federal government nearly $1 trillion, study says where he notes a report by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

"The CBO estimates the immigration surge will create $1.2 trillion in federal revenue over the next decade, mostly from income taxes and spending by the estimated 8.7 million migrants living in the U.S. during that time. Those same migrants would cost the federal government just $300 billion in health care and other costs, according to the estimate, bringing the net benefit to $900 billion." 

Of course, neither Greg Abbott nor Lt. Governor Dan Patrick could care less about immigrants or the value they add when like Donald Trump, it gives them an issue to rile up their base. Again, we need different leaders. Elections matter. Voting matters.

When we consider all these immigrant newcomers entering our state, we need to consider the costs of not educating them or providing them with adequate health care—particularly since the CBO and other studies show that, on average, they give our country so much more than they receive in services. 

I hope that the Harris-Walz campaign gets messages like these across so that these folks aren't demonized or dehumanized, on the one hand. On the other, they should get recognized for the value they add to our state and nation. A pathway to citizenship is the least our country should do for this hard-working, frequently exploited, community.

-Angela Valenzuela

Study: With the exception of Austin area, Texas metros among most uneducated in U.S.

by Alexis Simmerman

Austin American-Statesman | August 5, 2024

Several Texas cities are among the least educated in the U.S., a recent survey shows. In a July 2024 study, WalletHub analyzed 150 of the country's largest metro areas and compared them across 11 factors related to education.

Education plays an important role in an area's economy. Those with higher levels of education generally receive higher salaries and can therefore contribute more tax dollars over time.

And those with more education tend to want to live somewhere with more opportunities to use that education. People tend to marry others with the same education level, which means cities with well-educated inhabitants are likely to welcome more people with degrees.

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However, education is only one of many factors that determine where someone wants to live. Other factors can be personal preferences or sociopolitical standing. In the recent study, WalletHub analyst Cassandra Hope shared some insight on the relationship between education and where people live.

"Higher education doesn’t guarantee better financial opportunities in the future, but it certainly correlates with it," Hope said. "The most educated cities provide good learning opportunities from childhood all the way through the graduate level. In addition to overall education, it’s also important to look at how well cities promote educational equality when it comes to race and gender."

So how did your area fare in the study? Here's a breakdown:

Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown is eighth most educated metro area

With a score of 78.12 out of 100, the metro area including Austin, Round Rock and Georgetown ranked eighth in educated population. It ranked sixth in the quality of education and attainment gap and 11th in educational attainment.

Education rankings: Texas metro areas

Other Texas metro areas did not perform as well in the study. Here's the WalletHub analysis for all Texas metro areas included in the study:

Overall Rank	Metro Area	Total Score	Educational Attainment Rank	Quality of Education & Attainment Gap Rank
8	Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown	78.12	11	6
72	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington	54.92	73	67
84	Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land	52.85	97	16
103	San Antonio-New Braunfels	48.69	110	29
120	Killeen-Temple	42.32	120	116
136	El Paso	32.80	140	38
141	Corpus Christi	29.17	139	131
143	Beaumont-Port Arthur	27.35	144	83
148	Brownsville-Harlington	12.29	149	91
149	McAllen-Edinburg-Mission	10.46	150	80

Table by Alexis Simmerman/American-Statesman | Data by WalletHub

Gains in Educational Attainment, Enrollment in All Hispanic Groups, Largest Among South American Population [U.S. Census]

Such great news from the U.S. Census indicating that Hispanics' educational attainment has increased over the past several decades. According to researchers, Erik L. Hernandez and Kevin McElrath, "the Mexican population had the largest increase in college enrollment with a 12-percentage-point increase from 21% in 2005 to 33% in 2021."  

The authors don't mention a pandemic effect, but Fig. 2 suggests as much with a dip in educational attainment in 2021.

With the attainment of bachelor degrees going up for all Hispanic subgroups between 2005 and 2021 (Fig. 4), the data are encouraging and suggest that bachelor degree attainment is becoming more of a norm for the college-age population, as a whole. That said, these gains have clearly come at much sacrifice for Hispanic students and families. 

-Angela Valenzuela

Gains in Educational Attainment, Enrollment in All Hispanic Groups, Largest Among South American Population

May 10, 2023

by Erik L. Hernandez and Kevin McElrath

 

The nation’s fast-growing Hispanic population made dramatic strides in educational attainment in recent decades — especially among younger age groups.

The number of people of Hispanic or Latino origin (referred to as the Hispanic population in this article) more than quadrupled from 14.6 million 1980 to 62.1 million 2021, and their share of the U.S. population jumped from 6.2% to 18.7%.

As the Hispanic population grew so did its educational attainment, especially high school graduation rates.

In 1996, 58.2% of the Hispanic population ages 25 to 29 graduated from high school; by 2021, the share increased to 88.5%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey data tables.

The number of Hispanic people ages 18 to 24 enrolled in college increased to 2.4 million in 2021, up from 1.2 million in 2005. 

Trends in educational attainment were particularly relevant for the nation’s Hispanic population given its low median age (30.5 in 2021).

For many Hispanic people in the United States, educational milestones are recent events. In 2021, the majority of Hispanic adults were between ages 25 and 34.

This young segment of the Hispanic population had the highest rate of college completion (bachelor’s degree or higher) as well as the lowest rate of not completing high school. 

Educational Expansion for Young Hispanic People

We looked at 2005-2021 estimates of educational attainment among the young Hispanic population by four education categories: less than a high school degree; high school only; some college; and a bachelor’s degree or higher. A growing number of Hispanic people reached higher educational attainment over this time span (Figure 1).

In 2005, one-third of Hispanic people ages 25-34 had some college: 2.7 million had less than a high school education; 2.3 million only had a high school degree; 1.6 million had some college; and fewer than 1 million had a bachelor’s degree or higher.

By 2021, over half of young Hispanic people had some college. The number with less than a high school degree dropped 45.8% to 1.5 million. There were increases in all other categories: high school only (up 28.3% to 2.9 million); some college (up 76.5% to 2.9 million); and a bachelor’s degree or higher (up 145.2% to 2.2 million).

Increasing College Enrollment

From 2005 to 2021, an increasing number of Hispanic people enrolled in college and became a greater share of the total student population (Figure 2).

The number of Hispanic people ages 18 to 24 enrolled in college increased to 2.4 million in 2021, up from 1.2 million in 2005.

The share of all college students ages 18 to 24 who were Hispanic grew, too. The lowest share during the period (11.4%) was in 2006; by 2021 it had swelled to nearly 20%. 

Educational Differences Between Hispanic Origin Groups

From 2005 to 2021, the percentage of 18-24-year-olds in all Hispanic origin groups enrolled in college or graduate school grew (Figure 3). 

But there were different growth patterns. For example, Cuban and South American populations started with relatively high levels of college enrollment in 2005 and saw relatively small or non-statistically significant increases.

In contrast, other groups had lower levels of college enrollment in 2005 and larger gains over the period.

The Mexican population had the largest increase in college enrollment with a 12-percentage-point increase from 21% in 2005 to 33% in 2021. Puerto Rican, Dominican, Central American and other Hispanic or Latino populations also experienced enrollment increases of 7.5 percentage points or higher.

It became more common for all Hispanic origin groups to earn a bachelor’s degree from 2005 to 2021:

• South American (46%) and Cuban (35.9%) groups had higher levels of bachelor’s degree attainment than all other Hispanic origin groups in 2021 and for the entire 16-year period. The South American population had the biggest increase (12%) of any detailed Hispanic origin group.

• Mexican and Central American groups each saw increases of around 10 percentage points.

• Puerto Rican, Dominican, and other Hispanic or Latino populations had similar growth, starting between 15% and 20%, and increasing to between 27% and 28%. 

Within the larger educational trends of the Hispanic population, there were different starting points and patterns of growth for detailed Hispanic origin groups (Figures 3 and 4).

Erik L. Hernandez and Kevin McElrath are survey statisticians in the Census Bureau’s Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division.

Say it in any language you want – Latinos need a voice in the U.S. education debate

Good piece.  Mark Lopez of the American Dental Association, says, 

“Educational equity necessitates the need for Latino families to express themselves, sit on boards and create policy so our communities get the educations we deserve.”  

In a word, they lack and need "voice."  This is something that I say all the time.  Yet how can African American and Latino communities obtain it if many are systematically denied it as a consequence of our drill-and-kill, de-contextualized, mind-numbing system of mental testing?

Voice is so massively important in today's society and it's significantly expressed through writing—and multiple other forms of involvement in the public sphere that also require not just literacy, but deep, subject-matter knowledge and intellect.  For this reason it is highly problematic that in our test-based school culture, that so much of writing—and what it means to write—is presented in technical terms in ways that are frequently pedestrian, uninspiring, and narrow.  Voice, opinion, argumentation, expression, and rhetoric often get curtailed. 

Writing needs to get liberated from its dumbed-down applications, providing young people with the tools they need in order to express themselves confidently in the public sphere.  A good Ethnic Studies program is fully about voice and developing students' academic self-concepts which is a major reason why I support Ethnic Studies.

Angela Valenzuela

Column by Andre Perry

October 20, 2015

In this photo taken May 22, 2010, Brownie Sibrian, soon to graduate from Whittier College, gives a valedictory speech at a Latino pre-graduation celebration, sponsored by the Latino Student Assn. and MEChA, about a week before graduation on the campus in Whittier, Calif. Photo: AP Photo/Reed Saxon

An education is democratic when those who receive it can deliberate in its planning, governance and delivery.
If you’re not deliberating with the education process, then you’re just being indoctrinated.
The absence of Latino voices from the education process means that many people are not determining what it means to be an American for themselves. Instead, others are running that process for them.
Related: Presidential priorities converge for black and brown men in community colleges
Hispanics represent approximately 17 percent of the U.S. population, according to Census data. In public schools, Hispanics and Latinos account for more than a quarter of all public school students. Yet they are not represented the dialogue. “Latinos are missing from the education conversation, especially on education reform,” says Mary Moran, founder of Our Voice Nuestra Voz (OVNV), an education advocacy and parent organizing start-up in New Orleans that seeks to widen the sphere of influence in education.

Moran is correct. Power resides in voice. And Latinos’ voices aren’t resounding in schools and communities.

Most school boards limit participation in meetings from non-English speakers because of the limited language skills of the board members and the lack of materials presented in other languages.
Language shouldn’t be a barrier for engagement and deliberation. However, there is literally an English only agenda.

Related: In Illinois, school access worst for Latinos

In addition, schools’ faculty strongly influences what is taught and how to teach it. However, Latinos only represent approximately 7 percent of the profession. Latino students (and by extension their families) have numerical representation but lack seats at the table.

“Latino students (and by extension their families) have numerical representation but lack seats at the table.”

Discussions on race and education echo the static English only, black-white discourse that tries its best to include Latinos, American Indians and people of Asian descent as afterthoughts. The crude catchall term “people of color” too often translates to black folk and everybody else.
We’ve been kicking out Latino voices on the sly for years. So much of the conversation has swirled around immigration, which doesn’t account for most of the growing Latino population in public schools. The adage, “We didn’t cross the border; the border crossed us” comes to mind.
Along with erroneous conversations around immigration comes the “they are a drain of local budgets” gibberish, which delegitimizes Latino voice. Also, English as second language discussions often assume the Spanish language – the second most spoken language in the world – to be a liability.

Related: How to boost graduation rates for black and Latino males
When Latino issues are at the core of the discussion, it’s carries downright ugly tone. Donald Trump’s rise in political popularity was fueled by the quote, “They’re [Mexicans] bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” When Trump kicked journalist Jorge Ramos out of a press conference while saying, “Go back to Univision,” Trump resonated with banal, racist rhetoric many consider blunt and frank. So let’s not blame Trump to excuse our mundane racist behaviors.
Latinos can landscape our school grounds but our neighbors are not receiving the respect, education and opportunities that will have them run the school.

This is exactly what Moran wants to combat with OVNV. To accomplish this, OVNV trains and builds leaders in schools and communities to comprise the Latino Action Network, which creates campaigns on mostly educational issues, but it also focuses on issues that impact the community including immigration and discrimination.

Related: Q&A with Shaun Harper: Fix the system, and black and brown men will follow

OVNV is running an anti discrimination program that brings awareness to Latino experiences and the discrimination they face around immigration, jobs, housing, driver’s licenses, and health access in New Orleans. The group teaches parents how to advocate for themselves in a democratic space that hasn’t made room for their voices.
“Graduation rates and college enrollment are improving, but it’s imperative that families have more control of the educations they receive,” said Mark Lopez, senior director for access, diversity and inclusion at the American Dental Association, who researches Latino student success. Lopez says that Latinos have realized growth in spite of policies that don’t touch the unique needs of Latinos in this country.
According to the Pew Research Center, the Hispanic high school dropout rate has declined from 32 percent in 2000 to 14 percent in 2013, among 18 to 24 year olds. The number of Hispanics enrolled in a two- or four-year college has more than tripled since 1993. Still, Hispanics trail other groups in obtaining a four-year degree attainment. Lopez says, “Educational equity necessitates the need for Latino families to express themselves, sit on boards and create policy so our communities get the educations we deserve.”
Practicing democracy is an essential element of an education as is learning math, language arts and science and art. It’s a mistake to rigidly act on the idea that schooling is the main problem with education. Schools operate in a larger context that don’t always see students or their families as equal members.
Trump should learn that “Mexicans” can and actually do bring democracy and improve our schools in the process. But Latinos can’t wait for others to provide more seats at the table.

This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news website focused on inequality and innovation in education. Read more columns by Andre Perry.

Andre Perry

Dr. Andre Perry, a contributing writer, is the former founding dean of urban education at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Mich. Previously, Perry worked in… See Archive

@andreperryedu

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