A study in San Diego, for example, found that children in immigrant families outperformed the district norms at every grade level. The longer they are in U.S. school systems, however, the more they begin to fall behind. The same is true for third-generation Hispanic children. While their parents might have performed well, these children are more likely to be poor learners. Other facts are also sobering.
Hispanic students are more segregated in schools than any other minority group.
Both suspension and dropout rates of Hispanic students have increased in the last decade, while other groups have reduced their rates on both indicators. While their educational aspirations are rising, a higher proportion of Hispanic students than of other groups choose vocational or associate's degrees as their goals rather than four-year degrees. Some attribute the higher dropout rate among Hispanic students to the fact that they can find employment more easily than members of other minority groups, but schools that use this excuse for not trying aggressively to keep Hispanic students in school are failing these students. They will be handicapped in today's economy. According to Sam Stringfield of Johns Hopkins University, today's high school dropouts earn less annually, adjusted for inflation, than their grandfathers who dropped out of school.