Latino Students and the Massachusetts Public Schools.

This report presents basic data about Latino students in the public schools of Massachusetts. Recent population data on Latino youth and public school enrollment are presented, highlighting the areas of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where Latinos are densely concentrated. The report then considers the achievement of Latino students in the schools, highlighting recently published cohort dropout data and Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Test (MCAS) results for Latinos. The report also looks at the after-school plans of Latino graduates. Among all Massachusetts youth 19 years of age or younger, Latinos represent 8.8%. In 1997, 92,306 Latino students were enrolled in public schools in Massachusetts, accounting for 9.7% of the total number of children enrolled in grades K-12. Projections show that 29% of Latino students that began ninth grade in 1998 are at high risk of dropping out, a rate almost 3 times that of White students. The high rates of school dropout for Latino children are a grave concern for parents and educators. As is true for dropout rates, the outcomes of Latino students on standardized tests are the worst in the state. Latinos appear to be the group most vulnerable to the negative outcomes predicted to result from the use of high-stakes standardized tests. Latino students would benefit greatly from true educational reform, but they will bear the highest burden as the process of reform becomes institutionalized. As new requirements, especially reliance on the MCAS, are implemented, many Latino students will not be able to obtain a high school diploma, and dropout rates may also increase. (Contains 12 figures, 4 tables, and 27 endnotes.) (SLD)