Hispanic Literacy Trends: As Readers, Library Patrons, and Book Characters

This paper explores three trends related to the Hispanic community in the US. First we are interested in identifying the achievement scores and graduation rates of Hispanic students. Second, we are interested in Hispanic populations as library patrons. And third, we are interested in how Hispanic book characters are portrayed in literature for children. We explore these three trends not as causal relationships but as three trends that hold importance and are related to the daily activities of teachers and students throughout the schoolday. We also look at these three trends as possibilities for insuring the inclusion of Hispanic students in the larger culture of books and reading.