 
# The Guide

Thoughts from Twenty Years in the Educational Trenches

A Unique College Guide for Latino Students and their Supporters.

by Bob Howitt

Executive Director, WKBJ Foundation

Published by Bob Howitt at Smashwords

Copyright © 2015 Robert Howitt

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

## DESCRIPTION OF GUIDE

"Who is the target audience?"

Leaving aside the flip, but honest, response that this book was written for the author's own—programmatic needs/catharsis/enjoyment—GUIDE's primary focus is the Latino college student, either current or future, and his supporters.

At the same time, it is designed to be used by different audiences for different purposes.

Those curious about a gringo's thoughts on Latino culture might wander through the opening chapter, while a high school junior may immediately skip ahead to the chapter on getting to college. A student already enrolled in higher education is more concerned with being successful in college and could go immediately to that chapter.

Readers who believe there are both standalone characteristics and linkages among culture, the education system, and broad-sweeping social policies may spend more time on other portions of GUIDE, including the Addenda.

I am not a techie, but I believe it is accurate to label GUIDE an "Open Source" document; the book itself is not copyrighted. Anybody who wants desired chapters, or portions thereof, to be electronically transmitted for their usage in a non-commercial, education-centered endeavor only needs to send an explanatory request to me at wkbj@att.net.

***

Drilling down from these thoughts, GUIDE admittedly is not the easiest book to describe.

If I were asked to give it an objective once-over, these would be my thoughts, hopefully in a somewhat logical order (perhaps unlike parts of the book itself).

THE MESSAGE is that fundamental long-term changes in society are opening up an unprecedented opportunity for Latino students, particularly given the probability of either comprehensive immigration reform or DREAM Act-centered legislation.

Simply put, the BILINGUAL, BICULTURAL LATINO STUDENT

has the country coming his or her way—if fully-prepared:

academically, culturally, and with documentation.

LATINO STUDENTS will find a ton of information they can use in thinking about, applying to, and graduating from college. At the same time, any think tank researcher would want even more information than is provided. Some of the data on education are not wholly consistent, and for sure there have been fresh statistical inputs since GUIDE was a wrap.

LATINO LEADERS will see a different perspective on the education environment in which their constituents function; they may squirm at some assertions. Guidance counselors, school administrators, mentors, and Board of Education trustees might have a better understanding of the Latino student population after Reading (it is deliberately capitalized) GUIDE. A touch of ego, but my comments are the result of a two-decade immersion in education and Latino culture. If anybody is offended by certain observations, it is inadvertent—the comments reflect my varied experiences.

THE WRITING is informal and irreverent, not cerebral, but nonetheless thoughtful. The writing is a touch bumpy, with some uneven transitional moments, reflecting the level of the author's competency plus necessary interruptions for data points and important—by definition!—socioeconomic observations. The tone moves around a little, from optimism (especially about students) to cynicism to dark humor, depending on the specific subject matter being discussed.

Probably two-thirds of the book is original writing, with the balance divided among material borrowed from real experts, articles by students who have been members of my education programs, data points lifted from general Reading, and a collection of timeless thoughts previously penned by me.

RANTS about certain aspects of the education system (especially the "business" of college) are mostly immediately recognizable and often can be skimmed by the Latino student and other Readers without losing a beat.

AT TIMES, it may seem that a white author is telling non-Latinos to climb out of the limited boxes in which many of them live and come to a more informed and more nuanced understanding of the Latino world. This is particularly relevant given the comprehensive immigration reform bill in front of Congress.

CRITICALLY IMPORTANT is that Howitt family members will finally get to understand what the old man has been doing all these years.

As a one-liner, GUIDE could be labeled "quirky but ultimately highly useful."

## INTRODUCTION

Presuming the prospective Reader—whether a Latino student or his supporters or a stray masochist—has given the Table of Contents at least a cursory look, his or her reaction probably falls into one of three basic buckets:

"You must be kidding—who wants to wade through all this material."

"You must be kidding—it looks like every imaginable component of higher education is covered to a greater or lesser extent. An aspiring Latino student and his supporters can easily locate the subsection on which they want to focus."

"You must be kidding—is the writer of GUIDE seeking to dump all his education files into a so-called book before the day, which is coming soon, when his grandchildren have to constantly remind him not to go to the mailbox on Sundays?"

I confess to not being overly concerned with how the votes would be distributed among these reactions (although I have a certain affection for bucket number two), nor with the criticism that GUIDE has too many "threads" (I think that means lines of thought).

Besides giving me the opportunity to make some sense out of my multiple education-related experiences, the purpose of this book is to provide a college GUIDE for Latino students.

The inevitability and implications of demographic changes which favor the Latino population underscore my optimism that there will be substantive growth in opportunities for educated bilingual, bicultural Latino students.

The key role of Latino voters in the re-election of President Barack Obama adds to that positive view, both in general and in reference to the chances for a true DREAM Act, with or without comprehensive immigration reform. Such legislation would enable currently undocumented students to become documented and thus be able to fully participate in, and contribute to, the unfolding of a new America.

Yes, there are multiple threads.

The manner in which GUIDE is laid out, as delineated in the extensive Table of Contents, makes it possible for the student to either get many of his questions answered or identify the websites which can provide the necessary information.

Before diving into "Getting to College," the opening chapter of Part Two and the beginning of what might be considered a more conventional GUIDE, I begin with a lengthy discussion of "Latino Family Culture" and "A Succinct Overview of Education." I believe both are additive to a GUIDE, albeit in different ways.

The dominant percentage of my time and energy relevant to students pursuing higher education in the past twenty years has been spent in the context of Hispanic culture, and an understanding thereof cannot be excluded from any source offering college assistance to students from these families.

It is not equally necessary to have well-developed thoughts on the state of education in this country, but those concerned with connecting the dots between big picture characteristics and implications at the individual student level should find that chapter somewhat helpful.

First, some thoughts and information which fit under the logical heading of:

### Background

At La Sierra, one of a half-dozen panaderias open at 5am in Dover, New Jersey, I wait in line with the dayworkers to get my coffee. The Latina server puts it up without any direction, reflecting my countless visits; besides, I take no sugar, unusual hereabouts.

Add a delicious pandebono or arepa or buñuelo, and I am good to go—to my office around the corner, above the Benson Thomson Insurance Agency and next to Three Brothers restaurant. For lunch or dinner, I may go to Sabor Latino, where I should be a shareholder with owners Wilson and Trini Vasquez, given the number of times I have eaten there with Latino students or others from the community.

Economically, Dover may be "the hole in the affluent donut of Morris County," a phrase I have used as a succinct summation for complete outsiders, but more importantly this 75% Hispanic, urban rhythm town of over 20,000 people (a better number than the Census count) is my comfort zone. It is where I have had two decades of one-on-one conversations with collegians: prospective, enrolled, and graduated. These students typically have been the first in their family to enter an American college and/or would be considered financially challenged and/or are English language learners. More times than I want to count, the issue of documentation has been a critically important part of our dialogue.

I do not speak—okay, I do know a bunch of words—or write Spanish, although I can negotiate an understanding of the numerous posters which dot the restaurant and social service windows on the streets of Dover. I do consider myself quite conversant with Hispanic culture, the benefit of not only the education interactions but also the result of having frequently socialized over the years with Hispanics of all ages, in and outside of my programs. In addition, I have traveled extensively in Central and South America, often staying in the homes of families connected with students known from my Dover activities.

(Sorry, you will find zero in GUIDE about the two Latinas I fell in love with, although I will assure you they were not at the same time. I am not Junot Diaz's fictional character from This is How You Lose Her.)

Organizationally, since inception in 1991, I have been Executive-Director of the WKBJ Foundation. WKBJ has been the source of both external grants (the foundation provided the initial outside funding for North Star Academy Charter School of Newark, which evolved into Uncommon Schools, arguably the leading non-profit charter school management organization in the country) and home to multiple internally-generated programs aimed at prospective collegians.

While GUIDE is not an attempt to go through each endeavor, the book embodies the experiences, gained knowledge, and emotions of being involved in a positive way with the large number of students who have participated.

On the following page is a statistical snapshot of the internal programs conceived and managed by the foundation/myself. In a sense, it is this set of data, coupled with all the non-quantifiable aspects of providing educational assistance, which has given me the courage to write a book that I simply refer to as "GUIDE."

Given that most of the time, the staff has consisted solely of me—those who want to drill way down on the data will not be satisfied. Those who want to know the human detail behind the numbers will be happier.

This was an extremely fluid program as it involved adults both new to the country and working multiple jobs; probably an equal number were temporary participants in the program.

MADE (Make a Difference Educationally) in Dover was a modification of the well-publicized "I Have a Dream" model. Students came into the program at the beginning of eighth grade. Through participation in activities, including the publication of an extensive newsletter, they earned points which translated into financial assistance for higher education. I WILL WALK! was aimed at older students, the majority of whom were relatively new to the country (and the multiple pressures under which they labored created more mobility in the membership count). Participants were required to volunteer at non-profit locations; in doing so, they earned financial aid for higher education.

Project 2050 was the most diverse effort as I reached out to different area high schools for different ethnicities: African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Caucasian. The name referred to the projected date (at that time) when there would be no ethnic majority in this country. Members were required to write for our quarterly Forum magazine and received substantial college funding.

Project 2015 encompasses nine students from the Hunts Point section of the Bronx, New York; the title refers to the date by which they are expected to have finished a four-year college education. The Other Program is my tongue-in-cheek descriptor for a series of individual situations with a single common logic—young people with more education and life aspirations than money.

Contextually, the brief descriptions above are where I am coming from in writing GUIDE.

Now—back to the real subject:

### The Latino Student

On page one of the dummy manual for the leader of a non-profit education program/foundation who is writing a book, it says to begin with the heartwarming story of an individual who has overcome seemingly insurmountable odds—of course with the life-changing assistance of the organization and its incredible staff—to become the star of the universe. This poster student's story is guaranteed to elicit complete amazement, tears, and, most importantly, big checks from funders.

The only commonality of GUIDE with this standard opening gambit is that if somebody with discretionary income wanted to buy a bunch of GUIDES (all the net proceeds would go to assist college students) and distribute them to potential Readers, I would not object. But seriously, there are simply so many stories I could tell about individual Latino students that to identify one as a generic representation of both my world and that of the Latino student is an exercise of questionable intellectual honesty.

Nonetheless, demonstrating my utter flexibility, I will proceed to generalize.

When I think of the Latino student in my office, I see a young person who, in no order of importance, is more likely than the average student seeking higher education to:

■ Have attended a subpar public high school

■ Be the first in his/her family to attend college

■ Be in an environment where the use of debt has been shunned

■ Have a family involved in every decision of each of its members

■ Attend a two-year college if going on to higher education

■ Attend a university close to home, if enrolling in a four-year school

■ Be relatively new to the United States

■ Have parents drawn to a college because of its recognizable name

■ Be surrounded by people who have a strong belief in fate

■ Have an innate advantage in being both bilingual and bicultural

■ Have documentation issues, which affect every aspect of his life: education, language acquisition, career path, family formation

■ Have parents who grew up in a country with a national education system

■ Have "DNA" which is skewed toward collaboration

■ Find, upon visiting his home country after a decade away, that his psyche has shifted to that of being an American

■ Be conversant with every new piece of electronics, but not as eager to Read

■ Revere futbol, a fascinating game long on process but short on closure

■ Be Catholic

■ Be in a family with below-average income

■ Understand that if he or she succeeds educationally, the benefits accrue to themselves first, but also to their family and future generations as well

■ Wonder on dark days whether returning to their home country, which they may not no longer know well, is the more comfortable place to live

■ Be with people who have come to the United States with an inadequate understanding of its challenges

■ Ponder the pros and cons of a "business" marriage when the years go by and falling in love with a documented spouse wanes in probability

■ Come from a culture where the Ps—priests, parents, police, politicians—are more important to an individual's daily life

My belief structure is that the Latino student on average has:

■ A greater need for sheer information about higher education options

■ An unclear understanding (like many of his peers for sure) of the link between actions and consequences

■ The tailwind of demographic change at his back

■ An above-average probability that non-credit remedial and/or English language courses will be required in college

■ A need for help on how to apply, finance and graduate from college

■ Reduced options because of the high cost of attending a four-year college

■ A struggle with respect to understanding the importance of self-advocacy

■ A need, when college is either not feasible or not sought, to know that learning a marketable skill is a valid path to a sustainable economic life

■ A need to be aware of lesser known colleges which are as good academically as those with household names

■ To be shown he can profit from more planning and less in-this-moment thinking when it comes to making decisions

■ To determine a path to become documented, where relevant. This has been an on-going and difficult process, but President Obama's Executive Order for Deferred Action renewed hopes for a true DREAM Act, which now seems more probable, either as part of comprehensive immigration reform or separately.

■ To better understand the education system, with its minimal national standards

■ To define a degree of individualism which is comfortable and rewarding

■ An advantage over peers as employers come to realize that hiring a bilingual person only helps them to understand language, whereas having a bilingual/bicultural person in an important position helps them to grasp how their customers or clients or patients think and make decisions

The final point above emphasizes for Latino students this thematic message:

In the flat and diverse world economy which is evolving, Latino students who have bilingual and bicultural competencies, who understand that both individual critical thinking skills and collaborative capability are integral to success—regardless of the sector of the society/economy in which they are involved—are in a truly advantaged position. Notwithstanding residual anti-immigration sentiment in some areas, opportunities in this country will be there to be capitalized on when Latino students complete their college education or develop a marketable skill...and are documented.

Now that I have established at least some understanding of the issues pertinent to the Latino student—and maybe even added a few not on the conventional list, or at least opened the conversational door to topics to be discussed later, I can proceed to explain:

### How and Why GUIDE was Written

Perhaps this endeavor to at least semi-logically display the thoughts pertinent to two decades of functioning with dirty fingernails (a positive attribute in my experience) should have been divided into three books: one a conventional college guide, one devoted to individual stories about Latino students, and one which brought together an entire collection of my rants about a long list of issues connected to the American education system, contemporary culture, and the demise of Reading and writing.

Maybe a fourth book would have made sense—detailing my prior life on Wall Street, which in a circuitous fashion led to a multi-year stint as a New York City homeless shelter volunteer and a book-length manuscript. Since I have been Executive Director of a prominent New York City youth agency and have played a significant role in the charter school world as well—more books?!? Entirely too much work and too conventional, dividing up a life into theoretically separate/definable components.

Instead, this is how GUIDE happened.

It started as a "how to" essay for prospective Latino college students, to be done on a time-availability basis given the demands of my various endeavors and my rule that there is no clock on the wall when I am talking with a student. Then GUIDE grew, and grew, and grew some more as it seemed both appropriate and additive to include the voices of Latinos who have been members of my foundation's various education programs. Moreover, along the way, I opted to use GUIDE as a home for some of that terribly helpful collection of information and ideas formerly resting comfortably in my files and/or in one of the 39 editions of our Forum magazine.

The writing challenge was magnified—for good reasons—as the country came to a better place concerning immigration, including the possibility of substantive reform; the onerous level of college costs and associated debt finally reached the front page of major media outlets; and education reform continued its transition from intelligent speculation to widespread implementation.

Certainly the inspiration for the commentary portions of GUIDE comes from my experiences with several hundred college students, about 75% of whom have been of Hispanic background and virtually all of whom I knew (some longer than others) before they set foot on a college campus. When I look at the program data in the previous table, I conclude that the college completion rate for members of my education programs has been quite good. Whether this is a function of money, support, selection, or better understanding of Latino culture, I leave to the analysts.

Throughout this time, I have had the immeasurable benefit of on-the-ground involvement with the leadership and rank-in-file of various non-profit entities serving ethnically diverse constituencies, both at my home base in Dover and in New York City and Boston. As a modest caveat, my experiences do not have the benefit of substantial interaction with older Latinos who occupy important positions in corporations; perhaps their viewpoints would have caused me to modify some of my assertions. Certainly the dialogue would have been interesting—another day perhaps.

From a process standpoint, the terms "college" and "university" are used interchangeably; the accreditation differences are irrelevant to 99% of prospective students with whom I have dealt. Throughout GUIDE, the singular Latino refers to both genders, and is followed by "he," except where usage makes it obvious that the meaning is solely male. The terms "Latino" and "Hispanic" are used interchangeably, intermittent political controversy notwithstanding. In twenty years, I have had only a handful of young people pointedly voice their thoughts to me about who uses the term Latino and who uses Hispanic and why; perhaps they were being polite to the checkwriter. (According to a 2012 Pew Hispanic Center poll, about half of Hispanic adults do not identify themselves by either Hispanic nor Latino, but by their country of origin.)

***

I realize the vocabulary used in GUIDE is a stretch for many student Readers; is this not a good thing? Teachers and other adults love students who ask questions, who are curious about learning new words. I know most Readers will Google unknown words but long-timers in the United States may provide added insight on contextual usage of those words. My guess is that wanting to improve a vocabulary is correlated with graduation from college, but alas the numbers are not available to prove my theory.

Years of extensive old-fashioned Reading—three physical newspapers daily plus various magazines—provided much of the factual material in GUIDE. I do not watch television excepting sports and "Law and Order" (and, more recently, an occasional "Family Guy"). Mostly I have been peddling a stationary bike when tearing out articles in a haphazard fashion and historically I was not compiling a professionally scripted bibliography, a procedural defect of GUIDE which I hope the lawyers will overlook given the non-profit, open-sourced nature of this entire endeavor. Many of the references correctly/completely footnoted are when I was attempting to bring GUIDE to fruition.

Surfing the web as a starting point for GUIDE was virtually nonexistent. However, websites obviously were referenced in numerous print articles and information from a good number of the websites is included in GUIDE, particularly to document the statistical part of educational life for Latino students. Every website was checked out during the first half of 2013 to ensure it was functioning; no endorsement is implied.

Regardless of the websites, a student will search forever to find instant answers to the core questions: "what do I want to do with my life, and how do I get prepared?" The college process is a marathon requiring the student's heavy involvement and an informed understanding by parents and supporters. As will be demonstrated, it is a ten-year drill, not a video game offering virtually instantaneous satisfaction.

***

While GUIDE represents an attempt to put down on paper a collection of thoughts about the higher education process, with the specific contextual reference being the Latino community, the information provided is not intended to be complete. If one Googled the available pages relevant to each section, it would be in the thousands and defeat the purpose of GUIDE. From a practical standpoint in doing the writing, with education inputs coming literally every day, there had to be an arbitrary "no mas" date; with minor exceptions, I used August 1, 2013.

The philosopher Descartes once said, "He is most creative who adapts from the greatest number of sources." GUIDE might approach that definition; indeed, portions of it have aspects of being a compilation, such is the variety of excerpted material. Personal opinions which wander away from the immediate topic are apparent I believe. And, as is normal, some Readers will disagree with the level of emphasis on certain aspects and they may be taken aback by a few rants about different components of the education system. GUIDE will:

■ Be somewhat provocative in the way it views the dynamics of Latino culture and educational aspirations, though not at the expense of causing someone to doubt my affection for the vast majority of individuals with whom I have spent the past 20 years.

■ Provide many interesting data points, while not drowning the Reader in heavily footnoted, longitudinal research about the socioeconomic underpinnings of the Latino educational situation.

■ Supply the Reader with an unusual variety of insights on virtually every facet of the road to college or a marketable skill.

■ Explicitly advocate passage of the DREAM Act, which is now constituted as part of comprehensive immigration reform; its adoption is so desirable that I cannot conjure up a rational opposing argument.

■ Include prior writings from Latino students and from myself.

■ Reveal the writer's cynicism about "colleges as businesses." I believe this must be recognized for the student to most productively function in an education world that is frequently unknown to him or her.

■ Provide research and experience-based recommendations.

Within GUIDE, Latino students will be confronted by some negative data points, but they have the direct power to change those numbers in future years by being resolved and graduating from college or developing a marketable skill. The latest data on Hispanics pursuing higher education are quite positive in fact. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, Hispanics are now the largest minority group on four-year college campuses. Increases are being shown as well in college completion rates. Moreover, the better outcomes being reported are before any impact from the 2012 implementation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and they are being accomplished despite the absence of any opportunities pertinent to a DREAM Act.

***

If I have had any influence on the lives of Latino students and contributed in a very small way to these improved numbers, there may be some simple reasons:

■ I always have had my office in the small town of Dover.

■ I listen well and tie my questions in conversation to what I have heard, not to a prepared script.

■ My office phone number and e-mail address have never changed.

■ As the check writer, I have been in a unique position to take action.

■ I am comfortable talking one-on-one with students, undocumented and otherwise, and they trust me, even as I question them about every aspect of their lives and those of their parents.

■ Regardless of my reservations about the education system, I have a can-do attitude with every student. I am more interested in a good communication flow leading to productive decisions than obsessing about a GPA hurdle.

■ My orientation toward volunteering, as represented in the specific formula for funding in one of our programs, has resonated well with the vast majority of individuals helped by the foundation.

■ The WKBJ foundation was designed from the outset to aggressively use all its assets to accomplish mission objectives and then fold its tent. It will be 95% done by the end of the 2013-14 academic year.

■ Not trying to create anything sustainable enhanced my ability to focus on individuals, not aggregates, and on specific circumstances, not systems.

■ There has been no attempt to "solve" all the challenges of a student and/or his family. I have bit my lip when surmising that some scholarship money was indirectly finding its way into the family sugar bowl.

■ My house, only four miles from my office, has been the site of numerous program member activities. The walls are covered with related photographs and the bookshelves are full of mementos.

■ Not only have I been at college graduations, but weddings of members as well, and baby christenings as those members grew their families. One wedding took place at my house and a second, between program participants, was officiated by a third member.

In the words of one newlywed--

"We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your attendance on our special day. We can honestly say it would not have been the same without you. Thank you for being there and for guiding us throughout our life together. You are definitely someone special in our lives and we hope that as we enter this new chapter, you will continue to guide, encourage, and motivate us like you have done in the past."

Nice.

***

In addition to the factors listed above, students may have sensed that like them, I do not believe that most comfortable white adults who come from a world of success "get it" with respect to what Latino students, at least those in my experience, are going through as they function and attempt to grow in this society.

On a given day, I may regard these blancos as basically innocent, going through life with their heads down and oblivious to what is going on around them. Another day may find me believing that they know what is going on and are frightened about the changes represented by the unfolding demographics of this country. And then there is the day of real darkness, when any residual naiveté of mine is wiped away as I see people willing to fight demographic change in any way possible—from immigration legislation at the state level which strikes at the heart of America's traditional openness and purported values—to a willingness to accept an education system which has been wonderful at creating a large low-paid service class available to the affluent, still largely white, power structure.

Thank goodness my natural personality is to operate at the micro level. This attitude puts the macro negatives in a different place, it is good for the students being given a boost in their quest for higher education, and it keeps my therapy bills to a minimum.

With all due humility, I have not functioned as a role model (enough people know of my occasional outbursts of frustration, typically over institutional opaqueness, but sometimes over individual situations), an aspect of the lives of many Latino students which often is more apparent by its absence than its presence. However, all blushing inside, there are students who have said they have learned some things from me, typically attitudinal and procedural approaches, as well as some specific suggestions which have emanated from seven decades on the planet and an interesting blend of Wall Street, non-profit, and education experiences.

In evaluating the validity of my cultural and educational conclusions, the Reader should know that my education programs, while including individuals from a dozen Hispanic countries, at times have skewed heavily toward Colombians, a consequence of geographical coincidence, not a deliberate plan. I am not oblivious to the fact that frequently the discussion of immigration elsewhere is truncated to mean Mexicans, who represent two-thirds of the 50+ million Hispanics in the United States.

In my programs, the number of Mexicans seeking involvement has been quite small, as has the number of Puerto Ricans. In Dover, the former are normally young and not-so-young men with unfinished educations whose focus is on earning money, which they then repatriate to their families back in the home country. Puerto Ricans, because of their country's unique legal relationship to the United States, do not have documentation issues and thus have access to conventional financial aid. Self-selection is obviously a factor in terms of those specific students with whom I have interacted; our programs have always aimed at higher education aspirants, regardless of country of origin.

***

As has been apparent in my office, integral to any discussion of Latino educational attainment is the issue of undocumented students. GUIDE will tackle this subject in a separate chapter; New Jersey has the fifth-largest unauthorized population and has been home to numerous protests. Leaving aside any commentary about justice and human rights pertinent to undocumented students, by turning its back on these individuals, society has been ill-advisedly throwing away needed economic assets.

The mid-2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, while a big step forward, did not fully address the issues confronting these students: it did not include a path to legalization and had no direct relevance to the pursuit of higher education. However, the current Immigration Modernization Act (to be discussed later), as passed easily in the Senate, would include true DREAM Act provisions, with currently undocumented young people having the opportunity to become citizens in five years.

Relative to the tenor of only a couple of years back, the political support is surprisingly widespread, beginning with tremendous pressure from the Hispanic community after providing critical re-election support for Obama and continuing through bipartisan committees in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio has led the charge on his side of the aisle, with a major assist for immigration reform coming from Silicon Valley companies who have lobbied hard for a major expansion of visa allotments aimed at engineering and scientific talent. (As GUIDE was being finished, the above prospective legislation was stuck in the House, as many Republicans there have taken an antagonistic stance, to be commented on later.)

***

Moving from the national political scene to where I function on a daily basis:

### Dover, New Jersey: Home Base for the Writer's Direct Experiences

The quick history behind Dover's ethnic composition is that about 50 years ago, people from Aguadilla, a town in the western part of Puerto Rico, came to the Dover area seeking factory jobs which increasingly were being shunned by residents. Subsequently, Latinos coming to this general section of the country unsurprisingly tended to gravitate to a town (about 35 miles due west from New York City) which already had an Hispanic presence, especially if they knew somebody who lived there. Fast forward—today the town's population is believed to include comparable proportions of those with Puerto Rican, Colombian, and Mexican backgrounds, coupled with representatives from a dozen other Central and South American countries (which becomes noisily and colorfully evident when the World Cup is being played).

Half of Dover's population was born outside the United States, which is triple the proportion in its Morris County. One in seven adults over 25 years old has at least a Bachelor's degree, about one-third the educational attainment level of the county. Median household income is less than two-thirds the average.

Dover is a town where the Federal Express box is opposite, not a major corporate building, but the health clinic. And when a new bridge opened in 2013, it was named after a motorcycle policeman who unfortunately, and fatally, hit a pothole while providing an escort for Charles Lindbergh's father-in-law as he campaigned for political office in 1930. I am not making this stuff up folks.

The political administration of Dover is almost entirely Caucasian, and there are ethnic tensions, but not of the level represented by street protests. The political savvy of the mayor is quite high, as demonstrated by his ability—over the objections of his police chief, to not only hire a $90,000 "Civilian Public Safety Director," but to also give him a car so that he could commute from his residence some 50 miles away. The mayor additionally was able to skirt some state rules on what constitutes a resignation in order that he could take back a former town policeman, who will be paid over $100,000, an amount which would have meant two cops at a decent wage.

A good chunk of these monies could, in the eyes of many, have been better deployed in some form of community-minded endeavors instead of sending another message to the Latino populace that it does not really count when it comes to the polls—and therefore has no say in how priorities are established for the expenditure of the town's limited budget.

Perhaps the mayor was reacting to a string of fights at a popular Latino restaurant/club, one of which involved students from a nearby college who had been bussed into the town for some heavy drinking. Usually the requirement for police attention in the early morning hours springs from alcohol-infused conversations about the merits of different futbol teams, particularly national squads, or some fellow trying to make time with another guy's female friend. Drug activity is an issue as well, which is true everywhere in the country.

These various descriptors of Dover are not articulated to represent excuses for anything, but simply to tell something about the landscape in which I have functioned during this period of time. Ironically, Morris County is one of the wealthiest in the nation, and its politics are predictably Republican.

### Closing Comments

Several years ago, before it became a more widespread notion, I came to think of colleges as businesses. Today, this characterization is shared by over two-thirds of those surveyed.

If pressed, I would plead guilty to being somewhat skeptical that 25 years of vastly increased college budgets, aka expense to the student, has meant anything incremental to the education of undergraduate students unless you count fancier dorm rooms, increased physical fitness facilities and more diversified cafeteria menus.

The good news is that many items on the lengthy list of fundamental issues pertinent to higher education have moved from think tank publications to both the front pages of the nation's press (that part which still exists) and the newsfeed for both conventional broadcasts and the newer forms of social media:

■ The federal government itself has become concerned that the level of college tuition and fees is having an adverse impact on access to higher education by those students most in need of its benefits.

■ Everybody is alarmed about the escalation in student debt.

■ People are finally aware of low college graduation rates.

■ Society is attempting to figure out how to hold colleges more accountable, both educationally and with respect to their lack of transparency when extremely questionable decisions are made.

■ Demographics, among the most predictable statistics, are now part of everyday discussion, propelled in part by the 71% Hispanic vote for the re-elected Obama.

■ Education reform, while still capable of sporadically generating more heat than light, increasingly has been recognized as a necessity throughout the K-12 system, which has an impact on everything happening beyond high school graduation.

■ Undocumented students have gone completely public: "The DREAM is Now." It is certain that DREAM Act provisions would be part of any overall immigration reform, or a DREAM Act by itself could be the survivor if House Republicans are successful in blocking a complete Immigration Modernization Act.

Anybody functioning in the trenches knew about these issues and their impact on college students well in advance of when they became common knowledge. Before the curtain was pulled back, it was implicitly assumed that well-known colleges were doing a great job academically and deserved every penny they extracted from the student and their parents, or from the government, or from other funders.

***

When I am in a bad mood, I want to warn prospective Latino college students that if they think changing their "status" on Facebook 42 seconds faster with their newest digitizer is more important than spending time on preparation for higher education or a marketable skill, they should not bother Reading GUIDE. On the other hand, I am quite positive about the outlook for Latino students and therefore will ignore appearing to be anti-technology, instead closing with this statement: if the student wants assistance in understanding how he can move himself and his family ahead, GUIDE is worth a Read, even if—or because—it can be done selectively.

**Note One** : For a variety of reasons, beginning with the fact that my office has always been in Dover, GUIDE's references to specific colleges inevitably are skewed to those located in New Jersey and New York State. Nonetheless, from a college process standpoint, GUIDE is relevant to every student, regardless of where they live, and, true confession, most of the basic material is usable by any ethnicity.

**Note Two** : Chapter one will reveal why all derivations of the word Read in GUIDE are deliberately capitalized.

**Note Three** : In case my time-outs from optimism confuse the Reader, I do feel good—really good—about the past two decades, especially when I receive letters like this:

"Dear Bob, Sometimes we are surprised of the people God puts into our lives. I don't have the words to express my gratitude; I feel an enormous amount of respect and admiration towards you. It's hard to believe it has been two years since (student's name) started college and she's now moving on to better and bigger things, thanks to you. If it weren't for God putting you in our paths, all this would not have been possible. With your generous and kind heart, you helped plant a strong foundation for my daughter's future.

You gave her support, unlike her father. Your help means the world to me. Please forgive my not so perfect words but I just can't find a way to express how thankful and blessed I am. I thank you with all my heart for everything you did for us. My only wish is that God always brings blessings and prosperity to you and your family."

**Note Four** : I almost forgot to mention a Reader-friendly feature which will be seen sporadically throughout GUIDE. Instead of either splitting a statistical table and making it harder to Read or having substantial unused white space when the student might well have the urge to take some notes, I have provided the Reader the chance to fill in his own thoughts in sections marked:

## Chapter One: LATINO FAMILY CULTURE

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss multiple factors at work in the lives of Latino students and to raise a few questions pertinent to the interaction among these students, their culture—and that of the wider society, and the pursuit of higher education.

Portions of this section, like several others in GUIDE, are not inherently part of assisting a high schooler interested in pursuing some form of higher education. However, in my two decades of involvement with Latino students in a predominantly Latino locale, there has been almost no aspect of their lives and education paths which can be readily separated from the combination of cultural background, documentation, and some broad societal issues. Moreover, I wanted to say a few things about topics which I have not seen discussed in conventional guides, and this seemed like the right place to do so.

In the middle of the chapter, I pose some questions for the Hispanic family and make a few suggestions. Much of what follows after that section, i.e., the balance of the chapter, is informative material supportive of these questions and suggestions. You might call it "evidence," albeit certainly not foolproof, of the soft conclusions being drawn by myself.

The good news, which will be pointed out in several places in GUIDE, is that the latest college data indicate Latino students are moving ahead—more are attending, more are graduating—and this is before the jump which would ensue if a DREAM Act, with or without comprehensive immigration reform, were to become law.

If my recent fortune cookie is correct, that "encouragement is nine-tenths of education," it means the Latino community relevant to these aspiring students is providing more of the necessary support and requisite adjustments to cope with the demands of the American higher education system. Originally, I was going to get dewy-eyed, labeling the Latino community akin to an extended family, but then I remembered the tensions between people from different Hispanic countries, as well as the crab bucket story (the person who is trying to get ahead is pulled down by the others around him), told to me by a prominent Latino leader whom I have known for many years.

***

These observations in no way change the bottom line—the lead entry in a description of Latino culture is always about:

### The Paramount Importance of Family

The inscription in VIDA, an award-winning book by Patricia Engel about the experiences of a young Colombian woman as she attempts to find her way in the mysterious culture of America, says it all:

"EVERYTHING IS FOR MY PARENTS"

And the wish of an aspiring Latina collegian in one of my education programs is apropos as well: "I want to marry a guy with a good job; he will pay all the bills. Then all of my income can be given to my parents."

Certainly nothing in my own experiences during the past two decades, both in and out of the office, in the United States and in my travels in Central and South America, contradicts the universal view that Hispanics are extremely family oriented. Understanding the dynamics that come with this ingrained mind-set is important to discussion of the Latino student and the process of securing a college education or marketable skill.

To quote a community college student in one of my education programs,

"I'm trying my best to bring my family together right now. I've realized that they're the last thing I have left when everything else is gone and I cherish them with everything even though we don't discuss it much. I just want to have a real spot in my family, that's why I was frantic trying to get a job and pay for my bills and rent so I can earn a spot.

I feel like as if me not having a job was the main factor in us fighting and not being together. I was just a zombie this summer; I was dazed and confused and lost my way but the cloud is clearing up and I have done a lot of thinking these past few days and I feel like myself again.

The main factor has always and will always be school, but my family plays a big role too. I want to have a great engineering career which I know I will get one way or another, so I can retire my mom and help out my brother whenever he needs it. That's the only thing I really want, and I want us always to be together.

I'm gonna make everyone proud of me, I promise."

Many non-Hispanics, including myself, are envious of the close-knit Latino family: the deep and openly expressed cariño, the continuous communication flow, and the feeling of filial obligation which is demonstrated in regret-free decision-making of the type which an outsider at times might find puzzling. Daily expressions of warmth are not confined to the home or to immediate family and friends. In a single year, I receive enough embraces, kisses on the cheek, and handshakes from Latino students to make me temporarily forget a Baptist upbringing devoid of music and dancing (and alcohol).

When my mother and father passed away six years apart, members of my education programs, completely at their own volition (and, except for a handful, without knowing my parents) organized special commemorations which were quite moving, including the planting of a tree at my home.

Embarrassing as it may be to admit, I probably would not have thought of doing any of these activities. What this says about my understanding of my own family culture could be the subject of a visit to my therapist (I have not consulted her in many years—maybe it's the impact of my Latino immersion).

Culture of course is a broad term, encompassing a long list of moving parts.

### The Many Facets of Culture

The objective here is to comment on the connections between Latino family dynamics and the route to college or a marketable skill. To open, The Latino's Guide to College, a cerebral book that is particularly focused on Latino culture and socioeconomic conditions, portrays the family dynamic in the context of a college student as follows:

"For Latinos, la familia is not just a concept; it is a way of life. Families do make the success of individuals possible and worthwhile.... As you travel into the world of advanced schooling and work, people...will look at you in a completely different way from that of your family....They will judge you in terms of what you do.....Your family treasures you because of who you are [not what you do]. For others, "being" is not the issue; "doing" is....You should maintain your respect and high regard for your family and friends even though some differences may increase, as you progress through school and your career....Even though possibilities for conflict might arise, reliance on fundamental bonds and values should strengthen positive feelings.

Change is inescapable in the course of human experience, but among the challenges of achieving success is that of accepting variations in even the most basic relationships."

I have met and talked (the student acting as translator when necessary) with many of the parents of students in my programs, and nothing in those conversations contradicts the above commentary.

With respect to college, while there are some glaring exceptions, the vast majority believe they are supportive of their children's hopes but dismayed at the price tag attached to the realization of their goals. Moreover, for first-in-family-to-college situations, it is hard for everybody in the household to truly understand the different demands, including the sheer energy and time-on-task required for doing well in any rigorous academic environment. Priorities have to be shifted; sometimes daily chores have to wait because studying must take precedence.

How Latino families, both newcomers and those who have been here for decades, come to grips with the nature of life in the United States is the subject of complete books, of which there are many. The subjects of cultural adaptation and preservation of heritage, both societal and individual, are intertwined, confusing, and emotional. One way of finessing cultural differences between the Latino world and that in which its members may be employed—corporations, non-profit entities, entrepreneurial endeavors—is the approach articulated by Carola and Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, formerly the PhD co-directors of the Immigration Research Center at New York University and now based at UCLA.

They use the term "Instrumental Culture" to mean the "skills, competencies, and social behaviors required to make a living and contribute to society." In my own words, Latinos seeking jobs cannot regard it as selling out when they abide by the cultural rules of the workplace: punctuality, suitable attire, response time—regardless of the particular form of communication used in today's world, commitment to closure, willingness to take risks and exercise independent thinking when empowered to do so, recognition that sometimes it is not rude but necessary to talk over the other person, awareness that scheduling meetings well in advance is normal, and realization that the optics of a poorly translated important document are counterproductive to attracting support for the idea being promoted by the writer.

The companion concept to Instrumental Culture is "Expressive Culture," which is defined by the Orozcos as "the realm of values, world views, and patterning of interpersonal relations that give meaning and sustain the sense of self. Decisions on how one lives outside the workplace include language, values, choice of friends, religion, television viewing habits, food, music, dress. It is here where one's culture can be maintained without 'interference.' It is here where the immigrant can maintain their familial, emotional and historical ties to the culture of their heritage."

Naturally this useful distinction between "instrumental" and "expressive" is more clear-cut on paper than in the real world, but it still represents a pragmatic way for Latino students to find themselves and retain their own identity amidst the cultural switching they experience virtually every day. Here is how Hispanics themselves feel about their culture and other topics.

According to a 2012 poll of Hispanics by the Pew Hispanic Center:

■ 69% said Latinos themselves have different cultures, not a common culture

■ 29% said they do have a common culture

■ 47% regard themselves as very different from typical Americans

■ 47% regard themselves as typical Americans

■ 55% believe Latinos have been as successful as other ethnicities

■ 22% believe Latinos have been less successful

■ 17% believe Latinos have been more successful

Cultural identity is sometimes accompanied by political schizophrenia as well. Hispanics are far more likely to be Democrat than Republican, but when it comes to "traditional/family values," they are more conservative than others in their political party. Parents of the Latino college student may not want to hear that their children's professors, who are five times more likely to be liberal than conservative, are feeding their "protected" offspring views on lifestyles which the parents might consider anathema. And they are paying for the heresy.

Another, thankfully non-political, aspect of the interaction between Latino immigrants and the existing population is that the concept of initiating change is more valued in American culture, whereas tradition ranks higher in Hispanic life. For the person who has lived a long time in the United States, taking risks, which is integral to change, is considered normal; "mistakes" are not paralytic but part of the growth process. People from different backgrounds, however, often view this dynamic with trepidation and resistance to uncertainty/risk/working through opposing viewpoints can carry over to the area of the education system itself.

Related to this characteristic, a few years ago I coined the term, "Conflict Avoidance Syndrome," as openness to change and risk almost inherently means some conflict, either in goals or process, or over values. At its extreme, to avoid conflict is to forestall change, whether it be within the growth dynamics of a family or hashing out what is the best path to be taken by the Latino college student. In the world outside of the family, CAS itself is often the result of being undocumented and/or lacking confidence in use of the English language, and if these are not addressed, CAS will persist.

Ignoring the CAS factor, the majority view in the United States is—or has been anyway—that a person essentially is responsible for making his own circumstance; those from Hispanic countries often put more weight on the position of the family they were born into. This is a matter of degree of course as there are many examples in American society of individuals being born with silver spoons in their mouths, although not necessarily a politically-protected, seemingly permanent advantage as is often the case in other societies relevant to Latinos.

For all of America's faults, which undoubtedly include racism in some hiring sectors, it is closer to treating people equally in the employment market than in some Hispanic countries where, for example, beyond a relatively young age, particularly if one is female, the individual is in employment Siberia. Here, upon graduation from college or the acquisition of a marketable skill, the Latino student should be able to assume a playing field which is in the process of becoming more level.

Whether the college graduate has the knowledge and personality—and command of the language—necessary to take advantage of the employment opportunity is becoming more of an individual than societal issue. This will be even more true if comprehensive immigration reform, inclusive of DREAM Act provisions, is enacted. Over time, demographic changes and on-going growth in the count of more educated Latinos will produce natural networking opportunities—in other words, a multiplier effect will ensue for the bilingual, bicultural Latino college graduate.

This success may be tomorrow, not today, but nevertheless it is an important message to drive home to parents, the students in effect saying:

"if we can hold off for a few years on repaying you for everything you have sacrificed for us, we will be in a financial position to be of more substantive assistance, even to the point of buying you that retirement house you have always wanted in your home country."

***

There is another dimension to the dialogue within the Latino household, as articulated by this Master's degree-holder helped by my foundation.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

A SHIFT IN POWER WITHIN THE IMMIGRANT HOME, by Julissa Gil-Loaiza

Scholarly journals have created terms such as "parentified," "family mediator," or "language broker" to describe the experience of being the child of non-English speaking immigrant parents. Researchers believe the child's role in the family system is amplified because he/she will develop language skills quicker than his/her parents; therefore becoming the family's connection to the outside world. Children often as young as six or seven interpret phone calls, translate mail, ask for directions, and schedule and accompany parents to appointments.

In a sense, the power dynamic in the household shifts and the parents are dependent on the children. From a cultural standpoint, the child has a responsibility to his/her family and it is reasonable for parents to call on their children for help; however where do we draw the line? Children accompanying their mothers' to gynecological appointments, interpreting during emergency room visits, or interpreting at their own parent/teacher conferences, may be pulled into situations too mature for their current level of development or circumstances that are simply inappropriate. The accuracy of the information being relayed may be questionable given the child might have limited understanding of the situation.

Moreover, how does full access to household details impact these children emotionally and psychologically? Increased bilingual services is one way in which parents could exert more control and depend less on their children. As a community, we can ameliorate the pressure felt by these families by promoting bilingual professionals into diverse fields, helping to empower immigrant parents and freeing their children.

***

When outsiders look at the dynamics of complex family structures in financially challenged households, whether Latino or not, they often come to believe that difficulties are magnified by a reluctance to adopt what are frequently labeled as "middle-class values." This is an issue which bubbles up in the area of education reform, where often it is white school leaders and lower income minority students, a combination which without fail leads to racial characterizations by some. "Preaching" about values from a position of affluence and/or power is always controversial at minimum and many times simply counterproductive.

According to the experts, what are these "middle class" values that can become topics of dispute in certain quarters?

■ Hard work is connected to success...Competition on merit

■ Personal responsibility...Honesty...Initiative...Delayed gratification

■ Commitment to excellence...Honor derived from achievement

■ Education as key to upward mobility...Entitlement is not a birthright

For me, the above list of values seems immune to substantive criticism without resorting to high-octane, late night philosophical discussions and a full Reading of Pablo Friere's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Underneath the characteristics pertinent to these values are the common requirements for a student to succeed in higher education, or the acquisition of a marketable skill or the initiation of an entrepreneurial endeavor: the development of inner drive, of grit and resiliency, and of the ability to be one's own advocate. More on this in the chapter on becoming a successful college student.

From the standpoint of many prospective Latino college students, how then do you unscramble the omelet: immigration, documentation, language, education, aspiration, culture, income—and derive a systemic pattern for success? The answer has to be a set of values, beliefs, and actions associated with those from similar circumstances who have achieved their goals. This leit motif will be evident throughout GUIDE (hopefully).

To close this part of the loop, the following research data from the Orozcos quantify many of the elements relevant to the fulfillment of Latino education aspirations: family income, educational attainment by parents, two-parent families, fluency in English.

Here is what I Read from the table:

■ Females students win (which they do again and again, as you will see later): 39% of those tracked are in the "improver" and "high achiever" categories, compared with 24% of the males.

■ The Chinese results overall are off the charts positive and those of Haiti are the opposite. The Hispanic numbers are in-between, but closer to the latter.

■ Mom's education level is more important than that of Dad, particularly for high achiever students.

■ Low income households have a particularly difficult hurdle in generating students who are improvers and high achievers.

■ Knowing English is not much of a distinguishing influence in the results—until one looks at the high achiever category.

■ At the extremes of students who are precipitous decliners or high achievers, the existence of a two-parent home is noteworthy by its lesser presence in decliners and its greater presence in high achievers.

With these data and descriptions in hand, it would be helpful to have a prescription or two, you know, "what then shall we do?" Throughout GUIDE, there will be many thoughts addressing that necessity. For the impatient Reader, here are "Five Ways School Leaders can improve Achievement among Latino Students" as articulated by Delia Pompa of the National Council of La Raza for NBC News' program entitled "Education Nation:"

■ Make family engagement your top priority.

■ Develop a strong understanding of second language acquisition.

■ Invest in extended learning opportunities.

■ Invest in adequate professional development for teachers.

■ Hold all students to high standards.

Good ideas all. Maybe GUIDE is unnecessary, a frivolous exercise of ego. Nah!

I continue.

***

In Change.edu, author Andrew S. Rosen, the Chairman and CEO of Kaplan Education, the well-known subsidiary of the Washington Post Company, uses the term "Automatics" to refer to those young people who are destined from birth to enroll in college. From his interesting and enlightening terminology, I constructed the following chart, including a column on "Non-Automatics" and a set of recommendations for the Latino Student. (There will be more on Kaplan Education itself in the section on for-profit colleges in the chapter on Alternative Approaches to Higher Education.)

The drumbeat never lets up—the need for "non-automatics" to recognize their particular challenges in order to rise above prevailing group data. For example, the achievement gap most often cited in urban K-12 education has been that eighth-grade white kids are learning what minority children learn as seniors. However, according to studies by Stanford University Professor Sean Reardon, the achievement gap based on household income is greater than the achievement gap based on racial status. One reason he cited is the proportion of single parent families, on average a prescription for lower incomes.

By either measure, many Latinos start the college race a lap behind their white competitors and the historical data demonstrate the outcome. While the Latino trend is positive, the room for Latino improvement in the end metric of higher education is substantial. (To quickly put the value of a Bachelor's degree in economic terms understandable to everybody affected, according to Georgetown University, during the country's Great Recession, the change in jobs for individuals with education at the high school level or less has been a loss of some 5.8 million. At the Bachelor's degree level or better, there has been a net increase of some 2.2 million jobs.)

The following Pew Hispanic Center data provide a good overview of adult educational attainment by ethnicity; because of rounding, each line may not be exactly 100%.

In different places, we discuss reasons behind the data. Here are a bunch of explanations offered by various people, coupled with my brief reaction comments:

■ Families do not care all the surveys contradict this slander

■ Poverty of spirit not sure what that means in real life

■ Social readiness cultural awareness is a challenge

■ Documentation obviously a critical factor

■ Poor educational preparation "an urban A is a suburban C"

■ Lack of financial aid especially affecting undocumented students

■ First in family issues nobody has direct knowledge of college

■ Command of the language confusion: is it language or "smarts"

■ No emphasis on Reading a problem that hurts

■ Single parent fatigue long hours cut the ability to help

■ Quinceañera impact girls want to prove they are women

■ Financial illiteracy not unique to Hispanics

■ Poverty of dollars this is real in many instances

■ No emphasis on Writing another national issue

The above list does not cause me to waver from my starting point of a tighter than average Hispanic family unit. However, regardless of the long list of positives which presumably find their way into the qualitative measure of family happiness, if one is dispassionately examining the impact on the future college student of the prototypical Hispanic family—with the emphasis here being on the family relatively new to the subject of American colleges—many topics need to be addressed within the community, even with the evidence of increased high school completion and college graduation rates.

### Questions for the Hispanic Family... and a Few Suggestions

For example, and deliberately without any attempt to put them in an opinionated order of importance, it seems to me these are significant questions. Without answers, there is a danger that much of the discussion about the education landscape may be moot.

■ How does a high schooler argue the opposite view to that of a relative who espouses "simply" working hard, not college, as the appropriate path; after all, that is how he got his house and car?

■ How and when does the college message get to the noisy, less than totally organized dining room table? Constant communication within the family is not the same as a consistent message about a particular topic.

■ How does the outsider argue against the father who owns a successful restaurant—albeit with only a dozen tables—and basically says, "what was good enough for me (high school graduation at best) is good enough for my children," and therefore does not want them to attend college?

■ What about the parents who are adamant about the family incurring no debt if a child does go to college, because both here and in their home country, they have only known cash transactions, perhaps with the exception of an informal installment payment deal on an old car?

■ In reverse fashion, how does one react to the desire of many Latino students to quickly "give back" to their parents, with the giving meaning money for household bills or getting mom out of that lousy factory job or cleaning office buildings at midnight? The contrast of immediate incoming cash from the student having a job, perhaps in the underground economy, and the large outlay of funds needed for college can be a deal-breaker for the latter.

■ What if nobody talks about the impact of single-parent families or the absence of independent Reading—which could be stimulated by the child seeing his or her parents Reading—or the possibility that non-school socioeconomics are not really the dominant issue but rather it is the abysmal urban school system in which many Hispanic kids are trapped? The connection of in-home attention to education—with a heavy dose of Reading—to better performance at school may be interpreted as partially a comment about the need for change at the schools themselves.

■ How many parents would swallow hard as their child goes off to college and agree that "a person accepts true responsibility for his/her behavior when the behavior is chosen in the absence of strong outside pressure?"

■ How does a young Latina react when her mother says she can start as an undereducated secretary and work her way up? Or when her father pushes her to the local two-year college so that he can "protect her."

■ The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University reports that the more young people eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink, or do drugs. Does the advantage here go to Hispanics? Not if the television is the "conversation" centerpiece for the meal.

■ Do parents react with cultural dismay when their young person wants to change high schools, to be in a better educational environment even if it means consorting with mostly gringos?

■ How many people of any ethnicity would whisper in their child's ear, "do not listen to Uncle Jose or Aunt Maria—they are not good role models."

■ Will the Hispanic family pay increased attention to nutrition and fitness, each of which is tied to basic health and energy, which in turn can be important to aspiration. Michelle Obama and the YMCA have laid out guidelines: no more than 60 minutes per day of screen time for 2-5 year-olds and none for younger children. Exercise for 2-5 year-olds would be 15 minutes/hour. (One in six Hispanic children is considered obese.) Consumption of sugary beverages would be sharply reduced. (By 2014-15, schools themselves must abide by nutrition rules which will reduce the availability of fatty, salty snacks.)

■ Besides what may be minimal financial assistance from Mom and Dad, will the Latino student be restricted in his selection of a four-year college by a short bungee cord—how far away will be acceptable to the parents?

■ What happens when upon graduation—which has a sharply higher chance of happening if the family is supportive of their child's decision-making on the utilization of time, energy, and money—the student, now an independent person by most measures, is offered a nice job at a far-off company? Will family tightness argue against taking that position?

■ Is there a pride factor which causes resistance to adopting cultural and educational approaches that do not come from within the community?

■ Will bickering within the Hispanic community, as its constituents not only self-identify by home country but shun political collaboration because of long-held nationalist grudges, nullify its overall demographic advantage, leaving political power concentrated in the hands of those who are unified.

■ Will Hispanic leaders promote the "entitlement" approach to pulling up the economic status of those who are financially disadvantaged, ignoring the record of this philosophy in structurally aiding other ethnicities.

Some Readers at this point undoubtedly are accusing me of a variation of "blaming the victim," of ignoring the way the business of higher education is conducted, the hypocrisy of American attitudes toward immigrants, the palpable racism in many sectors, and the nature of political power. I am fully aware of these issues, which are valid without entering into any debate on matter-of-degree estimations. The list of questions above includes numerous matters closer to being within the theoretical control—or at least, influence—of individual families and their students who are aspiring to higher education or the acquisition of a marketable skill.

***

In truth, while there are cultural differences in terms of starting points and other unique factors, there are also constants applicable to any prospective or current college student.

■ The challenges of education are many; some are self-inflicted.

■ Group data is truly helpful. However, it says nothing about any individual within the group. Simply because everybody—[fill in the blank with any topic] does not mean the student's experience with [ ] will be the same.

■ A high degree of focus is required as the affordability of larger scale errors is clearly different for different economic levels. When the car of an affluent person breaks down, it is an annoyance. When the same happens to those less affluent, it is a protracted ripple effect problem. The situation with college is quite similar, and ultimately can be much more devastating.

■ If a student does not invest himself totally in the process of understanding the dynamics of higher education, including finances, the outcome of his educational path will be random.

■ While narrowly-defined access to college is becoming less of a problem, the impact of tuition rates on actual access remains an issue, as does documentation obviously.

■ The characteristics associated with success at college have not changed.

Having recognized this handful of cross-cultural similarities, the overlap of many potential Hispanic college students with financially challenged, first-in-family-to-college characteristics means there are important differences as well, accentuated when the student knows few people, if any, who can say, "this is how I did it."

I believe it is important for the warm, inclusive, tight-knit, communicative Hispanic family to consider a few alterations in the way parents think about their children and their higher education aspirations:

■ They should be more expansive in their geographical acceptance, i.e. recognize it is better for the kids to "go away" to the college of their career passion than to stay close and always be wondering about how it would have been if they had enrolled at the college of their choice.

■ They must be understanding if and when students have to beg off some family interaction in order to study or write a lengthy paper.

■ The entire family circle, which typically includes aunts and uncles and cousins, must be emotionally supportive, with both parents being on the same page even if one of them has to fake it a little. Without support, success can happen, but it will be random, not systematic—the result of an exceptional student moving ahead, not a process which is applicable to every aspiring child in the family.

■ I love kids, but everybody needs to ease up on the pressure for babies.

■ They cannot fear independent thinking by their children.

I know some Readers are getting twitchy, saying I do not adequately understand the culture or that I have not connected these comments with the problem of proper documentation. There is undoubtedly a bit of truth in the former reaction, but assuredly I know how critical "status" can be in thinking about both cultural norms and academic aspiration in America. That is why I devote an entire chapter to undocumented students.

The above suggestions for Hispanic families stand on their own merits—they are good changes, regardless of status. The hope of GUIDE is that Latino students can herein find the right mix of hard data and soft inputs to assist them in finding a place in the higher education or marketable skill world that is attractive to them, understandable to their parents, and affordable.

***

For Latinos to fail to take advantage of the opportunity opening up for college-educated bilingual, bicultural individuals, they will have to:

■ Shoot themselves in the foot by having limited interest in making any adjustments necessary to fit into American culture.

■ Have more-out-of-wedlock children.

■ Not Read with their children, instead shooing them away to a television set or computer or tablet or smartphone, in effect training them to be clickers on short attention span digital devices providing instant information gratification.

■ Buy into "entitlement" as the basis for achieving progress.

■ Learn minimal English.

Or maybe there could be a change in the metric of "success," where it shifts from economic stability and generational upward mobility, which are measurable, to something approximating "happiness." (The little known country of Bhutan measures this concept with something called "Gross National Happiness.") Perhaps many Latinos will shun the stress associated with financial advancement and be satisfied with "just enough," in which case their importance in the country's apparent economic position will be understated. On the negative side, reactionary actions taken by a white power structure obviously cannot be dismissed as an obstacle to Latino progress. The result of this obstruction would be continued growth in the underground or shadow economy, which statistically would also obscure Latino progress.

Looking past the different factors above and instead speaking to the "what—me worry?" segment of the population, it should be noted that the alternative to either college graduation or the acquisition of a marketable skill (or the creation of a legitimate entrepreneurial endeavor) is not heartening. About 10% of male high school drop-outs are involved, and not pleasantly, with the judicial system, which is about triple the rate of male high school graduates who have such a problem. Of Hispanic males aged 20-34 who dropped out of high school, about 1 in 14 was in prison at the time of a particular study, compared with 1 in 3 African Americans and 1 in 8 whites. Young female drop-outs are nine times more likely to become single mothers. And the lifetime cost to society from high school drop-outs is far above that of even a crazily expensive college education.

On the political front, despite the importance of Hispanics to the re-election of President Obama, there is still work to be done. For a variety of reasons, presumably beginning with experienced fear of the entire governmental apparatus or cynicism about whether the system can work on their behalf, Hispanics who are eligible to become full participants in the democratic process have not registered or voted at the same rate as other ethnic groups, including in the presidential election of 2012.

The growth in absolute numbers of Hispanic voters somewhat obscures this underlying fact, and attacking it is at the top of the to-do list of every Hispanic leader, aided by their predominant allies, the Democratic party. Passage of comprehensive immigration reform would be a major spur to voter registration both now and in the future, another positive factor for the educated bilingual, bicultural Latino.

***

Coming back to the Latino family to discuss a trend consistent throughout society, there is a difference between the genders, and I am not referring to the obvious.

### The Latina and the Latino

Within the overall student population, regardless of ethnicity, there is more evident educational aspiration among females than males. Two-thirds of National Honor Society members are female and girls outnumber boys at every bracket of SAT results except at the very top. At the college level, of Bachelor-degree students, 57% are women. Based on my own experiences, the profile would of an aspiring Latina and a less-driven Latino.

Before anybody clamors to point out that the Hispanic teenage pregnancy rate is an impediment to aspiration, I will repeat the obvious: whether it be broad overall statements driven by direct experience or research-based conclusions, valid group data tells you zero about any individual within that group. Of course I have known numerous aspiring Latinos and significantly less-driven Latinas (yes, often those with babies, which makes it difficult in individual cases to know if aspiration is absent or, in the minds of the mothers, "merely" delayed), but recognizing some differences in the attitude toward the college process which seem gender-related is, to me, a useful generalization.

My thoughts on gender differences (and aspirational trends as well) are consistent with the conclusions drawn by Professors Alejandro Portes and Ruben Rumbaut in Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant Second Generation.

"As with full bilingualism, gender has a significant relationship to school engagement and discipline, with girls showing significantly higher levels of interest and work effort. These results are in line with our theoretical discussions concerning expected gender differences in adaptation. [Moreover,] acculturation, as indexed by length of U.S. residence, relates to these variables in a by-now-predictable pattern, namely, to reduce engagement and effort. Thus, the longer a child of immigrants has lived in this country, the lower the importance he or she attributes to school grades and the more his or her schoolwork habits approach the (low) average of the general student population. The achievement drive common among many immigrant children.... declines steadily over time."

The diminution of academic drive described above, while taking place broadly, seems to affect boys somewhat more than girls. So let's discuss the latter first.

***

The Latina coming to my foundation for assistance is more likely to be organized, diligent, and determined than her male counterpart. She is committed to a college education and a good job: accountant, social worker, nurse, a marketing or management position within a corporation, scientific researcher, pediatrician, businesswoman, lawyer, artist. It is a diverse list, characterized by the need for complete dedication. Eventually, if the male friend who may be in her life is comfortable with minimal growth in his life—neither pursuing a marketable skill to make himself employable at a decent compensation level nor obtaining an Associate's degree—there will be tension in their relationship. (Other than that piece of wisdom, I know nothing about the stresses of a romantic relationship.)

For her, a two-year education regimen is simply a phase en route to a Bachelor's degree, and perhaps more. Because her view of a better life is painted on a broader canvas, she may wonder whether her former interest in a full-time male relationship is even the right idea, for now anyway. When she gets to college, she will find considerable company for her point of view about becoming an independent woman. For every 100 male collegians, there are almost 140 female students. Fortified with ambition and a new peer group, she will be able to ignore, or at least dial down the decibel level of those relatives and friends who may annoyingly keep asking her when she is going to get married and have kids.

Do mothers "love their sons" and "raise their daughters," as is sometimes heard? I have certainly seen multiple instances when Hispanic boys were complete screw-ups by any definition—criminal behavior, addictions, school truancy, complete lack of respect for anything or anybody—and yet were welcomed back home with open, affectionate arms, whereas the girls in the same family, pursuing academic success and keeping their noses clean, did not receive the same emotional support from their parents. Analysis of this issue is beyond the scope of GUIDE, but perhaps the contrast in parental reactions is a factor which ironically spurs the females to greater aspirations while "spoiling" the guys.

Whatever else is happening within the family, it does seem that if the Latina comes home with a "bun in the oven," the majority of family members are pleased, even if Mom was previously preaching to her daughter, "don't do what I did" (have a baby before a sustainable relationship with the father was even established). Mixed messages abound in life, don't they.

Regardless, the data about the rise of women are overwhelming. For example, of 100 Latinas who were tracked from age 13 in a study done of Chicago students, 68 graduated high school and 17 went on to a four-year college. The comparable numbers for Latinos were 51 and 10. The only tie between females and males was at the graduation rate within six years from a four-year college: a dismal three. By fifth grade, the middle academic level of a typical school class is Reading more than ten times the number of words being Read by the bottom of the class. Guess which academic grouping skews female.

Exhibit #164 on the list showing supremacy in the academic arena is the roster of students winning the 2012 Nordstrom $10,000 college scholarship, which is based on academic accomplishment, community involvement, and financial need. I created the ethnic and gender breakdown simply based on looking at the recipient names. Obviously then the actual numbers could be off a little, but not enough to change the interpretation.

Light bulb thought: maybe the giant retailer Nordstrom was simply trying to curry favor with its female shoppers, making the data less meaningful. However, my bet is that if one could stack up all the corporate scholarships being given out, a similar gender skew would be evident, even if not as extreme as these numbers.

Adding to the feeling of personal independence which attaches to higher education is the fact that there are now more women drivers than men, an historic first.

***

Before getting completely carried away with the data on female academic superiority, in the employment arena, there is still a significant gender differential in compensation, as portrayed by these data—and the empowerment of women remains only lightly reflected in the upper executive ranks of corporate America.

"In the 10 most common occupations for women (which represent about one-third of total female employment), men still earn higher salaries. The ensuing chart is based on the 2010 median weekly earnings of full-time workers. It does not control for hours of work."

There will be further brief discussion of the female-male earnings gap in the chapter on graduate school, but the next table encompasses the most irritating set of statistics, namely that females continue to lag in income at equal education levels.

In the prime marrying age of 25-34, there are one-third more women than men with college degrees. However, in contrast to what might be expected from overall assumptions about the connection between education and income, according to Annie Houle, national director of the WAGE Project, a white woman earns 77% of a man's wage, while a black woman earns 69% and a Latina woman, 57%.

There are multiple reasons for the differential, but a significant component in the corporate world is that women are more likely than men to be accepting of an adverse situation ( _e.g._ , an increase in compensation which is low compared with the glowing reports in the employee's file) or attribute success to luck. More than one successful Latina who has had to negotiate gender and ethnic bias, would agree with the statement that the biggest challenge is overcoming one's own fears, as was expressed at the 2013 Latina Trailblazer Breakfast, fittingly held at the Yale Club in New York City.

Continuing this theme, the recently-published Lean In, by the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, encourages women to not sell themselves short when thinking about their complex lives. Her thoughts are interesting, even instructive, while not dealing specifically with ethnic differences when it comes to the paramount importance of family and how this affects a professional woman's career path. Sandberg has created a non-profit foundation called "LeanIn.org," as part of her mission to get women to be more forceful in pursuing their current career objectives and to not hold themselves back by images of what their family life, if relevant, is going to be down the road.

When all is said and done, it is difficult to draw a straight line between Hispanic family culture and the propensity for Latinas to be more aspirational than Latinos, and maybe regression to the mean will ensue as more of the former join the ranks of single mothers, but for twenty years, the pattern in my office has been consistent.

Now on to the guys, aka the "dogs," an appellation given to the male gender by more than one protective Hispanic mother.

***

In Reading this section on Latinos, keep in mind that while it may appear to be data free, each of the tables (and relevant commentary) in the above section is applicable in its own way to males. Specifically, in the marketplace of employment, males continue to enjoy that compensation edge and it needs to be explained away—tradition, restrictions back in the day on employment in certain skill areas, bias, "men don't get pregnant," power structures—as the differential does not square with the gender composition of today's college campuses or the aspirational levels that I see in the Hispanic community. Over time, these gender/education drivers should change all the numbers, producing a more balanced and equitable income distribution.

In their home countries, many young men, especially those in low-income households, are accustomed to leaving school and beginning their work lives at a relatively early age. Maybe some of this thinking persists in the United States, stimulated by the family's need for additional monies to fund the higher living costs attendant to this society and restrained only by the age when a person can legally drop out of school. The problem is that the wages earned by a teenager are rarely sufficient to suggest a sustainable future economic life; attaining a marketable skill or college diploma or becoming a successful entrepreneur is required to achieve that objective.

Without going far afield with a complete analysis of all the educational and societal factors, it is apparent that many boys in high school are not as internally driven and/or are less interested in classroom work compared with their female peers. At graduation, sometimes they will go through the college application process ( _e.g._ , sign up for a community college class) to please others if the latter push hard enough, or maybe after a couple of years working at no-future jobs, their thoughts about life get revised. Decisions at age 18 are not synonymous with life dictates.

What are the goals in life of these particular Latinos? Often they are not terribly articulate about the subject. At times the young man seemingly thinks that if he can have his own place to live, a car or truck, be able to pay his bills, and have a woman by his side, that would be sufficient for him to be happy—assuming that he can continue to play futbol (soccer) whenever the opportunity arises.

As a high schooler, like many of his Latino friends, he may have fantasized about being a professional futbol player, not a bad passion at all, but the odds are comparable to those of inner city black kids who visualize becoming players in the NBA: about three out of 10,000. And, like those young people, there is too often no real Plan B—a way to obtain the education credentials necessary for a decent job if the presumably high income athletic career does not happen, as is the more likely outcome.

Granted that a truly superior athlete will find college doors flying open, accompanied by academic support to make the homework doable; however, despite what seems the case in an ESPN-drenched world, the number of students in these elite categories is quite small. Better to balance high school homework and sports in order to be equipped with a plan B. The Latino can pursue his athletic passion on weekends with his friends, perhaps in an area league if one exists or is capable of being created.

***

Whether it be as a Plan B to athletic aspirations or, more positively, an alternative Plan A, introducing a laidback Latino—one who is not drawn to higher education—to the concept of developing a marketable skill or becoming an entrepreneur is tricky. If a gringo does this at a high school assembly, there is a risk it is interpreted as not a discussion of different education and life paths, but as indicative of a hidden belief that these guys do not have the smarts to become college students.

This is totally false of course, and I do not need any research to demonstrate the conclusion as I have been at the side of innumerable ambitious, intelligent young men who will be heard from in every walk of life. Only one example is the young man from Colombia who grew up blocks from my office and who was focused more on sports than higher education until late in high school. When the light bulb went on, he focused on his love of math (a discipline in which Hispanics are underrepresented), graduated from a subpar urban-type high school, won a grant to attend an out-of-state summer program at a well-known university, graduated on time from a four-year college in 2013, and already has been accepted to a combined Master's/PhD program at a well-known university.

For sure, I am not remotely alone in noting the mismatch between males and education. Researchers in recent years have coined the phrase, "The Missing Minority Males;" i.e., it is not only Latinos who have opted out of the education system. Unlike many of their minority peers, however, Latinos who are "missing" are often working, legally or otherwise, and contributing money to the family finances. As a consequence, their thoughts about higher education, when they do exist as a result of heavy-duty pushing from those who want the best for them, are more complicated, subject to multiple influences pertinent to family situations and the Latino culture.

(As a statistical quirk, many of the young men I have dealt with who are interested in various engineering disciplines are undocumented. Consequently, the conversation shifts to the implications of the lack of "status," not the issue of an ideal match-up of college and student. Part of this situation may be that in certain Hispanic countries, the term "engineer" is applied to a longer list of academic disciplines and career paths than in the USA. Like American boys who answer "business" when asked about their occupational interest, there is a need to drill down to understand what the student really means—at the outset, they may not know how their response connects to a future job. This discovery process is better treated in the GUIDE chapters on getting to and succeeding in college.)

In wrapping up this section, perhaps a young Latino would not want to heed the advice of successful Latinas, but the suggestions from the Latina Trailblazers are quite good: "do not drop out of high school, seek mentoring when needed, go to college, run with us!"

***

Now for a stunning revelation: a Latina + a Latino can result in a third party to the discussion about education and the trajectory of a life.

### Education Now and Babies Later

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (which has a ton of data on the interplay among education, age of first motherhood, age of marriage, and resultant income and non-monetary outcomes), only half of girls who have children before age 18 graduate from high school, and less than 2% earn a college degree by age 30. About two-thirds of children born to teen mothers earn a high school diploma versus 81% of the children of older mothers. While declining, American teenage pregnancy, at 34 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19, is still five times that of France and double that of Canada. To link this data point to education, "a child born to a teenage mother who has not finished high school is nine times more likely to be poor than a child born to an adult who has finished high school and married."

Despite the existence in many high schools of support programs like homework help for teenage mothers, the difficulties in managing a completely new emotional and financial pattern of life are daunting, which is what the data demonstrate. The dimensions of an attainable life are typically shrunk by having a baby at a young age.

In contrast, what higher education does, focusing for a moment solely on the economic side, is expand that attainable life by changing a person's worth in the employment marketplace from a time-based definition—working to the clock—to a definition based on what an individual can do that adds value for customers, patients, clients, bosses—and therefore, the company and himself.

The subject of education and babies is hellaciously difficult to discuss either completely logically or, certainly, succinctly. Thus, there is a temptation in a book focused on education to let these statistics speak for themselves. Moreover, looking at data is a way to keep knee-jerk emotional reactions at bay, at least a little anyway.

So—a cautionary factor relative to the optimistic picture of disproportionate gains for bilingual, bicultural Latinos is the fear that the teenage pregnancy rate could offset the underlying growth in their college age population. Illustratively, the Mexican teen birthrate is triple that of whites, with comparative educational attainment suffering. Meanwhile, presumably reflecting public funding difficulties, the Planned Parenthood office in Dover closed up shop a couple of years ago. The new tenant in its space is a store which sells everything related to partying, everything except "protection" that is.

Analytically, it would be helpful if there was a dataset which combined country of origin, documentation, education of parents, teenage pregnancy rates, high school drop-outs numbers, and college completions, but I am not aware of same. However, below are additional illuminating data on the subject of unmarried mothers; the fathers should be somewhere in the statistics but they are not: it would be helpful to know how many are committed Dads, how many have no continuing connection to mother or child, how many are paying their child support bills, how many were older male predators of teenage girls.

Completely disconcerting is that in the 2,000 mothers who were part of the Child Trends survey, of those women with high school degrees or less, one-third had children with multiple men. In contrast, of the women who graduated college before giving birth, zero had children with multiple men.

Those who describe single parenthood as simply a lifestyle option are hard-pressed to refute the adverse economic data. In 1968, 96% of households in the top third of income had married parents; today, it is still the dominant mode, 88%. The middle third of income over the same timeframe has dropped from 95% married parents to 71%. The ratio in the bottom third of income has almost been cut in half, from 77% to 41%.

The fact that out-of-wedlock babies in the United States are now over half of births to women under 30 (which represent two-thirds of all births) does not constitute an argument on its behalf when one looks at the resultant economic and lifestyle consequences, which are primarily negative. According to Advocates for Children of New Jersey, "of immigrant, single-mother households in the state with children under five years old, 45% had incomes below the federal poverty level."

At my education program level, the reality is this (unedited) request for assistance.

Dear Mr. Howitt, Please accept this letter as a formal request for help as I'm an international student and I'll appreciate your organization take my case in consideration. I came to this country one and half year ago, looking for a good opportunity to success and I have been studying since I came. I started in Hunter College in New York my ESL program that I have done and then I found this opportunity in Farleigh Dickinson University, where they validated some credits from my country because I already have done my bachelor in Colombia.

It was perfect for me, I joined the program with a lot of expectations but as you know international students can't apply to a financial AID and even I have to attend 27 credits more which is also 9 courses, I don't have enough resources to continue and finish my bachelor as was my plan when I started.

My situation changed because I'm pregnant and even maybe it was not in the right moment, I feel bless for it. As you see right now is more important my studies for me and for my baby, in order to have a better future for us, but the money I make is not enough for my support and my tuition. Also I have a bigger problem which is if I quit my studies I become illegal, so I'll not have any more opportunities here. I have heard about your organization from many people and, I want to let you know that I'm honest and the only thing I'm trying to do is have a better life here.

I know when I finish my carrier I can get a good job in Human Resources which is my goal as a professional and in order to achieve it I look forward to meet you and take my case in consideration.

***

At the risk of having someone (again?) throw the race card at me, I regard it as good news that the most recent data on birth rates seem to indicate a shift may be underway, as the Hispanic birth rate suddenly has declined. However, this is happening simultaneous with an increase in the percentage born to single mothers, particularly comparing second generation (41% unmarried) with immigrant (23%).viii Apparently they are acclimating to a negative characteristic of American society.

Other ethnicities have seen reduced birth rates as well, but the Hispanic change is more dramatic and unexpected. Higher aspiration levels, more access to a wider variety of economical birth control measures (now enhanced by the morning after pill), perhaps a lessening of the influence of the Catholic Church (Latin America is about 70% Catholic, which is high but well below peak levels of a generation ago), and the prolonged negative impact on Hispanic families of the Great Recession are all factors.

***

Data points like many of those cited above can and do move around over time. In contrast, demographic data has better predictive value as most people at any given age will live another year. Hence, if the statistician knows ethnic breakdowns of births alone, he is well on his way to big picture conclusions.

### Demographics and Immigration

Major changes in the demographic composition of the United States are inevitable. Below are related, supportive, and interesting data points consistent with the brave new country which is evolving in front of every American's eyes, whether the person is looking or not. There are innumerable sociological implications behind each of these statistical descriptors, with the GUIDE bottom line being: increased opportunities for bilingual, bicultural Latinos.

■ Of 4.4 million 18 year-olds, 56% are white, 21% Hispanic, 15% black, 4% Asian.

■ By 2020, every fourth person 18-29 year of age old will be Latino.

■ By 2043, there will be no ethnic majority in the United States; the white population will simply be one of the country's multiple minorities. In New Jersey, the crossover year is expected to be 2020.

■ At present, barely half of births are white, compared with one-quarter Hispanic, 15% black, 6% Asian, and 1% other. Several states already have multiple minority birth situations: i.e., white babies are less than half the total.

■ Today, 80% of the population age 65 and older is white.

■ In the latest year available, white deaths slightly exceeded white births.

■ The median age for whites is 41; for Latinos, it is 27 (18 for native born).

■ Life expectancy for whites is declining; that of Hispanics and blacks is rising.

■ Hispanic life expectancies, by gender and by education level, significantly exceed those of other ethnicities.

■ White women without a high school diploma have a life expectancy which is ten years less than that of white women with a college diploma, whereas there is no such difference (yet) among Hispanic women.

■ The absolute number of white students in school is declining, the black count is flat, and the Hispanic total is rising.

■ Hispanic voters in the recent presidential election were 10% of the total, yet they represent 17% of the population.

Contrast any and all of these numbers with the fact that only 13% of Hispanics have college degrees, versus 18% for blacks and 31% for whites, and the opportunity for disproportionate Latino growth is clear: increased educational attainment, and not so coincidentally, political representation more comparable to its share of the voting population. It is perhaps equally true when thinking about these data that a troubling question may become more evident: will an American society still dominated at the power level by whites, and older whites at that, truly care about adequate education and opportunities for minorities?

What cannot be put back in the bottle by those fighting change in the American political and economic mosaic is that the evolving flat world is inexorably lifting both the economic importance of minorities and the demand for educated bilingual and bicultural individuals. Corporations know this and their evolving product formulations, their marketing campaigns, and their hiring are increasingly reflecting the roll-out of demographics. Maybe the realization of these basic demographic truths is behind the change in political attitudes toward immigration compared with that seemingly distant time when I began writing GUIDE. Then the atmosphere was dominated by the bitterness engendered by anti-immigrant legislation in Arizona and Alabama; today it is the optimism that some type of immigration reform will be enacted.

***

Contrary to what many of the anti-immigrant people might have believed, the data indicate considerable "rootedness" among immigrants, which adds to the validity of the demographic projections, without in any way answering the question of whether language capability and overall acculturation will be sufficient for Latino students to fully take advantage of the overall demographic trends.

■ 35% of undocumented adult immigrants have lived here at least 15 years

■ The comparable figure in 2000 was only 16%

■ 28% have been here 10-14 years

■ 22% have been here 5-8 years

■ 15% have been here less than five years, versus 32% as of 2000

The major factors influencing rootedness during this period (excluding the vicissitudes of documentation) have been (1) the domestic economy, which—until hit by the Great Recession—had been a driver for immigrating to the United States and staying here to work; (2) conditions in the home country, and (3) border control, which has been tightened throughout these years, thus discouraging back-and-forth movements.

It is ironic that Obama is thought to be soft on immigration when he has deported significantly more people than did his predecessor Bush. In the government year of 2011, there were approximately 400,000 formal deportations, half of whom were criminals (90% from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador). Another 300,000+ foreigners were expelled without the need for a court proceeding; detained undocumented immigrants returning to their home country voluntarily are in this figure. Border crossings from Mexico are now at their lowest level in forty years, a function of the sluggish economy in this country and some improvement in economic conditions in Mexico, plus an annual expenditure on border policing of an estimated $18 billion.

***

Looking at the big picture of immigration and rootedness, and getting past any attempt to dissect the different motivations behind the desire of immigrants to come to this country— the standard bumper stickers being: "for a better life" and "more opportunities"—when an immigrant files a tax return and learns some English, it is rudimentary testimony to his desire to be a part of American society, whether he intends to fly back to his "home country" every six months or not.

If he follows on this definition of rootedness by learning about and participating in the American education system and can motivate his children, including with respect to language, then rootedness and the evolution of higher education or the acquisition of a marketable skill are connected in a positive fashion. If he takes none of these steps, then so-called "rootedness" is purely an ATM concept: the immigrant coming here for work and sending as much money as possible back home, to which he will return as soon as practical. In that context, discussion of higher education is probably moot.

Underscoring the importance of comprehensive immigration reform—which in the

Senate version embodied positive features with respect to family reunification, visas, and young people pursuing higher education and legality—the absence of documentation makes for even tighter Hispanic families but simultaneously a "rootedness" which is fragile because a knock on the door can mean multiple lives are suddenly upturned. Undocumented parents essentially live in the shadows and often are not able to provide, among other things, the cultural knowledge and confidence needed for their children to progress in a new country and education system.

At the other end of the documentation spectrum for immigrants, namely that of naturalized citizenship, there are several million green card holders who deliberately do not take the step which the average American would assume they are eager to accomplish. To say that the optics of such decisions—seeking the benefits of being in the United States without becoming citizens—are poor politically is stating the obvious.

The next table represents inputs from Latinos themselves about their attitudes toward the country which is now at least their physical residence, if not yet, or maybe ever, their cultural home. Unfortunately, the preceding issue was not one of the questions.

According to an additional Pew survey, second generation Hispanics (born in the United States with at least one Hispanic parent) are more likely to describe themselves as "some other race" (36%) than Hispanics overall (26%) or immigrant Latinos (21%). So, rigorously speaking, generalizations about "Latino" or "Hispanic" students in GUIDE should come with a cautionary label concerning usage of the points made. But the astute Reader of GUIDE already knew to use any and all inputs carefully, right?

***

There is a tendency in my geographic world to inaccurately equate immigration with Hispanics. While the Great Recession and an increased number of deportations have at least temporarily reduced Hispanic immigration levels, it has not affected the in-flow of Asians. In 2010, Asians were 36% of new immigrants (29% in New Jersey), compared with 31% (33%) for Hispanics.

The Asian immigrant in some respects is driven by the same bumper sticker motivations as an Hispanic. However, his socioeconomic characteristics are quite different: he is much more likely to be educated and he carries the higher income associated with that education. He has a stronger belief in the value of a successful marriage while, like Hispanics, he places a high value on parenthood.

In the racial arena, where stereotypes and cancerous thoughts co-exist, some white Americans regard some Asians as "more like us" (the incarceration of Japanese during World War II thought to be an isolated occurrence—and a dim memory), capable of being folded into "our" society without the cultural confusion and outbreaks of racism which accompany contact with darker-complexioned immigrants from around the globe. Just as Americans cannot succeed in placing our abhorrent treatment of African-Americans in a neat little box and moving on, the territorial genesis of the United States coupled with its leadership in illicit drug consumption cannot ever make the white-Hispanic dialogue completely free of conflict.

Maybe true assimilation never really happens. Perhaps this country evolves into a collection of ethnic pods beyond what is already evident. Certainly the majority of people living in Dover seem to have scant interest in many of the broader philosophical issues regarding the acculturation of immigrants into American society (and, if one scratches a little, there is the "discovery" of which Hispanic countries dislike other Hispanic countries). Ah heck, avoidance of serious dialogue is probably true everywhere. Addiction to sports, with its key characteristic of closure—somebody wins and somebody loses (yes, there are ties, but except with futbol, they are disdained by most fans)—increases as distaste for the amorphous and ugly nature of politics climbs.

Any discussion about culture, language, and rootedness must deal with stereotypes. One of my Project 2015 students, now a Senior in college, expressed it this way.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

DO STEREOTYPES AFFECT YOU? by Amanda Maldonado (Forum: May-June 2012)

If you do not already know, a stereotype is a generalization that is usually exaggerated or oversimplified and is often offensive to distinguish a group. Imagine this: A middle-aged man who is a hard worker and finished college with a degree in management. He applies for a job as a gas station manager for a major company. He is the most qualified out of all the other applicants yet does not get the job. You may ask why. I'll tell you. It is because he's Arab and comes from a country that America is at war with.

This situation is only one of the many stereotypes that occur every day. Just because someone is of a certain ethnicity or religion, that doesn't mean you can stereotype. They are hurtful and most of the time untrue. Here are some examples of stereotypes:

Every Arab is a terrorist

Every Hispanic person is Mexican

Every white American is rich

Every white Southerner is racist

All Blondes are stupid

Every Hispanic person in America is an undocumented immigrant

Every German is a Nazi

Every British person has messed up yellow teeth

These are only a few of the harmful stereotypes out there in the world. If you've ever been the victim of a stereotype, which is a good probability, you know that they can cause you to do unnecessary things. They could make you lash out in rage or even confront that person face to face. The chances are that if you stereotype someone more than once and mean it, that could push them to do something irrational. America was built on the whole idea of "freedom" and "freedom of religion." Yet, no one really accepts that and there is still segregation, whether it's religious or by ethnicity.

I have light brown skin and no one would ever guess that I am Hispanic. My dad has light skin and hazel eyes, and he's Puerto Rican. My mom has dark brown skin and that's where I get my mixed complexion, my curly hair, and my dark brown eyes. She is Dominican and Puerto Rican. People always ask me if I'm Black or Indian. Most Hispanics can tell that I'm Hispanic, but sometimes even they forget that there are dark skin Hispanics.

Ever since I've been to college, it seems that the majority of the students here are not exposed to dark skin Hispanics so they assume I'm every other nationality but my own. They always apologize and say the only Hispanics they knew were Mexicans, and that was what they were used to seeing as a Hispanic in school. The truth is, stereotypes give us ideas and push us to believe things that aren't true.

Most people are affected by stereotypes and don't know it. There is really no person in this world who is not affected by stereotypes. Because of stereotypes, we don't have quality of life. And without quality of life, we cannot enjoy life. This is one of the main reasons people do not get along with each other and why people are separated by what they look like or by ethnic background. If we abolish all stereotypes, we will finally be able to enjoy life without hate and without conflict. So, I ask you, can we do it?

Leave it to the inimitable Michael Bloomberg, outgoing Mayor of New York City, to attempt to put a bow on the multihued ribbon of immigration.

"If we are going to create jobs in this country, we have to have immigrants. We're going to need immigrants to start new businesses. We're going to need immigrants to do the things that Americans just aren't willing to do. We're going to have to have immigrants to give us new ideas and tell us what's going on elsewhere. xii

Of course, the real bow would come if and when the U.S. Congress passes a bill encompassing comprehensive immigration reform. In its current configuration (the bill is over 800 pages), passage would give undocumented individuals a predictable template for becoming citizens, even if the path is multiple years (and many dollars in fines and expenses) in the making. All to the good, regardless of how complicated.

***

Included in the massive package of immigration legislation now in front of the House of Representatives (and stuck there: see commentary in the chapter on undocumented students) is a requirement for undocumented individuals to move forward in their ability to use the English language.

### Language, Reading, Electronic Media

The ability to speak, Read, and write English is the semi-visible variable in success metrics for Latino students. At present, 75% of students referred to as English Language Learners (ELL) speak Spanish at home and view English as a second language. Perhaps not completely coincidentally, a similar percentage of Latino students ultimately require remedial work in English and math. However, this is unfair—if it takes at least four years to be completely comfortable in a new language (Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur and a myriad of new apps notwithstanding), then many of the test results during this extended learning phase are not credible.

Beyond the early years, according to a Nielsen study of Hispanic adults, 28% speak only Spanish and another 28% speak mostly Spanish. Some 15% speak only English and 25% speak mostly English, leaving 4% who speak the two languages equally. A majority of second-generation Hispanics, however, regard themselves as proficient in English, which is consistent with the conclusion of every study about language acquisition: the "next generation," i.e. the one growing up here has English as their lead language. Trends in where Latinos obtain their news confirm this overview.

Moving from the individual to the business sector, besides the on-going introduction of dual language signage, there are numerous examples of language influencing corporate decisions. Univision and ABC News (owned by Disney) are introducing a 24-hour channel named "Fusion," which will be in English but aimed at Latinos. Its premise is that second generation Latinos gravitate toward English language programming. When ESPN Radio in New York City moved from its 1050AM slot to 98.7FM, it converted its former AM signal to ESPN Deportes, believing that the market was is ready for 24-hour sports news in Spanish. Fox Television, not normally considered a friend of immigration, has negotiated a partnership with RCN Television of Colombia to create MundoFox to develop Spanish language programming. The tagline is "Americano Como Tu," i.e. "American like you."

It does not get more mainstream than Disney, ESPN and Fox.

Coming from the Hispanic side, Telemundo is creating Telemundo Plus, which will allow advertisers to show ads in either language throughout the programming of NBC Universal, Comcast, and Telemundo. Univision carries English subtitles of some of its television shows, and the company is starting a digital network to reach the 50% of Hispanics who have smartphones. It is going after Telemundo with UniMas, a rebranding of TeleFutura to appeal to younger Hispanic males with programs not so dominated by romance themes.

The list of what might be called "crossovers" to the unfolding world of multiple minorities is lengthy and growing daily as companies and advertisers alike pay heightened attention to growth in the Latino population and purchasing power. "Business meets bilingual/bicultural" could be the heading for this clear trend, driven here, as it is everywhere, by the profit-making motive.

At the government level, in contrast to those espousing English as the "official language" of the United States, the state of New York has directed its agencies which provide direct service to the public to be fluent (including in published documents) in Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Italian, Korean, and Haitian Creole. Some 30% of the population in the state speaks something other than English at home. And there is a New York City police manual entitled, "Policing a Multicultural Society," advice on how to talk to and interact with different cultures, of which there are more than 100 in the Big Apple.

For many of the Latino students being addressed by GUIDE, the challenges of speaking and Reading the English language are no longer a direct, fundamental impediment to success. However, writing does remain a problem in many cases; the resolve to practice this skill outside of the education or job environment is not always high. Hispanic accents, which by now I fail to notice, remain a conversation item among themselves and/or with those in their workplaces. The absence of full confidence in using the English language is hard to overcome.

The final input here on language incorporates many of the characteristics of the evolving demographics of American society.

In a multiethnic, multicultural America where Hispanics are the largest ethnic group and Asians are the fastest-growing minority, national politicians also will have to be fluent in multiple ways of speaking. For too long, sounding presidential meant sounding like a white, middle or upper-class white man (with modest leeway for regional accents).

It's going to take a lot more than that to win over the hearts and minds—and—ears of the American people."

***

Reading should be number one on every student's to-do list, regardless of his or her initial language capabilities. Knowing two languages establishes the basic advantage; Reading in both English and Spanish is the way to capitalize on this competitive capability, and it is mightily connected to verbal and writing skills as well.

It is true. I was tempted to begin GUIDE with a big speech on the criticality of Reading! You know, put it before the Introduction, maybe on the cover. Wiser heads prevailed however, mumbling things about the "flow" of a book, the relationship of Reading to culture, the insipid impact of digital devices, and the cold weather in New Jersey.

I am getting even, at least a little. Every time the Reader sees the word "Reading" or any of its derivatives, the "R" will be capitalized—or the proofReader will be fired!

Put simply: start Reading now and never stop. Make it a daily habit. Be ahead of the game; the importance of close Reading is destined to rise with implementation of the Common Core Standards. (These will be addressed later. Suffice it to say, they represent a more rigorous approach to K-12 education.) The situation is akin to the old commercial advocating a timely oil change: "pay a little now or a lot later." The student who spends minimal time on Reading may be setting himself up for a big "bill" later, in terms of impossible educational challenges, jobs he cannot get and money he cannot earn.

Donald Hernandez, a CUNY professor, analyzed ten years of Reading and graduation data; his conclusion was that 1-in-6 students who did not Read at grade level by third grade did not finish high school by age 19, four times the rate of proficient Readers.xvi Students who Read more than 20 pages per school day had scores (in a National Assessment of Educational Progress) which were 25 points higher than those who Read five or fewer pages, according to Steven Paine, member of the National Assessment Governing Board. Reacting to similar data and conclusions, New Jersey is developing a plan to "ensure all students are Reading at grade level by the end of third grade." The latest scores showed that only two-thirds of kids are proficient by this time.

Did anybody mention the virtue of turning off the video/electronic/digital stuff and Reading a book. Reading is the essential behind virtually all learning.

Young high school students at North Star Academy Charter School of Newark share my viewpoint about Reading, as do a few million others.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

A PASSION TO READ IS A PASSION INDEED, by Jennifer Calcedo

Why are you Reading that book? You know they made a movie from that, right?

Sadly, this is a question that I have heard on several occasions, and it reflects the distinction of two totally dissimilar worlds: the "Reading-is-fun" world and the "I-would-rather-watch-paint-dry" world. I am proud to say that I am a zealous citizen of the former. Reading has always been a passion of mine ever since my childhood days when I nestled on my parents' laps under the dim lamp light as they taught me how to Read those Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer right before it was time for bed. This was when I developed my love for fiction.

Reading is truly liberating. When I open an amazing book, I am instantly absorbed into it, as if I am watching all the action from a distance. For example, as I Read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Percy, in his tattered attire and disheveled yet unconquerable demeanor, is subjected to fight in a profusion of epic battles, unmasking his rusty, powerful sword to slay various mythical creatures and monsters. When I Read the series, it was as though I was not Reading, but instead was at Percy's side under an ominous, gray sky, facing my enemy with a weapon in hand and my face covered in dirt and sweat.

Two other books that have had a particularly major impact on my perspectives of the world are The History of Love by Nicole Krauss and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. When the opportunity to cry in public comes knocking on the door, I usually leave it unanswered. But I made an exception for these two. They were written so beautifully that I could not restrict my tears from flowing, leaving remnants of my emotions on each page. In these books, the protagonists—Alma and Oscar—are young kids who go around New York City, eagerly searching for something vital to them.

I imagine my search to be going around the world, discovering cultures for myself that I have never been exposed to in hopes of learning more about myself. The vivid elaboration and intricate and clever development of the plots urged me to want to get on a train, go somewhere, and search for something that I was destined to find.

But of course, resources were limited. Though my parents, who had never gone to college, and I traveled together through books, the farthest our resources ever allowed us to go was about 20 miles from our home. However, I learned that the yearning I have to want to go on an adventure does not always have to be fulfilled physically when I have hundreds of pages of suspense, elation, sorrow, and frustration sitting right in front of me, waiting to be unveiled. For now, Reading suffices as a wonderful alternative to real world adventure.

My experience in AP classes exposed me to even more types of literature than I would have Read on my own. At the end of sophomore year, I chose not to take AP classes because I felt as though I did not have it in me to go through with it. However, that mindset changed at the beginning of junior year when I realized denying AP classes not only meant denying the academic challenge I always seek, but it also meant denying a major opportunity to explore different types of literature. Therefore, I wrote a letter to my principal and the AP teachers explaining my position and how I wanted to be in AP classes. A goal was set for me by these teachers and my principal in order for me to be transferred to AP. I met the goal, and I was admitted into AP classes for second quarter.

In AP Literature and Composition, I had spent countless hours of immersing myself in books, which exposed me to the brilliant minds of authors who often times hold contrasting beliefs. I had ingested their ideas and allowed them to mold me into a liberal and perceptive individual. Indulging more pieces of literature also has caused me to expand my longing for travel because I keep learning that there is so much more out there to explore.

I love being able to picture things for myself and letting my imagination roam free. This allows me to take charge of my own choices. So, going back to the questions asked at the start, I would answer by saying, "I like seeing things my own way." There is no better way to live life than through your own freedoms. [NSA]

Echoing the above writer's thoughts on the subject of Reading are those of two more young students from North Star Academy.

### THE STUDENTS SPEAK

WHY READ? HERE'S WHY, by Jessica Debrah and Janeris Hernandez

You may not like to Read, but if you want to be successful you have to do it. In fact, researchers say that Reading has a number of benefits—from health to brain functioning. As the school expands its independent Reading opportunities, here are some reasons to spend more time with your nose in a book.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Reading for pleasure correlates strongly with academic achievement. The National Endowment for the Arts found that "Children and teenagers who Read for pleasure on a daily or weekly basis score better on Reading tests than infrequent Readers. Likewise, frequent Readers score better on writing tests than non-Readers or infrequent Readers."

ENHANCED INTELLIGENCE

Reading also enhances your intelligence and keeps you sharp as you age. University of California Professor Anne Cunningham, who studies literacy, writes that students who Read have higher GPA's, higher intelligence, and general knowledge than non-Readers.

VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT

Reading also helps build your vocabulary. Cunningham's study suggested the difficulty of words in a newspaper is three times that of those used on a popular children's show.

WORLDLINESS

"Reading broadens your view of the world and allows you to better communicate with others because you're cognizant," write Professors Anne Cunningham and Keith Stanovich, who have studied the practice.

STRESS RELIEF

The Telegraph, a British magazine, found that "Reading serves as a means of getting rid of stress. Psychologists believe this is because the human mind has to concentrate on Reading and the distraction of being taken into a literary world eases the tensions in muscles and the heart...Reading worked best, reducing stress levels by 68 percent," said cognitive neuropsychologist David Lewis.

FUTURE BENEFITS

Starting to Read now can benefit you in the future. A study by professors at the University of California found that 21% of high school seniors did not Read for pleasure, a number that grew to 35% in their senior year of college. Not getting into the habit of Reading now may make it harder to begin to Read later and will prevent you from gaining its benefits.

It's no secret that the more you Read the better off you'll be. Your knowledge will provide you with a diverse view on human nature in general. As teachers will tell you, no matter what you choose as your major and minor in college you're going to have to Read, even if it's math related.

Kelly Schrepfer, an algebra teacher said, "You Read so that you can go places and so that you can find inspiration." Jonathan Ratheram, science teacher, said that he Reads for information, "I am not an English teacher so mainly I Read to find out what is going on in the world [and] for pleasure and enjoyment," he said. [NSA]

***

Even with the calming effect of the patient, well-reasoned backdrop provided by these high school students, I remain tempted to "go off" about Reading and attempt a dramatic link between our complete digitization and incessant consumerism and the destruction of the environment and the Great Recession and unsustainable borrowing from China and...and the decline of Western civilization—or at least Reading, but I shall refrain, at least somewhat. And, out of ignorance, I will not attempt to discuss tablet apps which purportedly help young children in learning how to Read: Learn with Homer, Kids Reading (Preschool), Montessori Crosswords, Booksy, Dot.

However, I confess that when I see quite young children with beautifully done hair and clothes, often accompanied by jewelry, I ask myself, "are their parents devoting as much attention to Reading? What is the balance of preparation for a day versus preparation for a life." Or is the fashion statement merely a reflection of a different, unexamined life.

The challenges in the Reading area are clear. An oft-quoted study ("The Early Catastrophe," Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley) concluded that by the age of three, children in welfare families have heard half the words experienced by a child in a middle class family, who in turn has experienced about 60% of the words heard in a professional family. Deficiencies in Reading comprehension are an unsurprising result. In schools, the absence of Hispanic-themed Reading material undoubtedly plays an important role in Hispanic fourth-graders having half the Reading proficiency of their white classmates.

The issue of Reading fluency and comprehension among Latino students is often the elephant in the room in the discussion of education, critically important but so difficult to confront that it is allocated a line on a staffer's to-do list and nothing more. Unless that is, the decision is made to implement bilingual education, a total curriculum redesign aimed at the ELL population. The concept of "Best Practices" here has been elusive to define, let alone find, unfortunately a common refrain in the education system.

The tendency of students to be addicted to their omnipresent smartphones and/or tablets is an additional factor which can retard the development of vocabulary and Reading—because such behavior tends to reduce something called... talking, you know, like mom and dad conversing with their kid instead of burying their noses in individual worlds of no immediate significance to the children they presumably wanted to have in the first place.

I cannot resist including here the great tag line for Keith Hefner's wonderful Youth Communication organization, a non-profit creator of young journalists: "Read. Write. Succeed." Future authors, including a Pulitzer Prize winner, and newspaper reporters have graduated from his New York City-based program (youthcomm.org). Anthony Turner, an African American boy there, recently wrote the following about Reading:

"To me, Reading means being open-minded, intellectual, and willing to learn new things. Reading has helped empower me. African American and Hispanic males have the lowest high school graduation rates...we need to step up our performance in order to compete. So, the next time you're killing time by updating your status on Facebook or watching tv, think about Reading a book instead."

Mary Pope Osborne (the Magic Tree House children's books series), adds her voice to the pro-Reading chorus. When she donated 120,000 books to Newark third graders, she said, that "having books at home is just as important as having them in school. Reading should be a family affair—something that's done for pleasure and not treated simply as an assignment."

There is hope—at least in the United Kingdom: McDonald's is giving away books instead of toys as the prize in its Happy Meals.

***

In reality, my lamentations aside, the primacy of electronic media in today's world is a given. The average household has three televisions, which are turned on eight hours a day, including when the family is eating dinner. And this only counts conventional broadcasting, not the multiple ways in which today's viewer can obtain his television fix.

At some age—it seems to be getting younger all the time—kids en masse are unified not only in their television addiction but in their willingness to have their personal information conveyed to corporate America, via Facebook and other social media mechanisms, which underneath are money-making businesses. Young people want to instantly communicate that they just took a shower, or that the homework assignment is boring, or that they are organizing a protest against corporate polluters. (At the lower age level, only a fraction of children's applications for computer tablets bother to disclose how data on the user is being collected and disseminated for commercial purposes, the solicitation of advertisers.)

An individual in this digitally drenched demographic who believes he is functioning independent of outside business influences is semi-delusional. It is like the teenage clique where the kids wear the same dungarees in order to show their individuality. The scary part is that today's collegians do not seem to care about being informational fodder for corporate America. For most, social consciousness is not a primary active concern, volunteer efforts (which are often "mandatory" segments of an education curriculum) and Occupy Wall Street (where did all that passion go?) notwithstanding.

***

The following data points and tables demonstrate the imbalance between electronic media and Reading at a young age, which I fear becomes an ingrained habit. I have been in many Latino homes, most definitely including those with limited economics, and have seen the latest in electronic devices juxtapositioned with a complete absence of Reading material. This is not good preparation for education at any level.

For over a decade, the American Academy of Pediatricians has stated that "screen time" for kids under two is not beneficial. Yet, reflecting the flood of new digital products and apps—and compliant parents—here are the disturbing (at least to me) data, according to the Common Sense Media Research 2011 survey of 1,384 parents:

■ Half of families with incomes over $75,000 downloaded apps for young children.

■ Where income is under $30,000, one in eight has downloaded such apps.

■ Parents are giving kids iPhones and iPads as babysitters and instructional tools; they believe these are "better than television." (The Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood has initiated lawsuits against companies which advertise their apps for very young children as having any educational merit.)

■ Parents are modeling the practice of constantly being on a digital device, naturally causing kids to want to do the same.

■ Half of kids under eight years-old have access to a mobile device.

■ Under two years of age, average TV/DVD time is 53 minutes, which is twice the time that children are Read to.

■ Almost one-third of kids under two have a television in their bedroom.

In the time-honored tradition of profit-seeking companies co-opting factors which could represent competitive threats to their product or service, the new social media do offer parents advice on how they and their children can be "safe" when using the innovations of Techno World. Or they follow Amazon's lead: it simultaneously promotes its FreeTime Unlimited subscription service for kids 3-8 years-old and a parental controls feature.

Unfortunately, even in a "safe" environment, children are not sheltered from the pernicious impact of advertising on their ability to extract meaning from the data bits (yes, I meant "bits," not "bytes"—the latter is for techies) continuously flowing into their brains. And they come to believe the world is simply an elaborate construct of program material; everything from the devastation of a hurricane to the absurdity of the Kardashians shows up in the same manner: on a screen in front of them.

My comments do not attempt to wander into an even more difficult area: the connection of continuous viewing of violence by children with future anti-social behavior. If a person believes that advertising affects consumption, it would seem to follow that seeing murder after murder has something of a negative impact.

Below is a list of websites which offer different ways parents can see what their children are doing and saying on the Internet. There are also iPhone applications which parents can use to track where their child is, who he is talking to, and what messages he is receiving. Balancing privacy, trust, and safety is not a neat formula.

The Brave New World is here.

■ Facebook.com Facebook Family Safety Center

■ Google.com Google Family Safety Center

■ MinorMonitor.com Monitor software usage

■ Twitter.com Help Center (Safety Parent and Teen Tips)

■ UKnowKids.com Monitor cell phone usage and location

The bottom line is this. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, in 2010, kids 8-18 years of age spent over seven hours per day on entertainment media, 11 hours if one includes multiple usage, _e.g._ texting while watching television. Exacerbating the Reading dilemma (at least that one in my mind) is that while half of schools prohibit cell phones, now owned by 80% of eighth graders, other schools are capitulating completely. This is referred to as BYOT: bring your own technology.

***

Slowly coming is "blended learning," a hybrid of technology-based self-paced education and interaction with the teacher. One of the "good guys" in education reform, Joel Klein, former Chancellor of New York City schools and now head of News Corporation's Amplify education division, has announced a tablet specifically for K-12 children. The majority of teachers, many of whom are like this author in terms of being somewhat skeptical about undue reliance on new technology to solve deep-seated problems in the education area, are already complaining that the various digitizers are reducing attention spans even further than already evident with children who have been weaned on 24/7 screen time. Unsurprisingly, the ability to communicate face-to-face is adversely affected.

Stepping back, there is no indication that Latino households are inherently different in their adoption of iWorld devices; given the period of time in which many have lived in this country, they may never have owned a landline, going straight to cellphones, as is happening throughout the developing world. The video habits of the Latino community are abetted by the combination of limitless cable channels and a desire by at least the older occupants of the house to stay current on developments in the home country.

One day of being glued to the flat screen has no impact; it is the succession of days, months, and years which produces a twisted view of life: that eight-second rotations of visual stimuli are normal, that everything must be entertaining, that an unending flow of information equates to an understanding of the subject. At home, parents must assist their children in turning off electronic distractions and encouraging Reading.

Regardless of the digitization of life, parents must teach their offspring the age-old truism: if you learn how to learn—and I do not mean the ability to hit "Google"—you can learn anything. And part of the education process, to repeat the above, should be an understanding that the media collectively and individually are a business, with no central values other than making money. Everything else, including a person's life, is programming material, its worth judged by how many people watch the television show or Read the material (whether on paper or on a screen) or click the appropriate place on the Internet/iDevice.

When a college student in one of my programs had a summer job interacting with kids and could not access his computer and television in his former habitual manner, he came to some interesting conclusions:

"I never realized how much time I was wasting with the aid of technology like TV and the Internet. I realized that life with less technology could be a great thing, especially given the amount that I got accomplished when I was not spending hours every day with electronics. Once I stopped using these things for hours upon hours each day, I found myself...enjoying the outdoors more, Reading, and doing all kinds of things that I used to be more passionate about and which made life more rewarding in general. Perhaps it is time for Americans, especially those in my generation, to reexamine the addiction to the TV and the Internet that permeates our society."

The student above probably now better understands the employer who has trouble finding qualified applicants because they are "lacking most in written and oral communication skills, adaptability and managing multiple priorities, and making decisions and problem solving." In other words, their electronic emphasis, their years of clicking on the right app have not developed the skills which are in demand.

***

There is no precise pathway from the pages of comments above to an overall understanding of Latino culture or educational aspiration; there are too many variables, and electronic addiction is certainly not unique to this segment of the population. So this is an imperfect segue into a continuation of broad-stroke commentary, which might be considered a book-end (as some probably would wish literally) to the cultural discussion earlier in the chapter.

### The Latino Milieu

Leaving aside economics, the data below reflect, but not completely, the combined impact of inferior schools, homework which is either light or not seriously marked, minimal independent Reading, and heavy competition for time spent on education from instant gratification outlets: television, video games, Facebook, Google, and all the "i" devices which dominate contemporary culture.

The analysis succinctly captures many of the elements of the education and socioeconomic world in which the Hispanic student functions; the information was put together by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and slightly modified by me. It should be Read across and down to understand the eventual statistical connection between Hispanic circumstances and a college degree.

At the youngest end of the spectrum, preschool availability is under-analyzed in data on Latino educational attainment. While the results of the Head Start program itself remain controversial decades after initial implementation, it seems intuitively obvious that an environment in which young children are exposed to Reading, both directly and through adult modeling of the activity, is preferable to video babysitting. President Obama has advocated universal pre-school for four year-olds in families with incomes at 200% of the poverty line or less ($47,000 is the 200% figure for a family of four).

Certainly there is evidence that affluent parents are pouring more and more resources into pre-school programs offered by private companies, and there is increased support for government funding of pre-school education, including allowing public funds to go to religious institutions which offer such programs. In contrast, for undocumented parents, preschool for their citizen children might not be sought because the parents are either unaware of the system, or fearful of government reprisal if they make themselves known, or simply embarrassed by their difficulties with English.

Without relatively early preparation, at home and in elementary school, the signs of educational disaffection arrive surprisingly soon. For example, middle-schoolers who fall into merely one of three categories—disruptive behavior, poor attendance, or failing Math or English—have a disproportionate chance of eventually dropping out of school.

But let us not be negative—and instead move ahead to the high school years. There are guidance counselors who come to know their students well enough that they can provide good advice on high school course selection, preparation for college, and identification of suitable schools of higher education. And there are others, too many in the view of most students, who merely add their required signature to whatever the student has done—absent needed advice.

For parents to know what is happening educationally with their child and which kind of counselor their child has, they must visit the school—not for the purpose of bringing their child something he or she forgot in the morning rush, but to engage in conversation, which is a scheduling and language challenge for many. Numerous non-profit organizations have attempted to productively connect Hispanic parents and their children's school (for example, the BRIDGE idea of Mariana Vergara, a local education advocate), but nobody has come close to establishing a "Best Practices" approach. Successful programs tend to be idiosyncratic, i.e. dependent on the personalities of the leaders on both sides of the parent-school dialogue.

Even where the Latino's parents work can affect the availability of guidance counseling. For example, "College Coach" (<http://www.getintocollege.com/>) is a benefit offered by some large companies through their Human Resources departments. All employees are eligible to attend workshops on higher education, receive materials and have access to both one-on-one counseling and a Help Desk. Whether the total package which is offered is sufficient to the family new to the college process is not a critical consideration; the program still can represent a good start and, not so incidentally, help create a better connection between employee and company.

The idea of educational assistance as part of the benefit package of larger companies is an interesting one; its cost can be blended with other employee benefits and therefore does not cause the same budgetary pressure as a standalone line item. Outsourcing the actual counseling function, including mentoring, to skilled providers would be a decided advantage, available at minimal expense compared with the multiple advantages of retaining committed personnel in an age when there has been a loosening of ties by companies and employees alike.

***

Regardless of whatever conversations parents have with school or company-based representatives of the education system, they need to internally come to a recognition that the prospective college student has to think about what he is willing to give up to a greater or lesser degree: some family time, hanging out with friends and partying, an all-consuming romantic relationship, extended hours spent at a paying job, and/or a trip to the "home country" because it conflicts with critically important exams.

Maybe not at their high school graduation but typically not that long thereafter, even those Latinas clearly embarked on higher education paths have an added set of criticisms or questions uniquely directed at them:

■ "You care more about studying than about me or your family."

■ "Why aren't you married?"

■ [If she is married], "why aren't you having a baby?"

■ [If she is married with one child], "why aren't you having a second?"

The common thread for Latinas and Latinos alike is the need to establish boundaries, a particularly difficult task for many of them to accomplish.

***

Given the combined impact of the above influences and constraints, it is gratifying that half of Latino students who enroll in four-year schools graduate within six years. Of those who do not graduate (all ethnicities), half leave school during their freshman year, which underscores the importance of the best possible match of student and college. Moreover, it is further evidence of the need for students and their "support teams" to be as prepared as possible for that freshman year. The documented, bilingual, bicultural Latino student has the opportunity to be truly special in his accomplishments—if.

Having a role model is of assistance in realizing that opportunity, although it is only one of the innumerable variables to consider when attempting to figure out whether there exists a systematic approach to educational success. Relatedly, it is often difficult to tell, when positive change does happen, whether the "transformational agent" was a system or a singular individual who impacted the life path of a young person.

A role model within the family is advantageous, regardless of whether there is a specific identification of career interests or likely college. Below, it is a Latina college senior in one of my programs who seeks to be that role model.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

ON BEING A ROLE MODEL, by Karen Cabanilla [Forum: May-June 2012]

Being the oldest of three children makes me feel like I have an obligation to be their role model. I know parents usually are, but in some aspects in life I feel that older siblings set most of the examples. You want to do well in school and start a great career and hope that they follow your footsteps. You want them hanging out with the right crowd to make sure they know how to pick their friends. Teach them how to save and be responsible with money because you already made the mistake of spending it all when you got your first debit/credit card. Bottom line, as an older sibling you want your brothers and sisters to make wise decisions.

When I asked my younger brother who his role model was, he said he didn't know or just didn't have one. It kind of broke my heart to hear that; not even my parents or I were having an effect on him. I wanted him to talk to me more and confide in me. Sometimes I can get my brother to talk, but I feel like I have to suck it out of him. He keeps his feelings to himself and that's not healthy for anyone. I wonder how do I get my brother to trust me? What do I need to do to show him that I can help him in whatever he needs?

Now that I am living away from home, it is even harder to communicate with him. I try to call him as much as I can when I have time. I know he is still a teenager but I hope he would understand how much a phone call from him would mean to me. I hope that my brother does look at me as an important figure to him. On the other hand, my youngest sister might say her role model is my mom or dad or someone from the Disney channel. She is still young, but not only do I want her to look up to me, I want her to view her older brother as an example as well.

My sister and I have a stronger bond (maybe it's a girl thing), but since I am not around, I want my brother to take the initiative to be an example. The goal of this article is to point out how important it is for someone to look up to people to help better themselves.

I have more than one role model. My first are my parents whom I thank God for and appreciate their sacrifices. Secondly, my older cousin Johanna, who grew into a huge success after being the first in the family to graduate from college.

***

### Closing Comments

Regardless of home country, gender, age, religion, sexual persuasion, clarity of aspiration, documentation, or depth of understanding of the process of higher education, everything in my Dover world revolves around the several hundred Latino students with whom I have interacted in the past two decades.

It would be great, but neither practical nor prudent, to tell every one of their life stories.

Instead, I have provided some flavor through a list of succinct descriptors relevant to the initialed students. Their endeavors cover the gamut of career interests and attitudes, with wide-ranging rationales behind their decision-making. In addition to the list which follows, on the back cover of GUIDE is the name of each Latino who at one time or another has been a member of an education program initiated by my foundation.

Maybe a bunch of these students would agree with the sentiment expressed by one young woman in her second year of college.

"Bob, it's always a pleasure chatting with you. I feel you understand my way of thinking. Believe me I know it's not the way most people my age think, but hey it works for me."

Most important in closing a discussion of Latino family culture as it relates to educational aspiration are the words of the college graduates themselves. Here are three sets of thoughts, one an article and two being short notes.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

FIRST ONE THROUGH: College, that is! by Winans Largacha [Forum: February-March 2009]

I am the first one in my immediate family to go through and complete college here in the United States. I obtained my MS in Management, along with a BS in Architecture, from NJIT. Looking back at the entire college process, experiences and events that I encountered, I never took the time to really assess and reflect on them. It has taken me until now to look back. My brother is currently a junior in high school and is beginning the process of looking for a college, picking a field of study, taking SATs and maintaining good grades along with everything else involved. I am now considering going back to school to solidify my knowledge of the field I have "ended up in" to aid me in ascending in that field.

In this reflection, I remember always being told and I myself writing in my application essays that "I will be the first in my family to attend college." That "I will be the first in my family to attend college" quote back then seemed like a simple sales pitch for me to be a more appealing candidate for any prospective school, but now my perspective has changed. Being the first in your family to go through this moment in life is more challenging than having someone who has gone through it by your side throughout.

It has taken me until now to really see the importance of that and how much guidance high school kids really need or in my case needed, especially as the first to go through. Everything is new: there is no example to follow, to help you avoid or at least minimize mistakes. Most of us are 17-18 years of age and are getting ready to make some of the most important decisions that will shape the rest of our lives. I mean choosing a career at this age seems daunting to me, when you have a good 60, 70 or 90 more years to live! At 17, you basically have to find out all the small intricacies that are part of the college process. Not having that immediate family member, close relative or close friend who has already gone through everything, to help you through the process, can make it very difficult or cause you to miss opportunities.

Even if it doesn't seem difficult, there may be something you missed or failed to take advantage of. It would have been easier to have someone close to me who could have provided some of the "things to come" and "warnings" while was one of my good fortunes. My dad was a great help in aiding me and making me aware of certain things. He didn't know exactly what I had to do but having a basic idea allowed him to push me to find out about certain things. Having his help, along with that from other individuals, undoubtedly made it a smoother experience, but I still look back at the what-ifs of those years. What if I never joined the National Guard to help pay for school, what if I took that low-paying job at that architecture firm, what if I had a different major or changed majors. There are so many things that kids will go through in those years that it is imperative you obtain and utilize any and all resources available to help with these decisions. Now that I can look back and realize the importance of certain things that happened throughout those years, I can use that to help my brother in a way that I wasn't helped, and maybe I could have but it just didn't happen that way, maybe at times it was my own fault.

Everyone talks about working during the summer in college, but make it worth something and ensure that it is related to your field and do it early so you can figure out if maybe you want to change majors. As little as the pay will be during those internship and temping years, it will pay off immensely when you graduate.

Sitting through the endlessness of a college graduation (does anybody remember the point of the outside speaker's extended oration?) can be brutal to an aging body, but that singular moment—when "my" student's name is called—is priceless. So when the graduation invitation comes, there is no debate: I am going.

Mr. Howitt:

How are you? I am finally reaching a step on the ladder that seemed really high before. Next month I will officially be an alumnus to Montclair State University. I know it's short notice but I would like for you to come to my convocation. You and your organization is the reason I was able to reach this step. My family (parents) and new family will always be grateful for all "MADE in Dover" and you as a person have taught me. I was debating whether to walk or not, but who am I kidding, after all this time in school I should walk twice. Thank you Mr. Howitt, hope you could make it on such short notice. (Student)

Moreover, in the midst of the hoopla surrounding the college graduation, the swirling statistics and surveys and longitudinal studies, it is always true that assisting a Latino student is by definition helping the family.

My family and I would like to thank you for making my dream come true. I will continue to grow as a person and artist, and you were part of that growth. I hope to continue keeping contact with you. Again, my family and I cannot show you enough gratitude. Thank you so much for coming to my graduation and dinner with my family. It means so much to me that you were able to make it to (name of college). I appreciate your help for the past four years more than I could ever say. I will see you in July and I hope we can stay in touch. Thank you always.

Enough said.

## Chapter Two: A SUCCINCT OVERVIEW OF EDUCATION

### The Added Income of a College Diploma

Real authors tell me a writer must immediately grab the attention of today's non-book Reader, which unfortunately includes many students, with a compelling data point. Here it goes: the progression of lifetime incomes based on educational attainment. It is attractive.

High School Drop-out: $1,000,000

High School Graduate: $1,200,000

Some College: $1,550,000

Associate's Degree: $1,600,000

Bachelor's Degree: $2,270,000

Master's Degree: $2,670,000

In the complete picture of analyzing the economic benefits of a degree, there is the issue of the cost/debt associated with college, the gory details of which will be spelled out later. Suffice it to say that thus far none of the critics of the cost of college, including President Obama, have had any discernible impact on the perpetually inflating price of higher education. Similarly, for all the political furor about education reform and public school choice at the K-12 level, the number of students who have been able to enroll in high-performing schools and become adequately prepared for higher education is not a large percentage of the 50+ million kids in these grade levels.

These two factors—the cost/debt associated with college and subpar K-12 academic preparation—are substantive impediments to the ability of intermediaries to create systems which can consistently assist large numbers of deserving students, especially those seeking a college degree who are first-in-the-family to college and/or in low income situations. (The addenda to GUIDE includes several comments on education reform and the Common Core Standards, an attempt to create quasi-national education standards using critically important assessment tools. Since the academic rigor of these standards is sharply higher than existing benchmarks, initial results will be dreadful.)

This cautionary overview about the education environment aside, in GUIDE, Latinos will find the names of numerous organizations devoted to helping and supporting students in their quest for additional education. They may simultaneously realize the importance of making some changes in their own lives and of adopting new ways of doing things, which may bring them into conflict with some aspects of their own culture.

It may seem that GUIDE is sharply criticizing the entire education system while encouraging students to pursue a college diploma or a marketable skill. It's true. Life is full of such dilemmas. Besides, what is "right" for a student is what is right for him, regardless of the overall environment or the statistical category in which he fits. When it comes to selecting a college, the sensible criteria are "affordability" and "enjoyability," the mantra of a smart, experienced school leader whom I have known for many years.

Sometimes, it appears that people are saying college is a no-brainer decision. Not quite so fast. The table on the next page connects a bunch of dots about life attitudes, student characteristics, and the likelihood of success based on the level of a student's educational attainment. It clearly shows multiple differences of opinion. The survey respondents are the students themselves, making the data of particular value to prospective collegians and their supporters.

To provide more backdrop to the responses above, there is the interplay of:

### Economics and Education: The Case for Higher Education or a Marketable Skill

The Latino student is not starting at the same point as his counterparts. For example, based on the new Supplemental Poverty Measure (which includes medical expenses, food stamps, and tax credits), the Hispanic poverty rate is 28%, in contrast to 11% for whites and 25% for blacks. In addition to basic income differentials, the data reflect the fact that whites are better able to take advantage of social welfare benefits, reflecting the direct and indirect impact of documentation and cultural norms/attitudes.

Looking at another economic benchmark, from 2007-2011, white household median income was off 8% to $56,000, while Latino income declined 7% to $40,000 and black income slumped 9% to $32,000. To add to the Latino financial dilemma, the real estate debacle of 2007-8 had a devastating impact on the community because housing has represented a disproportionate share of Hispanic-owned assets. Median net worth (assets minus debt) for Hispanic households is a small fraction of that of a white household.

During the Great Recession, from 2007-2011, the median annual household income of a high school drop-out dipped 8% to $25,000. That of a household headed by an adult with an Associate's degree declined 14% to $53,000. Households with a Bachelor's degree saw their income fall by 7%, to $83,000. Advantage: college diploma.

To further connect economics with education, out of 100 students in the lowest income quartile, 70% graduate from high school, 41 enroll in college, and only 8 have a diploma by age 24. Still another favorable data point: unemployment for four-year college graduates is half that of those with a high school diploma. Maybe the absolute numbers do not get dramatically better soon, but the relative advantage for college graduates undoubtedly will be maintained, even if many recent graduates are working below their educational level.

***

The above collection of inputs represents the generalized economic backdrop for Latino students. Not surprisingly, three-quarters of Latino youth expect to be better off financially than their parents, an outlook which for the first time in American history is not evident within the average white household. In part, the Latino outlook for improvement is a comparison that is possible because of how little their parents may have had economically in their lives, how they have sacrificed in many cases to put their children in a position to lead easier lives than the parents' days of drudgery. Put more positively, young Latinos believe economic opportunities in this country remain better, despite the lingering effects of the Great Recession, than elsewhere in the world.

If you match demographic change with expansion in the types of jobs which will be available to those with success at college, mathematically, Latino representation in the value-added labor force of the United States must grow. And, since 20% of the legislators in New Jersey do not have a Bachelor's degree, there is a political power opportunity—assuming there is any relationship between a candidate's education level and whom voters want representing them. For certain, added political clout will lead to more government spending within the Hispanic community, and more Hispanic legislators will improve the chances for Hispanic college graduates to engage in high level networking, which is a key connection point of economics and education.

***

Education and economics are intertwined with respect to another issue, this time at a much younger age: teenagers working. This necessity in low income households is often another hurdle to be overcome when it comes to its impact on higher education aspirations. A University of Michigan research study (<http://www.preventionaction.org/>) arrived at these interesting, mixed conclusions:

■ More than half of high school seniors who had worked for no more than 15 hours per week eventually completed a Bachelor's degree.

■ If students worked more hours, there was a drop in the completion rate; specifically, each five additional hours meant 8% fewer graduations.

■ Those who worked over 30 hours per week during high school had only a 20% chance of earning a college degree.

■ Students who work long hours in high school are more apt to smoke, take illegal drugs, get poorer grades, and have lower aspirations.

These inputs underscore the observation that there is a need within many Latino households to make painful trade-off decisions on the usage of time. The difficulty of course is that the student's earnings, while sometimes simply going to his or her own spending, are as likely to be needed for essentials within the home. In addition, there is the dilemma of the unforeseen negative event—big repairs needed on the family car, a health situation, reduced work hours for parents, a hasty trip to the home country—and the economic hit these can bring to the best-laid financial plans.

A Pew survey revealed that of Latino 16-25 year-olds who stopped their education either during or right after high school, almost 75% said they had to help their family. Some 40% said they did not need more education for the occupations they were pursuing. Whether this is a legitimate appraisal is somewhat questionable; about one-third of foreign-born Hispanic adults have less than a 9th-grade education, often making the conversation about the logic of additional education more difficult than otherwise.

***

Looking ahead, there are numerous favorable outcomes if working teenagers are able to simultaneously become prepared for higher education and eventually achieve that college diploma or obtain the credentials of a marketable skill. One such outcome is that the same globalization which has outsourced many American jobs is blurring the distinction between domestic and foreign companies, supporting the conclusion that a college graduate being bilingual and bicultural is a distinct and growing competitive advantage.

With academic preparation, Latino students can have a running start toward possessing the combination of qualities which will make them attractive to, for example, companies ranging from a Nestle—technically a "foreign" company, to a Procter and Gamble—a "domestic" corporation: two huge diversified consumer companies which are quite similar in their global presence. Looking locally, Johnson and Johnson, the iconic New Jersey-based company, in reality has more assets outside the United States than here and derives 55% of its sales from international operations.

On the more cautionary side, if a student gets completely enamored with working as a teenager, putting in 35-40 hours a week, and only later gets religion about education, it is possible to go back and enroll in an "adult high school completion program." Like many items on the menu labeled, "I want to make up for what I should have done earlier," this belated accomplishment, like the popular (700,000 annual test-takers), but overrated GED (General Education Development), is much more likely to be connected to a resume requirement than linked to graduation from college. (Note: the GED will become a tougher test in order to be aligned with the Common Core Standards.)

To put fear in the heads of those young people who could care less about the several paragraphs above and who may implicitly think that dropping out of school is simply a lifestyle decision, here are some New Jersey numbers from the Living Wage Calculator. In contrast to the minimum hourly wage of $7.25 (an increase to $8.25 is to be voted on), a solo adult working full-time must earn $11.53 per hour to survive in this state. For a single parent with a child, the necessary wage jumps to $20.71 per hour. To afford a two-bedroom apartment in my home base of Morris County renting for $1,276 per month, a family needs to earn $51,044, whereas the typical renter earns $40,381. These are not income levels typically within the reach of a high school drop-out.

(Moreover, a high school drop-out is about 50 times more likely to see jail time than become a college graduate. Lack of Reading capability is correlated with the drop-out rate, which means there is a link connecting Reading and prison. Chilling! Back in the day, Pell Grants and other education funding sources were accessible to motivated inmates; alas, this is another good idea which has bitten the dust at a time of inverted societal priorities. Instead, it appears that the true education within prisons is not on how to become a contributing member of society—and save everybody a ton of money—but on how to become a more skilled criminal. Great.)

***

Within this economic and education environment, with its mixture of positives and negatives, the underlying demographic data showing the rise of the Hispanic population in the American school system are quite clear.

### Statistical Snapshots

There is considerable evidence too that Latino students are forging ahead on the college front, albeit from a low base and with some reservations about quality considerations—too many are enrolled at two-year schools. The positive data start with completion of high school and enrollment in college, both of which have continued the upward movement enumerated in these tables.

The increase in Hispanic higher education enrollment was dramatic in 2011.

Growth at the two-year school level in terms of degrees granted is similarly significant. Improved availability of financial aid would undoubtedly shift some community college enrollees to four-year schools, which would be good for those students who want the bigger college diploma.

In 2010, white students represented 71% of Bachelor-degree and 65% of Associate-degree recipients; Hispanic graduates were 9% and 13%, respectively, of the total.

At four-year colleges, using rounded numbers to show proportionality, white students are 60% of the total attending, five times the number of Hispanics, five times the black attendees, and ten times the Asian component. As the Hispanic student population grows, fueled by both underlying demographic change and higher rates of entry into college, these ratios should change dramatically over the coming decades.

***

As one person sagely observed, "most things (including all the data above) start at the beginning." Hence, there should be a discussion of:

### K-12 Schools and the Latino Interface; Parents and Guidance Counselors

One of the dilemmas for Hispanics, both those relatively new to the country and those who have been here for quite a while, is that they have tended to cluster in urban or urban-type areas ( _e.g._ , Dover) without having any prior awareness about how poor the traditional public school systems are in those geographies. A person can throw a dart at the 50 largest cities in this country and find a high school system with a freshman to senior year drop-out rate of 50%, and that is with relatively easy graduation requirements. Moreover, graduation is not synonymous with preparedness for college. Relocating to most suburban public school systems—a financial decision of substantial magnitude—on average puts the student in a higher graduation and college matriculation rate environment, though not necessarily one which is culturally compatible.

The bitter irony is that some Latino immigrants have come to the USA seeking a better education for their children. They belatedly discover that while their home country education system might be either chaotic or overly disciplined and might lose large numbers of relatively young boys to the world of work, that does not necessarily mean the rigor within a given school is inferior to that of many classrooms in America. At this realization, the family conversations get really complicated: education, capability with English, money, embarrassment, documentation, practicality, and personal relationships are all in the mix.

The standard description of parental involvement in education in this country is that they are heavily involved in the education of their children when the latter are young; they sign off on their homework, sometimes attend school meetings, try to be there for performances of their kids—which is often impossible for parents without any control of their work schedules—and sometimes get to know the teachers. This level of participation drops dramatically when students reach high school. From the standpoint of preparation for college, this is the time when many parents, with help, could play larger, not smaller, roles as their children are either not thinking at all (simply putting one course after another en route to high school graduation) or contemplating dropping out or indeed preparing for the journey to college.

At each of these stages of their child's educational evolution, it is difficult for many Latino parents to be there when taking time away from the job, if that is even feasible, means lost wages; when there is insufficient knowledge of the American school system; and when they are not comfortable attempting to converse in English. If they do make contact with school officials, the attitude of the latter can be off-putting. Administrators often seem to believe that a parent's advocacy on behalf of his child getting the education he both needs and deserves is an adversarial endeavor, an attack on their professional credentials, and the goal of fruitful dialogue leading to an improved outcome becomes elusive.

When a student knows how to use Facebook and Twitter cold, but cannot place Iraq on a map; when pop lyrics are memorized to the last word and note, but basic math is a mystery; and when the school seeks to lower its academic bar to reflect the socioeconomic struggles of the student—the responsible parent of any ethnicity has to be heard. Yet simultaneously, the Latino parent has to be aware of what can be an unintended consequence of the desire to accommodate diversity: students being placed in easier courses because of difficulties with English. Vigilance has to be constant to ensure kids are in the right classes for their capabilities. This is crucial longer-term—the rigor of high school academics is a key factor in college success.

Initiatives aimed at bridging the current cultural and information gap between Hispanic parents and the school systems in which their children are enrolled are critically important. Executing the good ideas which do exist in this area is tricky: the normal classroom teacher, like people everywhere, does not appreciate the outsider's implication that he is doing something "wrong." If his emotional reaction slides into a perception that the teacher implicitly is being labeled a "racist" due to an inability to do the "right" thing (which means acting in accordance with the opinion of the "outsider"), productive dialogue is almost impossible. This is another sector where an educational/cultural best practice model is difficult to find, let alone replicate.

***

Despite this far from flawless overall education environment, the Latino student does have available to him—at school and on the Internet—a tremendous amount of information relevant to the entire college drill. However, as is probably true with nutrition information, where seemingly the more that is written on the package the less that is Read, the huge flow of college-related information on websites from A to Z thus far apparently has not meant increased ease of usage. The student after all is looking to find the answers to his questions; often he is either insufficiently patient to wade through the complete material, including links to other parts of the college's website, or he knows from experience on another website that his particular question cannot be answered on the computer.

(That is why GUIDE is "open source," so that it can be easily excerpted.)

To this web-based mountain of information, there may be a need for a student to become more introspective than has been his habit. If the student is struggling not with his research on colleges but the philosophical side of "why college," he might consider the questions a highly successful basketball coach (himself a minority) asked his new players: "Who are you? What are you doing here? Why are you on this earth? Where are you going?" Not bad questions for any of us actually.

Equally important to having the motivation which can ensue from this introspection is learning to Read at a young age and making it part of daily living, attending as high an academic standard high school as possible, and beginning to think about college as a high school freshman—and scheduling courses accordingly. The aspiring student cannot afford to whine about homework loads—in truth, they may be too light, not too heavy—or standardized tests, nor can he wait for "the end of poverty" to pursue his dream. And he will not obtain real answers to real problems on his digital device or in the video game he prefers over various forms of unstructured activity.

***

A small portion of the thinking behind these "ideal" preparation components is in the minds of Latino students when, typically as juniors rather than as freshmen, they walk into the offices of their high school guidance counselors. The "real" approach then unfolds. After introducing themselves—before, they were merely names on a lengthy print-out of students—they are given some standard stuff, including a career interest inventory and characteristics of various colleges. Well-meaning counselors unfortunately are often working without any in-depth knowledge of many colleges or of students themselves. Thus, they are without the ability to drill down in understanding where students are coming from or where they should be going.

As soon as students finish Reading whatever college material is in their possession, the focus of their at-home conversation becomes cost and distance from home. A non-Latino family with a prior child in college may look at a school which is 100 miles away as being "close," while the Hispanic family may regard it as being on a different planet. A skilled guidance counselor should understand this.

In general, to achieve a satisfactory relationship with a guidance counselor, Latino students may need to push a little more than is their natural demeanor, or alternatively, seek to bend the ear of a favorite teacher. They can get considerable advice if persistent but they must realize that usually guidance counselors have multiple responsibilities and cannot keep track of every student on their overly-long rosters. The squeaky wheel does get the oil however.

Every time I have asked students about what needs to change with respect to guidance counselors, the answer focuses on the human interface. They want a person who (a) knows them well, (b) knows about different types of colleges, (c) is connected to people who either are alumni of those colleges or work at them, and (d) can give the student's application materials a thorough review, not a cursory look.

The aforementioned Professor Orozco found that only a stunningly low 28% of students learned about preparation for college, including the application process, in their high school. Asked what was important for getting into a good college, the students Orozco surveyed responded as indicated below. Excepting grades (and the SAT if the student is bound for a two-year school), each factor is dramatically more important than realized by the students.

■ 93% said grades

■ 35% mentioned the SAT

■ 16% recognized the importance of extracurricular activities

■ 7% knew of the importance of AP courses

■ 7% knew of the importance of letters of recommendation

If one wanted to add more disheartening data to the mix of education factors, the impact of summer vacation time is much more of a problem for low-income students than it is for affluent kids. The former have more limited academic, recreational, and cultural options and do not necessarily have any direct or indirect reinforcement of what they have learned in school. There is considerable slippage that must be overcome in the first couple of months of the following school year. Productive summer programs incorporating both academics and non-academics would be a major boost for low-income students.

***

When the Latino student's family (a) has limited history with respect to higher education, (b) works very long hours, and (c) speaks little English, moving along from college information availability to higher education motivation and the college application process is not easy—it can feel almost impossible. The psyche of the aspiring student frequently needs informed support (both practical and emotional) from somebody outside the family: a teacher or social worker or church member or mentor, perhaps even a gringo.

As many Latino students think about college, they may be surrounded by peers who do not. Virtually every Latino kid or parent will tell survey-takers that they regard college as being important, but only half say they plan to get a degree. The principal reason given for the discrepancy is "financial pressure." However, the underlying reasons are frequently more complex and difficult to sort out and confront.

An additional challenge is that it is not unusual for Latino students to be deeply concerned with both avoiding debt and earning money as fast as possible. Their family historically may have shunned debt of all kinds, perhaps excluding that associated with buying a car, and may find the consideration of college and its attendant timeframe/cost/debt difficult to accept. The "kids" may want to get to an earning stage quickly to help a parent cut back on the latter's often mind-numbing, low paid, and thankless job in the janitorial, restaurant, factory, and landscaping sectors, all of which are physically taxing to say the least. Frequently they are the first in their families to get to the college stage; only 50% of students with that characteristic are considered academically ready for college, compared with 80% of students from college-educated parents.

***

Always in the mix of factors described above is the role of language. Among U.S. born Hispanics, the Pew Center for Hispanic Study data indicate that only half of the respondents consider English their dominant language. While most Hispanics say that learning English is important, in towns like Dover—75% or more Hispanic, language acquisition is not critical for daily life, but certainly is for those who aspire.

The college discussion is a special language challenge itself, as Latino students are first translating the glossary of higher education into understandable English and then translating that English into Spanish for their parents, who often do not have a personal reference point. Financial literacy issues enter the conversation as well and they pose an additional knowledge and translation hurdle to be overcome.

Furthermore, beyond language itself, the whole immigration conundrum is an impediment to what might be a "normal" path for young people to reach their education goals. Many Latino households are simultaneously spending time, energy, and money on both the acquisition of English language capabilities and lawyers, many of whom apparently are semi-charlatans at best, hired to negotiate their way through the impenetrable maze of immigration regulations. Hopefully, if and when immigration reform happens, the rules will entail clarity and certainty, even if they come at a significant dollar cost and involve multiple hoops to be jumped through.

The point is that the ability of the Latino student to get everybody focused on his particular struggles pertinent to higher education is diluted by the variety and complexity of the challenges present in the total household. Add the absence of a higher education success model in the student's life, and the dilemma is evident.

In this environment, the student entering high school is knowingly or unknowingly making a key decision: does he work hard on language skills and aim high in terms of taking rigorous academic courses or does he take courses which are easier and afford him more time to either work or socialize, a prized objective for many (most?) teenagers. An aspiring student must be adamant about spending his time in a way which is consistent with succeeding in more difficult courses, both in high school and in college. Being able as a high school junior to pass a low-bar test like New Jersey's High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) is not a meaningful measure of what to expect at the college level.

***

Time-out: lest the Reader inaccurately surmise that my sporadic negative observations in GUIDE about the college business scenario—which will become more evident in the ensuing chapters—are a result of having been burned occasionally by a few disappointing student outcomes (an inevitability for any funder), there are even darker philosophical views voiced elsewhere.

The co-founder of PayPal and author of "The Diversity Myth," Peter Thiel, regards this area as a "bubble." Definitionally, a bubble is a sector of the economy thought to be extremely valuable, like housing a few years back, but in reality the sector is not worth the price being paid. The comparability in higher education is the debt incurred to own or create the asset, in this case, the diploma. Thiel's thesis is worth noting: "People (college students for example) can't do anything entrepreneurial or innovative or even nonprofit—anything that's not safe and well-paying, because they have this mountain of debt. And so education is something that has become a retardant to technological innovation and progress, even though the common perception is the exact opposite." Thiel described universities as "incredibly dominant, incredibly arrogant, and impervious to change."

Aspiring Latino students: do not be put off by negative comments on college.

You are the bilingual, bicultural individuals for whom the country is opening up!

Whenever there is a controversial situation—in this case, the cost and merit of higher education, it is good news when more people are being publicly critical. This is a required stage on the path of structural change to that dreamed-of day when (1) K-12 education is mightily improved, (2) access to quality higher education is eased and (3) the net cost, including manageable debt, is more within the range of students in families with tight budgets/thin wallets, i.e., a large percentage of the population.

Fearful of Big Brother listening to the many critics of higher education and imposing a standard of accountability, colleges have begun to re-examine three existing measurements of performance: the ETS Proficiency Profile, from Educational Testing Service; the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency, produced by ACT; and the Collegiate Learning Assessment, from the Council for Aid to Education. This is potentially interesting from a policy standpoint, perhaps important to prospective collegians, but meaningless to existing higher education students.

### Closing Comments

For the past several years, in conversations with students and non-students alike, there often has come a time when with a smile I have pointed to an imaginary button on my wrist and said, "if I press this, I will give you thirty minutes non-stop on the defects of our education system—you do not want me to press the button." We laugh and shift the conversation accordingly.

The Latino student who wants to move up educationally and economically but realizes that his high school education preparation is subpar has essentially these choices: switch schools—which usually is either not terribly practical or simply does not provide enough added benefit to make it worthwhile; give up—not a good idea obviously; accept the fact that his success is going to be highly dependent on individual effort; or—the best option:

recognize and accept individual responsibility. At the same time, seek support from multiple sources to better understand the academic and cultural demands of the higher education path which is being chosen.

The task of the writer of GUIDE—that would be me—is to assist Latino students to navigate an education landscape which has philosophical battles raging on many fronts. That commitment to individual students is why I act positively (despite the rants), believing that each one of them has the capability to succeed.

## Chapter Three: GETTING TO COLLEGE

Time to begin laying out the nuts and bolts of a college GUIDE: some specific stuff about how to get from here—the Latino student's desire for higher education—to there: enrolled in and graduated from college.

Marketable skills, like being an electrician or a cosmetologist or a computer techie, each of which has its own education path and appropriate credentials, will be treated separately, as will the concept of becoming an entrepreneur at a relatively young age.

In every discussion I have had with college students as they looked back on their process of getting to college, they have highlighted the role of a particular person in providing assistance. Ideally it is the assigned guidance counselor, but many times it is not; rather it may be a favorite teacher or mentor or a well-informed outsider. Students also freely acknowledge that they should have taken more initiative while in high school.

Looking at these two observations from a distance, they each revolve around the actions and motivations of specific individuals and, unfortunately, are not the result of a systematic approach to the college application and enrollment process. One suggestion by students to improve the erratic outcomes of the current counseling process has been that the student use his assigned counselor to lay out statistical information on the agreed-upon list of alternative schools, while the student uses his time to seek out college students at those schools to get practical, value-added advice on getting to college. A second suggestion is that high schools emulate the approach used at many colleges, which is to separate the financial aid advisory role from that of the overall academic advisor.

***

Irrespective of the specific guidance counseling path taken by the prospective college student, there is a common first step:

### Know Thyself: The Initial Requirement

Before the aspiring Latino student looks at any college, and leaving aside for the moment the financial, cultural, and procedural factors either discussed previously or to be treated in their own section of GUIDE, he or she must look inward. "Know thyself" was said by somebody smart a long time ago and repeated by many since then. It applies here as well.

For example, let's say the Latino's father would like his son to be an accountant—there is always a need for somebody to keep the books, and it is always good to know where the money is and how it gets there. Such is the prevailing wisdom behind what often seems like standard career advice from those parents who may not be fully aware of the array of options available in the education marketplace and/or have not had the time or inclination to be reflective about their offspring's possible lifetime path.

However, assume the student regards the prospect of doing numbers day-in, day-out as akin to death by a thousand paper cuts. If the Latino student has no particular career passion, he is in a conflicted situation. His route to further education and his ability to negotiate with his parents will be more complex than if he had a clear idea about his likes, his dislikes, his strong points, his weak areas.

Let's say the Latina's father would like his daughter to be a doctor, but she cannot stand the sight of blood and moreover is already determined to become a lawyer and help her immigrant community. She probably will be able to go against her father's wishes when she is passionate and informed about her goal—and she has her mother's support.

In all cases, the student is in a better position to react to mom and dad, and other voices within and outside the family, when he or she understands himself or herself. One way to accomplish this is by comparing personal characteristics to various descriptors, like those in the lists below. While these descriptors eventually will be seen as slightly redundant with other self-analysis processes in this chapter, they are helpful as students think about who they are and how they want to spend their lives.

It is up to each student, helped by others in numerous instances, to see which set of characteristics fits them best. Keep in mind that there is no "right" answer, nor is any one of the self-help tools inherently better than another. Here is the initial way of describing various types of people and job positions.

#### Characteristics of an Entrepreneur:

Idea generator...wants closure...comfortable with mistakes...detail oriented...not "on the clock"

#### Characteristics of a Social Worker:

Big heart...save everyone mentality...scared of data...no closure

#### Characteristics of a Manager:

Policy driven...data is central...holds emotion in...analytical and objective...focused

#### Characteristics of an Assembly Line Worker:

Job specs are only the details given by the boss...no initiative...works to the clock...paid for time and task, not value created

After engaging in this quick first take at self-analysis, probably the student still does not understand himself or herself, best friends are no help because they have their own challenges, everybody is bored with career interest worksheets, and therapy is too expensive. As part of an additional search at self-understanding, he can try on for size these Holland Occupational Themes and make another effort to figure himself out. Again, there is no special sequence to these analytical tools, nor is there a right answer.

#### REALISTIC:

Mechanical capabilities, not big on social skills

Descriptors: conforming, frank, honest, materialistic, natural, persistent, practical, modest, shy, stable, thrifty

Occupations: mechanic, aircraft controller, surveyor, electrician.

#### INVESTIGATIVE:

Math/science skills, not big on leadership ability

Descriptors: analytical, cautious, critical, curious, independent, intellectual, reserved, methodical, introverted, precise, rational

Occupations: biologist, chemist, physicist, anthropologist, geologist, medical technologist.

#### ARTISTIC:

Creative, not big on clerical skills

Descriptors: complicated, imaginative, nonconforming, idealistic, intuitive, expressive, emotional, impulsive, disorderly, impractical, original

Occupations: composer, musician, stage director, writer, interior decorator, actor, actress, Internet-related creativity.

#### SOCIAL:

Social skills and talents, not big on mechanical and scientific

Descriptors: convincing, cooperative, friendly, generous, helpful, kind, responsible, sociable, tactful, understanding

Occupations: teacher, religious worker, counselor, clinical psychologist, psychiatric case worker, speech therapist.

#### ENTERPRISING:

Leadership and speaking abilities, not big on scientific ability

Descriptors: adventurous, self-confident, attention-getting, energetic, optimistic, pleasure-seeking, popular, impulsive, ambitious, sociable

Occupations: salesperson, manager, business executive, television producer, sports promoter, buyer

#### CONVENTIONAL:

Clerical and arithmetic ability, not big on artistic abilities

Descriptors: conforming, obedient, unimaginative, inhibited, calm, conservative, practical, persistent, conscientious, orderly, efficient

Occupations: bookkeeper, word processor, computer operator, financial analyst, banker, cost estimator, tax expert

Yet another way of defining occupations which could be useful to the student is that formulated by Charles Murray, the author of Coming Apart. Murray recast basic government data essentially to analyze socioeconomic trends, but his descriptors of different occupations are relevant to a student thinking about his future career path.

#### 1. High-status professions and symbolic-analyst occupations:

physicians, attorneys, architects, engineers, university faculty, scientists; content-production occupations in television, film, publishing, news

#### 2. Managerial positions

business, government, education, nonprofits, service organizations

#### 3. Mid-level white-collar positions

underwriters, agents, inspectors, real estate sales, advertising sales, human resource specialists

#### 4. High-skill technical occupations

K-12 teachers, police, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, technicians in the science engineering

#### 5. The blue-collar professions

farm owners and managers, electricians, plumbers, tool and die makers, machinists, cabinet makers

#### 6. Other skilled blue-collar occupations

mechanics, heavy equipment operators, repairers, cooks, welders, paperhangers glaziers, oil drillers

#### 7. Low-level white-collar occupations

file clerks, typists, mail and paper handlers, bank tellers, receptionists

#### 8. Low-skill service and blue-collar occupations

cashiers, security guards, kitchen workers, hospital orderlies, porters, parking attendants, drivers, construction laborers

Perhaps the multiple ways of looking at oneself are intimidating to some students; they should not be. There is no need at this juncture to provide a complete analysis of what each characteristic means; that develops over time. There is no scorecard here; these are not standardized tests. Going through the lists—coupled with the notes taken by the student under the Scholar Space heading, can produce a quite useful self-portrait, helpful for the student in thinking about his prospective college major and the type of college in which he should be interested.

Nevertheless, students often need further guidance—or an open acknowledgement that they are not sure of what path to follow. In truth, they are simply joining the crowd—the number of high schoolers who are certain of their specific careers is not high.

In the student conversations in my office, favorite career idealizations with today's prospective college students seem to be: criminal justice (the dozen television shows are clearly a big influence), social work (kids who have seen problems up close think they can solve them, or at least want to try), computers (everybody in the world is going to become computer-literate and be continuously engaged in all kinds of activities on Facebook or Google or Amazon or the iPad, etc.), healthcare (it always grows, right?), and business (the perpetual assumption of money flowing from such a job). To broaden the understanding of what careers students are choosing, each state's Department of Education website unsurprisingly has a ton of data.

To see how education degrees are linked to occupations, this is a useful compilation, obviously not remotely covering all career possibilities for the aspiring collegian.

***

### The Education Path: A Specific Initial Suggestion for Students

To frame the issue of whether students are becoming well-prepared for college, regardless of their ultimate career goals, here are survey findings which represent checkpoints to see whether they are putting in the time and effort necessary to predict college success:

■ Only 18% of college prep track high school students took a math course after their junior year in high school.

■ Only 70% of seniors wrote as many as three papers of five or more pages.

■ Only half of students said they put much effort into their studies.

■ Only half said they were challenged academically.

■ Less than half said schoolwork made them curious to learn.

■ Only one-third said they were excited about their classes.

For those students who have waited too long to crank up their college interest, surmounting these dismal indicators of academic standards and attitudes and graduating from college is not for the faint of heart, but for the highly focused. Delaying enrollment in higher education because appropriate preparation has not been undertaken may sound logical; unfortunately, the drop-out rate is higher, not lower.

Better to be thinking about the college process as a freshman; small decisions at that time add up to preparation for the big goal of college graduation. The complete route to a college diploma can be looked upon as a marathon, not remotely a sprint. Here is the decade-long trek to and through college for a high school freshman:

#### High School

**Freshman** : If you have not had the subject in middle school, take Algebra (success here is highly correlated with ultimate success in college) and other challenging pre-college courses; learn to ignore your friends on occasion—they either know nothing more than you do or are actively pursuing completely counterproductive paths; find a college graduate who can serve as both a mentor and an inspirational model.

**Sophomore** : realize that a B on a tough course is better than an A on an easy one.

**Junior** : time to start the college information gathering process.

**Senior** : investigate multiple colleges, do the required work—and apply.

#### College

**Freshman** : make the adjustment to a different educational life; function, at least a little, as an independent individual

**Sophomore** : frequently this year is more difficult than freshman because there is less built-in support for the student, who simultaneously must deal with tougher academic requirements—which means the task is often to find a good tutor. Socially, the student who has good time management should be involved in campus activities and looking for a summer internship or major-related job.

**Junior** : at 12 credits per semester, you have accumulated 72 and need 48 more for the 120 required to graduate.

**Catch-up Year** : Two semesters of 12 credits each brings the total to 96.

**Senior** : two more semesters of 12 and you have the 120 credits. "OMG, what now: will I get a job after graduation?!"

**The New Graduate** : "I have my Bachelor's degree. I am now in the Real World. What do I do? Will I live at home to make ends meet until I get a job my degree says I should have?"

***

But no jumping ahead. Instead, let's look at:

### What Types of Colleges are Students Attending?

The aggregate numbers on where Latino high school graduates are going to college are below. These data from the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) reflect all the relevant issues with respect to higher education; they boil down to readiness, access, and money. IHEP's summary point is that "the type of institutions where low-income young adults are increasingly likely to enroll provide the least clear or certain educational and economic advantages." IHEP is saying that the academic rigor of community colleges and for-profit education entities is not in the same class as four-year schools; equally important is that the latter provide invaluable internship and networking opportunities not available from two-year and for-profit institutions.

Graduation rate data for community colleges are in the latter's own chapter; the numbers are not awe inspiring. Here, for the purpose of putting everything in GUIDE into a sharper focus on the goal of college graduation, are some success rates for most New Jersey four-year schools. They are humbling to say the least.

The predominant reaction by colleges to these unsatisfactory graduation rates is to place the blame on their customers, i.e. students, or the inadequate academic preparation provided by the K-12 system (the latter is whispered as the providers of this inferior education are conceptually colleagues of college educators). Like the multiple choice question where the correct answer is "all of the above," there is some truth in these assertions. However, others would say the overriding factor is that, amazingly, colleges are not focused on graduation rates, that in fact their semi-independent professors (especially when tenured) believe their job is done when they have finished talking or handing out their syllabi, not when their students have learned the material. The cost and associated debt of college of course are always there as factors: persistent, nagging issues with respect to students being able to stay focused on the ultimate goal of graduation.

Put another way, if a business had success rates like these graduation numbers, it would be hunting around the world for "best practices" and quickly implementing them. It would find costs to cut if necessary to match the lower prices that would correlate with greater completion rates. It has taken the impact of the Great Recession, the noise made by Occupy Wall Street, and the growth of on-line higher education to get the message to colleges that student graduation rates (too low) and debt levels (too high) are unacceptable and that the entire current college model needs revamping. Volumes could be written about this issue.

Meanwhile, contrast the above dismal data for Kean University, 16% and 44% respectively, with the school's statement in its fund-raising letter of March 16, 2011, "in recent years, Kean University has enhanced its status from that of a metropolitan university to a world-class institution of higher education in both academics and campus facilities." If Kean were a company running an advertising campaign, the consumer protection people would be asking it to inject more credible data in the school's sales pitch. This is the same college which had accreditation problems, overspending for unproductive non-academic purposes, and a college president who fudged his resume—and then had his employment contract extended through 2018.

Realizing that early ranting by the writer and undue focus on the cost and length of time involved in the marathon of higher education can lead to depression—and forgetfulness over why the journey is a beneficial one, Latino students are best advised to "simply" have clarity on two critical aspects: their ultimate goal—the college degree or the marketable skill—and what must be done, and when, that is consistent with accomplishing that goal.

In synch with these focal points, it is useful to know:

### What Colleges are looking for in Applicants

According to a survey by a Rutgers University professor (and supported by inputs from virtually everybody else), students will need critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities, effective communications, and collaborative ability if they are to thrive in a knowledge-based economy. None of these are directly taught in conventional high school classes, but all of them can flow from rigor in the classroom and the values demonstrated at school and home. Acquiring these skills requires an investment of time, which means not only the task of prioritization but the availability of people who can assist the student.

When it comes to applying to colleges, the difficulty is that there is not a good assessment tool for the above attributes. Therefore, colleges have to use a combination of hard and soft inputs in their evaluation of applicants. In order of importance, they are:

■ Quality of courses taken in high school

■ GPA; SAT/ACT/TOEFL scores

■ Recommendations; Personal essay

■ Interviews; Extracurricular activities

The first item, high school courses, might seem "soft" in comparison with others on the list. However, it is crucial. If a four-year college student must take remedial Reading when he arrives on campus, he has a one-in-three chance of earning a Bachelor's degree. In contrast, if he needs no remedial coursework, his chances are three-in-four. The process of getting ready must start early. There is a positive correlation of eighth-grade test scores to college enrollment and graduation; it holds across both ethnic and income breakdowns.

The necessity for early and continuous preparation for college is underscored by the fact that while there have been changes in how colleges look at each of the factors listed below, the shifts are less significant than the demonstrated stability.

The data, taken from surveys of college admission officers, do not add to 100 because there are multiple factors in appraising students applying to college:

Advanced Placement (AP) courses are within the above College Prep category; annually, approximately 1.8 million students take 3.2 million Advanced Placement tests, which cover 30 different subjects. Major revisions of these exams are underway, the theme being less emphasis on the memorization of standalone facts and more emphasis on analytical thinking. This should help Latino students, who quite naturally have difficulty filling their heads with the category of facts which are only pertinent to American history.

Latino students often have trouble gaining access to their high school Advanced Placement classes, if in fact they are offered. Parents must be constantly pushing when it comes to courses in which their children are enrolled, not because anybody is trying to hold them down (okay, it does happen) but because the dots of college acceptance and success and the courses taken in high school have not been connected. To repeat, better a "B" in a tough class than an "A" in a no-brainer.

### The SAT and ACT

What are these tests which create fear in the hearts of students who are headed to most four-year colleges? (Not those intending to enroll at two-year community colleges because the latter do not require them.)

The first step is the PSAT, the Practice SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), which can be an eye-opener to the student and a door-opener for colleges who see the results and begin sending tons of promotional material to their potential customers. (The ACT version of the PSAT is PLAN.) Then there is the SAT itself, taken by students in their junior and senior years of high school, multiple times if desired. There are also subject SAT tests, which are required by some more selective colleges.

The alternative to the SAT, namely the ACT, has been gaining on the SAT in test-taker count and is being accepted by more colleges than ever before. Schools in the Eastern part of the country, which had been an SAT stronghold, are now giving increased attention to ACT results, and more students are taking both the SAT and the ACT. For Latino students, taking the TOEFL may be part of the testing regimen; this is the Test of English as a Foreign Language, required of students in the United States less than four years.

In terms of colleges assessing students, and vice-versa, SAT results are a widely-used sorting mechanism which some people detest, but the majority believe are relevant without being anything like the sole factor in deciding which students are accepted to a college. (If students in the United States get stressed over high stake tests, as many do, they should be thankful they are not in a country with a national test that, based on results and nothing more, automatically sorts prospective students in terms of what college they can attend and what careers are open to them.)

Periodically, there is publicity about a big-name college dropping its SAT requirement, usually with a comment about the test's alleged structural imbalance—i.e., its questions do not adequately reflect the diverse population of SAT test-takers. It is not good for a student to disregard the SAT; dismissing a test because it is "unfair" is like trying to debate a job's skill requirements while simultaneously pitching to get the job in question.

The SAT has three sections—Math, Critical Reading, and Writing—each with a maximum score of 800. Many regard a 1000 SAT for the combined Math and Critical Reading portions of the SAT as the threshold for a student's ability to not only enroll in, but graduate from college. The Writing portion of the SAT is ignored by most colleges (even though good results here are correlated with overall academic success), which is too bad considering the abysmal level of writing, but fortunate for would-be collegians as the average SAT score of 488 would say that the student was ill-equipped for higher education.

Below are average SAT scores nationally for 2009/2011, excluding results on the writing portion. The Hispanic data reported for some reason also exclude Mexican-Americans and Puerto Ricans. Math prowess, as measured by the SAT, is slightly greater than that of a generation ago while Reading scores have declined. Partially in reaction to the absence of improvement in the Reading area, the new version of the SAT will increase its non-fiction content; the theory is that this material will be more recognizable to more test-takers. Better Reading should help in the writing area as well, for those who care.

In looking at the uninspiring scores, there needs to be an analytical adjustment because 25-30% of the 1.65 million SAT test-takers (the latter figure represents about half of high school graduates) have a language other than English which is spoken in their homes. Their intellectual challenge is greater than that of a student completely immersed in an English environment.

ACT data on college readiness show similarly flat results for students tested in the subjects of English, Reading, Math and Science. Here is the ACT statistical methodology, as published by the Education Commission of the States (<http://www.ecs.org/>).

College readiness benchmark scores are based on the actual performance of approximately 90,000 college students from a nationally representative sample of 98 institutions and represent the level of achievement required for students to have a 50 percent chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75 percent chance of obtaining a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses. These college courses include English Composition, College Algebra, an introductory social science course, and Biology. The Benchmarks are median course placement values for these institutions and as such represent a typical set of expectations. The benchmark scores, out of a total possible score of 36 are 18 for English, 21 for Reading, 22 for Mathematics, and 24 for Science. Estimates are based on all students who took the ACT assessment during their sophomore, junior or senior year and who graduated from high school in the spring of the respective year shown. Beginning in 2001-02, some states mandated participation in ACT testing for all high school seniors. Previously, the test would have been taken primarily by those students who planned on attending college.

Source: American College Testing Program, ACT National Scores Report, 1996-2010.

It is no surprise to learn that money influences educational attainment. This is a snapshot of SAT scores which shows the natural outcome of the advantages—books, tutors, cultural exposure, trips, networking, role models, summer programs—available to those with more money in the family. The correlation of academic success to household income is considered by some academicians to be even stronger than the relationship to ethnic variables. The odds of a student from a wealthy family earning a Bachelor's degree by age 24 are 1-in-2, compared with only 1-in-17 for the student from a poor family.

Folding SAT and other academic data into a compilation of how college requirements match up with the numbers, here are the results:

While Latinos frequently are attending urban or urban-type high schools where taking the SAT or ACT is not promoted with the same vigor as in more affluent areas, it is still interesting to see the top five majors which SAT-takers in New Jersey intend to pursue and what schools their test results are being sent to, as there is an overlap with the colleges of which Latinos in this area of the country are particularly aware.

A digression: neither my first nor last. The percentage of students going for an engineering major is a fraction of that which existed a generation ago in the United States; half the engineering students in graduate school in this country are from abroad, which is one of the reasons that in the push for immigration reform, Silicon Valley tech companies have successfully lobbied for more H-1B visas and an easier path to green cards for STEM discipline talent they wish to hire. The 7% rate above compares with around 12% in Europe and Israel, and about 20% in Japan and South Korea.

The engineering area is a true career opening. In contrast, students who shun its rigor but who are in love with their i-stuff and who are attracted to "engineering very light"—working in an Apple store—should consider how far an average hourly wage of around $12 (half the rate of a commissioned Verizon salesperson) will take them and how an average tenure of 2.5 years fits with their career path. (And to beat on another drum about education, namely that it is the combination of personality and skill which breeds success, "the candidates [chosen for the Apple jobs] are affable and self-directed rather than tech-savvy [because the latter can be taught]."

***

Although some are skeptical about the SAT and its usage in the college application process, in 2012, Seton Hall University, a well-regarded New Jersey institution, announced an innovative pricing approach predicated on SAT success. Specifically, if a freshman applicant scored at least 1200 on the combined Reading and math sections of the SAT (but not less than 550 on either section) and graduated in the top 10% of his high school class, he is able to pay Seton Hall what the school refers to as the "public school tuition rate," which translates to a Rutgers-level tuition, only one-third that of Seton Hall.

The special rate at Seton Hall will increase at the same percentage as the school's regular tuition and freshmen who can avail themselves of the new price remain eligible for normal federal financial aid. The lower rate is guaranteed for four years if the student maintains a 3.0 GPA. Seton Hall estimated at the outset that 150 students or so would have been eligible, out of a 1,000 student freshmen class.

While Seton Hall uses the SAT as its yardstick for the price break, the emphasis on that standardized test or the ACT varies widely among local high schools. At Morris Hills, a local high school adjacent to Dover, 75-80% of the students take the SAT. In contrast, less than half of Dover students do so. The average combined score at the latter high school, again for the two parts of the SAT which are taken into consideration by the college, is less than the 1000 threshold. Morris Hills students average 529 in Math and 494 in Critical Reading, for a total of 1023, compared with state averages of 516 and 495 (1011).

Many students are self-described poor standardized "test-takers," and there is considerable concern about how this group is faring in a world of proliferating high-stakes tests. Approaches to create a more relaxed mind or a positive vision are being used. Alas, better test-taking skills do not quite overcome inadequate content knowledge.

For those with money, independent academic tutors are available to prepare for these standardized tests, but they can cost $75 an hour; reportedly about $15 billion is spent on their services annually. Test prep companies like the Princeton Review and Kaplan, which have offered their services for many years, more recently have formulated a multitude of "apps" which can be used by students to study for the SAT or ACT. To get young people ready even earlier, the College Board has introduced "ReadiStep" for eighth-graders.

The "good news" for lower income students is that by not being able to afford this kind of test prep assistance, they are "forced" to develop additional grit and self-reliance and to cultivate productive study habits. (Don't ask whether they would rather have the extra money and buy their additional preparation like the kids in the next town.) Considering that Latinos may need non-credit English as a Second Language (ESL) courses at college, because of the combination of inadequate high school preparation and the difficulty of separating language challenges from those which are academic, inner resolve is critical. Only after plowing through ESL, and maybe other so-called remedial courses, does the student begin to earn the credits in specific subject areas needed for obtaining a diploma. A typical community college requires 60 or more earned credits to graduate, while a four-year school requires twice that level.

***

Numerous organizations, non-profit and for-profit alike, are attempting to assist these students with varying combinations of academic and college application assistance, followed by on-campus academic and social support. The goal is to move the needle on this data point: a mere 3% of the students in the top 150 colleges (based on degree of difficulty in gaining admittance) come from the lowest income quintile.

For example, The Bottom Line (TBL: <http://www.bottomline.org/>) works with students in the Boston, Massachusetts area (and now New York City as well) who are predominantly first-in-family to attend college and/or low income. More discussion on TBL's approach comes later in GUIDE. Questbridge (<http://www.questbridge.org/>) works with high scoring SAT students from relatively low income families. The Posse Foundation (<http://www.possefoundation.org/>) aims at a different group of students within the same financial category. Its rationale is based on students going to a college where there is a "posse," a group of kids who already know each other from Posse activities preceding college and from Posse's on-campus support, which is often provided by a professor at the school. Participating colleges heavily discount the cost of their schools by providing extensive scholarship support to Questbridge and Posse students.

Non-profit entities involved in this area are numerous; other examples are the Center for Student Opportunity (csocollegecenter.org), College Insights (<http://www.college-insights.com/>), Tutor Vista (<http://www.tutorvista.com/>), iMentor (<https://www.imentor.org/>), Teak (<http://www.teakfellowship.org/>), Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (<http://www.seo.org/>), and the Opportunity Network (<http://www.opportunitynetwork.org/>). Their similar missions are aimed at helping underserved minority students get ready for college.

An equally large number of organizations, including some of the above, are working on the issue of 'College Success," also labeled "College Completion," aka graduation. The initial challenge in many of these organizations is finding skilled staff; the ideal individual is a blend of mentor, researcher, guidance counselor, social worker, and financial sleuth. High-performing high schools which want to be measured on their students ability to graduate from college are seeking the same people.

The model is essentially one of caseloads, with the number of college students per staffer partially dependent on the extent of college clustering. Counselors visit the students on campus, track their progress or lack thereof, make suggestions, intervene when necessary, and encourage good practices associated with students succeeding at college. Nobody has really figured this whole area out yet, at least not in a scalable, affordable fashion.

As a way to both recruit future students and give them early preparation for higher education, colleges themselves often establish summer programs, typically involving young high schoolers who may not have thought of leaving their urban environment to pursue higher education. For example, Syracuse (<http://www.syr.edu/>) is looking for young people with a "solid internal infrastructure," young men (hard to attract) and women (many applicants) who have maturity and curiosity, who have the intellect and the moxie to appropriately challenge college professors.

There are also a large number of specialized entrants in this area of assisting young people to cope with everything related to college, including the SAT. Mentoring in Medicine (<http://www.medicalmentor.org/>) is one such entity. Its mission is to raise the number of minority professionals in the healthcare sector. Its target audience in terms of age stretches from middle school through college and its website includes links to a long list of sites relevant to any aspiring healthcare student.

***

One of the reasons these support and incentive programs are necessary is the low credibility of a high school diploma. In New Jersey, the statewide standard for graduating from high school—as distinct from being ready for college—has been the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA). Actually it is not much of a standard. If a student flunks that non-demanding test twice, he takes an "alternate high school graduation exam." If he fails that, he takes it again. Now, for those keeping score, the student has gone through four non-demanding tests to "earn" a high school diploma. The chances of that student respecting the rigor of college academics are low; he has already learned that simply gaming the system gets the student a piece of paper which labels him a "graduate."

The New Jersey Education Commissioner has been examining this nonsense. He is looking to use the ACT, the SAT, the ACCUPLACER—a College Board test of readiness used by community colleges, and the New York State Regents exams as models for developing a systematic approach to fostering true education success.

***

The Latino student thinking about college is not looking back at this high school preparation process but forward at the characteristics of his desired college. He obviously cannot wait for major policy shifts engineered by the combination of politicians, educators, and reformers. Instead, prospective collegians, his parents, his guidance counselors, his extended family, his mentors, his random outside advisors—none/some/all of them may turn for help to the rankings done by magazines focused on the college market.

### College Ranking Procedures and Making Decisions

In my Latino-dominated programs, I have not spent a great deal of time looking at rankings, as there has been a concentration of student interest in a small number of understandable schools. With the passage of immigration reform embodying a Dream Act, the universe of attainable colleges would expand greatly, and the rankings would become more relevant.

Below are the weights used by Forbes magazine in ranking colleges:

The US News and World Report college ranking system uses the weights below. Retention refers to the percentage of freshmen who return as sophomores. Student selectivity is the degree of difficulty in gaining admission. Historically, graduation rates were assumed to be the four-year data point, but increasingly there is attention given to graduation rates up to six years from initial enrollment. (Rather bizarre—alumni giving is considered 70% as important as the graduation rate.)

As is true with most such score-keeping, colleges which receive nice rankings from these and numerous other sources tend to be nonplussed about the methodology used by the publisher, while those with low scores believe the process is flawed. What college rankings mean to an individual student is subject to the answers to multiple questions. There is no way to cut to the chase and create a simple selection process.

While it is generally true that Latino college students have a shorter bungee cord in terms of how far away from home they can go to college, overall, New Jersey suffers a significant net loss of high school graduates who cannot find affordability and enjoyability in their home state. About 36,000 annually go outside to pursue higher education, while only 5,000 come into New Jersey to attend college. From the standpoint of conversations in my office, Rutgers and Montclair State dominate the list of colleges in which students are interested, reflecting the combination of academics, access, proximity, and affordability. Those Latinos who have gone further afield geographically have had specific, and quite positive, reasons for doing so.

In comparing various college options within New Jersey, I believe most observers of the challenges faced by many Latinos would agree with the three points below. They are included here to provide some assistance to the student who is looking to pare down the number of colleges on his list.

■ Enrolling in Rutgers University or Montclair State University to confidently earn a Bachelor's degree has a better risk-reward ratio than enrolling at a more expensive out-of-state "bigger name" college and possibly losing the unusually high scholarship (perhaps for an inadequate GPA as the student struggles to acclimate himself both academically and culturally) which may have been the only real reason for attending the latter.

■ A Bachelor's degree at a less selective four-year college is normally better for a student than a community college degree. It looks better on a resume, is a threshold requirement for many jobs and carries higher earnings potential.

■ Community colleges should be reserved primarily for those students who are (1) undecided about their expected major and would be paying a high price to find out at a four-year college, (2) unable to afford anything else for the first two years of their education, or (3) in family situations which demand they stay close to home as long as possible.

While it is true—and pertinent across the national landscape, not only in New Jersey, that high school academic preparation may be inadequate, the entire American education model flawed, the Latino challenges many, the selection of a particular college not easy, and the price of college excessive—the student's task is to stay focused on good news. Not to worry: there is a later chapter, "The Benefits of a College Degree." Thank goodness!

***

Hard-working parents with lesser education, of all ethnicities, often struggle to be in helpful conversations with their collegian offspring. They will ask about their health and are they eating well and other significant, but not central, issues faced by a college student. They will talk about stress, but not be able to relate to the pressures being felt by the student preparing for exams or writing a complicated research paper. These are not criticisms of the parents, simply descriptors, and are especially relevant to first-in-family situations where nobody may have previously set foot on a college campus.

Moreover, to succeed at higher education, students are effectively asked in many cases to put aside some negatives they have felt or witnessed in their upbringing, again not a reflection on their parents but on the environment faced by any relatively new arrival to this country. They have seen positive energy, curiosity, and educational aspiration be drained from many of their peers by the multi-faceted challenges they face in this country (especially documentation), and a significant number of them, while remaining friends, will not be able to relate to the world of the Hispanic college student.

Having made these comments about the connection of parents to their college student children and what they are going through, there is an interesting specific note from an expert in the field. According to Dorothy Santiago, Vice-President for Policy at Excelencia for Education, "one of the biggest predictors of educational attainment is the mother's education level." The Latina's mother normally will be more of an influence on her than the Latino's father will be on him, at least with respect to education. And secretly the mother may be more appreciative than her husband of their daughter's desire for independence, while retaining the everlasting hope that she also finds a good man—and provides multiple grandchildren.

As an Hispanic mom, a New York City public school teacher, put it, "Americans think that when they send their child to college, the offspring are then independent. Hispanic parents believe that when the child graduates from college, they become independent." Whether one subscribes to this view completely or not, at the risk of repetition, first-in-family students need everyone supporting them if they are to achieve their educational goals—and independence, as defined in the student's individual world.

This is true, albeit in different ways, whether they are taking two years to acquire a marketable skill or two/three years to get a community college degree or four-to-six years to get a Bachelor's or the multiple years required for a Master's Degree. The long timespan for success means that in-this-moment thinking must be jettisoned, which can be alien to anything in the life experience of many Hispanic parents who always have had the centrality of their daily lives determined by "the boss."

The article below, written a few years ago by myself, captures part of the dilemma of many Latino students, including in-this-moment decision-making, in a single story, with an equally true follow-up. It is useful Reading for the student contemplating any particular aspirational path—they all require a plan.

### ANATOMY OF A MISTAKE? YES OR NO...WHOSE OPINION COUNTS?

By Bob Howitt

At 19, our student is midway through college in their home country. At 29, that same student is about to start ESL classes at CCM (the local two-year community college) and needs money to do it. What happened in between; does not this seem like a backwards evolution? The answer is a series of in-this-moment decisions, each of which, interestingly, was totally logical within the construct of family and culture.

At the beginning, the family in the student's home country is in need of money. Hence "X" leaves college and goes to the USA, the world's ATM, where deposits so far exceed withdrawals that free cash flow is generated for transmittal back to the family. The usual trio of unregulated/cash income jobs is pursued: cleaning, babysitting, restaurant.

Remembering the educational desire of "X" and painfully aware that inadequate command of English reduces the deposit number at the ATM, "X" enrolls at UCEDA to learn English at that proprietary school. Halfway through the nine-level curriculum, family money needs again rear their demanding head and student "X" quits UCEDA.

Once this crisis is past, "X" enrolls in a certified course to get a job, in a medical office. Unfortunately, in your writer's opinion anyway, "X" takes the course in Spanish and because of the continued incapability in English, "X" cannot find a job commensurate with the certificate.

Meanwhile, "X" actually is making good money, albeit in no-growth jobs; cleaning houses has a high profit margin. At the same time, the brother of "X" back in the home country is entering college and is in need of money. "X" rises to the family occasion and once again sends funds back for assistance.

"X" thus is not using her money to pursue English here. But there is good news; along the way, "X" has secured papers, thus eliminating one of the reasons that many in this country do not pursue English. Why bother learning the language if you are undocumented to work or drive. "X" therefore has the opportunity to apply for federal aid; of course, looking at her income tax return would be interesting.

At every turn, "X" has put her own educational path aside to put family first, and now at 29, "X" is facing two years of ESL. This will not be easy because, like most in the heavily Hispanic area where "X" lives, the bulk of the day is spent talking Spanish, not practicing English. And then, only at the conclusion of ESL will "X" be able to move ahead on an academic goal.

Finally, reflecting the history of meeting family needs first, "X" must raise money from outsiders to even get started. What went wrong? Nothing...and everything. But whose opinion really counts?

(Several years after writing about the above situation, which was not unique but especially clear in its "story line," an unrelated conversation stimulated these additional thoughts on the subject of priorities articulated by many Latinos.)

At age two, his educated mother (devoid of the boy's father—who left shortly after making his deposit) scooped him up and walked into the United States. The ensuing years saw the twosome move multiple times, although staying long enough in one location to produce two brothers. Mom and the latter are now living a thousand miles away from the first son.

A high school senior with an exemplary record of academic achievement and involvement in school and community activities, his career goal is medical. Does this ambitious aspiration establish his priorities? Not really. He thinks first of being closer to his mother and second of being there to protect his brothers (as he did years back when living in a bad section of a particular city). Will he be able to accomplish his career goal while measuring himself against these priorities, which in effect become his metrics.

Is there a "right" or a "wrong" in this set of seemingly conflicting thoughts by the student. If one says they can be balanced, it is true, but the odds are quite slim, particularly for a first-in-family college student without money. If an advisor suggests the Physician

Assistant route instead of Doctor, is the connotation that the student does not have the smarts or the stamina, or does it represent a heartfelt desire to see the student succeed while retaining allegiance to family?

Assuming a family environment which does not draw the prospective collegian away from the most effective route to accomplish his goal, the ideal when it comes to higher education is that families would not even need a conversation with their children about attending college or acquiring a marketable skill; these would be "givens." The real conversation would be about where and when.

At the college level, students would look at programs relevant to their majors first, then the colleges at which these programs are located, then the financial support available at those schools, and only then at the actual net cost. In reality, higher education discussions usually start, and understandably so, with the gross cost of a particular college, although the new Net Price Calculator portion of a school website adds some clarity to the process of comparing apples to mangos. More on the money side later.

***

Before becoming mired in financial stuff, the prospective collegian needs:

### College Characteristics to Help the Student Decide

When students have put together a rough idea of who they are, based on the various descriptors outlined previously, they are ready for a different type of analysis, one which matches up their thoughts with characteristics of various colleges. From Fiske, the long-time publisher of college catalogs, here are checklists which are useful in gathering the information needed for thinking about the student-college match, recognizing that nobody can get everything on their individual wish list for college characteristics:

#### LOCATION

■ I prefer a college in a warm or hot climate.

■ I prefer a college in a cool or cold climate.

■ I prefer to attend a college in a particular state or region.

■ I prefer to attend a college near my family.

■ I want city life within walking distance of my campus.

■ I want city life within driving distance of my campus.

■ I want my campus to be surrounded by natural beauty.

#### ACADEMICS AND EXTRACURRICULARS

■ I like to be surrounded by people who are free-thinkers, non-conformists.

■ I like the idea of joining a fraternity or sorority.

■ I like rubbing shoulders with people who are bright and talented.

■ I like being one of the smartest people in my class.

■ I want to go to a prestigious college.

■ I want to go to a college where I can get an excellent education.

■ I want to try for an academic scholarship.

■ I want a diverse college.

■ I want a college where the students are serious about ideas.

#### SIZE

■ I enjoy participating in many activities.

■ I would like to have a prominent place in my college community.

■ Individual attention from teachers is important to me.

■ I learn best when I can speak out in class and ask questions.

■ I am undecided about what I will study.

■ I learn best by listening and writing down what I hear.

■ I would like to be in a place where I can be anonymous if I choose.

■ I prefer devoting my time to one or two activities rather than many.

■ I want to attend a college that most people have heard of.

■ I am interested in a career-oriented major.

■ I like to be on my own.

From the answers to the self-test above, the student should have a fairly clear idea about what types of colleges are of interest. The next step is to visit schools, either independently or in a group mode arranged by a high school guidance counselor or favorite teacher or outside mentor. While traveling to tour college campuses costs money (sometimes the college does pick up the bill for exceptional students who cannot afford the journey; virtual tours are possible as well), the trip and first-hand look are important. When the student is there, he must remember that the collegian or staffer taking him around is either earning money or a college pat-on-the-back for their function, which in business is called "marketing." They want you as a customer. Caveat emptor!

The student should ask questions of both tour and non-tour leaders whenever possible; ask "uncomfortable" questions—somebody else has those questions in his mind and is hoping the student will do so. This entire process is especially important for many Latinos as they seek to get a feel for the dynamics of a place which by definition may be completely foreign to them when they first set foot on campus.

Here are some suggested questions.

#### FOR ADMISSIONS REPRESENTATIVES

■ What is the average class size?

■ Are classes taught by professors, adjuncts, or graduate assistants? (Fewer full-time professors means less experienced teachers and suggests the college is attempting to trim costs: adjuncts/assistants are cheaper.)

■ Where are students from?

■ Is the campus diverse (more on this later)?

■ Can I study abroad; will financial aid cover its tuition and expenses?

■ What internship and career planning and placement services are available?

■ What services are offered by the campus health center?

■ What services are available to help students get settled during year one?

■ How successful are the college's graduates in finding jobs?

■ What is the average homework time per class?

■ What is the availability of tutoring?

■ What is the average financial aid award?

#### FOR CURRENT STUDENTS

■ How easy is it to register for classes? Is it difficult to get into them?

■ Do most freshmen class lectures take place in an auditorium?

■ Are faculty members interested in their students?

■ Are they accessible outside of class?

■ Is the library a good place to study and do research?

■ How safe is campus? What security features are in place?

■ How adequate for your needs is the campus computer network?

■ What part of the college do you like the most, what part the least?

■ Do fraternities and sororities dominate the social life of the college?

#### FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS: CAMPUS ATMOSPHERE

■ Are the residence halls pleasant and quiet enough to study in?

■ Is there adequate space and light?

■ What is advertised on dorm and classroom bulletin boards?

■ What does this tell me about campus life?

■ Would I like living in this town or city?

■ What is it like on weekends on campus?

■ Does it look like there is much to do outside of campus?

When a student is looking at a particular program at a large university, there are additional relevant questions. If the admissions office cannot answer them, which is probable, a student should contact a representative of the relevant department.

■ how many students are enrolled in the program of interest?

■ how does this number compare with last year and five years ago?

■ what is the drop-out rate?

■ what job categories do students fall into upon graduating?

■ who are the other good schools offering this program?

■ when must a student decide on his specific major path?

■ in what GPA or SAT quintile do the students in this program come from?

■ are there tutors available?

■ what is the turnover of faculty?

■ do professors, adjuncts, or teaching assistants teach the classes?

■ are there many scholarship students in this program?

■ what is the diversity of students?

■ is there a separate admissions process?

■ what are acceptance rates?

■ Is there a possibility to go elsewhere in the same university?

■ are there specific clubs for students in this program?

After students have collected their thoughts from their college trips, real or otherwise, and have re-Read thick folders of information on their colleges of interest, then the breakdown of schools begins—which ones make sense for the student. The best approach here is to use a combination of statistics—such as the average SAT at the school, its acceptance percentage, its typical financial package—and inputs from trusted individuals: teachers who may have attended the school, young alumni, mentors, guidance counselors.

From this agglomeration of information, the student establishes his best guess as to a "reach" school ("you're kidding, they actually accepted me; now what do I do?"), the "safe" school ("piece of cake; I know I'm in"), and the two colleges which are the realistic targets because ——--. The student needs to fill in the blank on why he wants to go there and why he thinks these schools will accept him.

The student inevitably will have piles of college-related printed materials, no matter how environmentally sensitive everybody professes to be, and it all needs to be—organized.

### Organization: A Must for the Student; Help from The Bottom Line

Being organized, which is not a universal trait (one can debate whether Latino students are more or less organized than anybody else), becomes mandatory. High GPA students themselves can be disorganized, akin to the highly skilled athlete who succeeds despite poor practice habits. While being oblivious to the benefits of good organization cuts across all cultural lines, unfortunately the penalties vary. For example, if the college personal essay does not go in on time, maybe it means nothing—the student has a bunch of other colleges with similar attributes that he can apply to—or maybe it means the student has to completely recalibrate his college thinking because he has no such list.

Answering every question posed by the college or the Common Application (to be discussed later) or a possible outside funder or a government source of financial aid is tedious but necessary. Being aware of deadlines is critically important. As an on-going strategy, a student should set his own deadline for compliance with information requests at one week before that of the school or any other entity which has a deadline. This is a major stress reducer if done consistently.

Many high schools use the Naviance system (<http://www.naviance.com/>) for organizing the college process; the system "allows students to take interest or career surveys, research careers or colleges, write resumes, keep track of college applications, and become aware of local scholarship information." Access is through the student's e-mail address and password.

Below and on the ensuing pages are organizational approaches which are the product of thousands of student interactions at The Bottom Line, the previously mentioned Boston-based non-profit organization which assists financially challenged and first-in-family students to enroll in and graduate from college. TBL's mantra is: "get in...graduate...go far; success depends on you."

Through its College Access and College Success programs, TBL's staff of counselors is working one-on-one with over 2,000 high school seniors (a minimum GPA of 2.5 is considered necessary to apply to a four-year school) and college students. A typical caseload is 80-95 students, clustered on three campuses.

This organizational template, which is constantly being modified to reflect TBL's experience with its members, is a key first step.

The TBL organizer for the college application process itself is adapted from College Board material. It has space to fill in the data for four colleges, presumably including one "safety," one "reach," and two "realistic" schools. Not all information is needed for all students for all colleges, but the student must know what is required for each; this is a way to organize that knowledge. He or she fills in the dates.

In case there is any doubt, students do apply to multiple colleges as a way to hedge their bets; for those with financial challenges, waivers on application fees frequently can be obtained if the high school counselor pushes hard. Only one in seven students applies to a single college, compared with 25% who were doing so a dozen years ago. Back in the day, one in six students applied to six or more colleges; now, one-third do so. The financial logic is the circumstance where the student, as will be discussed later, may not know his net cost to attend a college until late in the process of deciding where to go.

The Bottom Line again provides a handy application checklist:

#### Before Senior Year

Research, visit, finalize list of colleges.

Get a social security number (if you can).

Plan your testing schedule.

Work on a draft of your college essay.

Review your high school transcript; know your GPA.

Prepare your resume.

Get ready for the SAT.

#### September, Senior Year

Avoid "senioritis"—everything you do as a senior still counts.

Take the most challenging courses available.

Review your "Reach, Realistic, Safety" college ideas with your counselor.

Register for the SAT and list four colleges to receive your scores.

Register for the TOEFL, if English is your second language.

Begin researching scholarships.

If colleges require interviews, call admissions to make appointments.

#### October-November, Senior Year

You will receive your SAT Registration Ticket a few weeks before the test.

Take the SAT: bring a picture ID, pencils, Registration Ticket, calculator.

Take the SAT again.

Check to see if your colleges require the SAT Subject Tests.

Request recommendations from your teachers.

Review and edit your college essay.

#### December, Senior Year

Complete college applications as many have January 1 deadlines. Know your high school's procedures for sending out applications, recommendations, and transcripts.

#### January, Senior Year

Complete the FAFSA. Persuade your parents to file their tax return as soon as possible; note that numerous first-come, first-served scholarships and other aid are based on FAFSA information. It is not only relevant to the Pell Grant. See if your colleges require a CSS Profile or a separate financial aid application. Apply for scholarships. Ask if the colleges require mid-year high school academic reports.

#### February, Senior Year

If over 18, young men must register for the draft to be eligible for federal aid.

You receive your Student Aid Report (SAR) about three weeks after filing your FAFSA; check for accuracy, make corrections promptly.

Call the college to make sure it received your application—and it was complete.

#### March-April, Senior Year

Bring acceptance or rejection letters to your guidance counselor.

You should receive your financial aid award letters three-four weeks after your acceptance letter; review with family and counselor.

Visit the colleges which accepted you; stay overnight, attend classes.

Evaluate your acceptances, compare the financial packages, and then DECIDE!

After deciding, sign the financial aid letter (means acceptance) and return it to the college.

#### May, Senior Year

Send the deposit required by your college.

Send a letter to the colleges you are not going to attend.

If nothing has happened, do not panic, send out some more applications.

#### June, Senior Year

Celebrate, go to your prom.

Thank the people who helped.

Along the way in this multi-step process, the Latino student may express natural concerns about cultural fit at college. He wants to know:

### Important Data on College Diversity

When Latinos are filling out a college application, they may have an additional specific dilemma: which box to check when it comes to the question about ethnicity. The forms, like those of the Census, do not remotely cover all the combinations, especially in a society with continued growth in interracial marriages and more awareness of the truth of family trees. As a general comment, whoever is the advisor to the student may know which colleges are seeking to boost their diversity numbers beyond those students sent to them by various educational support programs and beyond the students recruited by the athletic department. Ascertaining the actual classroom and cafeteria diversity of a college requires a visit; the reported collegiate numbers can be misleading.

In the tables below, Latino students can see the enrollment patterns at a sampling of private and public colleges. The website: <http://www.nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator> provides extensive related information, from diversity data to the percentage of freshmen who return to the college to graduation data and the debt default rate. And the site has links to individual college information. A student who uses the "Navigator" website and that of the College Board and individual colleges of interest would have a good percentage of his information needs satisfied.

In the age of the Internet and an "app" for everything but happiness, prosperity, and acceptance of differences among people, it should come as no surprise that when students begin their college search, they will find that colleges have swung mightily in the direction of the "efficiencies" of web-based information and e-mail. At times, students (and others) who call colleges have the impression that staffers do not want to talk to live applicants and/or they are not equipped to handle the nuanced or "what if" questions their complicated website still cannot answer. This frustration may have the consequence of causing a Latino to be more interested in Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI), to be discussed soon.

For Latino students who are the first in their families to be interested in an American college and who feel insecure in dealing with powerful, most typically non-Hispanic, university officials, discouragement can set in over what in retrospect may be relatively simple issues that become obstacles because of the lack of communication between student and college. When you have spent hours filling out forms, only to be told that the absence of a complete answer to one question buried in the middle of six pages means you have missed out on the opportunity for some type of financial aid, it is understandable why the term "unfair" is on the lips of many disappointed students.

Such episodes may be an early test of a student's resiliency and motivation. He must be able to bounce back from a negative situation; having a trusted go-to person or organization is of great, sometimes life-changing, importance. Receiving the first D of a student's life can be paralytic or informative—the latter producing the right reaction, "I am not accepting this, I am on my way to a tutor and/or I am rethinking my time management." When motivation is strong, there is the ability to realize that being behind 2-0 at half-time does not mean the game is over, unlike in many futbol matches. The motivated student learns from experience and moves ahead.

The combination of these psychological/real developments also may foster more interest in an HSI, where culture, inclusive of language, is a comfortable "known."

### Hispanic Serving Institutions

According to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (www.hacu.net), half of Hispanic undergraduate students at four-year schools are in Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI). These colleges, which are 5% of total higher education institutions, have student bodies which are at least 25% Hispanic.

For first-in-family college students, being in an HSI can represent an attractive comfort zone. Whether that should be the case question for deciding on a college is another matter.

A comprehensive look at the HSI route for aspiring Latino college students is provided by this accomplished Latina who is currently pursuing a PhD.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

NEW RESOURCES PUSH LATINO STUDENTS TO BECOME KEEN CONSUMERS OF EDUCATION, by Julia Marin Hellwege[Forum: August-September 2012]

In 2025, nearly one quarter of all college-aged Americans will be Latino, according to Excelencia in Education (<http://www.edexcelencia.org/>), a non-profit organization seeking to improve Latinos' post-secondary educational opportunities. This is compared to 19% of 18-24 year old Latinos according to the 2010 Census. Census trends have shown that while millions of Latinos are college-aged, not enough are completing college degrees, and even fewer are receiving post-graduate degrees. According to the Census Bureau only 62.9% of Hispanics aged 25 and older held at least a High school diploma in 2010.

This is a seriously alarming number when compared to the national average (87.1%) or to other racial and ethnic groups (the next lowest being African Americans at 84.2%). These numbers are even lower when looking at higher education; the Census data show that only 13.9% of Hispanics held a Bachelor's degree or higher in 2010.

The average 6-year Bachelor's degree completion rate is 57% for all 4 year institutions, for all races and ethnicities. For Hispanics the rate is around 48% trailing behind Whites and Asian/Pacific Islanders, but ahead of African Americans and American Indians/Alaska Natives, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Several colleges and universities have worked hard at increasing campus diversity in an effort to bridge this gap between college-aged and degree-earning Hispanics. Even so, an educational glass-ceiling, a historical yet constructed limit of achievement, seems to exist for Hispanics in terms of higher education. Latino youth should educate themselves on which educational institutions best serve our community.

The "smart consumer" model for researching education, which I am attempting to convey, relies on setting ones priorities regarding quality, cost, financial aid, and setting while being sure to take advantage of diversity programs and other important opportunities available to Latinos. While the eventual goal should of course be broader diversity, at this point the focus should be on lifting the proverbial glass-ceiling. Potential students who may be concerned about Latino opportunities need to become smart consumers of post-secondary education.

The aforementioned HACU has about 293 member HSIs ranging from community colleges to doctorate granting universities. Notably, both HACU and Excelencia focus on higher percentages of Latinos, whereas other rankings such as the U.S. News& World Report Ethnic index, consider the degree of diversity. However, all schools in these rankings have a record of promoting minority educational achievement. In terms of a comparison between accredited HSIs and other schools, an American Educational Institute report suggests that Hispanic graduation rates are similar, but that this is not due to higher Hispanic graduation rates at HSIs but to below-average white graduation rates.

Shrewd students should also review the U.S. News & World Report Annual School Rankings, particularly the Campus Ethnic Diversity index; all available online. The Ethnic Diversity index is a score from 0 to 1 based on student body proportions of different Ethnic groups. Latino students who are particularly interested in a stronger Latino community may need to do a bit more (though worthwhile) investigating. Excelencia reports that the schools that have awarded the most degrees, in absolute numbers, to Latinos seeking an Associate's or Bachelor's degree are in Florida and (not surprisingly) in Puerto Rico. However; HSIs exist in 16 U.S. states or territories.

Additionally, there are "emerging" HSIs with Latino populations of 15-24%, several of which are in states with traditionally low Hispanic populations such as Kansas, Massachusetts or Washington. Only one school, Florida International University, was top ranked in awarding Latino degrees at four levels of education (Associates-Doctoral), only three schools were top ranked at more than one level; University of Phoenix, University of Texas- El Paso, and South Texas College.

In examining these schools one quickly discovers an unfortunate trade-off in the quality of the school. This is especially obvious when discussing for-profit universities, such as University of Phoenix. These schools which generally lack national accreditation have extremely high acceptance rates, low graduation rates, and generally leave many students unable to transfer credits and with a high probability of student loan default. While all students have to make decisions regarding what school is most appropriate, Latino students will find this puzzle to be even more challenging.

In terms of colleges Latino students should take into account the cost, acceptance rates, 4-year graduation rates, and general admission requirements. Many of the schools listed on the Excelencia report were ranked low in terms of quality (acceptance rates close to 100% and retention rates around 10%) as the focus was merely the number of degrees awarded to Latinos. Students who want a quality school that is more selective and with higher retention rates, but with a commitment to diversity should instead refer to the U.S. News & World Report Campus Ethnic Diversity Rankings.

For those Latino students looking to further their education beyond the Bachelor's degree there are plenty of resources for investigating the diversity levels of schools for both professional degrees (such as medical and law schools) and schools offering post-graduate degrees (masters and PhDs). Again most of the top schools for Hispanics in terms of professional degrees are in Puerto Rico and Florida, however notably, schools such as University of Texas- Austin, University of New Mexico, University of Southern California, Columbia University, and University of Illinois-Chicago are among the top 20 for degrees earned by Hispanics. More specifically for Law Schools, with a plurality of Hispanic students, the US News & World Report, suggests that FIU, St. Thomas Univ., CUNY, Western State, and Stanford are the highest ranking in terms of the Ethnic Diversity Index.

Of these schools Stanford is ranked second best law school in the country in overall quality, while FIU and CUNY shared 113th place, but are still nationally ranked. It is important to consider the rank together with the diversity to ensure the best quality schools which can still provide the best opportunities. Perceptive students should note a range of schools with the appropriate qualifications while being sure to factor in dedication to diversity.

Finally, in terms of doctoral degrees awarded to Latinos the regional image changes quite a bit. While schools in Florida and Puerto Rico are represented on the list, there is much more geographical diversity. Schools included on the top 25 list include UC-Berkeley, UT-Austin, Arizona State University, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, Harvard University, CUNY, and UNM to name a few. Examining graduate schools is quite different from college because here the student must take into consideration the quality of the program, rather than only that of the university. It is a good idea for Latinos interested in graduate school to examine the overall diversity and quality of the school and then look more specifically to compare graduate programs in their major field.

While looking for the right school can some days feel like a full time job, having the right tools and knowing what to look for can save much time and headache. For Latinos this challenge can be much more daunting than for white counterparts given the complexity of taking into account schools' diversity and commitment to minority educational advancement. Given historically low higher education achievement rates for Hispanics, it is crucial for Latino youth to become smart consumers of education.

The times are changing with Latinos consistently reaching higher percentages of educated individuals. Considering the impact of education on so many other areas, such as socio-economic standing, quality of life, career opportunities, and social standing, Latinos cannot afford to miss out on educational opportunities.

With so many taking an interest in promoting Latino education and providing accessible resources for potential students, there should be no reason for the Latino community to not continue raising the educational bar for ourselves.

***

Whether the Latino attends an HSI or not, he should be aware that there can be big differences at a given college between Hispanic and white graduation rates, and must decide for himself what that spread means. Check <http://www.collegeresults.org/>. According to the Education Trust of Washington, D.C., students interested in a particular college's approach to diversity should note whether:

■ Leadership is committed to the educational success of every student

■ There is intentional recruiting to create a more diverse college

■ There is an early intervention capability on campus to assist those in need

Regardless of the school, admissions people are not exactly unbiased in their treatment of data. Colleges, like businesses or politicians, rarely volunteer data which might give a prospective customer a reason to go elsewhere. They may cite general quality indicators: student-faculty ratios, instructional expense ratios, standardized test scores, and graduation rates, but not the more specific data which would be useful to the individual student attempting to create the best college match. For example, it would be nice to know out of 100 entering Latino students indicating a prospective Engineering major, how many graduated within four-to-six years with that major. As an FYI, diversity within majors varies widely at many campuses.

Individual Latino students naturally come to their own conclusions about what diversity means to them and how it fits with their overall concept of higher education as a path to a sustainable economic path in life. Multiple sources of information, opinion, and guidance exist. In addition to college information, HACU has an internship program, an "early awareness program" to get middle schoolers thinking about preparation for college, and a political advocacy effort. The League of United Latin American Citizens (<http://www.lulac.org/>) is another resource for educational and socioeconomic issues pertinent to Latinos. Advocacy is part of its charter, and there are links provided to many organizations.

The related subject of affirmative action is controversial and complicated. Typically, affirmative action programs, which have involved colleges giving an advantage to minority student applicants by accepting those with SAT results 150-300 points below the campus average, have been significantly positive for minority admission rates. Whether affirmative action has had a positive impact on education outcomes for the admitted minority students is subject to great, and difficult, debate surrounding the issue of mismatches, i.e., are these students in schools where they can succeed in the career areas of their choice.

Looking ahead, the view of many observers is that college applicants increasingly will be evaluated in a "holistic" fashion, including ethnicity as one of multiple factors. Accompanying this change will be heightened attention to income inequality among students, with colleges moving to add more lower-income enrollees. The envisioned approach comes perilously close to being common sense. Colleges already use different decision rules in accepting applicants who are the offspring of alumni (legacy situations) or the school's professors. And star athletes, especially in football and basketball, are in a different category completely when it comes to being accepted as alleged students.

Whether a Latino student is drawn to a truly diverse college or to an HSI or to any other school is subject to a lengthy list of college and family-related considerations. The takeaway is the importance of the match of college and student, finding that "enjoyable, affordable" place of higher education.

And the student must be equipped, both emotionally and organizationally for:

### The Application Process for College

The Common Application (<http://www.commonapp.org/>) is the most widely-used approach by students interested in four-year colleges, partly because they can submit multiple applications to the 488 CA member schools and partly because there is a ton of useful data and approaches at this website. Through CA, over 750,000 students annually file more than three million college applications, 80% of which are on-line.

A newcomer to the college application field, with less than 50 members but growing, is the Universal Application (<https://www.universalcollegeapp.com/>). Superapp.connectedu.net is another application system; it connects to high schools so that 80% of the application can be completed electronically—i.e., the overworked guidance counselor does not have to do the work of plugging in grades, assuming his school is current from a technology standpoint.

When it comes to doing research prior to applying, the student finds there is not a consistent, complete, and uniform approach to the presentation of information, which is why numerous publishers put out mammoth catalogs and the shelves of Barnes & Noble are stocked with both college guides and test preparation material covering a long list of subjects. The New Jersey State Higher Education Authority has "EdQuick Links" to each public college in the state. The link is to the school's own website, which offers up a staggering amount of data and descriptive information, missing only the answers, suggestions, and analyses which require human interaction.

If I were designing an overall college comparison table for quick Reading, it would include these data points portrayed on a single spread sheet with three column headings: "Ten Years Earlier, Latest Available, and Five Years in the Future:"

■ Acceptance rate

■ Retention rate: how many freshmen return as sophomores

■ Five-year graduation rates

■ SAT average for incoming freshmen

■ GPA average for incoming freshmen

■ Number of students

■ Tuition, fees, and room and board

■ Average debt at graduation

■ Website, e-mail address, phone number

The student could then easily generate a breakout list based on his criteria, _e.g._ , a college within 200 miles; under 10,000 students; tuition no more than $30,000, and an SAT score not below 550 for either Reading or Math. Probably somebody has an app for this, but maybe the approach is too simple; certainly, individual college websites are overloaded with information to the point of being less useful the first time they are accessed.

As it is, there exists additional aid to for the student doing research on education options: material published by state departments of education. For example, New Jersey (<http://www.nj.gov/education/>) publishes an annual report showing the number of students receiving Certificates or Degrees—for a common list of majors—at every higher education institution in the state. Nationally, for deeper research on issues, the Education Commission of the States (<http://www.esc.org/>) is a good starting place for information pertinent to every facet of education, with helpful links to websites in each state.

In the upcoming chapter on College Costs, there will be an initial statistical table generated from data in the new College Scoreboard (whitehouse.gov/scoreboard) announced by President Obama in early 2013. Here, as a sample which includes commentary and data (the website has links as well), is College Scorecard information on Montclair State University, a major public institution in New Jersey. Coupled with other inputs available to the student, it could provide enough information for a decision on whether the school should be on his or her initial shopping list (the terminal year of 2009 represents the cut-off point for the first cohort of students).

***

Moving past the objective parameters of a particular college and its application process, there may be an additional request:

### The Personal Essay for College

"OMG, I have to write a personal essay—about myself!"

And it is important in the selection process—it must grab the attention of the college's applications Reader within the first 90 seconds.

Many aspects of a high school education, unfortunately including courses which should entail heavy-duty essay writing, revolve around multiple choice questions, i.e., black-and-white decisions/answers. The college application essay requires a different and more thoughtful process to be successful. It also, hello, needs to be well-written, a skill with limited presence in contemporary education.

To add to the challenge, the Spanish language takes 25% more words to convey a message than does English, but the essay must be in English—there is no opportunity to go from New Jersey to Miami by way of Chicago. Did I mention that the first paragraph is disproportionately important.

Relax, for a relatively few dollars, you can get CollegeEssay-Organizer.com to help you. Its key point is that the writer should express his thoughts on how the college will help cultivate the student's intellectual and personal passions. Demonstrations of leadership, talent, motivation, and personal character are all part of the mix in the optimal essay.

Here is some help from the website.

#### Content

■ What makes you different from your friends or siblings?

■ What experiences have shaped your personality?

■ What mistakes have you made; what did you learn from them?

■ What quality do you like best in yourself and what do you like least?

■ What is the logic behind your interests and what the college offers?

#### Process

■ Hook the Reader with the opening; keep the focus narrow and personal.

■ Decide on the message, write freely, then revise and tighten.

■ Avoid big words designed to show off; be concise; be honest.

■ Show, don't tell; paint a picture with passion.

■ End with wording that leaves the Reader wanting more.

■ Read the darn thing out loud to make sure it Reads right.

■ Have somebody else edit it, including comments on structure, content, grammar, and spelling; this Reader should have English as his first language.

■ Pay attention to the college's essay guidelines/limits.

■ NO: slang, excessive "I" sentences, sarcasm, resume information.

■ Make sure the only college named is the one you are sending the essay to.

As you might expect, students in their essays love to trumpet their volunteer experiences, even when mandatory in their high school curriculum. Note: it is better to volunteer in one place for multiple years than to do short-term volunteering at multiple places. Commitment is the buzzword, as it is elsewhere.

To help in preparing for the college essay, the student needs to know and examine the whole list of what he has done in his life; he may have been more active than a quick mental run-through would suggest. Here is a useful way to break down a student's accomplishments and background. The Latino and the Latina in low-income and/or first-in-family situations should be writing in big bold letters the responsibilities they may have had in helping their parents both directly with money earned at a job and indirectly through extensive "babysitting" obligations. Volunteering and involvement in extracurricular activities may have been limited in such cases.

Perhaps the questionnaire used in my Project 2015 can be of additional value to the Latino student in gathering material prior to writing the personal essay.

#### Student Questionnaire

■ How many people are there in your family?

■ Do you have relatives in college?

■ If you do, where are they going and what are their majors?

■ What are the occupations of your father and your mother?

■ What are the three things you most like to do?

■ What was the last book you read?

■ When was the last time you were in a library?

■ What was the last trip you took with your family?

■ What was the last trip you took without your family?

■ If you were going to write a three-page essay, what would be the topic?

■ Who is the person (alive or deceased) you most admire and why?

■ Where will you be in five years?

■ What have you done that you are most proud of?

■ What have you done that you are least proud of?

■ What has been the happiest day of your life?

■ What has been the saddest day of your life?

■ Who has been the most important influence on your life?

■ What did you learn from that person?

Not only do the answers above help in writing the personal essay, they also can equip the student for another drill.

#### The College Interview

While every four-year college requires the above personal essay, not all of them require a personal interview. Nonetheless, it is best to be prepared. Here is the list of suggestions:

■ Bring your "A+" game. It's an interview, so dress appropriately, be on time, and speak respectfully. And sorry, mom or dad—your teen should go into the interview alone.

■ It is a good idea to be comfortable answering questions about what you have accomplished in school; be able to talk about goals, academic interests and what you want from the college experience.

■ If you have had to overcome unique circumstances, or if there is a flaw in your academic record, this is a chance to address the issue. Perhaps a poor grade came after the death of a family member or an unexpected health issue. Or, you may have simply lacked focus as a freshman, but got it together and did what was needed to improve. Everyone faces challenges, and confronting them head on will show the admissions officer you are resilient.

■ Bring a few questions of your own; it shows real interest in the college. Research its website and do not ask questions which are answered there. Ask about a recent program initiative; if the interviewer is an alumnus, ask how the school has evolved. Ask about the successes of recent graduates.

■ With subtlety, interject what it has meant in this society to be a Latino student striving for higher education.

The essay and the interview are challenging and, at times, stress-producing; the following subject is flat-out confusing.

#### College Admission Procedures

While a given student need not drill completely down on how every college structures its admission policies, some background awareness is still useful. For example, when a student is thinking about a reach school, he may want to know the admission rate of the college, which is the number of students accepted for admission divided by the number who applied. The college's admissions yield is the number of those who commit to attend the school divided by the number of applicants who are accepted for admission.

These numerical considerations rise in importance if a student goes "Early Decision." When a student takes this route and applies to one college only, if he is accepted, he must attend. About 25% of four-year colleges offer this option, which is available months before a regular application. In the table below are some representative figures; what they show are not only the odds for the early decision student, but the different strategies used by different schools—some apparently want more "known numbers" earlier than others, reflecting a combination of financial considerations and where the college stands in the reputation pecking order, i.e. is it confident of a continuous flow of applicants.

There are colleges which have "Early Action." This is similar to Early Decision, but the student is not bound by the school's decision. Colleges must reply within a stipulated, short period of time; the student then must decide in a stated timeframe. There are other combinations of applications, decisions, and obligations—or lack thereof, as well.

Early decisions by academically highly prepared students are often associated with stronger financial packages from the college of choice, making the whole application and acceptance process less stressful than otherwise can be the case. In contrast, going early decision is not a great idea for the student who is still researching colleges of interest.

A needs-blind admission policy means that the college evaluates an application without any reference to the applicant's ability to afford being a student at that institution. Financial aid then revolves around the school's judgment as to what the student/family can afford. A full-need school (which is not necessarily needs-blind) provides the complete financial need—after the Expected Family Contribution (EFC)—of the accepted student. Schools which are not full need leave a gap beyond the EFC (which may be zero) for the student/family to fill.

Despite what might be presumed from the extensive financial aid received by the majority of students at Princeton and Harvard or other richly-endowed schools, scholarship support at the nation's colleges overall does not do much to create a level playing field for prospective students. At the elite colleges, two-thirds of the students are from the top income quartile, compared with only 5% from the bottom quartile.

Equally dismaying is that less than half of low-income high school seniors with high test scores enroll in four-year colleges. In comparison, half of high income seniors with only average test scores go to four-year schools. According to Martha Bailey and Susan Dynarski of the University of Michigan, "thirty years ago, there was a 31 percentage point difference between the share of [high income] and [low income] students who earned Bachelor's Degrees. Now the gap is 45 points."

Relatedly, the gap in Reading and Math test scores for K-12 students is widening when income is the variable, while narrowing slightly when the variable is ethnicity. Affluent parents are pouring more money than ever into giving their children every conceivable advantage that a large amount of discretionary income can buy.

Since financially-challenged families have no way to match this scenario, the inner resolve of their children who are students by definition must be greater. In addition, this is a good place to point out that one of the learning curve experiences for a prospective or current college student is in the area of negotiating. I do not mean a student asking the professor, "why did I get a C+ instead of a B," but rather going to the Financial Aid office and pleading a different case: "I need more financial aid; otherwise, I cannot attend your wonderful institution."

***

With all the preparation techniques outlined in the pages above, there should be a handy way to know whether the student is going to make it—the characteristics which represent:

### College Success Predictors

An entire chapter on being a successful college student is coming in GUIDE. Here is a preliminary peek at some factors; their enumeration can be construed as caution flags relevant to what a student is doing with his life even before enrolling at college. Stereotypically, at the high school level (and beyond) it is the constant partier versus the forward-thinking student who parties on occasion.

The highly recommended book Academically Adrift, co-authored in 2011 by Professors Richard Arum (NYU) and Josipa Roksa (University of Virginia), has much to say about academic slippage in our higher education system. This is a summary snapshot of how the authors split up their analytical terminology.

Among the authors' salient points is that not only are high school graduates ill-equipped academically for higher education, they seemingly come with an attitude that rigorous classes are to be avoided as they are an intrusion on the time and effort better spent on partying. One reason could be that students in high school have been indoctrinated with the idea that grades per se are the goal of education, not content knowledge or the establishment of a productive learning style.

Because the businesses (colleges) that students are giving their money to want to pleasure their students with readily attainable degrees, they are less demanding in the classroom than in the financial office. Hence, many graduates are saddled with debt yet under-equipped for the job marketplace.

Graduates, at least those in the 2,300 student study the authors tracked through the Collegiate Learning Assessment over a four-year period (see <http://www.ssrc.org/>), leave college with a bunch of friends, adept at networking but handicapped by difficulty in the areas of "critical thinking, complex reasoning, and communication." In a theme repeated elsewhere in GUIDE, through comments from college professors and businesspeople alike, these skills are as important as ever, despite, or maybe because of, the flood of raw information available to anybody with a computer.

Yes, the system is more than slightly screwed up: the professor may be teaching only because the college insists on a few hours in the classroom, when he really wants to be elsewhere working on the book he will mandate all his students to buy. Yes, it makes no immediate economic sense to see tuition rising every year when the income of the student's parents is stagnant at best. Yes, some of the measurements used by the higher education system are both critically important— _e.g._ , a GPA requirement to maintain scholarship assistance from the college—and simultaneously taken with more than a grain of salt by prospective employers, who more highly value the set of thinking capabilities and personal characteristics referenced earlier.

As any student, but particularly the Latino collegian, seeks to move ahead on his education path, his primary task is to stay on-point with respect to his individual goals. To a certain extent he has to blot out, or at least confine to an appropriate part of his brain, the big picture difficulties involved in higher education.

In this environment, specific conclusions from Academically Adrift are worth putting on the student's bulletin board, alongside some "success" lists coming later in GUIDE.

■ Studying alone is a positive

■ Responsibility for learning is not shared; professors leave it up to students

■ Fraternities/sororities are not helpful to academic accomplishment

■ Most students do not Read any kind of newspaper on a daily basis

■ Students need to find professors with high standards

■ Employers want students who can think

When all is said and done, is there an agreed-upon way to predict college success for an individual student? No. Does this inhibit well-meaning people from trying. Also no. Hence, using no longitudinal studies whatsoever, I blue-skied the idea of stringing together some data points and salient questions of both student and guidance counselor. Not being confident that it added anything to the commentary in this chapter, I put my little "cheat sheet" in the Addenda section.

Time to lighten up already!

GUIDE is dedicated to getting students to the glorious day of college graduation—or, in the case of marketable skills, that ceremony when students receive their relevant paperwork: diploma, certificate and/or license.

A prior essay of mine attempts to capture the feeling of the day.

### COLLEGE GRADUATION: A WONDERFUL CULMINATION

By Bob Howitt [Forum: August-September 2011]

"Where are the tickets?"

"Mom has them."

"No, you were supposed to have them—WHERE are they!

"Hey, I'm the GRADUATE—the tickets are for you, you know, my family and supporters.

"Wait, let me text Dad, maybe he has them."

"Yeah, like he is going to check his text messages!"

"Okay, I'll call him on his cell."

"Yeah, much better, he checks his phone every hour or so."

"Where we will meet afterward?"

"HELLO, we have not even left yet and we do not have tickets; can we leave the after-ceremony arrangements for later!

"But your Aunt and Uncle want to join us."

"Great, I don't see them for two years and they want to share in MY special occasion."

"Be nice, they love you."

"Whatever."

"Does anybody have batteries for the camera?"

And so college graduation day begins: a unique combination of garbled communication, raw emotion, and stress—culminating in that moment of total exhilaration when you remember what the day is about—a celebration! The "kid" has grown up, maybe not completely but he or she is certainly much closer to being an independent adult. They will have a college diploma, that "ticket" to enter into a job conversation, to embark on a career path, to create a sustainable life path. Hopefully!!!

At graduation itself, the student awaiting his or her name to be called—which unfortunately does not happen at all college-wide graduations, instead taking place at departmental graduations, which typically are on a different day—is conflicted: eager anticipation of a new life coupled with the thought expressed by many that the "best years of their lives" are now behind them.

Admittedly, excluding the graduates themselves, the only reason you attend a graduation is to see somebody you know walk to the stage and to hear that student's name called. This specific activity takes less than a minute, but you are there from two-to-five hours, sometimes outside on a relentlessly sunny day. When the anticipated name is called, if you had your druthers, you would leave the proceedings, grab your ex-kid, the obligatory pictures would be taken, and everybody could head to the nearest Chinese restaurant to celebrate. However, the graduate wants to stay through the whole celebration, hugging and high-fiving classmates, snapping pictures on his fancy phone and knocking the beach ball around one more time.

Hence, you are supposed to sit relatively still (or you can Read the graduation program in deep detail. You might not have known that at the Bachelor's degree level alone, Montclair State University has six colleges/schools, 30 departments/programs, and 103 majors/concentrations.) while 2,000 other names are Read, followed by the Alumni Association speaker who protests too much that he/she only wants the new graduate's time and energy, not his dues. During this part of the graduation ceremony, the combination of disinterest in the outside speakers, waiting time, and boredom is reflected in bouncing beach balls and constant chattering, in multiple languages for sure. The person who might admonish somebody else for talking is the same one who eagerly answers her cell phone.

Meanwhile, college officials ask for decorum among the audience. Sorry, it is impossible for "first-college-graduate-in-family" supporters, or "long distance" travelers, or those "who-have-overcome-incredible-hurdles-to-graduate" to not shout out or avoid standing on chairs or blocking aisles to take pictures.

"Hey, college administrators, I just gave you $100,000 and I will scream and take my once-in-a-lifetime photographs, thank you."

P.S. I could run through the various college graduations I have attended, each having its own special twist, but the graduation on my mind now is the next one. When a student walks to the stage to get his or her diploma, it is a truly special moment—I have goose-bumps simply thinking about the occasion!

The good feelings generated by graduation from college can elicit heightened sentiments from celebrating students. This was especially true for me when I added a unique touch to our relationship by sending members of Project 2050 all the Forum articles they had written during their four years of college.

"I recently got the package of [Forum] articles in the mail, and I just wanted to say thank you for everything. This is truly a bittersweet moment for us all, and to see these past four years in that pile of articles was eye-opening to say the least. Very rarely do we ever get the opportunity to see our own growth in such a tangible form. Thank you for spending the time to compile all of the articles, and thank you for this opportunity. Because of you, my ambition was never sidetracked due to financial obligations—I had the peace of mind to pursue what I wanted, and I have you and the WKBJ Foundation to thank for that."

One more; I do want to impress my daughters.

"I got the Forum and all my previous articles. Thank you very much for attaching all the old articles. I am finally graduating, with Honors, and when I got that e-mail the first person I could think of who made all of it possible was you, along with my parents. Thank you is not enough to express my gratitude for you and everything you did! Thank you very much for all your help throughout these years. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for you. You gave me the opportunity to start a new chapter in my life. You inspired me to do something for someone, to help someone. In the future, if I see an opportunity to assist someone, I will do so as your support has made me realize the importance of giving back.

***

Overcome with humility, I do have to acknowledge the existence of certain:

### Alternative Sources of Information

In the highly improbable event that GUIDE and the scores of relevant websites listed throughout the book have not answered every conceivable question relevant to the Latino and college, I have created a list of alternative sources. Startling as it may seem, studies have shown that less than one-third of the students in the socioeconomic sector of particular relevance to GUIDE learn about the world of college at their high school.

### Closing Comments

The whole process of getting to college is time-consuming and difficult, but ultimately well worth it. Besides, in today's world, if a student does not become qualified for the career path of his choice, the job will be filled by the striving student in another country. Competition no longer is restrained by geography.

Small example: a recent backyard college graduation party I attended. Among the numerous decorations and favors, all of them done in the school's colors, was a little case with the graduate's name on a business card, surrounded by edible mints. The latter were made in Germany and the case was made in China. Globalization anyone?

### Websites

These websites often cover not only the "Getting to College" process, but the money side as well. Keep in mind what was mentioned earlier; on the many, many occasions when I have asked prospective and current collegians for their thoughts on the function served by the high school guidance counselor, there is a consistent response: regardless of any list of information-filled websites, almost every student wants a person he can talk to in going through the college search and application process. And most students volunteer a co-theme: they need to take more initiative.

Apply, graduate from college  
BOTTOMLINE.ORG

Writing the college personal essay  
COLLEGEESSAYORGANIZER.COM

Help on writing the essay  
COLLEGEESSAYSOLUTIONS.COM

Application to multiple colleges  
COMMONAPP.COM

Application tools for college  
EMBARK.COM

Application to multiple colleges  
NATIONALAPPCENTER.COM

Wide range of information  
NAVIANCE.COM

Organizational tips for teenagers  
TEENFAX.COM

## Chapter Four: COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Nearly half of Latino students who go on to higher education attend two-year community colleges. Their reasons are basically access, cost, and culture.

Because community colleges by definition are open enrollment, access is not normally an impediment. However, in some cases, rules with respect to undocumented students remain restrictive, even exclusionary, a clear violation of the higher education mission of these institutions. Policies vary in part because, at least in New Jersey, these colleges are governed at the county level.

On the cost side, two-year schools are more affordable than four-year institutions, although the gap gets narrowed dramatically when the two-year school is charging an undocumented student the international rate and the private four-year college is offering a large scholarship. Of additional importance on the financial side is that the student may be working both to pay his own bills and to contribute to the household budget.

The latter situation, plus the inherent cultural aspect of the tight-knit Hispanic family, often pushes a student toward attending a nearby school. For some, a 45-minute commute is too far, causing an undue level of homesickness.

### Who goes to a Community College?

■ Students pursuing an Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree at a community college have these characteristics, which overlap of course.

■ Students who do not have a college background environment at home. Some 38% of students with parents who did not graduate from college go to two-year schools initially, compared with 20% whose parents are college graduates. Relatedly, over 40% of two-year students are minorities.

■ Those who are attracted by affordable tuition rates, which reflect the lower cost structure of a two-year school and the impact of taxpayer funding of the college itself. According to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, 44% of low-income students (family income less than $25,000 per year) attend community colleges; only 15% of high-income students are at these schools.

■ Students who work to afford college; 80% of full-time two-year collegians have jobs.

■ Relative newcomers to the USA who are taking non-credit English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, which means an extended period of time without the best of attitudes as typically no academic credit courses can be taken until the ESL hurdles are overcome. The issue of language is obviously large within the Latino community, with implications as to the time and money needed to achieve a degree.

■ Applicants usually take a placement test called "ACCUPLACER;" it assesses a student's ability to handle college material. If he is not ready, he is required to take remedial, non-credit classes. Even a student who has been in the American education system for many years can find himself in need of remedial courses. (At the local two-year school, CCM, if a student has taken the SAT, which is not required, and scored at least a 530 on Math and 540 on Verbal Skills, he does not have to take the ACCUPLACER.)

■ In New Jersey, under the NJ STARS program, the top 15% of high school students can attend two-year schools without having to pay tuition (they still pay for books, school fees, etc.). This is a powerful lure even though many of them might be better off longer-term attending a four-year college right away, the necessity for incurring debt (cushioned by college scholarships) notwithstanding. NJ Stars recipients, of whom there are 3,800, can use their scholarship to attend a four-year college in the state; however, the amount usable is only $2,500 per academic year.

■ Kids who are completely clueless about their future direction, but whose parents are insistent that they be somewhere in higher education.

■ Young people who are not clueless but simply undecided on which of their multiple interests to make their career goal and want to sample an acceptable academic menu at a relatively reasonable price.

■ Completely committed students who know their career path and want to get two years under their belts at a price they can afford, with the clear intention to transfer to a four-year college the minute they have their Associate's degree.

■ Students who will be taking advantage of articulation agreements between open-enrollment community colleges and four-year schools.

■ Adults in their upper twenties/low thirties who have not yet developed a marketable skill and believe acquisition of a two-year degree in any major will advance their ability to enter into a conversation about a better job.

■ Older career changers, often spurred by negative trends in the area of their prior occupations. An example is the ex-financial world person with no prior interest in healthcare who is attempting to become a nurse because of the "nursing shortage" and what he views as predictable compensation.

■ Probably it is rare, but I do know of a mother, her marriage falling apart and facing the prospect of an empty nest, who campaigned for her aspiring child to shelve her wish to attend an academically rigorous four-year college and instead enroll at the nearby community college. One does not have to be a stereotypical American individualist to cringe at this potentially life-changing trade-off.

■ The issue of student documentation includes access, rate charged, and financial aid. Community colleges should be accessible by all regardless of documentation; however, at least one school in New Jersey persists in barring undocumented students. Other two-year colleges have provided access—sometimes with DACA-like restrictions—but have charged the dramatically higher international rate. Others have provided both access and the ability to pay the in-county rate. Different lawyers Reading the same statutes apparently have arrived at different conclusions (surprise). In the vast majority of cases, government-based financial aid for college is not available to undocumented students. Further discussion of Undocumented Students is in Chapter Six.

### What are the Drawbacks?

During the past two decades, my programs have assisted countless students to attend the local two-year college, County College of Morris (CCM). As is true with respect to my thoughts about the purveyors of higher education in general, I have a mixed attitude toward this school—respect for its ability to assist motivated students to move ahead on their educational paths—and a longstanding irritation at its inability to be communicative/transparent in its discussion of important issues.

From the standpoint of the student, thinking generically of community colleges, these are some of the less positive aspects.

■ School can have the feel of being "Grade 13," meaning that many of the same kids the student knew in high school are still taking classes and hanging out together, simply at a different location than before. The student does not have to make the new life that is required when living on campus at a four-year school. Should he not want to begin charting a new path for himself as a prospectively independent adult by putting himself in a new environment?

■ Attending a community college is akin to shopping at the mall; you drive there, park, go inside and make a purchase, i.e., go to class. When that is finished, you turn around and leave. There is reduced "school spirit" and inconsistent involvement in extracurricular activities despite attempts by the college to push myriad options. Even collaborative-minded Latino students find it difficult to staff the United Latino Organization and create a college-wide diverse program agenda. Often the only outreach that results is centered on dance, food, and art—you know, the standard, albeit minimalist, definition of diversity.

■ Half of the students (80% in New York State) are taking at least one remedial course, which means the more capable student must have greater internal motivation than would be true in a setting of higher-achieving incoming students.

■ Because of the myriad of student motivations and situations listed previously and major quality differences from professor to professor—a characteristic not dramatically different from that which exists at a four-year college to be sure—academic rigor itself varies widely.

■ Students do borrow for even "inexpensive" two-year colleges. The rap on the latter is that they devote little effort to assisting prospective students in obtaining federal loans, the cheapest form of debt available. Only 13% use government loans.

■ If there is rising agreement that curricula should be more focused on job preparation, similar to the modus operandi of the for-profit colleges, then curricula must become better aligned with the workplace.

The student below, who is attending community college solely for financial reasons, paints an accurate picture of the school's culture. Equally true is that his description undoubtedly is applicable to numerous schools, two and four-year alike. Motivation within the student does not come automatically as a result of the name on the school door. The written theme of his essay is the desirability of being considerate, but the real message is that the determined student requires an inner drive to maintain aspiration in the midst of those for whom community college is not viewed as a serious commitment.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

BETWEEN YOU AND OTHERS: BE CONSIDERATE by Emerson Maradiaga [Forum: November-December 2011]

College is a community of possibilities and educational enlightenment. The main goal for each individual student at CCM should be to learn and obtain their Associate's degree; in fact, each has his own tactics to succeed at their respective academic level. On campus, faculty and students blend together to create a learning environment that is potentially intriguing for those who want to learn. Although from an aerial view it seems like

every student is focused and determined to achieve greatness, there are inconsiderate people inside the classrooms, from hallway to parking lot, and throughout the facilities.

Obtaining a college education is becoming more expensive and every individual must find their own way to pay for college. Whether the student receives government aid, pays from his savings account, uses student loans, or is lucky enough for their parents to pay their tuition, a fraction of them come late to class because they were hung-over from a party the night before, over-slept, or simply did not care what time they got to class. It should not be rocket science to acknowledge that college is more than a step past high school, but the real beginning of adulthood, when everything should be taken seriously.

There are many students who wish they could have received the government aid that was given to Jorge, who comes late to Statistics at least twice every week, and put that money to a more productive use. On the other hand, Karla does not know what working two jobs to pay for college feels like, while she is coming late to class because she is with her boyfriend and occasionally forgets about the time. But worst of all, there is Jake, who has been absent the most, yet it seems as if it will become a routine.

As class starts, there are students who seem to forget their notebooks or have lost their textbooks, the one which was only seen the first week of September. Inconsiderate people come unprepared and in addition forget to study for the test that was on the syllabus all along. One might think they would try to aim to at least earn a passing grade, good enough to be transferable. Although it is acknowledged that we all have busy schedules in our lives, students should be on top of their game, like the person next to them who writes notes in class, pays attention, and studies at least one day prior to the assigned test.

There are students who believe they know it all and speak out without permission to do so. They distract from the learning environment by frustrating the rest of the classmates as the latter are prone to listen to them while the teacher is trying to teach the class; as a result, the teacher is portrayed as an idiot. Oddly enough to me, there are teachers who are late to class, cutting down the time that students get to learn new material. Time goes hand-in-hand with money, and because students pay for their time in class, the teacher is limiting that time. On the contrary, there are professors who surpass the time limit of the class, forgetting that some students have consecutive classes and will be late to their next class. If a professor does not show up, he does not have the decency to send an e-mail regarding his absence, but lets the students waste their time.

Eighty percent of the time, there is a group of people walking slower than the speed of everyone else in the crowd. Even though they might not have class at that time, they do not consider the fact that some individual behind them might be late for his or her class. If they are walking at the same speed, he just might have enough time to get there.

Outside the four walls of the college, inconsiderate people can be found in the parking lots. For example, as Robert was driving around the campus to go to the parking lot near the student center, a red car pulls out of a parking space with no precaution as to who would come behind him from either way. Luckily, Robert stepped on the brake with every reflexive muscle he had to prevent a collision. Maybe the person in the red car was rushing because he had to go to work, yet he never wondered if Robert was late for something too.

When was the last time you were about to make a left into a parking lot when another car appears out of the blue facing the opposite direction, trying to leave the college with no turning signal and speed nowhere under twenty-five miles per hour? How about when you find a parking space and as you are getting ready to park, the cool jock pulls into the spot a millisecond before you did? Incidents such as these make people furious.

The CCM campus is equipped with facilities where students can use computers, study, or take a break to relax. The library is a place full of knowledge in every corner. Computers are available for students to use and do printing according to their needs. Unfortunately there are times when every computer in the place is being used and there is no empty seat spotted. Although everyone seems to be using the computer for school purposes, there are students who are only listening to music, logging onto their social networks, or looking at websites to see what they want to buy with their next paycheck.

There comes a time when priorities have to be examined. It is not fair that some students have to write two-page essays while others listen to songs on YouTube. However, the worst case scenario is when one forgets to pull out their flash drive and remembers hours later as he or she is looking for it, that it is still plugged into the computer. When one goes back, the four gigabyte flash drive is nowhere to be found. Someone stole the device that included every essay written for English, the class notes, and tomorrow's assignment. All the hard work lost because someone did not have the heart to return the flash drive to the front desk.

In the study room, we encounter individuals who do their homework while their next class starts. Some students listen to music at their leisure with low volume, while others try to focus on their notes to study for a test. Once in a while, a loud obnoxious group comes and ruins the peace and quiet that was preserved in the room. The kid trying to study can no longer concentrate because they are talking about how last night's football game was disastrous. The person doing homework has a harder time focusing while the person listening to music can hear them more than he can hear the songs.

College is a place where different people supposedly come together for a single purpose: knowledge. As we look around, not everyone seems to be on the same page; rather, some people are inconsiderate in the way they behave and act inside and outside of the campus.

Even though some of us have committed one of these transgressions, we should take a minute to think about our surroundings. As we disrupt in one area, we can be disrupting our own place until we are affected by it and acknowledge it too late. Do not follow the crowd; be considerate, make a difference and see the results for yourself.

***

The starting point for considering a two-year school is frequently financial.

### What does a Community College Cost?

While community colleges are much less expensive than their four-year counterparts, they are certainly participants in the higher education pattern of rate increases. For 2013-14, the previously mentioned CCM (which has 8,500 full and part-time credit-earning students) raised its tuition for an in-county student to $117.00 per credit hour, plus a $17.50 "college fee," for a total of $134.50. An out-of-county student is paying $251.50 and an out-of-state student, $350.50 per credit. Rates are up minimally, with both CCM leadership and trustees tripping over each other with congratulations for their admirable budget control, probably driven by a cheaper mix of adjunct versus tenured professors, a shift with unpredictable academic consequences.

CCM has now increased its price twelve times in eleven years, admittedly after a flat period from 1996-2002. CCM is no dummy—it knows that middle class parents, aghast at four-year college prices in an 8% unemployment economy—are finding reasons (Read "financial") for sending their kids to two-year colleges.

This is the school's official data on its COA for 2012-13. Some lawyer must have told CCM to exaggerate certain data for reasons which escape me. For example, normally room and board is irrelevant to a local two-year college student; likewise, the transportation estimate is far above a realistic figure. Other community colleges have similar basic costs of tuition and fees; students do not evaluate these schools based on different expense levels, but on proximity and issues of documentation—which affects access and rate paid.

Typically, 12 credits per semester (four classes x three credits) are required to be called a full-time student. The cost of those credits at CCM for a resident is therefore about $1,600. Add about $150 in books/materials for each class and the total tab, excluding fees for a particular major, is $2,200. With five-plus semesters needed to achieve the 64 credits necessary for graduation, this puts the total bill around $12,000, excluding anticipated inflation in the basic per-credit rate and disproportionate increases in mandatory fees.

This is financially attractive; at the same time, to be a productive use of money, academic rigor must be sufficiently high to ensure a smooth transfer to a four-year school or it must provide adequate preparation for the two-year college graduate to enter the workforce. Probably there is a third entry: better to have an Associate's degree than nothing unless the student is pursuing a marketable skill elsewhere.

When the interplay of college costs—both direct expense and money not earned as a result of the student having reduced working hours—and career objective is more fully analyzed, it may be that proprietary (for-profit) schools offering certificates in specific marketable skills are better suited for some. If the students are "right" about taking the marketable skill route, then the "deal" they have struck is probably a good one, even though proprietary schools do not come cheap. If they are "wrong," however, the money is largely wasted, in contrast to the lesser pain when one switches majors at a two-year college.

Attending community colleges part-time for family financial reasons or as a way to postpone a bigger academic commitment is common. About half of the 400,000 students at New Jersey two-year colleges are attending this way, and a comparable percentage are working over twenty hours per week. Counter-intuitively for those who would associate part-time with "easier" schedules and therefore anticipate higher graduation rates, the completion rate is less than that of full-time students. Success in school is driven by passion, preparedness, and a plan, not the specific number of hours in a classroom.

When an undocumented student can access a community college, he is often labeled an out-of-state/international student and must pay the much higher rate. This extra charge many times is a deal-breaker in terms of the Latino student attending college, remembering that undocumented students have no opportunity to get the standard financial assistance from the government. It should therefore not be surprising to learn that some students in the past have been forced to resort to imaginative ruses and circuitous routes to make themselves eligible for the in-county resident rate.

***

It is a truism that nothing in life is simultaneously inexpensive, high quality, and quickly delivered. Community colleges are not immune from this descriptor.

### What are the Outcomes?

The New Jersey Council of Community Colleges calculates what it terms a "success rate." Its base cohort is first-time, full and part-time students who have declared a major. At the sixth-year from enrollment, the Council's "success rate" combines two-year college graduates, students who transferred to a four-year college, and students who have completed 30 or more credits with at least a 2.0 GPA.

The aggregate of these descriptors of success the last time I checked was 47%. Would any employer hire a person with such a proficiency level? Reflecting this unacceptable level of "success," the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is putting millions of dollars into a program aimed at raising community college graduation rates. Its data, based on federal numbers, is that only 20% of such students are getting either a diploma or a certificate within three years. If you generously assumed an equal number transfer to four-year schools, the total is still not great. One Gates objective is to "look for models that enroll students in a program of study, rather than individual courses." Common sense anyone?

Other non-profit organizations like Single Stop USA (<http://www.singlestopusa.org/>) provide multiple services, including financial literacy assistance, which are necessary for students to become better prepared for community colleges. Their ultimate goal is an increase in what they say is a 31% graduation rate at the 1,200 schools which are members of the Association of Community College Trustees, and, stunningly, only half that low rate at urban two-year schools. Isn't it nice to have different figures as answers to fundamentally the same question, but then the point is moot as all the numbers are sub-optimal.

President Obama himself has joined the ranks of advocates for more community college enrollees and presumably graduates; one suspects that he, like most people, has thought more about the admission side of the equation than the completion rate. Relatedly, he has proposed an $8 billion Community College to Career Fund to retrain two million workers who basically have lost their jobs as a result of outsourcing and technological changes in their industry. There is a developing, more explicit relationship between community colleges and employers in terms of creating relevant curricula; the former get to publicize their job preparation rate and the latter get free training of prospective employees.

(Looking at this trend philosophically, the owners of capital [companies] are able to offload some of their costs to both taxpayers in general [community colleges receive substantial subsidies from government budget allocations] and basically non-taxpayers, i.e. students. Questioning whether this is fair is like a person wearing an "I am a Vegetarian" t-shirt and expecting a charging bull to ignore him out of gratitude.

Recently, New York State laid out its plan for focusing on higher education sites as tax-free or tax credit locations for attracting businesses and venture capital. Philosophically [for the last time here, I promise], this is a "beggar thy neighbor" policy as other states and cities will slobber for more business investment with imaginative tax deals that rarely, if ever, are put up for voter approval.)

What everybody interested in better two-year school results will need to address academically is how much remedial work is required at the college level. These noncredit courses are a crystal clear indictment of high school preparation and they are a major annoyance for many Latinos especially, as they may have been held back from taking rigorous classes in high school because of language, not intellectual capability. This is yet another case wherein the perpetrators of the inequity feel no pain while those adversely affected, i.e., the students, have to pay the bill.

***

In contrast to the above situations, on the relatively good news front is the expectation of growth in productive relationships between different types of schools. One such area is:

### Articulation Agreements and Transferring Credits

Under an articulation agreement, two and four-year schools trying to attract and retain students coordinate their efforts with respect to certain courses, making it easier to transfer credits from the former to the latter. This is a positive trend for all involved, as graduation rates for both schools should improve as a result.

Nonetheless, the student should keep in mind that the employment marketplace exercises its own discipline—its set of requirements and compensation structure effectively determines the market value of any academic accomplishment. For example, relevant to nursing, while a student can earn a Registered Nurse designation at a two-year college, a hospital might say, "that's nice, but we want a Bachelor's degree," even if the RN license fundamentally incorporates most of the same knowledge.

Having pointed this out, a leading example of articulation agreements locally does involve nursing. CCM is the sending school, and the College of St. Elizabeth's and Rutgers University are the receiving schools. All of CCM's credits for nursing, plus those from certain other courses, are reportedly to be accepted by these four-year institutions.

Raritan Valley Community College (New Jersey) has announced that its credits will be transferable to the University of Greenwich in London, perhaps a first for a two-year school, and that if a RVCC student's GPA is at least 3.0 in an approved program, admission to New Jersey's Drew University (which is private) will be guaranteed.

***

Academic credit agreements also exist between certain colleges and high schools. A student taking a college equivalent course (often under the AP designation) while still in high school earns credit in both places. The introduction of on-line formats to this aspect of higher education would seem to be a foregone conclusion. Moreover, with heavier business involvement in education planning, internships beginning in high school could become a feature of such arrangements.

The hope for Latino collegians is that after figuring out how to handle the stress involved in a working student's life, they regard a two-year school as a steppingstone and act accordingly. A 3.0 grade point average or better should be their expectation as they envision an eventual transfer to a four-year institution, Associate's degree in hand.

The variables in transferring from a two-year to a four-year college thus become a key issue. In New Jersey, all credits from two-year public colleges are supposed to be accepted by the state's four-year public schools. However, it does not usually happen that way as the receiving college may have rules about courses taken in the student's prospective major; these and other loopholes often result in 10% of the student's credits at his initial school not being accepted.

CCM provides (through its Office of Counseling and Student Success: Transfer Services) a concise fact sheet on the state's four-year colleges. Data included are the name and type of school, phone number, location, application fee and deadline, and approximate annual tuition. Every student should avail himself of this information.

### Closing Comments

Whether their expected education path is a two or four-year college or marketable skills, prospective college students must pull back the curtain of advertising and assess the reality of the messages they receive from these businesses. For example, throughout the education world, there is expanded marketing of "More ways, More degrees," the explicit slogan of little-known Keystone College in Pennsylvania and the implicit message from most of its counterparts.

This business pitch connotes the idea that all forms of education are created equal, with equal academic and life outcomes. Daytime, evening, on-line, weekend classes, part-time, full-time—ostensibly it makes no difference; meanwhile, there are no research findings for students to analyze concerning the relative merits of the different choices. Furthermore, this "Coca-Cola approach" (every size, every flavor, every kind of non-alcoholic beverage) obscures the fact that it is the total college environment and participation therein which is the real education, not simply the classroom or classwork experience.

Pushing aside this mini-rant, consideration of the community college route should begin with the student's aspiration and an honest self-evaluation. Those who know at the outset of a two-year experience that transferring to a specific four-year school is their goal should become aware of the relative academic standards in their expected major. Those who are not considering any higher education need to be encouraged to seek either a college route or acquiring a marketable skill.

And, as always in considering different options for the student, there is the money issue, both in a direct sense and as a reflection of family dynamics. The cost—or more pointedly, the debt—of higher education inflicts its own discipline on any student being able to find an "affordable and enjoyable" college match, regardless of academic preparation and the individual's overall qualifications.

## Chapter Five: ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO HIGHER EDUCATION

Latino students considering higher education should know that there are different routes than attending a regular two or four-year school. Their applicability to the student is a function of the same considerations: self-analysis, time, money, goals, family situation.

In his decision-making process, the student can look at numerous projections involving employment prospects in different industry sectors and the education level required for specific jobs. For example, using Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, The Center for College Affordability and Productivity says 52% of future jobs will require a Bachelor's degree or higher, 11% will require some college, and 37% will only require a high school diploma or less. A caution flag should be waved on the latter figure: it does not automatically mean a sustainable economic life—a $10 per hour job is not enough to pay the bills, at least not as an independent person.

These data may or may not influence a student. What will be briefly discussed in this chapter are alternatives to conventional higher education: marketable skills, entrepreneurial endeavors, for-profit colleges, and the military.

### Acquiring a Marketable Skill

Society has overemphasized the conventional college route to the detriment of young people who might want to pursue specific marketable skills. Becoming a plumber, a cosmetician, a computer fix-it person, or a heating/ventilation/air conditioning technician, to name a small fraction of the skill areas on what is an extremely long list, is a perfectly valid aspiration that can produce an economically attractive life path.

Supporting this point of view is that according to the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University (<https://cew.georgetown.edu/>), 27% of all those individuals who pursue a marketable skill and get a vocational license or certificate after high school earn more than the average of those graduates with a Bachelor's degree.

Students pursuing a marketable skills route almost by definition will be quicker to get established with the above credentials, will have dramatically less debt, and typically will be earning money in the area of their interest sooner than will their friends attending a four-year college. Some students who are attending college only because of a push from their parents in reality would like to pursue blue collar or uniformed or no dress code work, where they can pursue any one of multiple occupations which generate satisfactory incomes—assuming a level of basic intelligence, above-average diligence, determination, and grit—the overlapping essentials of success for any occupation.

If a Latino student who is undecided on what he wants to do right now and does not want to spend large dollars to find out, instead tries his hand at a skill not requiring a Bachelor's degree and becomes dissatisfied, it has not cost him what a four-year college would. Moreover he can then embark on an academic path with newfound resolve. If he can find the money—some things never change.

Admittedly the politicized segment of the Latino community may react to any suggestion that a young person seek a marketable skill instead of college as an attempt by the white power structure to keep minorities in a subservient position. Less aggressively put, the fear is one of accidental racial profiling—a belief that strengthened vocational programs in high schools would be coupled with recruitment strategies aimed at minority students.

However, in the messy world which exists, you have multiple categories of aspiration, skill, money, culture, attitude and about a dozen other variables. Considering the number of students of all ethnicities who wind up with neither a college degree nor a marketable skill, it is a disservice to Latinos or anybody else to deliberately avoid discussing an area like that of marketable skills.

Leaving aside issues of commitment, aptitude and interest, all positives, and high school preparation, quite frequently a negative in general, the expense of any higher education option is obviously crucial to students from lower income families. Therefore it would be helpful to some Latino students, when family financial pictures are not bright, if the marketable skill option were put on the table in a more organized fashion than at present. After all, it is a subset of higher education. In many European countries, choosing this route is a fully-accepted option, and has been for a long period of time, with consistent government support and well-regarded corporate apprenticeship programs.

***

Perhaps one approach to what is being called "Career and Technical Education" is that of a technology high school in Brooklyn. It is melding high school and associates courses into a six-year program, complete with mentors. Its stated goal is that each graduate be ready for a $40,000 per year job (which equates to $20 per hour). Whether this is completely satisfactory may be subject to debate, but this level of success must be measured against what the individual in question would otherwise have accomplished.

The American lifestyle itself is evolving in a way which is consistent with advocating that Latino students otherwise disinterested in a purely academic route consider the acquisition of marketable skills.

"The Home Depot approach to craftsmanship—simplify it, dumb it down, hire a contractor—is one signal that mastering tools and working with one's hands is receding in America as a hobby, as a valued skill, as a cultural influence that shaped thinking and behavior in vast sections of the country.

In response to the above point, sociologist Ruth Wilkman of CUNY made this observation, "pride in craft is alive in the immigrant world." This is evident to anybody hanging out early at a Home Depot; immigrant contractors are there to buy supplies for the day's job.

While the path to the acquisition of a marketable skill has to be described as a valid alternative, not as a Plan B to a Plan A which is defined as college only, care must be taken to ensure that the diploma or other credential in the skills area is real and not the paper product of an imaginative and well-paid marketing person at the educational institution. Quality can be uneven, despite the existence of the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools of Colleges (<http://www.accsc.org/>), the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (<http://www.acics.org/>), and the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (<http://www.careertech.org/>).

***

High schools historically have been somewhat involved in the marketable skills sector, _e.g._ , approaches like "Cooperative Business Education" or "Cooperative Marketing Education." In these classes, students earn credits by attending school in the morning and working at a relevant business in the afternoon. In the local Morris Knolls school district, about 35% of co-op students "continue formal education beyond high school."

In my home area, the Morris County School of Technology (MCST) has attempted to make student decision-making on possible career paths more comfortable by creating a number of "shared time programs" and "academies." The objective is to plant the idea in the minds of high schoolers that higher education is not a binary decision tree, college or nothing. At the post high school level, MCST has negotiated apprenticeship partnership agreements with the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association and the Independent Electrical Contractors.

Below are the school's offerings for students entering their junior and/or senior year of high school; several of the programs, and others, are configured for special needs students.

Auto Body/Collision Repair... Auto Service Tech... Au Pair... Bookkeeping... Carpentry... Cosmetology... Computer Drawing and Graphics Studio... Electrical...Nail Technology...Plumbing...Welding

After high school, there are numerous options at MCST; many of them accredited by National Associations. Financial aid is available as well.

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration...Automotive...Building Trades... Culinary Arts...Computer Classes...Cosmetology...Electrical... Health Occupations...Nursing...Special Interests (Bartending, etc.)

If "vocational" schools need support for sharpening their focus, it is provided by a McKinsey Global Institute report looking out to 2020, which said the following: "too few Americans who attend college and vocational schools choose fields of study that will give them specific skills that employers are seeking. Our interviews point to potential shortages in many occupations, such as nutritionists, welders, and nurse's aides—in addition to the often-predicted shortfall in computer specialists and engineers." Since each of the skills programs can lead to sustainable economics and since each commands respect, is it not preferable for the student who is contemplating dropping out because he does not like the hours of "irrelevant" classwork to become aware of skills alternatives.

To further reinforce the logic of the skills route, consider the following input. "A recent Manpower Group survey ranked skilled trades, engineers, and information technology positions as the toughest slots to fill. Behind them were sales representatives, accounting and finance staff, drivers, mechanics, nurses, machine operators, and teachers."

As a cautionary note to those interested in specific skills, the student frequently must still be able to write adequately and collaborate with people. "I can't have them (skilled machine operators) e-mailing Boeing or Pfizer if their grammar is terrible." "We can train someone for a particular technical skill (computers, robots, etc.) but if you have an attitude problem, you can destroy a village."

Perhaps there is a need to clarify: the marketable skills category discussed above and below refers to a portable capability which, after specific training, is attached to that individual. This is different from the elevation in skill requirements necessary for a person to run a complicated, limited human input, manufacturing process. The latter function has increasingly gone to holders of college degrees.

In either case, employers hire based on a demonstration of a person's specific capabilities; the information on the resume is interesting but not conclusive. The marketable skills credential earned at a credible institution, which, consistent with the times, may be obtained either on-line or through a hybrid approach involving both on-line and classroom instruction, can be superior to an Associate's degree as it better indicates what a student knows, as distinct from what courses he took.

#### Unions are still Important in some Job Sectors

Membership in a labor union historically was a route to relatively high-wage endeavors involving the combination of head and hands which appeals to many male students in particular (although there is a rising female presence here as well).

Two generations ago, a high school drop-out could go to Detroit and get a unionized job in the auto industry, which at the time was protected by American trade restrictions from international competition. No more. General Motors had over 600,000 employees in 1955; today it has less than half that number. The high school drop-out back in the day could make $50,000 a year with good benefits. Today, many times he can only get a service job paying a minimum wage or slightly better, with scant, if any, benefits.

In New Jersey, the number of manufacturing jobs is a mere one-third of the count of a half-century ago. These jobs are but 7% of the total non-farm workforce, compared with 40% in 1960. Nationally, only 9% of the country's 130+ million workers are in manufacturing jobs. Less than 7% of private jobs are unionized (7 million members), compared with 36% of white collar government positions (7.3 million members), which basically appeal to a different mindset. A prospective ironworker is not comparing this career idea with having a desk job. Neither is a firefighter or a policeman; the associated paperwork, especially with the latter, is simply viewed as a necessary annoyance.

While dramatically less prominent than in decades past, as demonstrated in the data above, unions can still be key to the career path and income potential of electricians (ibew.org), ironworkers (ironworkers.org), plumbers (New Jersey State League of Master Plumbers—<http://www.njslmp.org/>), cosmeticians, welders, the Teamsters, and numerous other attractive occupations that, not so incidentally, are more difficult to ship overseas. Apprentice training from two to five years is typically required; the more technical the skill, the higher the value. The resulting certificates and/or licenses are readily accepted as employers give them validity even in non-union employment situations.

To put the economic benefits of a marketable skills program in perspective, Laurence Kotlikoff, a professor of economics at Boston University, ran a bunch of numbers through his ESPlanner software. It turns out the plumber in his spreadsheet analysis had almost as much sustainable spending power as the doctor. The reasons the comparison was startlingly close are the cost of their education paths, the debt incurred, and the number of years in which the individual is earning money instead of investing in education. The comparison is intriguing, although not at all conclusive; the mere fact that such an exercise was undertaken is another sign that assumptions about the benefits of higher education are now subject to new analysis.

#### Closing Comments

There is no magic to the process of a student becoming an educated individual. The Latino interested in a specific marketable skill should find out what it takes to accomplish his goal, talk it over with practitioners/role models/advisors/helpful relatives/mentors, organize the information and decide. And—have a second idea as well, which is a good plan regardless of any initial route chosen by an aspiring student.

(P.S. Massive Open On-line Courseware [MOOCs, to be discussed in Chapter Ten] is relevant to the marketable skills area as well as conventional and on-line for-profit schools. This approach offers more flexibility than the former and a lower price than the latter.)

#### Websites

Absent a Googling of Technical Schools, which undoubtedly would produce a list from here to California, some idea of the range of marketable skills opportunities can be gleaned from a single ride on a New York City subway, or a car trip down most major highways. Each reveals to the prospective student a wide array of advertisements and billboards for different marketable skills-oriented schools. These options are not necessarily inexpensive—and not equally reputable—but then all financial numbers of education are relative, as is credibility.

Here is a small sampling of websites (and related entities); the Bureau of Labor Statistics produces lists of fast-growing occupations and the type of education they require. One such enumeration is in the "Benefits" chapter later in GUIDE.

Accrediting Career Schools  
ACCSC.ORG

Accrediting Independent Colleges  
ACICS.ORG

Provides hands-on career training  
APEXTECHNICAL.COM

Lifetime career development  
ASA.EDU

Professional training  
AVTECHUSA.COM

Building trades  
BERKTRADESCHOOL.COM

National Association of Directors  
CAREERTECH.ORG

Center of Education & Workforce  
GEORGETOWN.EDU

NYC College of Technology skills  
CITYTECH.CUNY.EDU

Various disciplines  
DEVRY.EDU

Training in musical disciplines  
DUBSPOT.COM

Empire State (skills) College  
ESC.EDU

Job training in culinary arts  
FRENCH CULINARY INSTITUTE.COM

Business & Technology programs  
GLOBE.EDU

Provides job training  
GRACEINSTITUTE.ORG

Electricians union  
IBEW.ORG

Technology programs  
ITT-TECH.EDU

Jobs for the Future  
JFF.ORG

Cartooning and Graphic Art  
KUBERTSCHOOL.COM

The Long Island Business Institute  
LIBI.EDU

Fashion courses  
LIMCOLLEGE.EDU

Arts, Science, Human services  
LINCOLN.EDU

Auto, HVAC, IT, Healthcare  
LINCOLNTECH.COM

Master Plumbers association  
NJSLMP.ORG

Acting and Film school  
NYFA.EDU

Computer Skills  
PCAGE.COM

Medical, paralegal, business admin  
SANFORDBROWN.EDU

Trade, Technical, Health, etc.  
SKILLSUSA.ORG

Technical Career Institute  
TCICOLLEGE.EDU

University Technical Institute  
UTI.EDU

Teaching marketable skills  
YEARUP.ORG

### Becoming an Entrepreneur

#### A Challenging Route, but it can be Attractive

An entrepreneur is a person who creates a profit-seeking business, which may be wholly or only partly-owned by the individual who initiates the endeavor. An individual can have an entrepreneurial personality—willingness to take risks, ability to react well to unforeseen changes, high energy—but not be an entrepreneur as defined above.

The entrepreneurial path is worth mentioning as an eventual alternative for the Latino student, even though it is normally not chosen at the time of high school graduation. Starting one's own business can represent a logical, relatively low capital requirement progression from being a paid employee in areas like restaurants, landscaping, office cleaning, computer service, and numerous others which have been starting points for a good number of Latinos.

Moreover, there are now specific school-based programs whose mission is the education of would-be entrepreneurs; some are tied to potential sources of venture capital—funds provided to entrepreneurs by investors looking to make a return on their money. Part of the appeal of these schools undoubtedly is the nebulous cost/benefit equation of higher education for an individual who (1) is not enamored of conventional classroom learning, (2) has specific talents and (3) is aware that historically the primary motivation for owning a new business has been the ability to be one's own boss, not to get rich—although in the Internet age, the priorities may be in the process of getting flipped, a dangerous trend as it can distort the values on which a business is based.

Many young Latinos already have considerable experience in an entrepreneurial environment as they and/or their families may have been involved in the "informal" or "underground" economy, either in their home country or in the United States. Over the years, the growth of the American economy has featured numerous immigrants who became key entrepreneurs; those with less to lose are often the ones attuned to taking risk.

***

Becoming an entrepreneur in a sense has always been an education in itself. Many prospective business owners, especially those in their twenties, underestimate the commitment of time and energy required to become an entrepreneur—the hours on the job are greater, not fewer, than working for the typical corporation, and the responsibility is all in one place. Moreover, the customer, the client, the patient is king—their responses drive the entire set of economics pertinent to running a business. This means that regardless of the entrepreneur's idea, he will only succeed if the marketplace gives that idea consistent economic value.

The entrepreneur who understands these dynamics and becomes successful can economically upgrade his family from a sustainable, but essentially breakeven position (food, clothing, and dwelling are affordable, but with little remaining) to one where there is the potential for the creation of capital, a major distinction when considering the longitudinal impact on economic mobility. In plain English, the potential to become better off means, among other things, the ability to afford increased education for more than one member of the family, and the chance to move the needle generationally.

In theory, purchase of a franchise for a well-known brand in certain competitive business categories can be a way to avoid extreme impatience over waiting for a totally new enterprise to gain the necessary customer base. However, the up-front cost for a recognizable business name can be substantial and the complicated and frequently expensive rules of being a franchisee can rub the owner the wrong way as much as those of that idiot boss at the corporate employer. Small independent businesses and franchises alike have a 50% survival rate at the five-year mark; 33% last ten years or more.

The government provides entrepreneurial advice and a new business incubator service, both of which are heavily accessed by immigrants. Supplementing this source of assistance has been the growth of non-profit lenders to extremely small businesses. So-called "microloan" providers include the following: <http://www.accionusa.org/>, <http://www.mficonnect.com/>, <http://www.kiva.org/>, <http://www.opportunityfund.org/>, and <http://www.ourmicrolending.com/>. Often their motivation is as much about assisting a community to grow as it is about collecting on their loans and recycling those funds to new borrowers. As a consequence, there is a favorable overlap of minority entrepreneurs and micro-lender funding.

There are other organizations whose goals are to stimulate entrepreneurial activity. The Entrepreneurs Organization, which has 8,700 members employing more than two million people, has a Global Student Entrepreneur Award and is actively seeking ways to increase youth entrepreneurship, including in Latin America. The Founder Institute, which has chapters in 29 cities around the world, is a for-profit endeavor which features a customized curriculum and access to mentors on entrepreneurship.

Peter Thiel, the oft-quoted critic of conventional higher education, has initiated a fellowship (thielfellowship.org) called "20 under 20" for would-be entrepreneurs. He provides a $100,000 grant with no strings attached except one: the recipient (who must be under 20 years of age) cannot attend college for two years; about 2% of applicants receive funding. Ideas from the entrepreneurs include methods for detecting nuclear weapons and diagnosing cancer. You know—lightweight stuff.

***

Whether starting one's own enterprise or getting into business with a franchise, the necessity of satisfying a growing number of government regulatory requirements is often underestimated by the Latino newcomer. For sure, the American system of facilitating new business endeavors remains easier to negotiate than that of a majority of countries and does not have quite the same level of political ring-kissing, "pay-to-play" scandals notwithstanding, which is necessary to get a business going in many, more centralized economies. However, there are numerous bureaucratic hoops which must be jumped through, and they are not part of most conventional school curricula.

Unsurprisingly, people already in a particular line of business make it hard for newcomers to come in and take away market share—some would say, particularly if they are recent immigrants. Half a century ago, only 5% of Americans worked in jobs requiring licenses; today, the number is 30%. Many of those adversely affected by the Great Recession and seeking to move into new careers are taken aback by what seems like excessive regulations. For example, in Utah, it takes two years and $16,000 of tuition alone to acquire a cosmetology license. To many observers, this seems extreme and exclusionary, it has resulted in a lawsuit by the non-profit Institute for Justice. (IJ has brought cases to the Supreme Court concerning school choice, eminent domain, and interstate shipment of wine. At the local level, it has fought taxicab monopolies and high fees for hairbraiding, among numerous other issues relevant to the new entrepreneur.)

Entrepreneurial endeavors and immigration (the woman initiating the cosmetology case in Utah is from Sierra Leone) can be connected in other ways. For example, an immigrant to the United States can get a green card in return for putting up $1 million over a two-year period to establish a new business. The capital requirement is cut in half if the funds are deployed in an area where unemployment is 150% of the average rate. Affluent Chinese immigrants dominant this category of entrepreneur; they are not enamored with the lack of transparency in their government and want to both protect what they have earned and grow it in a more democratic environment.

(Note: the proposed comprehensive immigration reform bill includes provisions for sweetening this category of visas, partly in response to competitive packages being offered by countries like Canada and Australia.)

Vastly more typical than the affluent immigrant is the newcomer who is short on financial strength but long on work ethic and who for cultural reasons does not want to pursue life in a corporation. Half of the small business owners in the New York City area are immigrants, compared with one-third of the overall population. This penetration of the entrepreneurial world goes way beyond small grocery stores and hair salons; it includes computer systems and engineering firms, among others.

***

Is it possible for a young Latino, immigrant or otherwise, with great Internet and marketing skills to become quite successful financially without even learning English? Yes. Is it likely? Not really, at least not now; it could be more true a couple of decades out, reflecting the combination of demographic change and geographic balkanization.

Analogously, there are well-publicized entrepreneurial success stories for college drop-outs like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and Mark Zuckerberg, but the data does not support the case for most students taking this route. It is no coincidence that these wealthy phenoms made their fortunes in areas of major technological change—computers, communication, social media, Internet-based enterprises.

What these mega-successes do suggest is that the individual with total assuredness about his entrepreneurial objective and its required intelligence/passion/tenacity should take the route most aligned with that goal. When it comes to attracting money, professional venture capitalists look at hundreds of ideas before they invest in one; they recognize in particular the differences among having an idea, beginning a company, and sustaining a business. Only the latter produces the big pay-offs sought by investors whose motivation is money, not helping out a young relative with an ingratiating personality.

The good news for many would-be entrepreneurs in certain fields is that it is now possible to initiate smaller ventures (while hoping they blow up into businesses worth millions) because of the availability of capital for new ideas from places like Kickstarter and others that use crowd-funding techniques. Moreover, the entrepreneur can less expensively provide a prototype of his product through the relatively new approach called "3-D printing." The knowledge base for this whole area is not yet present in the typical high school curriculum. Putting it there might well reduce drop-out rates among boys.

Major space could be devoted to an in-depth analysis of entrepreneurial activity, as it has long been considered the lifeblood of growth in the American economy—the guy in the garage behind his house coming up with a world class product and years later selling his company to the big boys. Today, it is more likely to be a bunch of geeks clued to a battery of computers and devising a product or service which can be peddled through social media—or creating additional media businesses themselves. But GUIDE is not the place for comprehensive insight on becoming an entrepreneur.

#### Closing Comments

Becoming an entrepreneur is a tricky proposition, particularly if capital from others is required to start the business. "Going low" (small amounts of money required) and "going slow" (growing with the business, not ahead of it) is not for the impatient.

Often it is better for a young person to take a "regular" job and learn from it for a period of time, creating an improved chance of financial success if and when the entrepreneurial juices kick in. Therefore, maybe that prospective new business creator should pick up an Associate's degree along the way, just in case. It is not that difficult to accomplish.

#### Websites

Here are a few websites for those who are interested in the entrepreneurial area.

ACCIONUSA.ORG  
Small business loans

ENACTUS.ORG  
Educating young entrepreneurs

EONETWORK.ORG  
Organization of entrepreneurs

ENTREPRENEUR.COM  
Everything you need to know

ENTREPRENEUR.LIFETIPS.COM  
General advice

FOUNDERINSTITUTE.ORG  
Organization of entrepreneurs

INTERSECTFUND.ORG  
Helps low income entrepreneurs

KAUFFMAN.ORG  
Foundation, assists entrepreneurs

KIVA.ORG  
Connect people through lending

KICKSTARTER.COM  
Crowd funding of new ideas

MFICONNECT.COM  
Loans to entrepreneurs

NFTE.COM  
Nat'l Found. Teaching Entrepreneurship

OMIDYAR.COM  
eBay Founder Pierre Omidyar

OPPORTUNITYFUND.ORG  
Loans to entrepreneurs

OURMICROLENDING.COM  
Small business loans

THIELFELLOWSHIP.ORG  
Scholarships for young entrepreneurs

VENTUREFORAMERICA.ORG  
Entrepreneurship ideas/funding

#### For-Profit Colleges

In all probability, if the Latino student is aware of this category, it is because of heavy advertising by the University of Phoenix, not because the for-profit college area was brought to the student's attention by his high school guidance counselor. And yet it represents about 13% of all college students.

Small, proprietary (privately-owned) schools offering limited curricula in the marketable skills area have been around for decades without getting politicians and educators excited about their business practices. In contrast, the relatively newer, predominantly on-line for-profit colleges have been embroiled in controversy from day one. This reflects a combination of factors: (1) an image that making money is mission number one, (2) high-powered advertising and marketing techniques, (3) heavy ownership by Wall Street firms or public stockholders, (4) low graduation rates, and (5) high debt default rates. Initially, its mostly on-line method of delivering education was under attack as well, but this is no longer possible without a heavy dose of hypocrisy by the conventional collegiate establishment, which increasingly is going on-line itself.

At the center of the controversy over the merits of these entities has been businesses like the 330,000 student University of Phoenix, owned by the publicly-held Apollo Group. After six years, only 9% of first-time, full-time Phoenix students have earned a degree. This is in the context, according to Education Trust, of a subpar 22% rate for the for-profit category in total, versus 55% for public colleges and 65% at private, non-profit schools—neither of which is a terrific number either.

In addition to low graduation rates, the for-profit college category accounts for 47% of defaults on college student loans; 96% of its students have loans, versus 13% at community colleges and 48% at four-year schools. Default rates at for-profit schools of 20+% in the first three years of repayment are double the level for public college student borrowers and triple the rate for private, non-profit institution students.

Leaving aside these gruesome numbers, students have been attracted to on-line, for-profit schools by the latter's claim that they prepare students more quickly for the job market. They cut out the "extraneous stuff" of a college curriculum, which represents, to many traditional observers, an important part of the four-year college experience; they peddle speed and flexibility—a particular course will have multiple start times in the span of a year, unlike the case at conventional colleges—and there is immediate specificity of course selection. For this, they charge a high price, which puts added pressure on the student to be sure his chosen vocation is the right one, and one for which there is a ready employer.

***

#### Industry Practices have brought Political Heat and Added Regulations

Because of the above negative data, periodically the for-profit schools are taken to the political woodshed and flogged publicly. For example, there has been considerable negative press about their student recruitment practices, including a lawsuit against Education Management Corporation, which has 150,000 students at its Art Institutes and other schools it owns. (Art Institute is an education alternative discussed on more than one occasion in my office as art-oriented students initially become interested in what they perceive as focused training compared with the diffused art curricula of a regular college.)

Apparently some of the for-profit proprietors have gone after anybody who can breathe, signed them up as students, facilitated the government loan procedure—money to the school, debt to the student—and then seen the students drop out at large rates, taking with them the aforementioned debt and little else. It was not poor graduation rates but high loan default numbers which caught the eye of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and put the industry in the cross-hairs of Washington.

The response of for-profit college defenders has been a semi-persuasive argument that a banana is not properly compared with a lemon, that default rates on student debt are a function of multiple variables which must be disaggregated. Case in point: if less affluent students disproportionately enroll at a for-profit school, it follows, all other things being equal, that initial debt loads and subsequent default rates might well be higher.

In reaction to the on-going controversy (which apparently does not extend to all for-profit companies: everybody from book publishers to food vendors to janitorial companies makes money selling their products and services to a "non-profit" college), the DOE proposed a set of regulations pertinent to the for-profit school category. After ferocious and expensive lobbying against the original proposals by a long list of people connected to politicians in both parties, there are new rules that require for-profit colleges to disclose graduation and job placement rates and to make changes in their recruiting practices.

Effective July 1, 2012, a school's access to federal aid for students has been at risk of eventually being denied to programs that fail three "tests" of gainful employment three times in a four-year span, which means the earliest that aid could be denied would be 2016. Colleges with default rates exceeding 40% in the latest year or 25% for three straight years can lose their eligibility to participate in federal aid programs.

The key longer-term tests are as follows:

■ Are graduates spending, at most, 12% of income on loan payments?

■ Are graduates spending no more than 30% of discretionary income (income above 150% of the federal poverty level) on loan payments?

What the government is seeking is "program integrity," which basically means, "does the combination of the student's job objective and the total amount of his projected loans make economic sense?" The buzz phrase which became part of the implemented regulations is "ability to benefit." Maybe this idea could be applied to colleges in general.

***

To illustrate some of the educational and financial dynamics of the for-profit sector, I am including a discussion of the Kaplan group of education companies owned by the publicly-held Washington Post Company.

#### Data on Kaplan Education

Kaplan's array of degrees and certificates, which is much more extensive than imagined by many, is outlined below. The information and the data points which follow are from the company's 2012 audited results.

(For those wanting more/excruciating, detail on regulatory risks in the for-profit education industry, the company's Annual Report includes multiple pages of dense verbiage.)

Like its for-profit competitors, Kaplan uses a standardized approach to curricula and teaching throughout its locations and modalities. Professors march to one drummer, not their own music as in a conventional college. Common assessments thus are possible, which is critical for decision-making. Coupling these factors with intense focus on preparation for the workplace—which includes curricula inputs from employers, Kaplan generates what it believes are higher graduation rates for students with similar risk levels than is true at traditional colleges. As with all outcome measurements, picking the right benchmark is half the game. I am tall in Japan but a joke on an NBA court.

In 2012, Kaplan's net revenue was $2.2 billion, down significantly from $2.4 billion, which in turn was well below the $2.8 billion in 2010. About 50% of revenues came from higher education; test prep was 13% and International was 36%. Student enrollment was 65,000, down from 75,000. About 23% were enrolled for Certificates, 29% for Associate's degrees, 34% for a Bachelor's, and 14% for a Master's.

In reaction to reduced customer demand triggered by the adverse publicity and the Great Recession, the company now has a "Kaplan Commitment." This is a risk-free trial period during which the student can see whether the school is right for him. When new enrollments dropped 37% in 2011, the company said they would have only declined 20% without the trial. This comparison supports the outside observer's point that students were formerly signing up who were not cut out to be Kaplan students. From the company's standpoint, the rationalization of the student body going forward should mean a greater likelihood of positive changes in both graduation and default rates.

***

In defending its business practices, Kaplan has stated that its typical student has four risk factors, versus 1.5 for the average of those enrolled in conventional higher education. Its listing of risks relevant to student success in higher education is as follows:

Single Parent...Dependents...Delayed Enrollment

No High School Diploma

Works full-time and attends part-time...Financially Independent

There is clearly an overlap of the characteristics of many Latino students with the above list of risk factors. The challenge for any individual collegian is to reduce the "risk count" as much as possible by focusing on the controllable items on that list and then making the decision on which higher education path makes sense.

***

Strayer University, one of Kaplan's many competitors, has reacted to the same industry dynamics with the introduction of a "Graduation Fund." For every three courses a student completes, he will earn a tuition voucher usable for the last ten courses of a degree-program, which means that the fourth year would be free. The objective is clear: boost the graduation rate at Strayer from the current level of 15-20% for students coming to a college for the first time. Not good obviously.

#### Closing Comments

Students working 35-40 hours per week, which includes numerous Latinos, are attracted to the on-line approach of for-profit colleges, as well as the job preparation focus of these schools. The fact that great care must be taken in evaluating this particular education option is not dramatically different in terms of the process from what is true for any match-up of student and college.

If the for-profit shoe fits with an accurate self-analysis, it may be the right choice, keeping in mind that it is still not clear that employers value a Phoenix or Kaplan degree the same way they look at a diploma from a conventional four-year college.

(Those interested in a cure for insomnia should consider getting the 2012 Senate report on the for-profit industry from the U.S. Government Printing Office: the summary is a mere 200 pages... and there are 600 pages on the 30 companies examined... 300 pages of appendices... and 4,000 pages submitted by the companies. Zzzzzzz!)

#### Websites

University of Phoenix  
APOLLO.EDU

Capella University  
CAPELLA.EDU

Career Education, multiple schools  
CAREERED.COM

DeVry University, multiple schools  
DEVRY.EDU

Art Institutes and other schools  
EDMC.EDU

ITT Educational Services, etc.  
ITTESI.COM

Large number of campuses  
STRAYER.EDU

You can also consult the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools of Colleges (<http://www.accsc.org/>), the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (<http://www.acics.org/>), and the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (<http://www.careertech.org/>) to find out information on schools which are accredited in the area of marketable skills.

### The Military Option

The missions/descriptors of the various military services, as pulled from a website that might be viewed by a student, are as follows:

At present, Latinos are 11% of military personnel, compared with 16% of the relevant age group in the overall population. Naturally, Latinos find it hard to understand a country which has denied undocumented students the opportunity to become fully-educated citizens while simultaneously it solicits immigrants to fight and die for the American flag. The fact that a green card holder in the military can have his naturalization process accelerated does not offset the inherent policy contradiction, which is only one of many on the list of the country's treatment of undocumented individuals.

***

Historically the military option for a young man or woman involved a combination of considerations: patriotism, a way to learn discipline, the creation of a career path for an individual living an otherwise aimless life, and money for education. However, in my geographic area and many others, discussion of the military option is both limited—often evoking conversation-stopping political controversy—and focused entirely on the money.

Objectively speaking, the potential benefits of the military are extensive—housing, training for one of more than a hundred career paths, paid vacations, healthcare, and travel (though not always of the pleasant variety), to name several. When all is said and done, the major draw for young people who put the military on their college decision board is, unsurprisingly, the aforementioned money.

The Army National Guard—a "partner with the Army in fulfilling the country's military needs from domestic emergencies to combat missions"—spells out the money attraction.

A signing bonus for joining the military can look especially good to financially disadvantaged young people and their parents, who may never have seen a single check that large in their lives. However, signing bonuses come and go, as they do from the marketing departments of any business. Once, an enlistee could get $20,000, spread out but front-end loaded; now, it is more like $5,000, if that. Bonuses are usually only for critically hard-to-fill "ratings," a military term analogous to the positions in a corporation.

For those students whose interest in the military goes beyond the initial marketing pitch and bonus and is linked to a possible career, here are some data. There are 1.4 million men (85%) and women (15%) in the military, and they earn an average of about $86,000, up from $57,000 in 1998. The USA spends over $700 billion annually on the military, compared with less than $500 billion in outlays by the next ten nations combined. By any definition, much of this spending is of questionable merit. Looking ahead, the perilous federal budget situation undoubtedly will mean many negative changes to the military financial picture. Announcements of future military base closings and staff reductions have begun.

***

A high school student may be exposed to the military much sooner than one would expect.

#### Recruiting and Training

Military recruiters, in my area anyway, may have complete access to high school cafeterias, where they can set up shop with flashy videos (featuring the money side of the deal), attractive literature, and piles of free t-shirts. They can begin talking with students at age 16, although the latter cannot enlist until they turn 17. Recruits do get a second chance to change their mind; they must sign again prior to going to boot camp.

Applicants to the military services must be citizens or resident aliens, and almost always must be high school graduates. They take the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery test, which is failed by approximately 30% of test-takers. Overall, the military says that 75% of possible applicants are not qualified, because of inadequate physical fitness, insufficient education, or criminal records.

The Department of Defense spends over $900 million on recruiting. Some military recruiters are born to the job, having grown up on military bases around the world. Some can outdo politicians in spinning the truth, and impressionable high school students who have no clarity on their path in life—but understand there is something inherently appealing about money for education—can drink the Kool-Aid. Families who are adamantly against debt may themselves suggest the military route to their offspring.

For any high-achieving high school student who can expect scholarship support for college, the monetary appeal of the military should fade away. For some of the others, it is not inherently a bad way to pay for college. Only the Marines and the Army require going into battle during the enlistee's initial commitment. In these services, if the military thinks the individual would make a good truck driver in a war zone, wave good-bye at the airport. In contrast, the summer camp and weekend commitments required by the National Guard are easily doable, and the Guardsman simply hopes that when the phone rings, it is an order to help out on a domestic situation and not a request to head to the Middle East.

The initial training is "just a head game" to quote an unlikely Latina enlistee at her graduation from Fort Lee basic training camp in Virginia. The only "catch" is that the United States government owns your posterior for a multi-year period, six or eight being common. The commitment is typically two-to-three years being active and the remainder being on active reserve. The contract is real.

The key to a successful experience in the military, besides a thorough initial understanding of what that contract entails, is the maturity and self-reflection of the enlistee and the quality of the leadership of the unit to which he is assigned. As is true in all aspects of the higher education process, it is beneficial—before committing to the military—for the young person to first understand himself as much as possible and then to talk with friends in similar situations who have made a variety of decisions. Not only do mom and dad not necessarily know what is best, neither does the high school guidance counselor or the flag-waving recruiter. The decision is about the student, not other adults.

***

As indicated, undocumented individuals cannot enlist (they cannot fill in the correct box on many college applications either, although it does happen) but holders of green cards who enlist get their citizenship process accelerated. Some 70,000 green card enlistees have received their citizenship since the attacks on 9-11, with another 16,000 in the pipeline.

In yet another example of the country's mixed messages to immigrants, all male citizens, including both documented and undocumented immigrants, must register (<https://www.sss.gov/>) with the Selective Service System if they are ages 18-25. (Now that women have achieved equal status with men in terms of occupying military combat positions, an unforeseen consequence may be a requirement that women register with the Selective Service as well.) Often, when an undocumented young man registers, he is fearful that this action may expose his parents and others to adverse examination by Immigration and Citizenship Services, but that is not the military's concern. To complete the picture of government policy confusion, the Defense Department, which one might suspect harbors more Republicans than Democrats, was already on record as supporting a DREAM Act even before the 2012 presidential election.

Often, the tougher audience for military recruiters is not the teenagers, but the parents and other adults around them who in many sections of the country are anti-military without further thought. Only 10 states produce 70% of military personnel, and only one-fifth of Congressmen and women have served in the military, whereas a generation ago, it was three-fourths. Now lawyers dominate the professions on Capitol Hill—it is not evident that the "trade" has been a good one, but that subject is for another place.

On the favorable side, Congress has provided extensive benefits for military veterans interested in higher education. Federal spending for this purpose is around $10 billion. Interestingly, eight of the top ten schools attended by military benefit recipients are for-profit colleges; many veterans already consider themselves to have had multiple life experiences and are enrolled to gain specific job-related knowledge, rather than to participate in the total college life.

There is an additional, specific reason why for-profit schools target military students, as pointed out by Hollister Petraeus, the Assistant Director for service member affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. For-profit schools must generate at least 10% of their revenues outside of the Title IV category—students who are eligible for Pell Grants and Stafford loans—and monies from military students count toward that minimum. Hence, they are pursued aggressively. Petraeus questioned whether there was a relationship between arduous recruitment of military students and low graduation and employment rates, leading to high loan default rates.

***

#### West Point Military Academy

With holders of Bachelor's degrees representing nearly one out of every five personnel, the military is more educated than I, and many others, would have guessed. Moreover, ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) is returning to many of the same college campuses which had booted out the program during the Vietnam War era of student activism.

Contributing to the above educational statistic are the often-overlooked military service academies. For example, the common perception back in the day was that the Military Academy at West Point was fundamentally a place for politically-connected appointees who were physically fit. Today, it is not widely recognized that the school (which accepts only 11% of applicants) has high academic standards: applicants average over 600 on the SAT (per section) and 26-31 on the ACT. It has an 80% graduation rate in four years, after which students are obligated for five years of active duty and three years of reserve status. They are paid as undergraduates, $225 per month. They do not pay for college, repeat—they graduate with no debt.

While academics are high level, the application itself is a composite of different factors: 60% academic, 10% physical, and 30% extracurricular leadership. The academy is becoming more aggressive in marketing this message to minority high schoolers who had previously not thought about the military: at present, some 7% of West Point cadets are Latino, comparable to the African American percentage. Other branches of the military service Reading the same demographic data as West Point undoubtedly are embarked on similar recruiting strategies.

***

#### Military Suicide Data

Since suicides among college students are discussed elsewhere in GUIDE, it is even more appropriate to include these data pertinent to the military. Unsurprisingly, the Army rate of suicides is about 25% higher than that of civilians; what is a shock is that suicides among American military people in Afghanistan have exceeded combat deaths.

Contrary to what the lay person would expect, repeated deployments to war zones reportedly are not the dominant factor behind the suicide rate. Instead, it is the first deployment which has a disproportionate presence in the statistics. Other contributing factors, according to the Army, are alcohol and prescription drug abuse and a "lowering of recruiting standards which has brought a higher-risk population into the Army (three quarters of military personnel committing suicide have not attended college)."

Normally of course, the regular military men and women get called first in wartime, but in the past decade of wasted lives in the Middle East, many National Guardsmen have been called to active wartime duty. Reflecting in part the absence of the collegial support system available to those who are engaged in full-time military service, the suicide rate for Guardsmen has climbed sharply, up 450% since 2004, and is at a level which exceeds that of active-duty soldiers. Both males and females are vulnerable, particularly those who have no spouse waiting for them back home.

Midway through 2012, Time magazine did an exhaustive study of military suicides, and much of its data are in the table below. Everybody hopes that more knowledge of circumstances and characteristics will bring the requisite support and attention necessary for a reduction in the rate of suicides. Note that the high incidence of sexual assaults in the military, twice the rate of the civilian population, has not been specifically identified as a contributing factor, but the negative spotlight has swung to this deeply troubling issue, with much evidence that the "brass" has been slow to react to allegations. President Obama, in his 2013 commencement address at the Naval Academy—where one in five midshipmen is a woman—called on each person in the military to do the right thing, to have "moral courage."

#### Closing Comments

To sum up with a stunning, "no, really" observation—for a student, Latino or otherwise, evaluating the military option requires heavy-duty self-analysis and considerable homework. As with most decisions, doing something for the right reason, even if it does not work out, is preferable to doing it for the wrong reason—which from the outset tips the scales against being successful. Given the cost/associated debt of higher education, there is no question that military money will continue to attract some students.

#### Websites

AIRFORCE.COM

GOARMY.COM

GOCOASTGUARD.COM

MARINES.COM

NATIONALGUARD.COM

NAVY.COM

NJARMYGUARD.COM

SSS.GOV

## Chapter Six: THE UNDOCUMENTED STUDENT

### The DREAM is Now

In the last fifteen months, undocumented students have seen changes in the political landscape concerning immigration reform which have been nothing short of dramatic. There are at least four factors at work:

■ Clearly number one is that President Obama's re-election was mightily aided by winning 71% of Latino votes. And every Latino political organization in the country is constantly reminding him of that fact.

■ Secondly, there was the revelation that for several years, bipartisan committees in both the House of Representatives and the Senate had been working on immigration legislation. This unforeseen collaboration resulted in S.744, the "Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act" (hereafter referred to as IMA), inclusive of DREAM Act provisions near and dear to the hearts of all undocumented students.

■ Even those Republicans who fit neatly under the descriptor of thick-headed have come to realize that demographics are so strongly against them that they must at a minimum make peace with the Latino community. Some of the old guard might be listening to former President George W. Bush, who has publicly lamented his inability to get immigration reform accomplished. Vastly more are listening to rising star Marco Rubio (R., Florida) as he attempts to advance his political career by reconciling his thoughts on immigration with those of others in his party and the demographics of the 21st century. Rubio and his colleagues in the Senate did a remarkable job in handling the pejorative term, "amnesty," historically the third rail of immigration debates, by taking the tack, "we did immigration wrong before (1996) and now we are fixing it."

■ President Obama previously (June of 2012) had laid the groundwork for a deeper look at DREAM Act-type legislation with his Executive Order on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), to be discussed subsequently. (IMA includes language empowering the Secretary of Homeland Security to "adopt streamlined procedures for...adjustment to lawful permanent status...for DACA applicants.")

### The Immigration Modernization Act

IMA passed in the Senate easily, 68-32, but there has been much more resistance in the House of Representatives, partly reflecting pending re-election campaigns for certain

Republican fence-sitters. Among this constituency, there is disbelief that Obama would follow through on his pledge of 20,000 more border patrol officers and 700 miles of added fencing. One thought expressed by some Republicans who are troubled by the massive scope and detail of IMA and are against the "pathway to citizenship," has been a different reform package. It would include the DREAM Act, enhanced border control, and an expanded visa system for STEM discipline immigrants.

I am assuming passage of some type of immigration bill, whether it be comprehensive, DREAM Act only, or something in between. Thus far, there has been no particular controversy concerning the DREAM Act provisions, which is good to know as there was some talk only two years back of separating such a bill from overall immigration reform in order to better the odds of getting it passed.

This is how the DREAM Act portions of S.744 Read, moderately edited for space reasons.

Section 245D: Adjustment of status for (existing DACA recipients and all additional DREAMERS): "the Secretary of Homeland Security may adjust the status of a registered provisional immigrant (RPI) to the status of lawful permanent resident (LPR) if the immigrant demonstrates that he or she:

■ has been an RPI for at least five years

■ was younger than 16 when entered the country

■ has earned a high school diploma or GED

■ has a college degree or has completed at least two years in a college program or has served in the military for at least four years

■ has provided a list of each high school attended while in the United States

■ has paid the required fees

■ has demonstrated knowledge of English and American history

■ has submitted biometric and biographic data

***

Before becoming totally and prematurely excited, especially given the resistance being seen in the House, it is useful to take a step back and look at some history pertinent to undocumented students, with many of their voices added to my own. To begin, there is the announcement of a year ago:

### President Obama takes Action: DACA

The hope and fight meters in the hearts and minds of undocumented students jumped up on June 15, 2012 with President Obama's Executive Order entitled, "Deferred Action Process for Young People who are Low Enforcement Priorities," later shortened to "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" (DACA). Subject to renewal, DACA pertains to previously undocumented young people meeting certain criteria:

■ Came to the United States under the age of 16.

■ Have continuously resided in the U.S. for at least five years preceding June 15, 2012 and were in the U.S. on June 15, 2012.

■ Are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a GED, or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the U.S.

■ Have not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security/public safety.

■ Are not above the age of 30 (that is, have not yet turned 31)

Additional information on DACA (about a dozen pages worth, including the application itself) is available from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (<http://www.uscis.gov/>), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (<http://www.ice.gov/>), or the Department of Homeland Security (<http://www.dhs.gov/>).

Successful DACA applicants (over 550,000 thus far) are able to obtain a social security card—stamped for work authorization—and are eligible to apply for a driver's license. Their world opens up significantly, although not totally, as will be delineated.

Unsurprisingly, Obama's order brought tears of joy to the families of an estimated 800,000 young people directly and immediately affected (including 60,000 in New Jersey alone). Looking further ahead, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a projected 1.9 million individuals—70% of whom are Mexican—ultimately could benefit from DACA. New York City, perhaps the metropolitan area which is the friendliest to young immigrants, is allocating $18 million over a two-year period to help potential DACA applicants finish their education requirements.

The impact of DACA is multidirectional:

■ By being able to drive and work, students can look at more job alternatives than are possible in the shadow economy, where they have been limited to jobs reachable by foot or borrowed/paid ride or bus. The New York Immigration Group found that "a legal work permit increases income by about 40%."

■ College graduates can seek employment in their major. According to the Migration Policy Institute, an estimated 140,000 undocumented immigrants are in college now, about half of whom are attending two-year schools.

■ The ability to establish banking relationships is enhanced, and therefore a credit record can be built.

■ Professional certificates can be applied for.

■ The used car market will gain customers.

■ Government receipts should rise: fees for driver's licenses and car inspections, and taxes paid at legitimate jobs.

■ The opportunity for a risk-free trip to the home country will be an emotional uplift.

■ There will be no excuse for a DACA beneficiary to not file taxes.

■ Employers will be less able to take advantage of undocumented employees.

■ A wish: through increased positive involvement in a more broadly defined set of employment and social interactions, DACA students will help bring about greater acceptance of immigrants in the community at large.

There were multiple perceived risks and cautionary comments pertinent to DACA prior to Obama's re-election; several of them have gone by the boards (COMMENTS IN CAPS):

■ The action itself has only a two-year life, although renewable. A new President could cancel the whole deal or simply not renew it. NO LONGER A FEAR BECAUSE OF OBAMA'S RE-ELECTION.

■ Students eager for a real DREAM Act may be more irritated if it fails to be passed. REMAINS TRUE.

■ Anti-immigration forces, upset at Obama's use of an Executive Order, may be more united in their opposition to comprehensive reform. THE RE-ELECTION'S IMPACT ON REPUBLICANS WHO CAN COUNT VOTES HAS REDUCED THIS POSSIBILITY.

■ Hispanic parents may sense, i.e. fear, a loosening of familial ties and cultural identity as their offspring function in wider circles, both geographically and intellectually. EXPOSURE TO DIFFERENT LIFESTYLES AND WAYS OF THINKING IS INEVITABLE, REGARDLESS OF ANY LEGISLATION.

■ Parents, students, and advocates alike are nervous about governmental agencies sharing information. They have been assured that enforcement agents will not have access to DACA information. IMA INCLUDES NUMEROUS INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS, WHICH MEANS MORE SHARING PROBABLY. THE OFFSET IS THAT THE IMMIGRANT, IF FULLY COMPLIANT, WILL HAVE A PREDICTABLE OUTCOME: GREEN CARD AND CITIZENSHIP.

■ Will employers be reluctant to verify that individuals have worked for their companies, since it represents an admission that the latter hired "illegals." IMA STIPULATES THAT THIS INFORMATION CANNOT BE USED AGAINST THE EMPLOYER.

■ Because the beneficiaries of DACA have been classified as still not being "lawfully present," they are not eligible for any government-based healthcare benefits. THIS NEGATIVE FACTOR CONTINUES, BUT RECEIPT OF A GREEN CARD WOULD BRING THAT ELIGIBILITY.

■ Depending on the laws in each state, while DACA means the student is not undocumented in the sense of being susceptible to deportation, it does not automatically mean anything with respect to college policies on the tuition rate DACA students are charged. IMA SPECIFICALLY REPEALS SECTION 505 OF THE IMMIGRATION ACT OF 1996. STATES THEREFORE WILL BE COMPLETELY EMPOWERED TO PROVIDE IN-STATE STATUS FOR UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS.

■ DACA should not be interpreted as a direct path to legal status. DREAM Act provisions are necessary for that purpose. BRING ON THE IMMIGRATION MODERNIZATION ACT AND SECTION 2103!

As indicated, the numbers and implications involved in any discussion of DACA and DREAMERS are not small. Nationally there are an estimated 2.1 million undocumented children/young adults. About 40% of undocumented children are in families below the federal poverty line, compared with 17% of native-born children, and only 5-10% of undocumented students make it to college. With the higher incomes and related taxes paid by college graduates, many economists regard a DREAM Act, because of the anticipated addition of thousands of graduates, as having a significant positive impact on the American economy. (The numbers crunchers in New Jersey are on record as supporting this thesis for the entire immigration reform proposal.)

The Policy Immigration Center refers to hypothetical beneficiaries of DREAM Act provisions as the "1.5" generation since these young people are not really second generation, having come to the United States as children. Probably 90% of them have no desire to return to their parents' "home country" to pursue education, create their families and conduct their lives. Without immigration reform, they will instead live in the shadows in this country, and society will continue to be deprived of their talents.

The Delta Project describes the dilemma of the 1.5 generation wonderfully; I edited its wording a touch to reflect the impact of DACA.

■ "Born abroad and brought by their parents at an early age to live in the United States, undocumented children are among those youth referred to in academic literature as the 1.5 generation, because they fit somewhere between the first and second generations. They are not first-generation immigrants because they did not choose to migrate, but neither do they belong to the second generation because they were born and spent part of their childhood outside of the United States. They straddle two worlds.

■ Their origins include the Americas, Asia, Europe and Africa. Although they may have some association with their countries of birth, their primary identification is informed by their experiences growing up in the United States. With every year lived here, the distance grows between them and the native countries of their parents, as they speak more English and less of their parents' language.

■ Members of the 1.5 generation are often called upon to assist their parents in the acculturation and adaptation process. Ironically, each year also brings them closer to the legal restrictions experienced by their parents. As they reach adolescence and early adulthood, the day-to-day lives of students become restricted, their futures uncertain."

Additional data on undocumented students are from the Pew Hispanic Center:

■ Of immigrants ages 25-64, 35% of those who are legal have a Bachelor's degree and an additional 18% have some college education, whereas only 15% of those who are undocumented have a Bachelor's degree and 10% have some college. (These degrees were not necessarily earned in the United States.)

■ Median household income is $52,000 for those headed by legal immigrants, which is comparable to the incomes of households headed by individuals born in the United States. Both are well above the $36,000 median household income for those headed by undocumented immigrants.

■ Half of all undocumented immigrants are employed in either service or construction industries, compared with 20% of American-born workers in these categories. The flip side is that only 9% are in the professional/management/finance sector, versus 36% of American-born workers.

There is nothing but upside for the economy if young students are able to gain the college education necessary to move ahead in the higher value-added, higher-income job categories in which they are currently under-represented.

***

In the past, some undocumented would-be students, out of desperation to become documented, have searched for a suitable marriage partner, some have picked a social security number out of the air and hoped for the best, some have borrowed a legitimate social security number, some—who have a temporary work permit and other credentials—have found that the college of their desire does not accept their documentation anyway, or, more likely, would accept them but charge the much higher international student rate.

Aspiring young people who have shunned circuitous routes to documentation and who are politically inclined have formed numerous advocacy groups, like the New Jersey DREAM Act Coalition or United We DREAM (<http://www.unitedwedream.org/>). The re-election of Obama spurred the formation of new advocacy groups virtually everywhere there exists a critical mass of Latinos, which is basically nationally. Undocumented students now are seemingly completely comfortable in going public, while the political strength of Latinos overall is reflected in their push at the national level. And their heavy presence in the Catholic church has spurred an explicit push at the pulpit in favor of comprehensive immigration reform.

Absent DREAM Act provisions, it would be scary to think of hundreds of thousands of frustrated undocumented students wondering where they belong in this world. If they had to return to their alleged "home country," with their English language skills and educational attainment, even if only through high school, they would be prime candidates for employment by the multinationals in those countries, which would be more than a little irritating to students from those countries who never came to the United States and/or cannot compete academically and/or are monolingual. The undocumented student who thinks of himself as being American would be disliked by those in his "home country." Not wanted here or there, what does he do?

Maybe anti-immigration zealots have limited understanding of the circumstances of undocumented students, as outlined by this Honduran college student.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

SACRIFICE, by Emerson Maradiaga [Forum: November-December 2010]

Days are filled with adventures and new experiences, good news and great opportunities, but sometimes with sadness and misery. Even if we would like every day to be perfect, there are some situations and events that may turn the day upside down. Some people say things get accomplished a certain way because God made it happen that way. However, some believe we are responsible for our actions and are the leaders of our own destiny. No matter what you believe in, bad days will come and we will be required to make sacrifices. The only question is if we are able to take the initiative to make a sacrifice for a loved one or for a better future.

It takes months to get to know a person, and yet every day we learn something new about them. The surprising thing is it only takes a couple of minutes, even seconds, to receive bad news that could possibly change the plans one had engineered at a certain period of time. A sacrifice can be as little as devoting part of your time to volunteer at a hospital, or donating part of your money to some charity, or easily stop your activity to help out a friend in need. The big sacrifices come when our life becomes complicated and the plan that we originally had might need to take a break and find another solution.

My mother had to make the sacrifice to go live with her aunt when she received news that her father had been found dead in the fields. Although she was young when that terrible event in her life occurred, she was old enough to feel the change of knowing she would not grow up with her father. That her mother was going to take care of the two younger children and her older sister and she would have to adapt to a new environment living with their aunts. She would have to move cities and start her life over with different siblings, living a different life.

When we immigrate to this country, we have a dream and desire to work ourselves up to have a better future. Our parents push themselves through their jobs to be able to give us a better education and a better life style. Through elementary school and high school we strive to achieve greatness and hope that we can graduate and one day go to college and experience a whole new world.

We stay up late doing homework; some days we procrastinate and others we have to endure the pain and agony of listening to boring teachers. We know the sacrifices that we make at the end will be worth it once we receive an acceptance letter in our mail. On the other hand, fate takes a turn and we may never receive that letter. Worst of all, the letter does not mean anything if you are not able to attend due to personal or monetary issues.

It feels as if what I have done these past years does not mean anything due to the fact that I had to sacrifice my entrance to college and defer the first semester. It was hard in the beginning to know that my dream to go college and enrich my mind with knowledge that could help me become a successful businessman had been paused. To hear my friends count down the days for them to move into their dorms. To see them excited and ready to start a whole new chapter of their lives while I was home trying to figure out my next step.

Their first day of class was a day where my feelings intertwined and became confused because although I was happy for my friends, I could not say the same for myself. I tried to stay strong and take in all the remarks and statements they made about their first day, and smile as much as I could while inside I wished I could share a story as well.

What hurt the most was not that I did not get accepted, it was that money became a barrier, an obstacle, a breach towards the new chapter in my life. I had the opportunity to start school with my friends, but I did not want my family to starve because most of their money would have gone toward paying for my college tuition.

I made the decision to start working for a short period of time to gather more of the money needed and hopefully by the next semester be ready to dedicate as much time as possible to my studies. Has my sacrifice been worth it? I believe it will be, but the answer lies in the years ahead.

***

Before the enthusiasm for IMA, naturally shared by this student, the most prominent recent legislative move had come in California. In 2010, that state, where over half of public school students are Latino, passed its own DREAM Act, AB540. The law astutely based student eligibility for in-state tuition on graduation from a California high school and on geographic, not legal, residency. Students must be in the California high school system for at least three years and demonstrate they are on a path to legal status. Importantly, they qualify for state aid, but of course, still no federal assistance.

The motivation for the bill was not "justice," but economic: the state needs more skilled labor to replace retirees. In less than a generation, California has evolved from banning non-essential government services to undocumented immigrants (Proposition 187, 1994) to supporting college education for, conceptually anyway, those same individuals. Maybe the political process on the Left Coast is alive and well: the reality of current demographics trumps past prejudice.

In a decision which at the time appeared headed to the United States Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court upheld AB540; it unanimously ruled that "illegal immigrants can be eligible for the same reduced tuition at public colleges and universities as residents of the state." Eleven other states have passed laws that provide undocumented students with the opportunity to pay in-state tuition. (The relevant proposal in New Jersey is in political limbo.) The laws in these states, while not identical, are nonetheless consistent with the approach taken by California. (For further information on the laws in various states, go to <http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/dream-act>.)

The original United States Supreme Court decision (Plyler v. Doe; 1982) mandating free public K-12 schooling for all children regardless of legal status included this statement:

"Denying K-12 education to undocumented children amounts to creating a lifetime of hardship and a permanent underclass of individuals."

I would think this logic applies regardless of age and therefore the California DREAM Act would be upheld by the Supreme Court and/or IMA would render the point moot. Or maybe my attitude is simply mirroring hope—which has long been the qualitative essential in the undocumented student struggle.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

HOPE! by Emerson Maradiaga [Forum: August-September 2010]

When everything is lost and it seems as though nothing can be fixed or be done, we still hope things will get better. Hope is one of the few things that stays with us when good and bad events occur. Although we cannot see hope, it has a spiritual meaning that makes it stronger and magical. For some, hope gets lost as obstacles prevent the path from being without difficulty. For others, hope stays until the end as hope might be the only remedy that helps the mind stay focused on the desired target. Hope is everywhere; the only question is if the hope can last until the end.

My Senior year in high school was a time when I matured more than I had in the prior four years combined because I could better understand the background of my life. The way my parents were able to bring me to this country has affected the way my life is going. I came to this country when I was ten years old, without knowing much of the reason why we had to immigrate to another county. I was able to adapt to the new environment, and learn the language. Meeting new friends was a great joy and still is today. Things became difficult when the ICE police found out our status in this country. From the day they arrived at our house, knocking at 6 o clock in the morning, everything has felt like a nightmare.

Although this problem has not been resolved, my hope has not decreased or died out. I have experienced moments where I'm standing in the immigration building, fear runs in the veins, frustration tries to take over my body, and faith that everything is going to turn out well decreases. My mother becomes so nervous she forgets the little English she knows, and she cannot wait until the moment she steps outside the door.

We have consulted over fifteen lawyers, yet only two have actually done something productive while the others only took our money. My parents have wasted more money on the immigration case than they have spent on themselves. It hurts me to see them spend the money that they have earned in their jobs for something that may or may not happen. Even though our case does not look as good as if it were in the best stage, I have hope that it will get resolved someday. Meanwhile, in March of 2010, my father was injured at his Job using a lawnmower. I was helping at Special Olympics during a bocce event when my phone started to vibrate and I saw my mother's number appear in the caller ID.

I began to cry instantly when she had told me that my father had cut his hand. I began to think if she meant the whole hand or if it was a piece of it. Then I started to imagine my dad without that piece of his body. My mother called again and specified it was only one finger. I was in another town, thirty minutes away from Dover. I was hoping to see the teacher who was going to bring the lunches for the volunteers because she was the only one who could take me to the hospital, which she did.

As I got to the hospital, my heart rate and breathing increased; I was nervous to see how critical my dad was. I entered the waiting area and I saw at a minimum, six family members, shocked by the news. I quickly ran to my mother and asked her how my father was doing. He was already getting surgery for his pinky and ring finger. Around half an hour through the surgery, we were called to talk to the surgeon. He gave us the horrible news that he was unable to put the piece of finger that was cut from the machine back in its place. I began to cry knowing that my father will never be the same, that the prayers had not been answered for him to come out the way he was before this entire nightmare. I was both shocked and nostalgic in a matter of hours.

Everything had happened in one day, and one day was enough. The only idea that could console my soul was the fact that the surgeon had promised us that he would try to recuperate most of the finger. My hopes were still high for him to get better and be able to handle the surgery and the treatments that he was receiving. My father lost the upper part of his ring finger but was able to save his pinky. He is now going to therapy, trying to retrieve the movement and strength he had lost.

My life has not been easy from the minute my mother had the courage to come to this country. I am a strong believer that things happen for a reason. After every fall, I have learned something new about myself and about the world around me. Hope has never left my mind because with hope comes faith. We have all heard that we should never give up on our goals and dreams because no journey is guaranteed to be an easy one, but hope helps us persevere toward what you desire to do that ultimately leads to success.

I fight for what I believe in and what I think is the right decision, hoping that eventually everything will fall into place. There is nobody who is perfect, because perfection was not meant for us, but we can hope to be the best we can be, and that makes us better.

***

It breaks no confidences to say that over the years I have been privy to the legal situations of multiple students in my various programs.

### My Interaction with Undocumented Students

For a large number of Latinos, and for myself—having cried with more than one undocumented student when they first learned what their "status" meant educationally, there is no mystery as to why this issue commands a separate chapter in GUIDE. The predicament of being an undocumented student historically has generated a wholly disproportionate share of the emotional, philosophical, and financial stress evident in the Latino student community in which I function. (I do not want to think about the aggregate lawyers' fees paid by these families.)

To put this issue in further perspective, here is an additional essay by Emerson as he spoke out even before the optimism generated by DACA and Obama's re-election.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE by Emerson Maradiaga [Forum: May-June 2011]

Some say our decisions and actions are what make us who we are, while some say that who we are is based on our personality. Being that I am undocumented, most people base their opinions on the decisions that were made over eight years ago by my family. My actions that made me become an Honor Roll Student throughout high school do not mean anything because I crossed the border at some point in my life. However, in every dark room there is a bright light.

The Dream Act was introduced to the House of Representatives on March 26, 2009, and many students were immensely happy to know that there was hope that it would make it to the Senate and ultimately reach President Obama's desk. On July 29, 2010, I was able to participate in the march that took place in Downtown Brooklyn, beginning at Cadman Plaza Park and making its way over to the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge. I was able to protest Arizona's SB1070 Law and raise awareness for the Dream Act. Ever since that day I have been part of the immigration advocacy organization in Morristown called Wind of the Spirits. With them I have educated myself with the latest news on immigration and have been able to do something to help my cause and those in the same situation.

I have learned that the more we stick together and fight for what we believe in, the more we can accomplish big deeds. Recently CCM voted to change its admissions policy and accept undocumented students. Wind of the Spirits was present in the Board of Trustees meeting, where they were able to submit their concerns and views on how the change of policy will be a positive asset in our community. Although I was not present that day, I have been able to attend the Freeholders' meetings and the last meeting that the Board of Trustees had. I was amazed on how differently everyone took the Trustees' decision.

At the Freeholders' meeting, I was able to share my concerns on their opinion that the decision made by CCM was a bad idea. As my turn came around to speak up in front of them, I started with some background information about my family and myself. I told them how I have been searching for a way to go to college and how this opportunity would open many doors to me and others whose dreams to continue their education were stopped or delayed. After many of us who were against the Freeholders' opinion had our chance to speak up, the ones in favor stood up to defend themselves.

Little by little their statements started to bother me. Most of them did not know that a big percentage of undocumented students and their families do pay taxes, and not only sales taxes. In addition, they believed that if CCM enables "illegal aliens" to walk the halls of the college, it will be a disadvantage to the citizens who want to attend and who will not find seats because they would be all taken. As surprising as it sounds, CCM is in an under-enrollment position; therefore that view would be a myth.

Not only would the policy have guidelines and requirements, in my opinion it is a courageous step that the college is taking that the U.S. Senate was not able to make. It is a beacon of hope for all the undocumented students who want to persevere in life and try to achieve their American dream.

***

The hopefulness expressed by many undocumented students in my education programs thus far has collided with the entrenched political attitudes of the area surrounding Dover. In heavily Republican Morris County, Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen, from a family which immigrated (by definition) to the United States a very long time ago, reacted as follows to my question in 2011 about his position then on the DREAM Act. (Perhaps his viewpoint has been altered since, as it has for many Tea Partiers, by the Republican debacle in the presidential election of 2012. I do not know: Rep. Frelinghuysen did not respond to my written question.)

Frelinghuysen: "I am against the Dream Act:"

■ "I know people who have lived here for years without getting their papers.

■ Budget pressure means there is no incremental Pell Grant money available.

■ Those kids would compete with (our) kids."

When a person hears anybody use a term like "those kids" or something similar, he knows the speaker has (a) no desire to intellectually drill down on the real issues and (b) has difficulty not displaying his thinly disguised racism. One can almost visualize the physicality of the comment, disdain sliding off the upturned nose and averted eyes. Okay, enough said, dispassionate analysis please.

The first reason cited by the Representative is a combination of ignorance at how difficult the process is and irrelevancy; DREAM Act provisions have been about young people who were brought here—the vast majority were not involved in the decision-making. The second point of logic has surface validity—until one realizes that DREAM Act provisions at the time did not include eligibility for Pell Grants, only federal loans; besides, if somebody can show me a societal policy with a greater return on investment than education, I would love to know about it. His final point requires us to scrap that Statue of Liberty nonsense, circle the wagons around God-fearing white folk, and shelve all the posturing about diversity.

If Rep. Frelinghuysen wanted to make a better political point, he could have said that DREAM Act beneficiaries suffer from spillover optics concerning undocumented immigrants. Those within the latter who only use the USA as an ATM, who refuse as a matter of cultural pride to learn even transactional English, and who wax poetic about how the lifestyle in their "home country" is so much better than here are basically spitting in the face of the politicians whose votes they seek. Frelinghuysen said none of these things.

The anger felt by an undocumented student toward the attitudes of a Frelinghuysen at times can become poetic.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

IN SUPPORT OF THE DREAMERS, by Diego M. Ortiz [Forum: August-September 2010]

Like an apple tree on an inclined slope

my parent's fruit rolled in search of hope

Humbly found a place in which to grow and live

\--Now dependent on charity neighbors give.

Their kindness is our sustenance

which we repay with fulfilled promises.

But we nursed babes face condemnation

by shortsighted legislation

to a fate where the outlook is bleak,

when giving back is what we seek.

We are meager, hungry, poor,

and we are eager to explore

this freedom we adore.

We were too young to make decisions

Now we find ourselves in these conditions

But you can be our saving grace:

allow our talents to not go to waste.

No sweeter fruit could we taste,

My generation out of place.

Our heads we pick up toward the Sun,

and pray: Our faces, God please look upon.

We know not triumph nor victories won.

More common empty promises and brothers shunned.

We are students, and our weapons books,

but scattered we flow in separate brooks.

We are forced to lie and condemned forever crooks;

If you call us thieves, remember, it was only freedom we took.

Our words depart and breath grows colder,

our blood begins to curdle and smolder;

Hope more distant, daily we grow older.

Asking, Are we only placeholders?

If so, our children will be bolder.

Often we feel you'd rather see us dead;

that tears were drops of blood instead.

We are forced to beg, borrow, and cheat.

Such misfortunes lead to our defeat.

Hope we one day find our seat;

for providence to protect us so we one day meet

All the children born at God's feet.

While others suckle at the teat,

we ask for just a piece of Freedom's meat.

And when we find our answers, we promise,

these wrongdoings we never dare repeat.

For those keeping score on the quality of individuals speaking out about inequities concerning documentation, Diego was selected to be the student speaker at the Rutgers Newark college graduation in 2012.

***

In recent years, as I have tried in vain to become less passionate about the stupidity of our society blithely consigning intellectual resources to a life in the underground economy, I have posed this situation to numerous undocumented students: assume that ten freshmen in high school learn for the first time what the label "undocumented" means with respect to higher education—that absent a serious amount of their own money, their perception of being screwed in their pursuit of higher education is valid: access to college is not completely open—because of the negative effect of the differential rate assessed "international" students—and their ability to avail themselves of conventional federal government financial aid is nonexistent.

I then have asked these students to distribute into three buckets the anticipated reaction from a newly-informed undocumented freshman high school student. Here is the past cumulative scorecard of responses.

■ "I will continue to work hard and hope for the best." This "aspirant" group is maybe two or three students of the ten. (With passage of an immigration reform bill, this number should double, which puts more positive pressure on the education system to provide quality in the classroom and guidance counseling offices. Demand for mentoring programs should rise dramatically.)

■ In the middle are about half; they constitute the "whatever" students: they will exert themselves in classes in which they are interested and not spend any time on the rest. In this regard, they are not any different than most kids. However, considering how far these students will get having this attitude, one might argue they are effectively part of the third category below. Unlike many of their documented peers, they cannot suddenly "snap out of it" and "find themselves" at a college.

■ "The hell with it, there's no hope, I quit" describes the remaining two or three students. They may continue in school but only until the point when they can officially drop out. It would not be surprising if there was a connection between those dropping out and adverse behaviors, whether they be various addictions or criminal activity. Certainly this is true of high school drop-outs in general.

Now assume that the student is not a freshman but a junior or senior in high school and has been an aspirant without knowing about his lack of documentation and its meaning.

When he finds out, his reactions are fundamentally two-fold: deep-seated anger at "the system" coupled with a naïve belief that, "there must be a way, a quality college will want me—after all, I have a good GPA, I have been involved in numerous extracurricular activities, and I have been an honest person, never in trouble."

When this undocumented student contacts colleges, their bureaucratic and frequently haughty staffers are often less than forthright about their admission policies concerning undocumented applicants. Apparently different lawyers provide different advice (surprise!) on the supposed liability to a college if it knowingly takes in undocumented students at a resident tuition rate. The whole scenario is rather bizarre given that the immediate economic "issue" is an additional student/"customer" available at a low incremental cost to the higher education institution.

What then do undocumented students do to confront their lack of status as they approach graduation from high school? They ask questions about which colleges are more open than others, and in doing so, they discover a paucity of written rules on college policies. On the good news side, relatively, they find out that often private colleges will accept the student and maybe even provide a good scholarship, but the problem here is that these schools usually are so expensive that there remains a large financial gap because there is no conventional financial aid available.

Inquisitive students learn that many community colleges will accept them but will charge the dramatically higher international student rate, with no aid available. They may learn that in New Jersey, at least two community colleges will accept and only charge the resident rate to those undocumented students who have been New Jersey high school students for at least two years and have a high school diploma or GED. Their interpretation is that community colleges, which are open enrollment by definition and statute, are required to accept all students, but are not required to charge a particular rate. Commuting time to these schools, the establishment of geographic residency, and the availability of desired courses prevent more undocumented students from heading there.

A student who shall remain nameless but who is well-known to the author attended Passaic County Community College in Paterson, New Jersey. This is his interpretation of PCCC's open door policy with respect to undocumented students, an approach consistent with its open enrollment mission.

"From my personal experience and from what I have been told by professors and the chairperson of the engineering department, at PCCC the admission office does not tell you they accept "undocumented students;" as a matter of fact, they do not use that term. Most community colleges require a legit social security (SS) number. At PCCC, it is optional; if a student does not write a SS number in his/her application, the college uses the student ID number to fill in that blank in order to generate documents concerning the student. An undocumented student gets equals privileges as any other student (registration-time, parking spot, fee per credit, etc.).

By government law, undocumented students cannot apply for financial aid at PCCC. Faculty and administrators advise students to adjust their legal status before graduation in order to transfer to a four-year school. After graduation, there is not much PCCC can do. The number of documented students is significant at PCCC; most of the undocumented students come from Hispanic or Arabic ethnicity."

Shifting from the community college level to that of four-year institutions, Rutgers University, like all public schools in New Jersey, by law must accept undocumented students. It only checks a student's status if he or she is seeking financial aid based on need: Pell grant, Federal Direct (Stafford) Loan, or the state Tuition Aid Grant, all of which are unavailable if the student is undocumented. As a small positive factor, a Fastweb.com scholarship search does unearth some sources of financial support for undocumented students; however, the amounts of money are not large.

In prior years, the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority in New Jersey had taken the unfairness toward undocumented students one step further, by denying students who were citizens the ability to get state aid for education because their parents were undocumented. The authority had argued that residency of a citizen was driven by the legality of the parent's status. This amazingly wrongful position has now been struck down in court. In Florida, a federal court has thrown out state regulations which required citizen children of undocumented parents to be labeled out-of-state students, with all that implies in terms of tuition rate.

***

In Morris County, there has been similar legal and operational confusion.

### County College of Morris (CCM) Changes its Policies on Undocumented Students

The local "Stop the Presses" moment regarding undocumented students occurred in 2011 when the previously resistant Board of Trustees of CCM reversed its anti-undocumented student policy and said it would accept such students (as it did prior to 9-11-01) and only charge them the resident rate. Students: do not get excited, you must Read further for modifications, i.e. a switch from the in-county to the much higher international rate.

To qualify under CCM's new rules, the undocumented student must:

■ prove they arrived in the United States before age 16

■ have lived in the USA continuously for at least five years

■ be under 35 years of age

■ have graduated from an American high school, or received a GED here

This was a big turnaround from CCM's prior policy of requiring a letter from Immigration and Citizenship Services with the student's name on it, meaning the student had a case officially underway, before it would even talk with the applicant.

Cynics would say that the bean-counters, with their suggestion as to the obvious benefits of bringing in more customers, had finally won the day, but CCM estimated an addition of only 30-40 students to its enrollment of 8,500 full and part-time students. This seems like a low number, maybe for political reasons, but also may reflect the fact that certain courses (several medical areas, teaching, aviation) are not involved in the new policy, ostensibly because of legal restrictions having nothing to do with CCM. CCM's estimate of added students was proven accurate but not for the right reasons. Charging the in-county rate would have attracted substantially more students.

Here is the school's official release.

WHAT CCM'S NEW ADMISSIONS POLICY MEANS

Elaine Johnson, Chair of CCM Board of Trustees and Dr. Edward Yaw, President of CCM

At our Feb. 16, 2011, meeting, the County College of Morris board of trustees voted to amend the college's admission policy to allow for the admission of undocumented individuals who meet certain established criteria.

Under the change, individuals who do not hold a non-immigrant visa can be admitted to the college if they 1) can provide proof of entrance into the United States before the age of 16 and are under the age of 35, 2) provide proof of having resided in the United States for at least five years without interruption, and 3) provide proof of having graduated from an American high school or obtained a GED or equivalent, or if they meet other conditional admissions requirements. Undocumented individuals who satisfy these requirements would pay the admission fee associated with their current residence. The college continues to reserve the right to refuse admission to any applicant when there is evidence that the individual would endanger the health/safety of himself/herself or others.

Over the last few years, we have become aware that there is an increasing number of Morris County students who are being educated in our public schools and who are receiving good grades but, because of our policy, could not be educated at their community college. These students either had to attend other county colleges, pay significantly more to attend private colleges or forgo plans to pursue a higher education.

It is important to point out that CCM's policy barring the admission of undocumented individuals was only instituted in 2002 as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Prior to that--since its founding in 1968--the college did not ask for proof of citizenship or immigrant status from students.

CCM now joins most of New Jersey's two and four-year colleges that do not ask about immigration status or require Social Security numbers when enrolling students. By allowing undocumented individuals to continue their education at CCM, the trustees have reinforced our founding mission to serve as an open access institution for all seeking a quality education. [CCM]

Rational people would have assumed that CCM had cleared its unforeseen policy change with the Morris County Freeholders, who provide substantial funding to the college, specifically $11.6 million—21% of the college's $56.4 million budget—and who appoint 80% of the school's board of trustees. Reportedly, not so. The back-and-forth of adults acting like children then ensued; "who was informed when," blah, blah, blah, while fearful undocumented students held their breath. A "compromise" reluctantly endorsed CCM's new policy while changing the resident rate provision to the international rate, which is almost triple the former.

In business, if a company's lawyer does not offer a legal way to accomplish its objectives, the CEO fires the lawyer and finds one who can. Therefore, when the company says it cannot do something because of legal fears, it often means it did not want to take the action in the first place. CCM cited legal concerns when it folded under political pressure from the Freeholders and acceded to the above revised policy regarding the rate to be charged. At the same time, kudos to the college's chairwoman, Elaine Johnson, for first bluntly saying the trustees had been "bullied" and then later resigning.

The in-county tuition for a year at CCM is $3,937; out-of-county students pay $6,795, while out-of-state students pay $10,237. CCM places its cost at $7,433 per student, which is primarily an accounting artifice, but a number which was seized upon by critics of the new policy to claim that undocumented students would therefore be subsidized if they paid the in-county rate. Samuelson's Economics 101 discusses the crucial difference between average and incremental cost in an enterprise, but apparently that freshman year textbook was too sophisticated for the debate.

Moreover, by focusing on a narrow definition of cost, the dialogue ignores the societal return on investment in educating undocumented students. Apparently it is preferable for international student visas to be facilitated by revenue-seeking American colleges, with sponsorship documentation that might be as valid as a politician's promise. For historians, the scenario recalls Khrushchev's comment that "it (Russia) will bury the United States, and capitalists will sell us the rope."

Rather a mixed imagery, but what the heck.

The difference in rates at CCM, over the 64 credits required to graduate, is about $14,000, which, unless one has forgotten, remains a large amount of money, with a direct impact on access by lower-income students.

In-county and out-of-county rates apply to residents and citizens. Out-of-state individuals are non-citizens and non-permanent residents who have not been living in New Jersey for at least a year. At 64 credits to graduate, the cost (tuition + fees) jumps from $8,400 to $22,000 (before inflation).

The whole episode at CCM, in the context of the national debate about undocumented students, torqued me off completely, and my ensuing essay (a nicely written rant) was published in the local newspaper. Months later, a waiter at a well-regarded nearby diner called me; he cited my own words and wanted a discussion about his two undocumented sons. I helped, after a fascinating conversation which tied together threads of education, work ethic, politics, language and aspiration.

### A DIFFERENT LOOK AT THE UNDOCUMENTED STUDENT ISSUE

by Bob Howitt [Daily Record: March 11, 2011]

People who want to prevent undocumented young people from obtaining a higher education seek to portray themselves as occupying some type of higher moral ground by repeating the adjective "illegal" as if this complex issue could be considered comparable to going 50 mph in a 45 mph zone. They might want to remember the adage that "for every complicated question, there is a simple answer—and it is always wrong!"

I would ask these opponents to take a long look in the mirror of the average American. Here is what he or she would see:

We buy clothing made in far-off factories with working conditions and wages we would find abhorrent if they involved our kids or friends.

We purchase electronic devices containing key minerals brought up out of distant mines which would be closed if they were in the USA.

We place the moral imprimatur on the countries producing illegal drugs with ten times the fervor allotted to the domestic buyers of those drugs.

We buy SUVs which contradict every dollar we contribute to environmental causes.

We purchase gasoline which literally we have killed to get.

We eat in restaurants where the existence of "illegals" on their staff is a statistical given and we say nothing.

We hire landscapers, construction workers, and babysitters, while never bothering to check on the legality of those who are serving our interests.

Instead of being mired in the thoroughly hypocritical swamp of attempting to use the word "illegal" as if it were a moral concept unique to the higher education situation facing undocumented students, let us check some facts and the thoughts they bring to mind:

The American education system is basically broken. Whether you voted for them or not, you should recognize that President Obama and Governor Christie, among countless others on both sides of the political aisle, agree with this statement and are attempting in different, but complementary, ways to create positive change. To toss away the prospective benefits to society of having undocumented students receive a higher education and becoming taxpayers at progressively higher rates is misguided hubris—we need them.

Very few kids under the age of 16 (the CCM cut-off point for its new policy) were engaged in any family discussion in their far-off homes about the pros and cons of coming to the USA. Their parents obviously drove that decision. To use the terminology of the critics, the students are not the initiators of the "illegal" label. To hold them responsible is heartless and contrary to how most parents would feel about decisions made by their adolescents.

The economics of higher education are not transparent, except for two things: (1) the typical four-year college is obscenely expensive, which is why there is so much attention being paid to increasing the enrollment in two-year community colleges (hopefully while lifting the academic standards therein) and (2) the marginal cost to the college of adding a student, or a few, to a class, is truly minimal. The use of average cost data, while politically useful of course, would become relevant if and when the incremental student count becomes meaningful to staffing and other costs. Note that from a societal standpoint, that situation would be positive—it would mean more kids being educated.

Americans are tense and stressed. Middle-aged managers and numerous other people who never dreamed they could be let go by their employer of 25 years are now unemployed, wondering how it happened and how their somewhat nebulous skills fit in the brave new world of LinkedIn and Monster.com. They look at the country's terrible financial picture and are either stunned into an abject silent surrender or provoked into a verbalized outrage they never thought possible of themselves. Without deliberation, they gravitate to scapegoats; the hidden premise is that "if only this [fill in the name of a problem] were fixed, the country and my life would be okay again."

A significant portion of the venom aimed at undocumented students—as representatives of undocumented immigrants in general—comes from this psychological source. Sad to say, but many of those lost jobs are never coming back, whether Juan and Maria go to college or not. So even if the newly-unemployed understandably cannot relax, they should aim their arguments at issues of large-scale relevance and substance, not at a bunch of kids who simply want we all want, a better educated society which, by the way, could afford the retraining that the unemployed need to re-enter the workforce.

We already have a growing underground economy, with literally millions of people living and working in the shadows because the rest of us want the benefits of this semi-hidden underclass without according them the equal standing which has been the foundation of our great country, belated recognition of all sectors notwithstanding. Do we seriously want to annually add to this off-the-books world a large number of under-educated kids who have grown up in the United States and consider it their home country? How is it in our self-interest for them to be deprived of higher education and in effect be incentivized to think ill of the very nation where they want to raise their families?

In sum, it is time to move forward and realize that facilitating higher education for undocumented students is consistent with our enlightened self-interest. [BH]

In 2013, led by Renata Mauriz, an undocumented young woman from Brazil, CCM students have given testimonials at the school's trustee meetings about what it means to be paying the international rate after living in the area for more years than many of their classmates. Their energies have been equally devoted to pushing the school to endorse state legislation: the Tuition Equality Act (A-4225) would allow undocumented students to pay the in-state rate at New Jersey's public colleges.

Both enrollment and graduation rates would benefit from passage of such a bill, which is currently being held hostage by the leaders of both political parties. As this book was being finished, the community colleges of New Jersey voted to support the aforementioned bill. CCM abstained from voting; all other two-year schools were in favor.

I assisted in the discussion of this issue with an Op Ed piece in the local newspaper.

### THE DREAM IS NOW....for CCM!

By Bob Howitt [Daily Record, June 2, 2013, under its title: "CCM tuition policy behind the times"]

Under the long-term guidance of Dr. Edward Yaw, CCM has been widely considered a leader within the community college sector. In 2011, the school's trustees exercised their own leadership by adopting an enrollment policy which accepted undocumented students meeting certain criteria. Unfortunately, under intense pressure from a Morris County Freeholder group which has yet to recognize the unfolding demographic reality of this country, students who have been residents of the county must still pay the international student tuition rate, which is 2.8x the in-county resident cost.

Other community colleges have more student friendly, albeit unwritten, policies in this regard, and their budgets are favorably affected because they can attract dramatically more students at the in-county rate than at the international rate.

In 2013, it is time for CCM trustees to again exercise leadership consistent with the school's mission of open enrollment. At the March board meeting, CCM trustees indicated that because of the Immigration Act of 1996, they needed state legislation to correct the above tuition rate inequity affecting undocumented students. Bills A3509 and S2479 would provide what the trustees need by "allowing certain students including undocumented immigrants who meet certain criteria to qualify for in-State tuition at public institutions of higher education and State financial aid."

Articulate and persuasive CCM students—the Dreamers—have attended trustee meetings and given their testimonials about what it means to be paying the dramatically higher international rate, specifically what it does to their education: it typically means a much longer period to graduate and move on to a four-year school (which is what the CCM trustees rightfully regard as a positive outcome) and it means that their resolve to stay educationally committed in the face of injustice must be very high.

The specific request of these students is that CCM do what many of its college counterparts have done: sign a support letter for the very bills which the trustees themselves say they need to do the right thing from a tuition rate standpoint.

And yet CCM trustees have refused to provide such a signature, claiming that this would constitute lobbying—"if we provided a letter here, what about the next bill," being their excusal statement. However, reportedly the trustees did support the bond issue of last November which brought capital funds to CCM.

Cynics would say that the Freeholders are the true CCM power base and they do not want the state bill to be passed, even when Republican lawmakers elsewhere are making their peace with the Hispanic community in order to have any chance of recovering from their crushing defeat in the 2012 presidential election. Comprehensive immigration reform at the national level seems likely. All of which means the Morris County Freeholders are way behind the political curve.

This is clearly another time for the CCM trustees to speak for themselves, to move forward and embrace the school's mission, which of course is the trustees mission: facilitating open and diverse enrollment—and it can be done by simply adding their collective signature to the supporters everywhere of A3509/S2479. [BH]

***

As referred to earlier, the local political scene (Morris County, New Jersey) is heavily weighted to the Republican side, including a significant Tea Party component. To cut them a break, maybe some have a good heart for the undocumented student issue but are paralyzed by their perception of:

### Immigration: The Big Picture

For years, dueling researchers have failed to reach a consensus about the net, all-in economic impact of the complete roster of undocumented immigrants, of which undocumented students are but a part. One reason the battle of the statisticians will never be conclusive is that nobody wants to guess what the price of food would be if undocumented immigrants were not the pickers of fruits and vegetables and the workers chopping up cows and chickens for our economically pleasurable dining experience.

Economics and legality are intertwined in numerous ways. Do all undocumented immigrants pay their theoretically required income taxes? Of course not. But there is a twist: when the immigrant's employer does not pay him the income necessary to cover social security and other taxes, because the boss is not obeying the tax rules himself, the immigrant recipient is not likely to pay taxes on income he has not received. Who would?

Do immigrants who want to establish their credentials as prospective Americans acquire a Tax ID number (ITIN) and file an income tax return? Mostly yes, but not all. Do undocumented immigrants pay every other tax built into all commercial transactions, including rent payments? Of course. Have undocumented workers contributed substantially to social security, with scant likelihood of ever receiving its benefits? Yes.

What if the lunatic fringe had its way and 11 million undocumented immigrants were packed into Airbuses, 747s, and Carnival Cruise ships and returned to wherever they came from. Would there be any improvement in the American:

■ **Education system** : No, the issues requiring reform are fundamental.

■ **Financial position** : No (see above comment about dueling researchers)

■ **Inflation rate** : The reverse; prices of many products would rise

■ **Competitiveness** : Would worsen probably

■ **Psyche** : Doubtful; there are many troubling issues on the minds of Americans

■ **Healthcare system** : Yes, but minor in the total picture

Thus, completely ignoring any concept of justice, the radical idea of "sending them all back" is not only impractical, but would be detrimental, not beneficial, to the country. These truths, plus the butt-kicking received by Republicans in the 2012 presidential election, have changed the tone of the congressional discussion about immigration reform.

At the end of the day, what all undocumented Latino and non-Latino students fervently hope for is a junking of the current collection of immigration hypocrisies and passage of DREAM Act provisions in IMA. Either empowering legislation ensues or the following passage, from Desaliento in VIDA, remains appropriate:

"I'd rather marry you," he said, and I think he meant it as a joke but it didn't come out sounding that way. Still, I laughed and he laughed too."

"I'm serious," he said after a minute or two. "If it came down to it, would you marry me so I can get my papers?"

I shook my head. "I'd only marry for love."

"Easy to say when you're not illegal."

### Closing Comments

DACA and Obama's re-election generated the expected positive reaction in the Latino community. However, at present, the dilemma for undocumented students who are prospective collegians is unchanged: the absence of a legal status which would make them eligible for federal financial aid—and the burden, when they are classified as international students, of having to pay a tuition rate that is double-to-triple the rate paid by resident students. Access to college does not dictate the tuition rate charged, and decisions on access and rate do not automatically trigger financial aid. Access, rate, and financial aid are related but separate components of the college enrollment process.

IMA therefore becomes a necessity, even if it is only "permissive," i.e., does not force states to do anything specific with regard to college policies but paves the way for state legislatures to act without fear of legal retribution. In turn, colleges would then be able to accomplish their open enrollment objectives and welcome all immigrant students.

***

In December of 2011, Joaquin Luna Jr., an 18 year-old undocumented immigrant from Mexico wrote a letter to Jesus:

"I've realized that I have no chance of becoming a civil engineer the way I've always dreamed of here...so I'm planning on going to you and helping you construct the new temple in heaven."

He then committed suicide. Would his decision be different today? I hope so.

In 2005-10, an estimated 1.4 million Mexicans—including 300,000 children born in the United States and therefore citizens, moved back to Mexico. It is not uncommon for these American-born Mexican students to be barred from enrollment in a Mexican school for a year or more because they lack proper documents. [Besides] "Mexicans greet returnees with skepticism—for abandoning Mexico, or they resent the United States, or view those who have moved there as materialistic, culturally out of touch, and arrogant."

Does this sound somewhat familiar in reverse to the discussion about the undocumented student in the United States? But was not this country supposed to be a different place, with an attractive set of values, welcoming all, with real truth behind the ubiquitous bumper sticker of "better opportunities?" Is it not the American Dream for a student to have a fighting chance to become what he wants to become, not to have his life shortened or turned upside-down by the inability to pursue that dream?

Time to move on in GUIDE. I want to stay optimistic—because I am—about eventual passage of some version of the Immigration Modernization Act currently in front of the House of Representatives, most importantly including Section 2103: the DREAM Act.

### Websites mentioned in the Chapter

U.S. Department of Homeland Security  
DHS.GOV

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement  
ICE.GOV

Discussion of different state/federal policies  
IMMIGRATIONPOLICY.ORG

Latinas United for Political Empowerment  
LUPENJ.ORG

Latino legal civil rights organization  
MALDEF.ORG

Youth-led immigrant organizations  
UNITEDWEDREAM.ORG

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services  
USCIS.GOV

## Chapter Seven: THE COST OF COLLEGE

### New and Helpful Data: the Cost of Attendance and the Net Price Calculator

Students finally are getting some serious help from the government in understanding the economics of higher education.

Colleges now must publish an estimated Cost of Attendance (COA): the total expense of tuition, room-and-board, fees, books, transportation and all related costs of being a student. And they must provide a Net Price Calculator (NPC). Based on data submitted by the applicant, the NPC is an estimate of what the student would have to pay the school after subtracting from its COA the average total of scholarships, government grants, and/or government loans received by similar students attending that college.

(Cautionary flag: since undocumented students are not eligible for federal aid, the NPC data for these students must be adjusted to reflect this painful reality. See the prior chapter on Undocumented Students.)

The COA and NPC are big steps forward in the on-going attempt to clarify the college cost picture. However, they are not perfect, in part because there is considerable leeway in terms of how colleges can handle the details. For example, there is a wide range in terms of how many questions are asked of the applicant; they can include references to parental income which may not yet have been disclosed to the student or they may ask for the results of standardized tests not yet taken by the student. The links on a college's website to its NPC run the gamut from crystal clear to rather obscure.

The good news is that besides those directly affected—students and parents—many non-profit education-related organizations are pushing for more clarity and consistency in the presentation of COA/NPC data. There is continuing political activity as well (it was the federal government which dictated the use of COA/NPC, the higher education industry itself having been largely unresponsive to past pleas for better and clearer financial information on what it costs to attend college).

The Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have introduced an improvement in the presentation of college financial information called the "Shopping Sheet." In the 2013-14 academic year, it will be available at 300+ colleges representing about 10% of the student population. President Obama has announced a "College Scorecard," which includes net price, graduation and default rate data.

In addition to these initiatives at more transparency about college information, aspiring college students doing their initial research on the cost of higher education should know there already exists a long roster of useful websites, to be listed throughout GUIDE. As an excellent and unbiased starting point for statistical information, the student could go to <http://www.nces.ed.gov/CollegeNavigator>. Much of its data is being picked up in the newer information services mentioned above, including the College Scorecard.

Early availability of good information on higher education opportunities both influences a prospective student's thoughts about going to college and expands and improves the range of colleges that are possibilities for the student. At present, in many high schools, some guidance counselors have what might be called "default" suggestions, telling the student "you can always go to the community college," or in New York State, they might say, "you can always go to CUNY or SUNY." Students definitely need to know of more options, regardless of their circumstances. Hence, awareness about the NPC is essential.

As a note of caution, having that information should not be construed as synonymous with stretching financially. Such an approach carries a particular type of risk, namely that the cost/debt becomes a constant source of stress if the student is struggling academically. Success in reaching the ultimate goal of graduation is adversely affected in such a circumstance. It is always good to have a financially safe school on the list of possible colleges. More on the subject of money will come later.

### Representative College Costs

To give the student a feel for the cost of representative schools in the Northeast, the table below includes what they quote as their COA ("sticker price") and what they estimate is their typical net price after including average levels of financial aid. Here, the latter include only grants and scholarships; loans have not been reflected in these figures. The net price is the number which should jump out to the future enrollee—he should not instantly reject higher sticker price schools. The complete national list (not carried here) included the country's most expensive and least expensive colleges, with the least expensive end dominated by small, unknown schools in lower-cost geographical areas.

As an added note on costs, some colleges offer a fixed price for tuition whether the student takes anywhere from 12 credits (the minimum for a student to be considered full-time) to 18 credits. This can be attractive, depending on the student's total situation.

The intent of the exercise below, constructed by the author from the source data, is to underline the fact that higher sticker prices are not synonymous with higher net prices. In this data set, the latter cluster in a fashion which would bring questions from the government's price-fixing police if colleges were officially declared as businesses.

For the prospective collegian, a subdued outlook for the college industry, as outlined by Moody's (the financial credit rating agency heretofore known for misleading everybody in the housing debacle that culminated in the country's financial collapse of 2007-8), should mean more opportunities for negotiating the actual net price. Moody's has downgraded its assessment of the overall financial picture of the higher education industry. It believes the continued poor economy, which has squeezed middle class families to a greater extent than in previous downturns; slow enrollment growth, and greater public pressure on schools to rein in their tuition costs will necessitate belt-tightening by the purveyors of higher education. This means students should not only pay even more attention to the net price, but should aggressively interact with the college's financial aid office regarding whatever numbers are thrown at him when he has filed his FAFSA, filled out the college application, and received his financial award letter.

As a way to both generalize the student's modus operandi—because the same processes are applicable wherever a student resides, and localize—to bring additional attention to the data particularly relevant to those in my geographical area, let's take a look at:

### New Jersey College Costs

Before reaching for the aspirin necessary if a student only looks at the COA of colleges, there is a better way to look at the numbers. The data below drill down from what is labeled "typical cost"—but which is really net price—to debt payments. The source is the College Scoreboard announced by President Obama (whitehouse.gov/scoreboard), with numbers from the College Affordability and Transparency Center.

The highest loan default rates (being late on a payment is being "delinquent;" being way behind—the specifics vary—is being in default, with all sorts of adverse legal ramifications) are connected to the lowest graduation rates. There is no consistent relationship between average debt (which includes only debt known to the college; any temporary money from Aunts and Uncles and friends is not in the numbers) and graduation rates. The implicit message is clear: many students who did not finish college have jobs where the pay is inadequate to meet the necessary monthly loan payment.

Looking, at the same time, at both the cost and the debt sides of the college financial picture is necessary for the prospective student. Here are data from the Project on Student Debt plus information provided by individual colleges. The baseline tuition + fees number is not to be confused with the school's COA; for one, it excludes room and board, which is

a major cost item. In examining the data, keep in mind the axiom that "a person can drown in water which averages two feet in depth." Many graduates have debt loads which are a multiple of the level indicated below. Note also that different sources of data carry different numbers.

Below is a different approach to a readily analyzable rate card for many New Jersey colleges; note, it is of tuition and fees only. With all due respect to the value of a thousand dollars, if the Latino student intends to commute (which may be either a financial or family-related decision), he should be picking a school on the basis of academics, travel time and energy, and his attitude toward becoming involved in campus life, rather than the tuition+fees price as these schools are all relatively close in that regard.

The reason for using ranges is because the schools typically have bewilderingly long lists of various fees; $35 per day if you move into your dorm early is a small example of the lengths to which a college will go to raise revenue. The total fees figure is driven by whether the student is providing his own health insurance, the specific academic discipline the student is signing up for, and a desire by colleges to wring every nickel possible from their customers.

Private colleges are a different story in terms of the financial commitment necessary to be included in their student bodies. Prices here clearly can be major drivers behind college decisions, again keeping in mind that this set of numbers is not the exact cost of any given individual attending the specific college. Going through the COA and NPC mathematics, then adjusting for specific individual decisions, produces the actual cost for a given student. For example, Princeton says that 60% of its undergraduates receive financial aid. Considering that room and board adds $13,000 to the cost figure below, it is readily apparent that the need is there. Drew, where room and board adds approximately $12,000, reports that the "average institutional award received by its college students entering in the Fall of 2012 was about $25,000."

Increases in tuition and especially fees at these colleges, like most in the country, have continued for several decades, right through the Great Recession, thereby becoming particularly noticeable—and onerous—in an environment of low inflation elsewhere and protracted high unemployment. Colleges talk about wanting to increase access, to reach out to the underserved population, to boost diversity on campus, blah blah blah, but their first interest, besides the massaging of egos, has been their financial health, including that of professors and administrative people alike (and the ratio of the latter to the former has risen sharply over the years without staff becoming any more student friendly.)

College officials everywhere moan about declining government aid as a major reason for continually raising tuition and fees at rates far beyond the growth in earnings of the parents being tapped for money. However, it is not as if the government typically is driving the decision of the college to add costly facilities often not used by the average undergraduate. Nonetheless, reduced government support is a fact; it is indirectly reflected in this data point: twenty years ago, students paid one-third of the total cost of tuition+fees at a typical public college, whereas today they are responsible for twice that percentage.

Each of the many points above is quite relevant to a discussion of:

### Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey (as designated in 1956)

To Latino students, their families and friends, many of whom may share the same context: new to the college game, the name "Rutgers University" has great credibility—even after taking a series of public relations hits for bonehead actions, as will be enumerated below. Within the state of New Jersey, the Rutgers name is a door-opener or conversation-enhancer for sure, outstanding for networking.

Its academic quality is high: 1,000 enrollees in the past year ranked in the top 6% of their high school class and had SAT scores exceeding 2,100. The average SAT score for an applicant is approaching 1,800 for the three tests. Moreover, Rutgers has stated that about one-third of its 13,500 graduates in 2012 were the first in their families to do so, and half of them were from immigrant families. Over half qualify for Pell grants.

Below is the snapshot of what it costs to attend Rutgers University. The numbers are for a student who is paying the resident rate, not the higher international rate, which unfortunately can include those who have lived here for many years but who are undocumented. Adding to the financial misery of the latter is their ineligibility for FAFSA-based federal grants or loans.

Four years multiplied by the money needed from "somewhere else" = $53,000; adding four years of $5,000 in the loan portion per year brings the total of indebtedness plus money from somewhere to $73,000, before considering inflation and deferred interest. For economically strapped students with average grant and scholarship support, if they take all four years at Rutgers, instead of graduating in two years from a lower-cost community college and then transferring—their debt obligation can be disproportionate to immediate earning prospects, which is why Rutgers students have been protesting tuition/fee hikes.

A rule of thumb is that cumulative debt at graduation from a four-year college should not exceed the average starting salary in the student's projected career job. If the student is going to become a teacher and make $50,000, debt should not be any higher than this number. This means that in the above Rutgers example, there are onerous debt repayment obligations right from the outset, depending on that money from "someplace else:" family, friends, a job, an outside foundation. The student may have to change some of the cost numbers, with the decision to commute being the obvious choice by many.

It is understandable that a 2012 student poll at Rutgers indicated two-thirds were concerned about the debt they will owe at graduation. More than one-third expected cumulative loans to exceed $40,000 by then. Contrast this scenario with the history of numerous Latino students; their families may have never had debt and regard it as something to be completely avoided.

The historical record at Rutgers is one of continuous increases in tuition+fees. In Reading the long-term data below, note that the total cost after room and board, commuting, books, and incidental expenses is more than double the line item for the tuition+fees cost.

Annual increases in the cost to attend Rutgers have been the norm:

Considering cost to attend, the aforementioned academic quality, and the credibility of its diploma, Rutgers University legitimately stands out in terms of its appeal to New Jersey's high school graduates. Therefore, none of the negative comments below about this school (or the imperfect nature of the overall higher education system) should be considered decision-changers, only a representation of my desire for total awareness on the part of the prospective college student (plus my desire to rant a little about a series of un-funny farcical situations at Rutgers).

***

Colleges in general have less than great reputations for returning student phone calls or e-mails, they often misplace paperwork, professors may cancel meetings without so much as an, "I'm sorry," and unfounded arrogance at the leadership level is common. For example, former Rutgers University President McCormick in his final self-evaluation gave himself virtually a perfect score, uninspiring graduation rates notwithstanding. McCormick's three goals for his last year as President were (1) "bring in as much cash as possible for Rutgers' fundraising campaign, (2) get a higher education bond issue on the November ballot, and (3) get Rutgers the medical school campus officials have been coveting for years."

Would it not be nice for a big-time school like Rutgers to have its president say, "my objectives are to reduce the effective cost of college in order to attract more financially challenged students, whom I am confident will convert their higher education success into upward economic mobility." It would have been encouraging if McCormick had worked to diversify the school's board, which consists of nine white males, one woman, one African-American, and one Hispanic whose confirmation was in limbo for close to two years.

The new Rutgers President, Robert Barchi (base salary: $650,000), has stated that the university will become more businesslike, with curricula geared to specific employer needs. Barchi puts his pocket where his mouth is by collecting over $300,000 annually from his relationship with two corporations which do business with the school—and sees nothing wrong with the conflict of interest.

He talks about "educational products" instead of degree programs. Traditionalists are chagrined about the evolving definition of colleges as elaborate, expensive job-training sites, but there is little question that Barchi's view is consistent with that of most college leaders in the era of America's relative decline. And students themselves are more focused than ever on the link between college preparation and employability.

The cost picture at Rutgers which has caused students to picket trustee meetings is en route to being even more difficult as the complicated and controversial July 1, 2013 merger of Rutgers/University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) makes its impact (an added 7,000 students) and a $3 billion combined budget is balanced on the backs of aspiring collegians and/or taxpayers who were not involved in the decision-making process. Merger costs themselves have escalated to unconscionable levels; the estimate of $75 million is double earlier projections.

The financial rating services have already demonstrated their concern about the obligations Rutgers is incurring in the UMDNJ transaction by reducing the school's debt rating. The positive view for the transaction—and the justification for taking on the additional debt—is that the combination of Rutgers and UMDNJ will add significantly to the state university's research capabilities, with a particular eye to attracting more corporate partnerships.

Meanwhile, the athletic department has offered up a series of fiascos: (1) the absolute absurdity when it took months for a basketball coach to be fired for a variety of negative antics, inclusive of homophobic slurs; (2) the suspension of the lacrosse coach for verbal abuse (accompanied by the usual string of "no comments" to relevant questions from the media); (3) the hiring of a new basketball coach who was not a graduate of Rutgers as originally reported; (4) heavy payouts to the departed basketball coach and athletic director and lawyer; (5) the almost aborted hiring of a new athletic director with her own history of verbal abuse (admittedly sixteen years ago), and (6) the negative optics of its collegiate coaches being the highest paid public officials in the state of New Jersey.

Not to worry, by bolting to the Big Ten from the Big East athletic conference, Rutgers will get $24 million per year, up from the $6 million it had received previously. And it has signed a lucrative deal with a big-name sports management company, two moves which will help defray its planned $30 million basketball arena renovation. Wealthy donors love this jock-sniffing stuff. They are less concerned with Rutgers paying a law firm $575 per hour to learn that the school "should tighten its controls" than they are excited about Rutgers offering a basketball scholarship to a 14 year-old phenom.

On the non-sports side, the series of negatives includes those perpetual tuition increases and the fear that the UMDNJ merger will bring more of the same to pay for its obscene one-time costs, still another block party at Rutgers that required a police presence to quell the insanity, and heavy criticism of President Barchi (who was hired primarily to shepherd the UMDNJ amalgamation). Barchi has come under fire for (1) his ineffectual handling of everything pertinent to the basketball nonsense, (2) inadvertently (hopefully) demeaning the school's Newark campus—the school's most diverse component (after a mea culpa, he has now brought in a new top person with "impeccable" credentials), and, (3) incredible as it may seem, promoting to be his chief of staff, a Rutgers administrator who is being sued by members of the school's career services office.

Two years back, Rutgers reached out to reinforce the depth of its academic commitment by bringing in Nicole Polizzi, aka Snooki from "Jersey Shore," who advised Rutgers students to "study hard, but party harder." For this breathless wisdom from an individual whose "fictional" character is basically the stuff of a parent's nightmare, Rutgers paid $32,000. But the school does have a big heart; any student who was adversely affected by Hurricane Sandy could apply to have his Fall 2012 semester classes graded as pass/fail, instead of the normal letter or numerical grade.

And there is a renewed emphasis on academics in the athletic department: the new basketball coach will receive a $15,000 bonus if the team GPA is 3.0 or better. On second thought, his base compensation is a million dollars and he gets $25,000 more if he makes the NCAA March Madness tournament, so priorities do remain askew, as they are throughout collegiate sports.

Pause, another deep breath, when all is said and done—ignoring the shortcomings above, for a Latino student to aspire to graduate from Rutgers University is clearly a positive goal.

P.S. The number of Rutgers applications is up, despite the above nonsense, and the projection is for a total of nearly 65,000 students for 2013-14, inclusive of UMDNJ.

P.P.S. To give the school credit, in a move which is good news in terms of becoming more transparent, Rutgers reacted strongly to the well-publicized Dharun Ravi-Tyler Clementi case of 2010—when Ravi's recorded spying on his gay roommate Clementi led to the latter's suicide. The university has created a wide range of housing options; trained 130 staff and faculty members to be liaisons to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual students; produced a 92-page handbook that, among other information, lists relevant campus resources; and established a Tyler Clementi Center. Kudos.

### Historical College Inflation in Tuition, Fees, and Room and Board

Many Latino students contemplating college admit that both they and their parents are confused by the whole process and shocked at the cost. What they may not immediately realize is that they are not alone, particularly since the Great Recession has wreaked a new level of havoc on the pocketbooks of the middle class.

For literally decades, through different economic environments, the inflation rate for a college education has greatly exceeded that of the overall consumer price index, which has created a large differential between cost and ability to pay for the average family. College businesses believe their product is one you cannot do without, which of course has some truth to it, even if their obsession with more buildings and non-classroom spending does nothing for the average undergraduate student.

The cost of college today is more than 10 times what it was 35 years ago and double that of 15 years back. Excluding the upper 5-10% of householders, whose incomes have been driven sharply higher by the creation of either corporate or stock market wealth, nobody else has had anything similar to the inflation of college costs evident in their paychecks.

Like that cable company people love so much, colleges slice and dice their product to make customer negotiation difficult. They may publicize a lower increase in tuition as if they were doing great things, while meanwhile lifting fees by big percentages. OK, no more ranting at this time. The numbers speak for themselves. Years before the college fees scam hit the front page, I had written about it in Forum. An irrelevant bow, sorry.

What is the undergraduate student paying for: facilities, professors, support services, the name of the college, networking, academic quality, franchised food operator availability, the weight room, a different experience from that available at home, the ability to rub elbows with kids from varying backgrounds, contacts for internships, networking.

Only one-third of the college budget is spent on undergraduate classroom instruction. And the class time required to earn a credit has declined at many places; three credits may require not three hours, but two sessions of one hour and twenty minutes each. At the lumberyard, a 2x4 for years has not been that dimension; at college, an "hour" is not necessarily sixty minutes.

Sometimes the discussion about college costs is truly baffling. In the essay below (which could have easily gone in the "Financing a College Education" chapter), there are multiple on-point comments and excellent advice about college—which is why the article is included. There are zero thoughts in the article about the need for colleges to think about their cost structures and what they are charging students. Maybe only in the health field is the revenue side of the business equation similarly divorced from analysis of costs.

### ADVICE FROM A PRACTITIONER

CALCULATING THE REAL COST OF COLLEGE, by Courtney McAnuff, Vice-President of Enrollment Management at Rutgers University

The stories are prevalent and reported daily: student loan debt, now estimated to exceed $1 trillion, has become an albatross for countless collegians, recent graduates and their families. Federal and private student loan debt now exceeds U. S. credit card debt. It is

unconscionable that any student would amass more than $150,000 in debt to finish an undergraduate degree. It is troubling that colleges and universities allow families to fall into such a deep sea of red ink.

Yes, ever-rising tuition and fees, and the relative ease to secure student loans contribute to the debt burden. But higher education, as an industry, fails to help families grasp the true cost of attending college by employing vague language, unclear conditions and obscure procedures that vary from school to school. Moreover, institutions provide inconsistent support for families encountering the financial aid process for the first time. Yet, there are universal concepts that once demystified could restore balance. We need to bring common sense to the table.

How can families avoid outrageous college debt?

COLLEGES NEED TO BE HONEST WITH FAMILIES.

With 4,000 U.S. colleges and universities, odds are at least several meet the educational and geographic criteria without mortgaging their financial futures. If parents cannot afford their child's dream choice, they must have "the talk." But schools must be prepared to help students match their interests with the strengths of financially reasonable alternatives. In most cases, the college's name is less important than the knowledge it imparts.

STUDENTS AND FAMILIES NEED TO MAKE SMART CHOICES.

If savings are limited and budgets are tight, does it make sense to select a "big ticket" college or one that offers minimal financial aid? Explore in-state public college options, but avoid out-of-state publics, which charge much higher tuition to nonresidents. For many cost-conscious students, community colleges have become the choice for the first two years. Remember, $100,000 borrowed for a four-year degree can lead to monthly loan payments of $800 for 20 years. Struggling to pay this debt is a tough way to start a career.

BORROW WISELY.

Loans should cover direct educational expenses, not private dorm rooms or spring-break trips. Carry as full a course load as practical to graduate on time. Become familiar with often confusing federal student loan regulations and seek clarification, if necessary. Keep current with outstanding balances. Be sure you attend the loan entrance interview; it must be offered by all colleges. You cannot declare bankruptcy on a student loan.

LEARN THE TRUE COST OF ATTENDANCE.

While the costs of tuition, room, board and mandatory fees are usually clear, remember the incidentals, starting with books, ending with holiday trips home and everything in between. Some institutions gloss over personal expenses. Others are less than forthcoming in their financial aid letters, blurring the line between grants and loans. Colleges must offer a Net Price Calculator, which helps families get a customized indication about the aid for which they might qualify. Applicants must ascertain that the institution's financial information is current and that the source of and conditions for all aid, including a repayment schedule, are spelled out.

UNDERSTAND YOUR SCHOLARSHIP OFFER.

When institutions offer scholarships with difficult renewal criteria, it is called "front-loading." The scholarship facilitates initial enrollment, but terms can make it difficult to maintain in subsequent years. Students must understand the terms of scholarship offers and confirm their renewability. They should ask admissions of financial aid officers about scholarship retention rates.

BECOME AN EDUCATED CONSUMER.

Know the differences among public, private, and for-profit institutions; scholarships, grants, and loans; subsidized and unsubsidized loans; government and private loans; and yearly and compounded interest. Exercise common sense. Families need to understand that choosing a college is not just an academic decision, but a financial decision as well—one that has important implications for the financial health of our next generation. [R]

***

One cost category which is rarely directly discussed is that of professors, the wonderfully knowledgeable people who imaginatively convey their insights to eager students—or, alternatively, the talking heads whose reluctant task it is to temporarily cohabit a classroom with ignorant students prior to these professors returning to their first love, doing scholarly research or writing a book.

Professors earning $100,000+ (the median at Rutgers University for example) decry the income inequality in this country but say nothing about the college pricing environment which exacerbates the problem. But one should be sympathetic, after all, tenured professors have to work hard in the classroom 15 hours or so per week.

Kean University's leadership apparently was so nervous about whether the school's esteemed professors were doing their jobs that it pushed them to sign time sheets demonstrating they were working (classroom plus non-classroom) the required 35 hours per week. Shocking though this step may be in the academic world, Kean apparently believes that professor accountability, or the past lack thereof, is related to the college's abysmal graduation rate of 20% and its problems in staying accredited.

Old movie buffs will remember the standard portrayal of the college professor, ostensibly so underpaid that the jacket he inevitably wore had patches to cover the worn-out elbow areas. No more. The average compensation for a professor at a PhD level public university is approximately $120,000; $160,000 at a private school. The average for a professor at a Bachelor's level college is $85,000; $100,000 at a private school.

At the top of the organization chart, educator-types formerly ran the country's universities and colleges. With the push for more—money, compensation for professors, money, buildings, money, research labs, money—the emphasis shifted to hiring CEO-types to run the business. Naturally these accomplished executives wanted the usual package, meaning not only substantial compensation, but lots of extra goodies, like reimbursement for gym memberships and personal drivers. At the 50 wealthiest universities, average compensation is $877,000 for presidents (and $180,000 for professors). The median income of the presidents of 199 public college universities in 2010-11 was $421,395.

When the prior Rutgers University president, Richard McCormick, stepped down, he elected to stay on, after a paid sabbatical year, as a history professor earning $335,000. His contract as president had included a clause which guaranteed him the rate of the highest-compensated Rutgers professor if McCormick stuck around as a teacher. Rutgers' initial health sciences chancellor (to reflect the UMDNJ deal) is being paid $675,000, plus a package of goodies which could add $150,000, plus a housing allowance, car and driver.

If university presidents receive bonuses, housing allowances, retention stipends, etc. and function like corporate chieftains, what should be their bottom line in terms of a performance metric? Is it enrolling students while raising prices continually? One would hope that graduation rates and subsequent success in life would be critically important measurements, more important than successful fund-raising or all those new buildings.

"I readily admit it...I didn't think a lot about costs. I do not think we have given significant thought to the impact of college costs on families." The speaker is the former head of Ohio State University, E. Gordon Gee, who was making about $2 million per year until he made some insensitive religious jokes and was asked to go fishing (helped by a $5+million good-bye gift). His shockingly honest statement about costs could have been made by the vast majority of college chieftains throughout the country.

A person rants (like me about many topics in the world of education) at the cost of cable, complains about the company's management, is irritated when programming packages are altered to produce a higher price—and then pays the bill in order to keep the service. Same with college.

Latino students, do not be thrown off by the negative verbiage above, higher education, or another route to a sustainable economic path in life, is still a must.

When a student arrives on campus, he should make somebody in the college's financial aid office his new best friend; there probably will be multiple occasions to have "pleasant" conversations about both the bill and whatever financial aid package he has received. Do not bother complaining to the financial aid office about the cost of food (the college deli will be charging you retail, like a banana for maybe 70 cents), or the price tags in the school "bookstore" (which wants $30 for a child-sized sweatshirt) or housing. In many cases, those functions have been outsourced and there is no recognition that the customer could be an under-financed student struggling to make ends meet.

The student eventually must be prepared to pay for graduation as well, meaning the cap and gown occasion—unlike in a true business, where at Christmas a consistent, long-term customer (as the student has been) may receive a bottle of wine or tickets to a sporting event. When a student "walks," typically he does not actually receive a diploma—rather, in the words of one university, he leaves the stage with a "symbolic representation of a degree." He picks up the real piece of paper later. At the graduation ceremony, students are requested to join the alumni association, the first step of which is paying dues. The money outflow never ends.

For the vast majority of Latino GUIDE readers, college tuition will seem: high, impossible, excessive—pick an adjective. But the same can be true of a well-running car, which does not mean its purchase is ill-advised. With a car, the buyer must consider gas mileage, repair record, insurance, and the new owner's usage pattern. With college, a long list of expenses besides tuition must be considered and the student must know why he is attending college instead of pursuing another path to economic sustainability.

***

In the area of college costs, there is some solace for parents writing those checks for students. It comes in the form of certain tax breaks.

### Information on Taxes and Education

The reason for including this tax-related information is that it is worthwhile for both students and parents to be aware of their tax situations. When considering financial aid for the student, such as the Pell Grant and Stafford (Federal Direct) Loans, the government will be looking at everything financial within the family, seemingly including assets hidden under the mattress. However, this should not dissuade parents from being aggressive in demonstrating the need for their son or daughter to receive financial aid from the government, the college—and/or anybody else willing to write a check.

The discussion of tax credits related to education could have gone in the financial chapter, but there was already enough stuff in that section. Besides, since taxes reflect the circumstances and decisions of the parents with the impact affecting the student, the tax breaks can be thought of as an immediate reduction in the net cost of college and therefore part of the initial process of looking at different schools.

Under the American Opportunity Credit (a modification of what was called the Hope Tax Credit), an individual taxpayer earning $80,000 or less ($160,000 for a married couple) can take up to $2,500 off their tax bill for a college student (must be attending at least half-time) whom they are supporting. Forty percent ($1,000) of the credit is fundable; the tax filer gets his money back even if he has no federal tax liability.

There is a Lifetime Learning Tax Credit, with the same income limits; here the filer can take a deduction of 20% of tuition (the latter figure is capped at $10,000 and therefore the deduction maximum is $2,000), for any postsecondary education. These credits, which are not fundable, cannot be claimed in the same year as the American Opportunity Credit. In all cases, tax credits are only available to the actual payer of the tuition; a personal income tax return cannot claim credits for outside scholarships. Refer to tax form 1098-T; <http://www.irs.gov/>. IRS publication 970, Tax Benefits for Higher Education, 1-800-829-1040.

Undocumented individuals who lack any basis to receive a social security number can support their case for inclusion in the American system by applying for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). In Dover, the local H&R Block office had the following free offer in the Spring of 2013: "We'll help you apply for an ITIN for your dependents here and even those in Mexico for whom you provide more than 50% of the money they need to live." The ITIN is usable not only for tax return purposes, but for opening bank accounts and applying for credit cards.

Young people who have successfully completed their Deferred Action application do receive a social security card, stamped as being for work authorization only. Hence they too now have the ability to participate more fully in the society which has become their home country. Note that neither ITIN nor DACA has any direct connection to legal status.

A college savings system called the "529 Plan" is useful for people who have the financial capability to regularly put money aside for college, which is not the case for the typical first-in-family student. Monies transferred into a "529 Plan" are after-tax but all income generated by investing within the plan is tax-free as long as the monies are used for college. If gift-giving is possible, those monies going into the "529 Plan" can be accelerated beyond normal gift regulations. There was a total of $135 billion in "529" plans as of mid-2010, according to the College Savings Plan Network.

***

In terms of taxes in general, in 2012, the personal and dependent exemption is $3,900; children up to the age of 24 can be claimed as dependents if they are full-time students (which usually means 12 credits as a minimum). If still full-time and older than 24, the dependent designation remains usable if the student is earning less than $3,900. The standard deduction for married couples is $11,600; $5,800 for individuals. The head of household exemption is $8,500.

The maximum income to be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is a valuable tax credit for low and moderate income workers and their families, is $50,270. The maximum credit (for a household with three or more children) on 2012 returns was $5,891.

If the lottery ticket the Latino student's parents frequently purchase develops some serious value or he discovers a long-lost rich relative, note that an individual can give up to $13,000 to any number of people per year and none of the gifts are taxable. If the affluent, altruistic individual gives even more to the fortunate recipient, the extra simply gets deducted from the person's $5 million lifetime gift tax exemption. As an added indication of the power of colleges, if a person pays the tuition of a student by writing a check directly to the college, it can be for any amount without affecting the benefactor's gift tax situation.

A different world from that of the average person for sure.

### Closing Comments

Students and those in the trenches, whether it be parents or advisors, have known about the pain of college costs for a long time. For the populace in general, however, it typically takes multiple converging arrows to bring attention to an issue. If the Great Recession had never hit and college graduates were gaining suitable employment quickly, perhaps the subject of high college costs would not have surfaced, but would have remained confined to discussion at the think tank level. And there might not be the daily headlines about student debt. But the perfect storm does exist.

Coupling these economic factors with on-going technological change in the delivery of higher education and a flattening of enrollment, this means it should be difficult for college chief executives to implement large, annual price increases.

Moreover, if colleges are to remain true to their perceived missions and simultaneously have some impact on excessive income inequality, which emanates in part from opportunity inequality—in turn a function of educational inequality—they will have to alter their cost structures, their curriculum delivery mechanisms, and perhaps the curricula itself. They will need to better reach those who are first-in-family or financially disadvantaged students.

They will need to have greater interaction with Latino students in particular, given the on-going demographic changes in the country.

Enough. While discussion of college costs is a must, the perceived need for change in higher education is not the most captivating of subjects for the new college student. His or her concentration must be on internalizing the steps necessary to graduate from either a two or four-year institution, steps which—it says here—are outlined in various chapters of GUIDE. Students can leave the philosophizing, for now anyway, to think tanks, alleged policy experts, and semi-ranting authors.

### Websites mentioned in this Chapter

This is only a short list because (1) there will be a long roster of websites in the Financing chapter—many of them incorporate both cost and debt data, and (2) the student more often than not goes to individual college sites for complete information on the COA and NPC for schools of interest.

General tax information  
IRS.GOV

National Center Educational Statistics  
NCES.ED.GOV

Finding the right price  
TUITIONTRACKER.ORG

Financial aid information  
Shopping Sheet

## Chapter Eight: FINANCING A COLLEGE EDUCATION

For a student thinking about pursuing higher education, the financial challenge begins with what a college costs. Therefore, some repetition with the chapter on costs is in order.

Beginning with information published for the 2012-13 academic year, every college has been required to include on its website the estimated total Cost of Attendance (COA) to be a student at that institution. Simultaneously, the college website must provide a Net Price Calculator (NPC). After a student enters his own information, as prompted by the NPC, the college subtracts the average financial aid award—grants, scholarships and loans—received by a similar student at that college. This mathematical exercise produces an estimated net price for the applicant to attend that college.

The eventual, actual net price for the student is dependent on his specific numbers in several cost and funding categories. Will the student commute or not? How much in the way of scholarship monies will be available based on his overall financial and academic situation? Will he be paying for a meal plan? Will he be able to borrow books from prior students at the same school? Is he documented? Is he paying for health insurance or covered under a family policy? The answers to each of these questions change what the student will be paying for college.

The COA and NPC information and methodology thus far are like democracy, not ideal but better than all other alternatives. Moreover, work is being done by the government to clarify the presentation of COA and NPC data and make everything easier to use by students, parents, mentors and guidance counselors.

***

Moving directly to the subject of financing and education, how are students are paying for college? The breakdown nationally of funding sources is as follows: grants and scholarships: 29%, parental income and savings: 28%, student borrowing: 18%, student income and savings: 12%, parental borrowing: 9%, and relatives/friends: 4%.

For individual students, the percentages among different sources can be quite different. Typically, the biggest trade-off is a lower parental income/savings number being replaced by more substantive borrowings. In reaction, some 20% of low-income students have transferred to less expensive schools, and 57% are living with family/friends, up significantly from prior levels.

Federal work study aid, which is sometimes included in funding sources (for example, it is on the college's financial aid award letter if relevant), is really payment for a job on the college campus or facilitated by the school and financially is not any different than if the student was delivering pizzas for the local Domino's.

According to the annual survey by Sallie Mae (which has made about $150 billion in loans to students) and Ipsos Public Affairs, average net spending per student last year was $21,000: students earned $6,300 (30%) from grants/scholarships; parents put up $5,727 (tellingly, as it reflects the interplay of the economy and escalating college costs, the parent contribution was down 35% from the 2010 level); and federal loans were $8,815.

Even with the assistance provided by the COA and NPC, for the majority of students, the key financial variables (omitting documentation, which was discussed previously) remain the following: is the student attending a public or private college? The latter is typically more costly, although not necessarily when the NPC is fully known. Is the student attending an in-state or out-of-state college? The latter usually is considerably more expensive than the former. Will the student be commuting, thereby avoiding a major expense? Finally, what is the Expected Family Contribution: EFC, to be discussed below? This government calculation of the financial need of a student—and therefore eligibility for aid—is determined by a formula involving household income, number of occupants in the house, and information from the tax return of the student's parents (normally).

For the majority of Latino students, the starting point in negotiating the college financial maze is "FAFSA," which is shorthand for the "Free Application for Federal Student Aid."

### FAFSA and the Pell Grant

Information provided by the student when he fills out a FAFSA is used by the federal government for Pell Grants and Federal Family Education Loans (also referred to as Federal Direct Loans or Stafford Loans), and by colleges in determining their financial aid programs, including direct scholarship assistance. Private colleges may request more information be provided through the College Scholarship Service Profile (CSS), which is found at <https://www.collegeboard.org/>.

FAFSA-related financial aid is available to applicants who fit these requirements:

■ Is a citizen or eligible non-citizen (i.e., resident alien)

■ Has a valid Social Security Number

■ Has a High School Diploma or GED

■ Is registered with the Selective Service (males 18-25)

■ Promises to use the money for education

■ Does not owe any refunds on federal student grants

■ Is not in default on any student loans

■ Has not already used his maximum support, which is for 12 semesters

■ Has not had a drug conviction while receiving federal student aid

The website for the Pell Grant is FAFSA.ed.gov and the phone number is 1-800-4-Fed-Aid (or 1-866-514-8938), accessible from 8am until 11pm. The applicant creates a FAFSA four-digit PIN number (<https://www.pin.ed.gov/>); this data plus the social security number (which is verified with the Social Security Administration), name, and date of birth represent the overall password. A student should file FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1, using estimated income of the parents if a full tax return is not yet available. The most recent deadline for FAFSA applications was June 30, 2013 for monies to be used in 2013-2014; funds are normally disbursed on an equal basis for each of the two semesters.

After the government has done its financial needs analysis—based on FAFSA information, results are sent to the financial aid offices of the colleges the student has indicated when he filled out the FAFSA. (Note that there is aid indirectly triggered by FAFSA information; usually it is "first come, first served," so timeliness is important as colleges create their own deadlines for financial matters.) An individual does not have to be enrolled in college to file a FAFSA, but the funds are not released until he is enrolled as a student. The FAFSA information must be re-filed annually, using the new income tax return of the parents.

When the government has decided on the Pell Grant and Stafford Loan amounts, the Federal Student Aid Program (PO Box 4038, Washington, DC 52243-4038) sends the student a Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR summarizes the FAFSA information and states the student's EFC; it should arrive within two weeks of a student filing his FAFSA. The Federal Student Aid Information Center is PO Box 84, Washington, D.C. 20044-84; 1-800-433-3243. The website is <https://www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/>.

The calculation of the student's Pell Grant, which is financial need-based, centers on the government's determination of the EFC. The majority of Pell Grants are to students from households having less than $40,000 in gross income, which means an EFC of close to zero. The college financial aid office subtracts the EFC from its COA and fills in the remaining amount with the grants (Pell and others as applicable), scholarships (school-based and outside as applicable), and loan components (Stafford and private as applicable) of the financial package offered to the student applicant.

Below is the government's determination of what low income means as it gives some insight into the definition of financial need. (Relatedly, the income break point for a family of four to have their children on the free federal lunch program for K-12 students is $29,500; for a reduced price lunch, the break point is $41,348. The low income definition for one government program does not cross over to another government program.)

The Pell Grant maximum for 2012-13 was $5,550 (EFC of zero) and it is scheduled to rise to $6,900 by 2019-20, but Congress must allocate the money, which is debatable. If fully funded, $34 billion in grants would be divided among an estimated 8.7 million recipients, which averages out to about $4,000 apiece per academic year.

While there has been substantial growth in the number of Pell Grant recipients and total dollars received, the average Pell Grant has not kept pace with college inflation. The Pell grant now covers only one-quarter of an average four-year public college tuition bill, compared with 90% when the program began in 1976.

About 16 million students apply for FAFSA, but another 1.5 million students who are eligible do not do so. The most common reasons cited for not applying have been its complexity—there are too many questions—and the need for students to persuade their parents to divulge their income tax returns. Because a significant percentage of Latino parents whose children would be applicants for Pell Grants have not heard of FAFSA, filling this information gap represents a good starting point for those seeking to assist Latinos. Helping the student explain the government's numbers to his parents is the website's Financial Awareness Counseling Tool (FACT), which the applicant can access when he has his password/pin.

The good news is that FAFSA has been simplified in that tax information now can be transferred from a filer's tax returns to FAFSA by means of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. In addition, if a full income tax return of the student's parents is not available, estimated taxes can be used as mentioned. In a one-parent household, the student needs only to supply the income tax return of the person providing over 50% of the financial support for the student. If the income tax filer is under 24 years of age, there must be an adult signature. Without that, the student must file for independency, which is complicated.

For the methodical student, or simply one who knows FAFSA equals money and therefore needs to be done regardless of organizational talents, filling out the required information is doable, even if some questions seem unusual and intrusive to the average Latino family.

***

Before moving ahead, it is obvious that the onslaught of financial terminology and acronyms is underway. Therefore, this is a good place for a providing a glossary.

### Time-out: Financial Aid Definitions

The New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) provided this information, as edited for space reasons by the author. No quiz will be given, but not knowing the terminology ultimately can be expensive.

APPLICANT INFORMATION REQUEST (AIR)  
An HESAA form to request information from a Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) applicant. HESAA uses it to complete the student's state grant record and determine grant eligibility.

AWARD LETTER  
Document issued by a college's Financial Aid Office. Lists the amounts and sources of financial aid awarded to a student.

BANKRUPTCY  
A person is declared bankrupt when found to be legally insolvent and the person's property is distributed among creditors or otherwise administered to satisfy the interests of creditors. Generally, federal student loans cannot be discharged through bankruptcy.

BORROWER  
The person who applies for a loan and receives the proceeds (or money) of the loan.

COLLECTION  
The activities associated with getting payment on unpaid loan principal and interest from a borrower after that borrower defaults on the loan. Participants in the loan process include lenders, guarantors, servicers, and collection agencies.

CONSOLIDATION  
Combining several federal (and possibly private) loans from multiple lenders into a single loan, perhaps to reduce the monthly payment and/or lengthen the repayment period.

CO-SIGNER  
A person who signs a promissory note in addition to the borrower and is responsible for the obligation if the borrower does not pay. A co-signer must be able to pass a credit review and must live in the United States.

DEFAULT  
Failure to repay a loan according to the terms agreed to when the borrower signed a promissory note for the loan. Default occurs at 180 days when the delinquency date is prior to 10/7/98, and 270 days when the delinquency date is on or after 10/7/98.

DEFERMENT  
A period during which a borrower who meets certain criteria may suspend loan payments. For some loans the federal government pays the interest during a deferment. On others, the interest accrues and is capitalized, and the borrower is responsible for paying it.

DELINQUENCY  
Failure to make loan payments when due; begins with the first missed payment.

DEPENDENT STUDENT  
A student who does not meet the eligibility requirements for an "Independent Student." Dependency status affects the maximum amount that a student may borrow in Federal Loans and whether a parent may take out a PLUS Loan on behalf of the student.

DISBURSEMENT  
The release of loan funds to the school for delivery to the borrower. Disbursements are usually made in equal multiple installments co-payable to the borrower and the school.

DISCHARGE  
The release of a borrower from a loan obligation.

EXPECTED FAMILY CONTRIBUTION (EFC)  
Represents the money a student and his family are expected to contribute toward his education, as determined through a "needs analysis" of FAFSA-provided information.

EXIT COUNSELING  
Students with Federal education loans are required to receive counseling before they graduate or withdraw; the borrower's rights and responsibilities and loan terms and conditions are reviewed with the student. This session may be conducted online, by video, in person with the Financial Aid Administrator, or in a group meeting.

FAFSA  
Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It is the application used by the Department of Education to determine the EFC, and is used by colleges and universities to determine eligibility for federal, state, and college-sponsored financial aid, including grants, education loans and work-study programs.

FEDERAL DEFAULT FEE  
The fee paid to the guaranty agency to insure the loan. This amount is deducted from the dollar amount of the loan.

FEDERAL WORK-STUDY PROGRAM  
Federal Work Study provides part-time campus employment as financial aid to collegians.

FFELP  
Federal Family Education Loan Program: Stafford, PLUS and Graduate PLUS Loans.

GRACE PERIOD  
The six-month period that begins the day after a Stafford Loan borrower ceases to be enrolled at least half-time. During the grace period, payments of principal are not required.

GRADUATED PAYMENT  
A repayment schedule where the monthly payments are smaller at the start of the repayment period and become larger later on.

INDEPENDENT STUDENT  
A student who meets one or more of these: at least 24 years old by December 31 of the financial-aid award year; is an orphan or ward of the court; is serving on active duty in the Armed Forces; is a veteran of the Armed Forces; is a graduate or professional student; is a married person; has legal dependents other than a spouse; is a student whom the school's financial-aid administrator has classified as independent based on his professional judgment of the student's circumstances.

INTEREST CAPITALIZATION  
Addition of unpaid interest to the principal balance of a loan; increases the balance due.

INTEREST-ONLY PAYMENT  
Payment that covers only accrued interest, none of the principal balance. Interest-only payments do not prohibit borrowers from making additional/larger payments at any time.

LOAN  
A type of financial aid that is available to students and their parents. Student loan programs have varying interest rates and repayment provisions. Loans must be repaid.

LOAN COUNSELING  
Students with federal education loans are required to receive counseling before they receive their first loan disbursement and before they graduate or withdraw, during which the borrower's rights and responsibilities and loan terms and conditions are reviewed.

LOAN PROCEEDS  
The money the borrower receives from a loan; the amount borrowed minus fees.

MASTER PROMISSORY NOTE (MPN)  
The promissory note a student signs when taking out a Federal Loan. The Master Promissory Note covers both the Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Loans the student may receive for the same enrollment period. If the student is attending a four-year or graduate school, the Master Promissory Note also covers Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Loans the student may receive for future enrollment periods.

ORIGINATION FEE  
An amount payable by the borrower and deducted from the principal of a loan prior to disbursement to the borrower. For federally-backed loans, the origination fee is paid to the federal government to offset the cost of the interest subsidy to borrowers. For private loan programs, the origination fee is generally paid to the originator to cover the cost of administering and insuring the program.

PERKINS LOAN  
A low-interest government loan for undergraduate/graduate students with exceptional financial need. This is a campus-based loan, where the school serves as the facilitator.

PLUS LOAN  
Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students. A loan that is not based on financial need; it allows parents to finance up to the full cost of their child's education, less any other federal aid the student receives.

PRINCIPAL  
Amount borrowed, which may increase as a result of interest capitalization, and the amount on which interest is calculated. Also known as principal balance.

PRIVATE LOANS  
Private loans provide supplemental funding when other financial aid is not enough. These loans are offered by banks, other financial institutions, and schools to parents/students.

PROMISSORY NOTE  
Contract between a borrower and a lender that includes all the terms and conditions under which the borrower promises to repay the loan.

REPAYMENT  
The time during which a borrower actively pays back an education loan.

SCHOLARSHIPS  
Financial aid that is awarded by schools, businesses, institutions, associations and private foundations. Scholarships do not have to be repaid. Can be awarded based on need, academic merit, academic concentration, interests, or a host of other criteria.

STAFFORD/FEDERAL LOANS  
Loans, both Subsidized (need-based) and Unsubsidized (non-need based), guaranteed by the federal government and available to students to fund education.

STANDARD REPAYMENT  
A repayment schedule reflecting equal monthly payments over a 10-15 year period.

STUDENT AID REPORT (SAR)  
A report sent to the student by the government 7-10 days after FAFSA has been processed. It shows the information the student provided on the FAFSA and contains the EFC.

STUDENT ELIGIBILITY NOTICE (SEN; in NEW JERSEY)  
An official document used by HESAA to inform a TAG applicant of his award eligibility at his selected college or university.

SUBSIDIZED FEDERAL LOANS  
Subsidized Federal Loans are awarded to students who demonstrate financial need. Because the Department of Education subsidizes the interest, borrowers are not charged interest while enrolled in school at least half-time nor during grace or deferment periods.

TERM  
A length of time in which to repay a loan. The term is agreed to by lender and borrower within the borrower's contract or promissory note. Also refers to language used in legal documents, such as a promissory note—defines how a loan will be borrowed and repaid.

TUITION AID GRANT (TAG; NEW JERSEY)  
A program that provides grants, based on financial need, to New Jersey residents attending approved New Jersey colleges or universities.

UNSUBSIDIZED FEDERAL LOANS  
Unsubsidized Federal Loans are available to students regardless of financial need (i.e., non-need based). Borrowers are responsible for the interest that accrues during any period.

VARIABLE INTEREST  
With a variable interest loan, the interest rate changes periodically. For example, the interest rate might be affected by the rate on U.S. Treasury Bills ( _e.g._ , T-Bill rate plus 1.7%) and be updated monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually.

To avoid the Reader's eyes becoming completely glazed over, it is beneficial to immediately return to the subject of real money.

### Grants

Grants, whether Pell or otherwise, do not have to be repaid. They are functionally similar to scholarships in the simple sense of providing a student with money for school, even if the student does not actually receive the money but sees it as a credit on the college bill. The primary grant providers—exclusive of those which are college-based and show up as those credits on the student's bill—are governmental: federal or various state programs.

Unlike scholarships, which are given out for reasons established by the scholarship provider, the above government grants are tied to financial need, as noted. At the federal level, in addition to the Pell Grant, grants are provided through the Higher Education Opportunity Fund (HEOF), which is a program for college students who have little in the way of financial resources and who have been mired in poor educational environments prior to college. The argument could be made that this program should be applicable to a large number of students, but in practice it is limited. HEOP also provides on-campus support services. Parents of eligible students must be citizens or have green cards and the students must meet both state level and specific college requirements. (This endeavor in some places is referred to as "EOF" or "EOP," the "P" standing for Program).

A particularly low income student may be eligible for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, which provides additional need-based grants. Students must file a FAFSA as part of the application for this grant. Families wanting to maximize the amount of aid their student receives also should be filling out the previously mentioned CSS/Profile. This set of information is used by some colleges when making decisions on their own scholarship awards.

### Scholarships

Students of all ethnicities should know there are innumerable scholarship opportunities. Spend time to do research here: scholarships, like grants, do not have to be repaid.

Scholarship requirements are varied. They range from the conventional (you know, for the kid who has it all going on: 4.0 GPA, volunteers at the soup kitchen, all-county in basketball, president of the student council) to the bizarre (the applicant must be left-handed, under five feet tall, with red hair and a desire to replace Jimmy Kimmel) and every combination in between. Some do not have a specific academic hurdle, but, like my own foundation, are focused on a student's passion, preparedness, and plan.

A student must keep looking and applying; find the organizations which have a particular desire to assist Latinos in their higher education (see website list coming up soon)—and try not to be disappointed when they too require applicants to at least have a green card.

Scholarship providers are diverse; the single biggest source is the colleges themselves. Many have a "standard" scholarship given to a large number of students. Virtually all have financial aid awards based on merit, which means that the best strategy for the prospective collegian is "simple"—be a great high school student. The most widely publicized scholarships are those pertinent to athletes (even the most academically oriented school apparently believes that without a strong football or basketball team, its entire fund-raising effort is for naught), but the actual count of scholarships for either merit or unpublicized reasons dwarfs the total for sports, even if the ink devoted to the "signing" of a great math student is not terribly large.

Below are data on a representative group of colleges and their merit aid.

Non-college or government scholarship providers include foundations and other non-profit organizations, whose mission is to assist prospective college students; benefactors of schools who specify their monies be used for scholarships; and local good-guys like the American Legion. Some outside scholarships are paid through checks to the student, but this must be done carefully to be consistent with the college's rules about reporting such aid; the vast majority of outside funder scholarship checks are written out to the college.

The suspicion regarding the latter is that scholarship checks written to the college are then used as justification by its financial aid office to reduce the college's own scholarship support to the student (where relevant). It is a difficult case to prove, but schools sensitive to the issue have published their above-referenced rules on how they handle outside scholarships. Students can appeal any decision made by the college's financial aid office; somebody in that department has to become the student's new best friend. More financial items are negotiable than might be thought.

Regarding scholarships directly from the college, they are basically price discounts. They come with many requirements and are not automatically renewable. Like buying a used car, the details must be examined closely; the student never escapes the need to understand the difference between the gross cost of college and his or her net price. The latter can balloon suddenly if the GPA requirement for the college scholarship is not met.

College scholarship policies are referred to as "full-need" when they provide complete financial aid (grants/scholarships/loans/work study) to the level indicated by the cost of the college minus the EFC, which in many cases is zero. Non-full need schools leave a gap between these two numbers. In both cases, the college's attitude seemingly is that the student should have an inexhaustible appetite for debt. One should not be overly critical; if pushed, the college shows its heart by waiving application fees for low income students.

In the difficult financial world which exists for the majority of college students, it is rare to see a leading university be reflective in public about the linkage of its costs to the financial aid offered students. An exception is this statement by the President of Tufts University, Tony Monaco, as edited for space reasons.

■ "The rising cost of higher education has routinely outpaced the Consumer Price Index and is an issue of national concern. Higher education has long opened doors for individual opportunity, and in our knowledge-based economy it is more important than ever, playing a critical role in the job market and national competiveness. I share the concern that applicants and their families may find higher education out of reach. For many, indebtedness from student loans will be too significant a factor in deciding career choices. Unfortunately, we are not exempt here. Each year we must withhold the promise of a Tufts education from superb applicants solely for lack of sufficient financial aid resources.

■ We are committed to doing all that we can at Tufts to ease the financial burden on current and future students. We are taking a fresh look at our cost structures—so we can ensure that as much as possible of the university budget directly supports our teaching and research, and keep tuition increases down while continuing to deliver the transformative educational experiences for which we are known.

■ Student financial aid remains our number-one fundraising priority. It is a cause that is important to me personally: I was a first-generation college graduate because of generous financial aid. Scholarship dollars are critical to closing the college affordability gap. Students arrive at Tufts each year from all corners of the globe and from all backgrounds, bringing rich and diverse perspectives that will enrich our educational community. Financial aid opens the door."

There is some innovative thinking taking place in what might be considered a middle ground between scholarship support and conventional debt. For example, an experimental program is being studied in Oregon that would enable students attending public colleges in that state to pay no tuition up front; they would still be responsible for room and board and all other costs. In return for not paying tuition, for 24 years after graduation with a Bachelor's degree, the student would send a check to the state for 3% of his salary. Some legislators in New Jersey have proposed a similar approach.

While minute in terms of sheer numbers, there is another interesting approach to financing a college education. Lumni creates social investment funds which provide monies for college students (most recipients have been in Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and the USA); the graduates who are assisted by this organization repay based on future income. Pave has a similar approach. Upstart was begun by an ex-Google executive; funds it provides to students can be used to start a business or pay off loans or pursue more education; again, repayment is a percentage of income.

### Scholarship Websites

In many cases, the websites below include not only grants and scholarships, neither of which have to be repaid, but various types of loans, which must be repaid sooner or later. Some are pure government-sourced money situations, some are pure private, and some are a mixture. In addition to the sites below, many of the websites listed in the "Getting to College" chapter should be researched with respect to scholarships. Undoubtedly there are scores of others as well; for example, I have not included websites for what would be a long list of scholarships offered by corporations and foundations.

Hispanic organization  
ASPIRA.ORG

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute  
CHCI.ORG

Everything about college, including CSS  
COLLEGEBOARD.ORG

Huge resource  
FASTWEB.COM

Gates Millennium Scholarship Program  
GMSP.ORG

New York State Government Funding  
HESC.NY.GOV

Hispanics in Philanthropy  
HIPONLINE.ORG

Hispanic organization  
HISPANICFUND.ORG

Social investment fund for students  
LUMNI.NET

Latino applicants in New Jersey/NYC  
LOSPADRESFOUNDATION.COM

Loan related information  
MAPPINGYOURFUTURE.ORG

Aimed at low-income students  
MINDSMATTERNYC.ORG

Preparation for college/career success  
NAF.ORG

Social investment fund for students  
PAVE.COM

Wide variety of financial information  
SALLIEMAEFUND.ORG

As the name implies  
SCHOLARSHIPSFORHISPANICS.ORG

As the name implies  
<https://www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/>

<https://www.fafsa.ed.gov/>

### College Financial Documents

For most students—particularly for those who are the first in their family to apply to a four-year college—being accepted at that school is an occasion of undiluted happiness. The prevailing feeling at that point is simply, "I'm in. I'm going to college." Cheers!

Subsequently the student receives a financial aid award letter from the college and finds that the information is analytically awkward. It is as if the car dealer keeps raising his price (the cost of the college going forward is always higher than the number the student was previously looking at) but helps the customer borrow more money (not from the school itself—why should it take any risk—but from the government) and sometimes gives the buyer a minimum wage job to help pay for the car.

The financial aid award letter includes these specific items:

The Pell Grant, perhaps a scholarship from the college, and maybe some other grants: none of these have to be repaid.

Direct Federal Loans (Stafford Loans): these are the cheapest loans available but they are still debt; they must be repaid under the vast majority of conditions.

Work Study Money: this should not be in the award letter, as the money derived is no different from what a student could earn in an ordinary job.

Many times, the student simply tosses the financial aid award letter in the appropriate college folder, with less than adequate attention being paid to its specific contents. Sorry, but the details, as always, are important.

Looking at the letter contents differently, it describes funding sources which:

Do not completely pay for college....and/or

Incorporate enough debt to make the student blanch....and/or

Assume an EFC well above what the family believes is doable.

In hopes of providing some assistance to the student attempting to wade through various types of college-related financial documents, I have included samples on the next several pages. Prospective college students may never have seen what these materials look like.

A college financial aid award letter

A college financial aid information letter

A college bill

The author's attempt to translate college finances into ordinary language

Another simple analytical tool

Students of all ethnicities may be excused for thinking this is a complicated area; it requires at least a rudimentary understanding of the previous glossary of higher education finance, the ability to think through the monetary implications of different decisions, and hopefully having a trusted person with whom the student can exchange thoughts about difficult choices.

As the student will see, in addition to money matters that are always at the top of the college's to-do list, the school's financial aid award letter sets out several hoops the prospective student must jump through prior to becoming officially enrolled. There are various deadlines for different pieces of information.

For the student who is focused and devotes the requisite time and attention to Reading the college letters thoroughly and following through on every deadline, there is nothing requested which is not doable. Not putting in the effort can bring about disastrous results, as in non-enrollment or owing money to the point of not being able to register for classes.

In looking at the financial data portrayed in the AnyCollege table I created (which was done before the COA and NPC existed), note there is no specific match-up of which costs are being paid for by which financial aid. In addition, even with the new COA and NPC data, the true cost of AnyCollege can only be calculated in the context of a specific student since certain of the cost items reflect individual student decision-making.

When considering the cost of college, keep in mind that the maximum benefit of AnyCollege comes from participating in not only a class, but overall campus life: activities, networking, clubs, volunteer efforts, pizza, beer. Whether the student can afford the full experience is a separate question.

Below is an analytical tool for budgeting the cost and financing of college.

***

For the future Latina college student who is not only going to high school, but is working 25 hours a week, is the babysitter for her younger siblings, and maybe is trying to juggle her relationship with a guy whose intentions are more immediate than hers, the sheer volume of college financial information requirements presented in the prior several pages is daunting. And she is probably better organized than her Latino counterpart.

Both should reach out for assistance, sooner rather than later, if they find themselves struggling to understand the pile of college materials. Well-meaning adults who shrug and say, "if students want college badly enough, they will find the time to do things right," might be accurate in the micro sense but miss the bigger picture—if both society and colleges want to address education/income inequality in this country, they must recognize the real-life circumstances of the constituency they are attempting to reach.

It is not a unique insight, but it bears repeating that for people with constrained incomes, a reduction in working hours, a car in need of repair, or an uninsured health situation can have a domino effect on previously laid plans and budgets, leaving the college student conflicted about proceeding on his academic path or returning to the family to find a job and alleviate the additional financial stress. For many middle-class parents, the economics of college are off-putting in a different way; they may make too much money for the grants and loans that are available to those with lower incomes, but too little money to simply write a check for their kid's higher education.

The financial dilemma is multiplied when the student is undocumented and deprived of access to the public monies, both grants and loans, normally available to college students. This painful subject was thoroughly covered in a previous chapter.

On to the wonderful subject of that money borrowed by college students and owed to the federal government.

### Student Debt: Federal Loans

The first type of loan for any student to consider is that provided through the FAFSA procedure, meaning that the same underlying information is used by the federal government in making its decision on the amount of debt to be offered the student. Referred to as Stafford, FDLP, or FFELP Loans, they come in two versions.

The "subsidized" loan means that the federal government pays the interest on the loan while the student is in school. About 70% of those who qualify have a family income below $50,000; one-third of all undergraduates have a subsidized loan. The limit here is $2,625 to $8,500 per year, depending on whether the student is a freshman or sophomore, and other factors. Repayment terms are usually up to 10 years, with monthly payments ranging from $50 to several hundred dollars.

The interest rate on the subsidized Stafford loan was 5.6% in 2009-10, dropped to 4.5% in 2010-11, and declined further this past academic year to 3.4%, after which it was scheduled to double to 6.8% in 2012-13. President Obama, aided by passionate students and some Congressmen, fought off the interest rate increase with a typically contorted political compromise. The prospective added financial burden, avoided for the time being, was estimated at $1,000 apiece for some seven million student borrowers.

As GUIDE was being finished, the Senate had approved a new approach to interest rates on this loan; they would be pegged to the interest rate on the government's own borrowing for 10-year Treasury Notes. These are the details for the 2013-14 academic year; the rates are fixed for the length of the loan and apply to loans taken out after July 1, 2013. Rates are adjusted annually for new loans to new borrowers:

Undergraduate student loans: 3.9% (would have been 6.8%); Graduate student loans: 5.4% (6.8%); PLUS loans: 6.4% (7.9%).

While students will save money in the current academic year, it is likely that interest rates on the above formula will trend higher as the government is now paying very little on Treasury Notes. In that event, the loans will become more expensive and another transfer of income away from students will ensue.

Interest rates are capped at 8.25% for undergraduates, 9.5% for graduate students, and 10.5% for PLUS recipients. Each is higher than those in the present federal loan structure.

An "unsubsidized" Stafford loan means interest is being added to the amount to be repaid. The loan limit is $2,625 to $18,500, depending on what year of college the student is in and the amount of subsidized loans—there is a four-year total FDLP limit of $31,000, of which no more than $23,000 can be subsidized. Terms of repayment on unsubsidized loans are like those of subsidized loans. In both cases, disbursement to the college on behalf of the student is usually in two installments, corresponding to a two-semester college.

Assume $20,000 in total Stafford Loans is borrowed at 5.6%; the monthly payment on a ten-year plan is $222, so debt decisions should not be made lightly. However, for a student or their parents to exclude a good college because debt will be incurred is not sensible. Debt and college are now akin to ham-and-eggs, a natural coupling for students without big scholarships or affluent parents. The debate is over how much, not whether, debt will be attached to the diploma.

This is the box of data which pulls all the federal loan stuff together.

Leaving the hype aside, college is an investment and, to use the business terminology, the return (higher income) on capital invested, both debt and equity (what the student and family have borrowed and provided themselves) is well above-average, even though the combination of the Great Recession and higher college debt levels has reduced the "profit" to the student.

A Bachelor's degree is worth $55,700 in average annual income, compared with an average income expectation of those with a high school diploma of $33,800.

About 60% of college students borrow in order to have the opportunity to earn this higher income. A typical debt level for a student graduating from a four-year college is $25-35,000, excluding PLUS loans, money from Uncle Jose and Aunt Maria, and what is put on the credit card so conveniently facilitated by the marketing department of the college. The sum of these outside financial sources can exceed direct student debt. The total financial obligation can climb sharply for a student who is attending an expensive private college that does not have the endowment necessary to offer substantial scholarship support.

The data below represent the undergraduate level only. You do not want to see the debt numbers when graduate school is included; save that shock for later—for sure, when the student walks to the stage for his or her Bachelor's degree, some sadist will whisper, "you know Juan and Angela, you need a Master's degree in today's employment environment."

After receipt of the Pell Grant monies and the federal loans to the student, after the scholarships (if any), after borrowing from relatives, and after accessing the student and family coffers, it is not unusual for still more money to be needed to attend that great private university. The loving parents of the Latino student, if their credit scores were not crushed by the Great Recession, can take out PLUS loans for whatever additional college funding is needed.

The parents, bless their hearts, are directly responsible for repayment of PLUS loans (the student should be considered morally responsible) and usually must begin doing so only 60 days after the funds are completely disbursed, whereas the student is able to defer repayment longer on his direct loans. The current interest rate on PLUS loans is 7.9-8.5%; the fee to obtain the loan fees is 4%. Did anybody make the claim that colleges, and their financial accomplices, are businesses?

Assume the loving parents have helped out. Here are the repayment numbers:

When a student takes out a federal loan, he must sign a Master Promissory Note and complete loan entrance counseling. He can then keep track of his debt obligations through the National Student Loan Data System. While there is some Congressional discussion about the subject, as of now, federal student loans must be repaid even if the borrower has filed for bankruptcy. Student loans in bankruptcy are treated like child support, alimony, overdue taxes, and criminal fines.

Perhaps because of the publicity being given to the plight of student borrowers, Sallie Mae, Wells Fargo, CitiBank, and other private loan providers have recently talked about seeking some modification of the bankruptcy laws. Sallie Mae has come under some pressure from those who believe it is extending credit to subprime borrowers—over half of its student debt is not being paid completely on time. Overall, it is a boom period for private collection agencies, who are compensated by the government, which since 2010 has directly made federal loans to students. Before then, the government guaranteed federal loans made by private lenders.

To add to the current insanity, some colleges have withheld giving graduates their own transcripts when they are behind in their debt repayments, even though the debt is not owed to the school, but to the federal government, i.e. the taxpayers.

Reflecting high college cost/debt levels and inadequate job opportunities, some six million students are behind in their payments, with $76 billion in defaulted college loans, "greater than the annual tuition bill for all college students." Default is defined as being one year delinquent in payments on a student loan. For-profit colleges, 11% of all students, produce almost half of the defaults, and, unsurprisingly, college drop-outs in general are four times as likely as graduates to go into default.

Compare college default data with the mere 22% of for-profit school students who earn a Bachelor's degree in six years, the 65% graduation rate at private non-profit colleges and the 55% rate at public schools, and one can see the scope of the financial problem.

For those seeking additional debt data to chew on, here are a few morsels from the Department of Education and the Institute for College Access and Success:

■ Student debt now exceeds $1 trillion, about 85% federal loans and 15% private loans (90% of which require co-signers).

■ The default rate after two years on federal student loans has climbed to 9%, with the category of for-profit college students defaulting at double that rate.

■ On-time repayment rates are less than 60%.

■ 7.5 million undergraduate students have federal loans.

■ 1.5 million graduate students have federal loans.

■ Average debt at graduation for a four-year college student was $26,600 in 2011, plus $6,800 in parent loans.

Here is how borrowers themselves have reacted to their debt situations.

In the last couple of years, the issue of excessive college student debt has become front page news. It only took the Great Recession, high unemployment rates for college graduates, and perpetually rising college tuition and fees for the media to discover what anybody doing research or simply talking with students has known for years.

Now there is a risk that the student overstates the negative financials and overlooks the fact that obtaining a degree from a better college is attractive, even if a small amount of debt is incurred. One rule of thumb is that if repayments take less than 10% of post-graduation pre-tax income, the associated debt level is acceptable. A second guideline is that cumulative debt at graduation should not exceed projected year one income in the student's anticipated occupation.

The logical question then becomes:

### Handling that Student Debt

Is there a way for college graduates to reduce the impact of an uncomfortable debt burden? Yes, sort of, but it is not simple.

Approximately one million students (an estimated one-third of those who could be involved) are enrolled in a government financial plan called "Income-based Repayment" (IBR), which was initiated in 2009. The type of debt covered by IBR includes only federal loans made to students; loans to parents or private loans to students are excluded. Students cannot be in default on federal loans and consolidation of loans is possible.

Under IBR, the monthly debt repayment can be reduced if the student meets certain requirements and his income is lousy. If annual discretionary income (earnings minus poverty guidelines for the person's family size) is $16,000 or below, no monthly repayment is required, but interest accrues. Otherwise, there is a sliding scale of repayments, with the maximum being that which would be paid under the standard 10-year repayment schedule. There can be deferments for unemployment, economic hardship, or military service.

Defaulting when taking advantage of IBR means a jump in the cost of the loan and an inability to get a credit card or mortgage. There is also a little-noticed side effect of IBR: if any part of a government student loan is eventually forgiven, which may not be until the 20-year mark, the amount of the forgiveness represents taxable income.

In 2012, President Obama announced several initiatives pertaining to IBR; they are listed below. Later he added "Pay as you Earn" (aka PAYE), which is similar to IBR. His announcement recognized some of the inequities in the overall system of financing higher education or represented clever campaigning strategy (you pick the motivation). Eligibility for the revisions is based on the year in which the debt was incurred.

■ Monthly repayments on loans incurred since 2008 now are limited to 10% (was 15%) of discretionary income, defined as an individual's earnings above $16,000 per year.

■ Loan balances are forgiven after 10 years (was 15) for public service employees or those serving in the military.

■ Loan balances are forgiven after 20 years (was 25) for those employed in the private sector. (High-priced lawyers and accountants are now scurrying to calculate prospective financial benefits to upper income professionals who incurred major debt levels in college, _e.g._ , lawyers. Not exactly the intent of IBR, which was created to provide some solace to students in lower income circumstances.)

Related to IBR, there is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. PSLF involves students who are working in public service endeavors like teaching (the website ibrinfo.org is a useful source for understanding teacher loan forgiveness programs), practicing medicine in underserved communities, serving in the military or working full-time for a variety of non-profit organizations.

To be eligible for PSLF, the student must make 10 years (120 months) of the "right" kind of payments (in other words, the correct amount without negotiation), he must be under the IBR plan, and his PSLF must pertain to the "right" kind of loan (federal direct loans), while working in the "right" job (government or non-profit entity). This particular loan forgiveness does not generate taxable income.

Confused yet? If a student does not know the exact nature of his debt or the relevance of the above descriptions to his own particular situation, which is understandable, the federal number to call is 1-800-433-3243.

For a student to think through all of this while applying to college in the senior year of high school is more than a bit unlikely. Nonetheless, if the student's career passion happens to be the "right" kind of occupation, understanding how PSLF works conceivably could affect the decision on which college to attend, and how much debt to take on in pursuit of the degree. The first step is to make conscious decisions about debt and, when possible use Stafford/Perkins loans, which require no credit check, while avoiding private loans (Sallie Mae and Citibank, etc.) which are higher cost and do require such a check.

***

In addition to his IBR initiatives, Obama has offered these proposals as part of his overall effort to prod colleges to make their "product" more accessible and affordable.

■ Tie every college's eligibility for Perkins loans, work study jobs, and Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants for extremely low-income students to the school's ability to hold down tuition inflation.

■ Expand Perkins loans to $8 billion from $1 billion, and double the number of schools offering them.

■ Create a $1 billion competition to reward cost-conscious colleges.

■ Establish a rating system for colleges (with the package of variables including: how many low income students are enrolled, tuition rates, graduation rates, average debt, average income after graduation) and flow federal financial aid accordingly. His goal is 2015 implementation, with 2018 federal aid ($150 billion is the current total, twice the amount contributed by states to public colleges) being driven by the ratings. Naturally, the college industry is not thrilled about this proposal.

■ Require colleges to provide earnings data on their graduates.

■ Put a cap on all student loan payments of 10% of monthly income.

As is true when reformers confront the problem of poor K-12 education, those individuals who are nicely compensated in the current environment—in this case, college leaders and their staffs—had reasons A-to-Z on why the President's proposals were misguided or nonsensical or uneconomic or some combination thereof. Maybe a decade from now, people will look back and see that this initial reaction by the education establishment was simply the first step in change, namely denial of the idea that change must occur.

Not all members of the college establishment are oblivious of reality. David Skorton, President of Cornell University, put it this way, "College tuition is rising much too quickly. It's gotten astronomical...For all the colleges and universities, including Cornell, we have to do better at controlling costs, especially administrative costs."

The aforementioned Tufts University is not only looking at its cost structure, but is also offering its own form of IBR. "Believed to be the first university-wide program of this kind in the country, the Tufts Loan Repayment Assistance Program (<http://lrap.tufts.edu/>) helps Tufts graduates working in public service repay a portion of their annual Tufts-incurred education debt."

### Debt Websites

Many "Getting to College" and "Scholarship" websites have extensive information on debt financing as well. Below are additional websites in the college debt arena.

Advice on financial matters  
GREENPATH.ORG

Debt, loan forgiveness information  
IBRINFO.ORG

Federal government data  
LOANCONSOLIDATION.ED.GOV

National student loan system  
NSLDS.ED.GOV

American Bar Association  
SAFEBORROWING.COM

Private student loans  
STUDENTLENDINGANALYTICS.COM

Institute for College Access  
TICAS.ORG

### New Jersey Specific Information

Students who have established legal and physical residency in the state for at least twelve consecutive months are eligible for Tuition Aid Grants (TAG), which are based on financial need. The Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA.org) is the source for decisions; in the latest period, 70,000 students received an average of $3,750 per academic year. HESAA also provides loans to eligible students or their parents.

The state has smaller funding programs as well, including the NJ STARS program referenced in the chapter on Community Colleges, the Bloustein Distinguished Scholars Program, and the Urban Scholars Award. Separately, as the program is federal in scope, the state facilitates participation in the Higher Educational Opportunity Program.

Awards under the New Jersey TAG program are based on an eligibility index linked to the same factors as FAFSA.

The TAG data below are per student per academic year:

The 2013 deadline for 2013-14 TAG funding applications was June 1 for renewals and is October 1 for new applicants. For help in understanding the appropriate forms, which are virtually identical with the FAFSA set of questions, the student should call 1-609-584-4480, Monday through Thursday 8am-8pm, Fridays from 8am until 5pm. Be patient; there are multiple prompts, like everywhere in the world of business.

With state aid to higher education in New Jersey having been cut in recent years, tuition receipts from students are now relied on for a much larger percentage of college revenues than before. Given the state's crummy financial condition and its political challenges in establishing priorities, this shift is not exactly a surprise. However, in contrast to what might be expected, the current state budget calls for increased TAG funding.

### SUNY and CUNY Specific Information

SUNY stands for "State University of New York." The best overall guide to the SUNY colleges, published annually, is "The State University of New York Yearbook," available at 800-342-3811; the website is <http://www.suny.edu/student>.

The SUNY system includes specialty colleges (for example, the well-regarded Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City), two-year schools (about half of enrollment) and four-year colleges. In total, it has 64 campuses and over 450,000 students. SUNY attracts 40% of all high school graduates in New York State.

Resident tuition at a SUNY four-year school is below $7,000 per year; add $10,000 for room and board and $3,000 for books, fees, etc. and the total COA of $20,000 in today's inflated college cost environment is considered inexpensive. (The comparable cost at a SUNY college for a non-NYS resident is about $7,000 higher per year.)

Typical loan levels at graduation from a SUNY four-year school are $20,000. The SUNY literature, citing a College Board study, indicates that a college student enrolling at age 18 will extinguish this debt by age 33 if his annual income is $24,000 or more. Attractive.

Hispanic students (9% of the total) who are first-time enrollees for Bachelor's degrees at SUNY have a 55% graduation rate in an average of slightly under five years, compared with 63% for all students in the system. Females (54% of all students/all ethnicities) have a 66% graduation rate, versus 59% for males. Surprised? At the Associate's level, graduation rates at SUNY are below 30%. Another non-surprise.

In New York State, the undocumented student can not only enroll in college but only has to pay the in-state tuition rate. Documentation in the Empire State has not been a problem in terms of access and rate since 2002, but financial aid remains unavailable.

***

The debt information below from the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), as condensed from the material of SUNY, is redundant with material elsewhere in GUIDE, but the presentation is especially clear—or maybe it is a test to see if the student arrives at the same answer when coming at the debt calculation from a different direction.

HESC provides these Financial Aid Calculators, which are of considerable process help to the would-be higher education student.

CUNY (<http://www.cuny.edu/>) stands for the City University of New York, the city equivalent of SUNY. Its phone number is 800-cuny-yes; the office of admissions is at 1114 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036.

CUNY includes a variety of member colleges, with GPA and SAT averages which range widely. For example, John Jay—popular with criminal justice majors—has a 1000 SAT average, whereas Baruch's—attractive to business majors--is around 1200. Consistent with the prior comment on SUNY, the schools of CUNY accept undocumented students. If the applicant does not have a social security number, the school simply assigns an ID#.

CUNY—which has 136,000 students—charges tuition of $5,430, which is scheduled to rise to $6,330 in 2015-16. Room and board is not relevant for most students in this commuter-based system. Overall, reflecting this lower cost structure, CUNY says that 44% of its students "pay no tuition" after including financial aid.

The vast majority of CUNY's two-year college freshmen, like those in other community college systems, historically have needed remedial instruction in Reading, math, or writing. There have been controversial attempts at addressing the problem. One person's description of what the Latino student, as well as many others, faces pretty much wherever he turns in his college search is on point: "a convoluted system (like CUNY) is trickier for low-income students, who may not have friends and relatives to advise them on the best sequence of courses."

The academically prepared Latino student should be able to finish a SUNY or CUNY four-year school in no more than five years, readily beating the averages. However, this simple statement obscures several factors: the availability of money, the academic rigor of the student's high school, and what one organization refers to as "navigational support"—the help needed by those not familiar with the system of higher education.

### Closing Comments

Any chapter on finance and the ability of a college student/graduate to cope with this responsibility has to conclude with a money comment, particularly since cautionary comments about debt finally are being echoed in many places—including by those directly involved in the business of college.

ADVICE FROM A PRACTITIONER

"Debt from Student Loans is Crippling a Generation," by Deborah M. Figart (director of the Stockton Center for Economic & Financial Literacy at Richard Stockton College) and Susan Niemiec (compliance manager for Novadebt, Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling)

The month of April brings good news to high school students: acceptance letters to colleges and universities. Recently, the federal government helped make the costs of college attendance more transparent, with information displayed on websites. But what about the costs of paying it back? Though the average student loan debt for a graduate of the Class of 2010 was $22,250, according to the Project on Student Debt, needy students are borrowing much more and their student loan payments are choking them.

We have moved beyond mere anecdotes to a key public policy concern. Each month, young adults are burdened with 25 percent to 30 percent or more of their net pay dedicated to student loan debt. In 2010, student loan debt exceeded credit card debt and continues to increase at a rate of $2,853.88 per second. As one payer says, "College loans are crippling my generation." FinAid.org and Fastweb.com report the average college student has eight to 12 loans for their undergraduate education. The U.S. Department of Education says student loan default rates increased to 7% in 2008 and 8.8% in 2009.

Student loan debt education is needed for all students and independence is paramount. Counseling should be done by an independent third party such as a nonprofit agency. Nonprofit agencies provide valuable resources and services to consumers of all ages at teachable moments throughout their lives. These organizations offer workshops to high school students on the topics of student loan repayment and the consequences of default, but the current reach is limited.

Our call for independent counseling is not meant to castigate financial aid professionals. The New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority's online brochures and repayment calculators are insufficient. And, like college admissions offices and the financial aid professionals who work alongside to recruit each freshman class, they are not wholly separate from the process.

The depressed job market isn't helping. Some economists fear the current student loan burden will further hamper an economic recovery; student loan debt also will prevent consumers from saving for retirement. The effects of this debt are crippling. The value of a college degree shouldn't be questioned. Students and their parents can make smarter choices based on counseling and education. We urge the New Jersey Legislature to require an independent group to create and deliver a curriculum for use in our higher education institutions to stop the crippling effect of student loan debt.

The above essay tells you that higher education professionals can discuss college debt without commenting on the cost of college other than noting its informational availability. Overlooking the other side of the college financial coin is another example of the institutional arrogance which has fueled the ire of not only an entire population of parents struggling to pay college bills, but critics ranging from the author to the participants in Occupy Wall Street to President Obama.

Thank goodness that the college-bound Reader of GUIDE is a determined Latino or Latina, ready to put into practice what is needed to get his or her degree.

## Chapter Nine: BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE STUDENT

Why should a student need to search for analytical insights. Why dive into deep philosophical discussion about college students and success. Better to have to-do lists.

### List One: Positive Personal Characteristics

The personal characteristics associated with success in education (and life) are available to every Latino student.

■ Positive attitude—passion—energy—curiosity

■ Resiliency: the ability to recover from mistakes

■ Strong family support

■ An understanding of the specific requirements of the desired career

■ A positive peer group, and the ability to shun negative peer pressure

■ Avoidance of early marriage

■ Avoidance of early pregnancy

■ GRIT It's the new buzzword (and valid)

■ PERSISTENCY Yes, it is that important

■ TIME MANAGEMENT A must

■ ABILITY TO SELF-ADVOCATE Critical to everything above

Being able to self-advocate means the student is able to personally and directly describe—to himself, to parents, to peers, to professors, to his mentor, to a special friend, to the financial aid office, to his support group, to whomever is relevant to his particular situation—the who, where, what, why, when, and how behind his decisions. This capability rarely is found fully-developed in a high school senior or college freshman, but is built up over time, with the assistance of all those involved with the student on his higher education path.

Beyond the above roster of general characteristics, the more specific compilation of approaches associated with a student achieving success in college has many entries.

### List Two: Productive Habits

This information is sufficiently useful to warrant a prominent place on the student's refrigerator or iDevice.

■ Take notes...learn study stills...know your professor

■ Make sure your advisor knows you by more than name and ID #

■ Stay current on homework; balance academics and non-academics

■ Check your college website daily

■ Create friendships or at least peer support groups

■ Become and stay organized...break big tasks into smaller units

■ Eat well and stay healthy...keep stress under control...have priorities

■ Establish goals and timelines...develop a routine for test preparation

■ Know about on-campus support services and how to access them

■ Set an earlier date than required when the assignment is a long paper

■ Use the fitness center for more than getting phone numbers

■ Have a daily planner...review each class syllabus at least weekly

■ Go to every class and sit toward the front/middle; participate

■ Be prepared to learn with both materials and mental attitude

■ Have a best place to study...avoid distractions

■ Get involved in at least one extracurricular activity

When everything works, what could be better than this e-mail from a student.

Bob, I PASSED MY TEST! I PASSED MY TEST! I PASSED MY TEST!

I couldn't of done it without that class and your help! You're seriously a savior! I couldn't have asked for a greater blessing than your presence in my life. Thank you again.

The third success list consists of some stuff which did not fit into a nice writing flow (why should it be different), but which nonetheless should be posted adjacent to the prior lists and referred to on a regular basis.

### List Three: Pearls of Wisdom and Significant Factoids

Once the student is in college, much of the daily information needed to function effectively will be found on the college's website, supplemented by e-mails from professors, resident advisors, and others who want to be sure that all of the responsibility for knowing what is going on rests with the student. Communication among students will be a hodge-podge of Facebooking, texting, tweeting, e-mailing, and other technologies I cannot even fathom. Fortunately, I am not attempting to draw a link between a particular technology-based form of communication and educational success or failure. Nobody else has either.

■ Two Rutgers professors analyzed the job market for personal qualities desired in the growth areas of employment: oral/written expression and deductive/inductive reasoning topped the list by far. The ability to Google everything and click on "right" answers has not reduced the value of the personal attributes that employers pay for.

■ Babies are wonderful, but not for students while in college. They drain time, energy, and money from their parents, all of which the latter will need to graduate.

■ Sign up for courses as early as possible; knowing how to navigate that part of the college website is mandatory—students must always be aware of key dates and respond accordingly. College seniors probably will always get priority for course sign-ups, but that is not the critical factor. Understand the prerequisites for the chosen major; have an academic plan for the entire two or four-year commitment.

■ Some campus-based colleges have enrolled more students than they can physically handle in their classrooms. The "overflow" students are forced into an on-line mode. However, and alarmingly, a Fall 2010 study at the University of Florida indicated that Hispanic students getting an on-line education in their dorm rooms had academic results a full grade lower than their peers who went to classes.

■ Some professors ask their students to use palm-sized wireless devices called "clickers" to (1) indicate they are in attendance, (2) request clarification of a point being made by the talking head or (3) express an opinion, which now they can do anonymously. The clickers may also be used for multiple choice exams. They sell for a modest amount and are compatible with social networking technologies. I hope that clickers are a selective tool; interpersonal skills are not being developed with their usage.

■ Keep in mind that professors most often are focused on conveying information; it is the student's task to concentrate on learning the material. Well-paid, tenured professors do not have their jobs at stake if the student does not learn . Many times, professors, particularly in math and science, are from other countries and are brilliant in their subject knowledge, but have accents which are difficult to understand—of course, professors can have the same problem with some Latino students.

As is true throughout education, professors may have content knowledge, but be clueless about classroom management. (The type which really frosts me are those professors who put a grade on an essay without making any comments.) Some professors respond to student questions with an attitude, "look it up yourself or see me after class." Some will only go over homework if forced. On the other hand, there are professors who are highly intelligent, know their subject cold, are friendly, and will be in their office for the student every time needed. Students should gravitate to professors with rigorous standards, including substantial roles for Reading and writing.

An education program leader I know would ask her professors, "are you grading your students on their life stories, how hard they have worked, or their results?" Students should want teachers who grade on the latter: this is preparation for the real world.

A student can access a website (<https://www.myedu.com/>) to gauge the merits and demerits of signing up for certain professors but it is better to find a trusted fellow student who has had the professor to give his evaluation. A serious, on-going defect of websites evaluating professors is the statistical unreliability which results from a small number of rating inputs, typically from those with negative opinions.

A "content mill" is a website which can bury the user with a ton of information, answer questions, and in general provide help for the student's academic endeavors. I am generationally handicapped in evaluating these websites, but I can understand how they are of interest to short attention span students immersed in clicking their way to apparent academic success. Whether these websites help students to internalize good learning methodology is debatable.

My innate skepticism about many aspects of Techno-world is obvious, but to not mention another source of potential assistance to students seems inappropriate.

### Websites of Content Mills

Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting  
ALPFA.ORG

Lots of stuff  
ANSWERBAG.COM

Part of the Wikipedia deal  
ANSWERS.COM

Answer any question  
ASK.COM

Assists students in graduating  
COLLEGESUMMIT.ORG

Get a person to answer a question  
GETHUMAN.COM

Frequently asked questions  
FAQS.ORG

Software, etc. tutorials  
LYNDA.COM

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers  
SHPE.ORG

Q&A sites  
STACKEXCHANGE.COM

Under the Credit Card Act of 2009, nobody under 21 can get a credit card without either a co-signer or proof he can make regular repayments. Regardless of this requirement, the average college graduate leaves with $4,000 in credit card debt. Go slow. Understand the positives and negatives of different credit/debit card approaches; realize that simply because the college has given an on-campus franchise to a bank, it is not automatically the best option as a place for the student to do business.

To check your credit report, call Equifax (800-685-1111), Transunion (800-916-8800), or Experian (888-397-3742). Newsflash: some potential dates are checking the credit scores of their prospective partners. One-third of people nationally are below 650, which is considered subprime, not a great selling point for a sustainable hook-up (or is that a contradiction in terms?). Newsflash number two: Justin Bieber is doing videos to promote financial literacy and a prepaid debit card for teenagers in particular. Help!

To work as a teenager or not has been a question within many families forever, with the vast majority coming down on the side of, let the kids work, it teaches responsibility. Whether the latter is completely true or not is for another day. In the case of the Latino student, in my world, it has been a rare set of parents who tell their teenage children to not work and to focus on education, because the economics of the household often dictate that everybody who can work do so. This is especially the case when the student's parents are undocumented and working at low-paid factory jobs or in restaurants with erratic tip income or in the landscape or construction businesses, with their vulnerability to weather and other cyclical fluctuations.

When the Latino gets to college, he still may be working relatively long hours and taking only 12 credits, the minimum to be considered full-time. This decision often reflects both economic needs and academic uncertainty—the student wondering whether he can handle college work. The rule of thumb used by some people with respect to community colleges is that a student's credit hours at school plus hours at work should not exceed 40 per week, but even that is a stretch. Stress can be all but inevitable and with it higher odds of a disappointing GPA. Given the cost of college, the student may be trapped. To add academic credits and subtract work hours simply increases financial pressures.

At college, work hours not only may affect academic results, but also the ability to engage in the type of socializing labeled as "networking," which is important to getting a job after graduation (and which is more prevalent at four-year schools). A recent survey indicated that 20% of college graduates who became employed were interviewed by or hired by somebody who attended their college. Maybe the percentage has moved temporarily higher during the Great Recession and ensuing slow recovery, where who you know has significantly increased in importance, but the point about networking is valid regardless.

College grade inflation is widespread. At many schools, the vast majority of students receive either As or Bs. Students should not get big heads. Teachers typically receive no resistance from students when they lower the academic bar. The last "laugh" is on the student when at graduation, he finds out the employment marketplace does not give his credential the value imagined by the student. To repeat, the student must seek rigor in classes and professors.

If you must drop a course, make sure you know the rules about when you can do so without it affecting your GPA. Similarly, know the implications of withdrawing from a class before you take such a step.

To go beyond the "list" material above and know more about the process, why not listen to what new college students have to say.

### Survey of College Freshmen

These insights come from a survey which my Project 2015 conducted early in the collegians' freshman year. All members of this program are Hispanic. Seven of the nine students went away to four-year colleges; two graduated from two-year schools prior to transferring to four-year colleges.

■ What is the best thing about college so far?  
Independence... people... time management for starting on my career path.

■ What is the most academically challenging part of college?  
Uninteresting classes... homework time... hugely important exams... the Reading load... working without mom or teachers being on my back.

■ What is the most challenging non-academic part of college?  
Drama situations... who to trust among new friends... partying... absence of home cooking... responsibilities... time allocation to home and college friends.

■ What have been the biggest surprises?  
Amount of alcohol I see being consumed... I have no money... I cannot get as much sleep as I need... drugs are evident... homework is heavier than expected... the Reading is greater than anticipated.

The concept of independence noted above includes the new dynamic of what it means for a student to be away and, equally, how it feels when he or she returns home to family and friends. A college junior in Project 2015 tells her story about the latter challenge.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

THE REALITY OF GOING HOME, by Amanda Maldonado [Forum: November-December 2012]

When you arrive at college, you know no one, you're in a strange place, and you can't wait to go home and talk to the friends you left behind. But after a few weeks, a few months, and a few years even, you make new friends and get to the point where you don't want to go home because you don't want to miss a party on Friday or going to the movies with your friends on Saturday.

The next time you do go home, it doesn't quite feel like home anymore. Nothing seems the same anymore, no matter how much you try not to notice or think it's not true. When this reality hits, it's enormous, and the fact that no one understands doesn't help. You find that old friends have moved on, and your parents get on your nerves even more. They don't mean to, but they do. You feel as if no one understands what you have been through, or why you have changed. Only your friends at school who go through it with you understand. And when you leave at the end of the year, you leave behind those friends, and take all the memories with you; the good, the bad and the ugly. It will hurt just as much to leave your new friends at school as it did to leave your old friends at home.

Home will never seem the same, and you won't be able to bear the wait to go back in the fall for more fun times, crazy moments and new friends. It doesn't do much good to explain this to your friends back at home, because no matter how hard they try, they won't understand. Some won't even try. Old friends don't understand what you are thinking when you do something differently because you have grown accustomed to it at school. The empty feeling you get when you realize how much things have changed and how much you have missed back home is hard to deal with.

But when you think about how much you experienced in college and how you have become more independent, that empty feeling would fade. You will be filled with memories of hanging out in your dorm room watching movies with new friends, and that warm night you went for a walk at 3 a.m. just to talk to a friend about a tough time. College things; the deep conversations, the late-night group studying, hours spent laughing at nothing, sad moments when a friend is hurting, those are what will stand out the most in your mind.

In the end, you will realize that college is one of your best experiences. You become closer to your parents because they do understand, but at that moment you felt they did not. Communication becomes more important for you and your family. As soon as you realize that you appreciate every challenge and hill you went through just to get to the moment you are at in the future. The reality sinks in and you now understand why the people who loved you most pushed to the certain extremes that lead you here today.

It's the Reality of Going Home.

A Project 2050 student weighs in below on the financial side of this often pivotal subject of independence. Her perspective is that of a senior attending a four-year college about a thousand miles from home. Success in higher education has many requirements: adjusting to independence is one of the most important.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

INDEPENDENCE, by Sapphire Aragon [Forum: May-June 2012]

Independence. What does this word mean? Freedom from being home. State of being able to support one's self. Thinking for one's self and having control. These are all different meanings to the word independence. Now, which one best refers to a college student? Mainly freedom from being home.

For several years now I have considered myself to be independent. I started working at 16 years-old and bought my own things, paid my cell phone bill and made sure what I wanted to have, I could provide for myself. Five years later my outlook on life has not changed. I still am my own provider. I don't ever ask for anything of my parents unless it's essential.

College, car, food, clothes, books and everything else come from my pocket. All dilemmas and situations that I face in today's world are without my parents. All choices I decide to make are mine. I don't like or want to depend on others. I want to control my destiny and life. This does not mean my family does not exist because they are still supportive of things I do. I just like to show that I am capable of handling growing up and prospering.

Every day since I entered college three years ago, I have seen numerous people. Some act as I do, provide everything for themselves while a large amount of other people tend to just chill, act laid back and depend on the support of their parents. These individuals feel independent but only because their parents can't tell them what to do, who to hang out with, or even a curfew.

I understand that college is to learn and become successful; however; I believe in order to really be successful, a person needs to only depend on themselves. Every person should have to work even if for only a few hours a week so they can get that feeling of independence, the feeling of "I can do things for myself." So many people walk by or hang out and simply call their parents for money, for help on minor situations, to provide for them. That's what parents are for, to help and support you, but not for your entire life.

To get the most out of the college experience and gain that independence, all students should have to break free financially from their parents. It will give them the real world experience one needs because if they don't get it while in college then after it, there is going to be a really rude awakening. Some people may not be able to handle the awakening and it may put a setback on their success.

Healthy independence is facilitated by a good match-up, the student attending a college which is "enjoyable (in the constructive sense of this word) and affordable."

### The Match-up of Student and College

Latino students who are the first in their family to attend college, and their parents, initially may have been attracted to a college simply because they recognized the school's name. It should be the obligation of guidance counselors to convey an understanding of why a lesser-known, but excellent, school may be an equally good or even better choice.

Part of the process may be assessing colleges by their degree of competitiveness. Colleges labeled as being "most competitive" accept one-quarter or so of their applicants. "More competitive" colleges accept one-quarter to one-half; with lesser competitive schools, the acceptance numbers move up to fundamentally open enrollment.

The match-up as a key ingredient of success incorporates the quality and quantity of on-campus support services. Specifically, to provide solace to students with uninspiring SAT scores, many educators believe these individuals can succeed at schools with a significantly higher average SAT, reflecting support services like tutoring which are available to students. Thus, the right match may initially seem dubious, but if the student has a good percentage of the above success characteristics and is working on the others, graduation is attainable.

Students with excellent GPAs in high school are often the slowest to avail themselves of needed tutoring. In some classes, they may be receiving grades which they literally had never seen before, so they do know that something needs redressing; these students must get past their pride and ask for assistance to achieve the success they desire.

Colleges themselves provide required academic support at the freshman level, if one defines remedial courses that way. Quite often Latino students must take such courses, at least half the time not because of their own negligence but because they attended one of the typically substandard urban high schools which exist throughout the country, and/or they were held back as they learned the intricacies of a difficult language, namely English. Some observers believe that remedial requirements are unproductive, that students would do as well if enrolled in the introductory courses which are part of the standard curriculum.

One way of keeping many college procedures in perspective, without being overly cynical, is that a college is a business which works hard to attract the student, who succumbs to its pitch—after all, he is a willing buyer—and becomes a freshman. The college then believes it has the student as a committed customer; their demonstrable support in year one—Read coddling in many instances—becomes less evident when the student becomes a sophomore and then a junior, which can be the time when additional effort by the student is required as the courses become more difficult—the offset being that the courses are more interesting to the student because they are primarily in the area of the academic major. By the third year, the college also knows that most students either have successfully adjusted to the rhythms of college life or, if annoyed at some things going on, or lacking, at the college, are not thrilled with the hassle of transferring.

Latino students in these middle college years are helped if they begin to establish contact with organizations relevant to their potential careers. Two examples are the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (<http://www.alpfa.org/>) and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (<http://www.shpe.org/>). The latter is pushing for more Latino students to pursue the STEM courses of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In New Jersey, at the undergraduate level, LSAMP (Lewis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation) has the same focus. (A graduate in this academic area, which is not for the faint-hearted, will find employers waiting outside the school's commencement location to make job offers.)

When the student is a junior, the role of career counseling becomes more important; this means spending extra time with an advisor and at the college's career center, the place where information about internships, job fairs, etc. should be available. As a senior, the college reverts to being even more aware of the student's needs. It may want the student for its graduate school or it may want the prospective Bachelor's degree-holder to instantly get a good job so the school can brag about its placement rate. Lately, humility has been the norm as hiring has been slow.

Throughout their two or four or six years, college students have to focus on developing their individual package of success characteristics, their modus operandi for achieving the goal of graduation. If students ignore the necessity to learn new approaches and their successful implementation, and instead major in partying in year one, they may "suddenly" discover entering their sophomore year that their cumulative GPA is hovering around 2.0—which mean they are in danger of being placed on academic probation, with the college scholarship, if one exists, about to disappear.

GPA means Grade Point Average. While there are differences in the definitional details at various colleges, a student can think of it this way: 4.0 represents an "A" average, 3.0 is "B," and 2.0 is "C." (Later the successful student may learn the meaning of cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude.)

Looking down the road, a 3.0 GPA is the threshold for considering graduate school. Do the math. A 2.0 cumulative GPA for two semesters means a 3.33 GPA is required for the six remaining semesters of a Bachelor's program to reach that targeted 3.0 mark for the entire four years. Often a student's GPA does improve when he is past his general requirements and is taking only courses related to his major and minor, if relevant, but it is still better to start strong as a freshman.

Successful students are those who have developed a productive academic path, become involved in campus life overall, structured a good time management system, and made themselves known to—resident advisors, counselors, financial aid people, professors—anybody who might actively provide the assistance the student needs when problems arise or he simply needs to talk through an issue. They have learned the rhythms of college life, and their financial situation is at least not a source of daily stress.

Students who have accomplished the above usually have developed exemplary critical thinking skills, as demonstrated by this senior collegian in Project 2050.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

KONY 2012: PROPAGANDA AT ITS FINEST, by Emily Casiano [Forum: May-June, 2012]

If you have a Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or YouTube account, or one of any of the other new Internet fad websites of which I am not yet aware, you have heard of Kony 2012, the sensational video released by the nonprofit organization Invisible Children (IC) to kick-off a campaign to bring Ugandan warlord, Joseph Kony, to justice and to end his reign of terror in central Africa. Even if you are one of the few who does not participate in social media, chances are 90% of your circle of friends, family, and colleagues does and has passed along the message offline. Being a college student, even though I am currently not in the United States and nowhere near a university campus, I have found it impossible to escape this internet meme, which, coincidentally, is exactly what the Kony 2012 creators had in mind.

I am, as it happens, not the target audience for this video. As an International Affairs major, I was already aware of the issue of child soldiers, not only in Uganda, but around the world. Previous IC documentaries had been screened in my classes, and every once in a while a member of the group's chapter had interrupted a lecture to publicize a fundraising effort or an event. Nearly all my classmates consider themselves members of the IC chapter at Northeastern University, whether they attend meetings regularly or have only signed their name to a petition once. It has become the "cool" thing on campus, the club you join to show that you are a good global citizen.

I am a skeptic of any nonprofit that gains this amount of popularity. The nonprofit to which a person chooses to donate should not be selected based upon the number of "likes" it has on Facebook. There are plenty of amazing organizations that never get this amount of recognition and that, were they to suddenly become the pet charity of millions, would not know what to do with the attention. When an organization becomes fashionable, it is easy for people who want to support it to ignore important details, such as the percentage of its budget that goes to the cause, as it is for the organization itself to become sloppy in its management.

For example, I Read the book Three Cups of Tea as part of my curriculum at Northeastern. It was written by a mountain-climber named Greg Mortenson, who became so concerned about the plight of Afghans living in the Himalayas that he started a nonprofit organization, the Central Asia Institute (CAI), to build schools, bridges, and other essential infrastructure in small villages there. The book, an autobiography of Mortenson's near-death experience while climbing K2 and his subsequent epiphany while recovering in an impoverished Afghan village, was released during the height of the U.S. military campaign. It called on Readers to support Mortenson's mission of fighting terrorism one school at a time. The story was compelling and the solution proposed was simple: spread the word, donate money, and you can help save Afghan children from the likes of al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Soon, everyone, even high-ranking American officials, was talking about Mortenson and the CAI. The money rolled in, and Mortenson began receiving an unending amount of requests for (paid) speaking engagements. Because his organization relied on name recognition and awareness of the cause, these speaking engagements, along with publicity and materials, became an essential part of CAI's budget. Mortenson had to develop a set of brief and flashy presentations that would catch his audience's attention and persuade them to donate on the spot. These speeches had to inevitably simplify and dramatize the story and the issue. It did not take long for Mortenson to be criticized for mismanagement of funds (nonprofit analysts frown upon organizations that use too much money for administration, publicity, travel expenses, etc.) and manipulation of the facts. He has been accused of everything from inventing his story to exaggerating the number of schools built and their successes.

There is no doubt in my mind that impoverished and war-stricken places, such as Afghanistan and Uganda, need help. Schools are a great idea, and it is true that the only way to get the money flowing is to make Americans aware that these places even exist. However, I think that IC is headed down the same path as Mortenson's CAI. Numerous critiques of IC had existed prior to the release of Kony 2012, and now even more have emerged, coming from everyone from Ugandan citizens acutely aware of the conflict, to American military officials involved in a covert operation to capture Kony, to the same nonprofit analysts who called out the CAI.

The debate they have started is an important one, and one not necessarily expected by the Kony 2012 creators, who have demonstrated surprise and disappointment in regards to the reception of their video. This is a cause about which they care deeply. They see their methods as the best possible way to raise awareness and solve a problem which, until they showed up, few understood. But the critics have a point. The video fails to address the fact that the conflict in Uganda has largely ended, or at least the situation has drastically improved. Kony no longer calls the country home, having fled with his Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) to more unstable countries (reportedly the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, two decentralized/stateless societies).

In addition, the United Nations places the number of child soldiers in the LRA at well under the figure claimed in Kony 2012 (some 500 versus 30,000). Others believe that the campaign undermines an already underway covert operation, led by a small, elite group of U.S. and African troops that IC succeeded in getting Congress to approve through a separate lobbying effort a short time ago. Finally, there is the criticism that the proposed way of capturing Kony, via supporting the Ugandan army, could result in the deaths of the same child soldiers that IC intends to protect and that the Ugandan army itself has been widely accused of similar atrocities as those committed by the LRA—the pillaging of villages, raping of women, and kidnapping of children to turn them into child soldiers.

The whole situation is a complicated mess, as all international conflicts tend to be. Presenting the capture of Joseph Kony as the end to Uganda's (or central Africa's, as the creators have since clarified) problems is dangerously oversimplified. Kony's arrest and prosecution at the International Criminal Court will not end the region's rampant poverty, the seemingly unending violence, or even the use of child soldiers. Many have compared the Kony 2012 campaign to the hunt for Osama bin Laden, with the documentary itself using his silhouette to imply that Kony is similarly evil and an enemy to all. There is something to be said about this comparison, as the successful search for bin Laden did not

bring about the peace and stability in the world, the Middle East, or even Afghanistan, that was the end goal implied at the beginning of the "war on terror."

I guess what I am saying is—be careful. Educate yourself on the issue, look into IC's background and the history of the conflict. Do not let flashy effects and a catchy campaign hook you. Do not paper the country on April 20th simply because your Facebook friends and Twitter followers are doing it. If, once you have Read both sides of the story and done your homework, you decide you do want to help the children of Uganda or aid in the hunt for Kony, that is your prerogative. I know many people who think IC is an amazing group and are fully aware of the controversy surrounding it. But, please, find a better reason than, "I saw it on my News Feed," to spring into action.

The intelligence demonstrated by the above writer is exceptional and graduation came easily. In contrast, graduation rates for collegians of all ethnicities are not inspiring. These are the United States Department of Education's calculations of six-year graduation rates at four-year colleges:

With these suboptimal outcomes, there clearly is a need for additional suggestions.

### Helpful Inputs to Staying in College

Considering the statistics, it makes sense for students to pay attention to organizations which are attempting to improve graduation rates, particularly non-profit entities whose focus is financially challenged and/or first-in-family minority students. According to Boston-based The Bottom Line (TBL), the highly credible non-profit organization described previously: "About 3 out of 4 urban, minority students who begin college won't finish...they face academic, financial and emotional challenges once in college that the latter's access and student support programs can't address." As one of its multiple approaches to changing this unsatisfactory ratio, TBL's staff employs the information tool on the next page to track its students.

When TBL students are in college, they are categorized as "all systems go," "changes need to be made," or "big problems exist." The demonstrable success category represents 50% of the total, the middle is 30%, and the "doubtful they will make it" category is 20%. TBL historically has devoted substantial extra energy to the middle group, without giving up on the possibility of upward movement from the lowest category. Some 74% of TBL's students graduate within six years, about twice the rate of Boston public school students.

Better performing high schools themselves include in their mission statements the goal of high college graduation rates for their students. As an example, North Star Academy Charter School of Newark has had multiple tools for tracking its high school graduates as they continue, or do not continue, their education at the college level. When the school's alumni counselors in the past have made their annual report to those leading North Star and to the Board of Trustees, they have used the following College Student Descriptors:

■ **Thriving** : GPA at least 3.0, well-organized, good time management, resiliency in difficult situations, involved with campus life, has formed strong relationships, self-identifies as succeeding

■ **Stable** : on track to graduate, GPA at least 2.5, has figured out how to handle college but has not mastered the process

■ **Struggling** : whether the student is working hard or not, they may not make it, GPA: 2.0-2.5; still figuring out time management, etc.

■ **Failing** : on academic probation (GPA under 2.0), poor work habits, maybe trying to balance college with job and/or family demands

North Star's historical listing of college struggles is instructive for any student:

■ Placing undue importance on non-academic activities

■ Inadequate concept of the meaning of work, cannot sustain effort

■ The quality of work is far beyond high school; extra effort is needed

■ Financial problems

■ Has not internalized a goal; does not know why he is in college

■ Does not take responsibility for actions

■ Has personal issues, maybe from family, maybe needs counseling

■ Adapting to being away from home/family has proved difficult

■ Is abusing alcohol and/or drugs

■ Picked the wrong college

North Star's past survey of the small proportion of its high school graduates who were not attending college produced responses that should be recognizable by many Latino students: financial difficulties were cited by 50%; personal or family matters: 28%; motivation: 14%; and academics: 8%.

As always money can be an important determinant of persistence and success, as it is in establishing the right match of student with college, which is why the process is somewhat circular—better academic preparation increases the chances of winning substantial financial aid from the college, which reduces monetary stress and facilitates better academic results. Incremental attention now is being paid to identifying those colleges with good graduation records for the type of students at high-performing charter schools: predominantly minority and often the first in family to attend a four-year college.

In the past, North Star has logged the time-line on the next page of how different challenges increase or decrease in importance as its graduates move through college.

North Star provides equal insight into the reasons why students succeed.

In hopes of moving its college outcomes higher, North Star is creating a College Readiness Tracker, which includes metrics for its high school students involving self-advocacy, time management, and academic preparation. It is increasing the importance of "college-like" classes ( _e.g._ , student-led seminars) in its high school academic curriculum. With access to data from the National Student Clearinghouse and using a tracking approach developed by the Beyond 12 organization, the school will be able to better understand whether its approach to college success in the context of the new Common Core Standards is generating the desired outcome. (Initial results from these tests, now scheduled in New Jersey for 2014-15, undoubtedly will not be good because of the significantly greater rigor of these standards.)

The goal for any student in using the above tools is to graduate from college but equally as important, it is to avoid the perfect storm: piling up debt while having a low GPA and uncertainty about the major. That is when a big time-out is needed, which may entail either not being in college until the head clears up, or perhaps switching from a big ticket four year-college to a community college. Sampling the academic menu is less costly there and the easing up of academic pressure may provide the necessary atmosphere for rethinking the student's career path.

***

As an extra list which did not fit neatly into the above compilations, but still is pertinent to achieving success, I have put together these observations about interactions between students and colleges. They reflect inputs from hundreds of conversations between myself and college students; there is no particular order because there is no prescribed order to either the colleges' actions or the students' realization of their need to react. The tone, a darker iteration of "trust but verify," is mutually generated by students and myself.

■ Colleges can do anything they want to do; they are not really responsive to any "higher authority," regardless of their accreditation credentials.

■ Not all rules are in print, particularly those about undocumented students.

■ If two different people on the college staff give you contradictory answers, focus on the answer favorable to you and keep throwing it in their face.

■ On key questions, get the same answer twice before you rely on it.

■ On key questions, try to get two people to give you the same answer.

■ (If not, see observation above.)

■ If a college rules against you regarding financial aid, do not meekly accept its negative stance. Remind the school that Person X at the college gave you contradictory information, if that is the case. Perform whatever combination of intellectual debate, tears, and rendition of your horrible economic and personal situation that will get you a favorable adjustment.

■ If college counselors err, they simply say, "sorry," while the student is the one who has spent time, energy, and money under erroneous assumptions. Hence, diligence is all on the student's shoulders.

■ Write dated notes about every conversation with college officials; include their names. (A good idea for all information-gathering activities.)

■ Until the bill is in print, not only is the financial discussion not finished, but the dollar figure may be inaccurate. Check for accuracy and give negotiation your best effort.

There is no real scorecard on these types of conversations, but the note below from a program member ain't too bad.

"I just wanted to send you a quick reminder of how much I appreciate you and your help. I cry of happiness every time you have helped me out. Today I just thought of how grateful I am for everything and how far I have gotten. Again this is just a simple reminder and giving you recognition of your help."

A common challenge for most college students, including the above writer—who had worked hard to resolve her problem of too many activities relative to the academic load she was carrying (which should have been caught by her on-campus counselor or advisor)—is the newfound necessity to deal with:

### Time Management

The balanced and productive use of the 168 hours in a week is the key to reduced stress, a good GPA, and eventual graduation. Unfortunately, many students seem to be majoring in socializing. The excellent book entitled Academically Adrift paints this dismal picture of time management by today's collegians.

In arriving at their conclusions, the authors used data from the Collegiate Learning Assessment, a longitudinal study measuring four years of a student's progress, or lack thereof. Other organizations and projects (National Survey of Student Engagement, The New Leadership Alliance for Student Learning and Accountability) are either studying the same college campus mismatch between partying and studying or directly attempting to lift college academic standards.

If higher education is dominated by socializing, there are much less expensive ways to do so. For the first-in-family, non-affluent student, excessive socializing comes at a high price. Many of his counterparts can afford to screw up academically, but he cannot; his budget will not allow it.

On the next page, a member of Project 2050 weighs in on the subject of time management.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

TIME MANAGEMENT IS IMPORTANT, by Sapphire Aragon [Forum: November-December 2011]

Classes....check, work....check, cheerleading....check, homework....check.

This is what my schedule looks like this year. No room to breathe. Every moment of the day is filled with something to do. Cheerleading workouts at the break of dawn, followed by work, then class or cheerleading practice that evening. My time for sleep has become very limited. What time management I thought I had clearly did not exist.

The start of this semester has been the greatest battle I have had to conquer. My college life had been manageable up until junior year. Cheer, school, homework, and job never conflicted. Yet I was eaten alive by the hours in the day. I pulled all-nighters frequently and felt/looked like a zombie on a daily basis.

Four weeks into this semester I had to pull myself together to try and fix the situation. One morning I had to pause and analyze what was going on. That's when it hit me that I was trying to satisfy others and not myself. I decided to reduce my workload, devote at least six hours to sleep and steer my focus on class or cheerleading when the time comes. This has helped me a ton. My grades have stayed up, cheerleading has improved, and work is not so stressful. My body has started to thank me for the changes. My original perspective of time management has transformed and helped me improve the person I am. This was a learning experience that will help me now and into the future.

I'm glad it occurred now and not later on in life. Never take free time for granted because you never know when you will not have enough.

***

At the risk of seeming preachy about one aspect of time management, namely punctuality, here is a sermon from my dusty archives about a difficult interaction I had with a student.

"Dear (Student):

There may be people in your life who do not care about showing up on time for an appointment, or calling when you know you cannot make it—but I would not be myself if I did not tell you what a counterproductive habit it is to take somebody else's valuable time and not care when you cannot do what you said you would do. When I said that I did not want to hear about your walking or other factors, what was meant was this message, this philosophy of life—

You have to take responsibility for accomplishing those things which you want to get done. You, not somebody else. You have to "own" your goals and the needed actions to accomplish those goals. I apologize for my expressed irritation; it was undoubtedly prompted by your smiling away while serious points were being made. When you have the ability to set a meeting time which you can fulfill, then call and we will get together. Please bring the necessary paperwork.

Please know that our commitment to helping you be the best you can be is not changed by any of the bumps in the road. Thanks. Mr. Howitt"

***

"Mr. Howitt:

First of all, let me apologize for my behavior lately. I know I have been disrespectful to you and I have no excuse. I'd also like to thank for being persistent in keeping in contact with me, due to the fact that I have not really made an effort on my part. Enclosed is the tuition bill that I still owe. If the foundation will not pay it, I fully understand and will undertake the responsibility. I'd also like to offer the little time I have to help out in any way, shape or form. The best time to get in touch with me is at work 9-1 or 2-5. I am barely home and if you can call me at work, that would be better. Thank you very much and I truly do apologize. Sincerely (Student)"

Time management is like an algebraic equation—the initial answer can be back-checked to see if it is "correct." If an otherwise capable college student is doing poorly, while there can be a whole list of reasons, the first place to look is frequently time management.

***

A very different challenge/requirement for the college student is his selection of a major: the subject area which is to become the academic focus of his college experience.

### Majors

In putting together a class schedule, there are multiple considerations. Typically, there is a list of general education courses which must be taken sometime during the period in which the student is at college, plus there are prerequisites for many courses beyond the introductory level. Additional factors are the desirability of balancing "hard" and "soft" courses (usually these descriptors are only knowable by talking with existing students) and the benefits of not overloading with heavy Reading/writing courses. And always, there is the pecking order, either a specific preference in selecting classes being given to upperclassmen or the "first come, first served" queue at the computer.

At a four-year school, selecting the academic subject area in which a student is to major may take place as early as freshman year or as late as junior year At times, it may seem like a semi-traumatic decision: "does my choice of major determine my entire potential life in the workplace?" The answer is "not really." Besides, a student changing his or her mind about a major, stressful as it may be at the time, is not an unusual event. The additional self-reflection which from being a college student tends to produce better decisions.

Unfortunately, to academic traditionalists anyway (and somewhat contradicting the above verbiage), the combined impact of the Great Recession, reduced employment prospects, and heavy college debt loads has meant the choice of a major by more than half of higher education students, especially minorities, has become specifically tied to the ability to find a job in that field. If anybody was wondering, the hard sciences area has more openings and out-earns the soft sciences, not exactly news.

While there is insufficient longitudinal data on the match-up of college/major with student success, a prospective collegian can know the supply/demand characteristics of a generalized job area, can understand the economics of different majors, and maybe can find out the drop-out rates within a given college's major areas. The process is not a totally blind lottery. The Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook is quite useful.

In this environment, beleaguered parents and students alike are striving to stretch their education dollars. CollegeMeasures.org is attempting to assist in this process by providing information on how college graduates have converted their diplomas into jobs and income. Its data is based on unemployment compensation information and therefore is state-based, with the first data set consisting of the salaries of alumni of public colleges in Virginia. There are some procedural drawbacks to the data, in terms of collection and presentation, but the overall idea is sufficiently compelling to have attracted Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who would like to force all states to provide such data.

Data-mining about trends in different job categories notwithstanding, if possible in that ideal world where college debt is not a deal-breaker, the student should follow his passion in choosing his major, as described by this college junior.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

PURSUE YOUR PASSIONS, by Amanda Maldonado [Forum: February-March 2011]

Someone once told me, "You're wasting your time on a career that will only lead to starvation." Ouch, right?

But before I go on, let me give you some background on the career in question. I want to be an actress and for this, I am majoring in Mass Communications. After years of exploring my interests, this is what I have decided. But I am still affected by what others say, which led me to consider the other side of the argument.

Even though there are thousands of people who are trying to make it in this industry and don't, this does not mean they should stop trying. Some people say to pursue a career like acting, you should not be in a regular college. My dream is acting, but I also need a backup plan and having a degree in mass communications broadens my horizons in the aspect of me wanting to do anything involved with the entertainment business—that is where I want to be.

More disturbingly, the country is in the midst of an economic downturn, which is leaving people in a perpetual state of uncertainty. And by the time my generation graduates from college, we will be part of a workforce that is highly competitive and incredibly unstable. But I stand firm in my decision to be an actress. Why?

For the idealistic, simple, yet powerful reason that it makes me happy in a way that no amount of money ever could. Rarely have I found others who think this way, and it always disheartens me to hear students trying to map out their lives based on factors other than pursuing their passions.

Factor number one: parents. Parents definitely have a right to be involved in their children's lives, but sometimes their words create more stress than encouragement. Instead of trying to make their children happy, as they may have intended, parents can end up squeezing their children's hopes and desires until nothing remains but the hard, coarse seeds of a cruel reality. True, being realistic is important, but everyone needs the chance to dream in order to find happiness, and parents should understand this.

Factor number two: money. A conversation I had with my college friend one afternoon illustrates this point. "What happened?" I asked after hearing he had switched majors. "I thought you wanted to be a photographer."

"I do," he said. "But there's no money in it. Don't worry," he added, probably sensing my concern. "I'm happy where I am."

I really wanted to believe that, but as we continued talking, he constantly interrupted me to point out the beauty of this view and that view, saying he wished he had his camera with him. I didn't know what to think anymore. Naturally, there is no way to predict where our paths will lead us. In fact, our ideas and plans could very well change down the road.

However, at this stage in our lives when so many voices are telling us who we should be, we need to nurture our individual dreams, not stifle them, because they may be the only things left that define us.

Of course, listen to your parents and consider the financial implications of your choices. But keep in mind, too, that you, and no one else, will ultimately have to live with the results of your decisions. And who knows—maybe that person is right, and I will starve because of my choice to become an actress. But after witnessing the unhappiness of those who didn't pursue their passion, I am convinced that the worst suffering of all is to not allow yourself to do what you truly love.

Reflecting the country's persistent economic malaise, following a student's passion admittedly has become more problematical. While one offshoot may be more interest in careers "assured" to be growing in employment, a different result is that collegians have become more interested in lesser-paying (compared with their expectations when choosing a major) but "socially conscious" opportunities. Applications to Americorps (<http://www.americorps.gov/>; akin to a domestic Peace Corps experience) and Teach for America (<https://www.teachforamerica.org/>) have reached record levels.

The latter has received applications for ten times the number of prospective acceptances to the program. Certainly some of the individuals attracted to these endeavors may be biding their time until a "better" career situation presents itself. On the other hand, many do find their true calling is in unexpected sectors, gaining personal satisfaction to offset what is often lower direct compensation.

Along the way, in his junior and/or senior year of college, the student may decide, either voluntarily or reflecting a mandatory component of his course schedule, to test whether his career interest is solid or shaky by pursuing:

### Internships

Internships are opportunities for a student, instead of attending college for a semester, to work at a company or non-profit entity relevant to their career interest. A positive internship experience leads to strengthened resolve about the student's career path—and maybe a prospective job offer itself.

In general, students should eagerly pursue internships, whether they are unpaid—because the students receive college credit—or, paid, in which case the students typically would not earn college credit. For a student who is financially hard-pressed to begin with, an unpaid internship is not attractive monetarily but establishing contacts in the employment world and getting those credits is important to the student longer-term.

According to the College Employment Research Institute (<http://www.er.org/>), about three-quarters of college students will have some internship experience before graduating. Intern Bridge (www.internbridge.com) states that approximately half of the one million annual internships are for no compensation, the offset being the receipt of that credit at college. (Note: this area has some legal confusion attached to it—are employers taking advantage—using free interns instead of paying people, particularly in the media and entertainment field. Federal law says that if internships at for-profit locations are unpaid, there must be an "educational environment.")

Even with some drawbacks, internships, as indicated, are a good step toward expanding the networking concept to include potential employers. The "who you know" factor here is not an automatic job generator, but it gets you in the game in a way that an anonymous resume does not. From the employer's standpoint, internships are the equivalent of an inexpensive look at a prospective employee, with the ability to judge both capability and personality fit. Typically, career centers or some other office at the student's college are the starting point for information on places offering internships. The website Internships.com posts openings to facilitate the process.

As an example of the pros and cons of an internship, here is one job description. The student involved has paid over $2,000 for her six college credits; from her employer at the internship site, she cannot receive a dime for her gas or tolls or the additional clothing needed for the position. But she does get experience in an area directly connected to her career goal.

"Dear Student (from the employer of the intern):

We are pleased to offer you an internship educational opportunity. Your schedule will be 9:00am to 5:00pm Monday-Friday, beginning May 15, 2012 and ending September 5, 2012.

For this position, your major duties will include: Work customer areas on game days...work closely with the marketing coordinator on the preparation and execution of bulk collateral mailings...track and maintain the organization of inventory for promotions...work closely with sales representatives to research new leads...assist in the set-up of ticketing areas on game days...do data entry of group sales members following games...implement and execute all elements of group programs. With the acceptance of the position, you agree to fulfill your duties and the requirements of your internship within your education institution as well as with the [company]."

Here a college senior in one of my programs provides a generalized and particularly lucid description of the internship world.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

ALWAYS AN INTERN, by Emily Casiano [Forum: August-September 2011]

When you attend a university that is as hyper-focused on professional experience as my school, Northeastern University, landing an internship becomes as easy as selecting courses. I am currently finishing up my second co-op – NU's 6-month, full-time version of an internship – and my fifth internship. That means five different companies, or, in my case, organizations; five different work environments; five different groups of coworkers; and an infinite number of lessons learned. The good news is my resume is full. The bad news? Only one of these formative experiences actually paid me.

So what advice do I have for students just starting out? Patience. Know beforehand what to expect. As an intern, you will most likely never be paid. Moreover, it is quite possible that your work will not be acknowledged, praised or appreciated. Your tasks will be trivial much of the time. I, for example, have become a pro at fixing giant monstrosities known as office all-in-one printers, stuffing envelopes, printing labels, making cold calls, and scheduling meetings. Interns get the busy work, the stuff that the paid employees do not have time for or cannot be bothered to do. Many times they are not trusted with any work above this level.

However, the fact that internships can be tedious and frustrating does not mean that they can be skipped, avoided, taken lightly, etc. Today no one will hire recent grads who have not had work experience beyond being the cashier at the local Sears or the ticket collector at the town AMC. Employers want to see that students have stepped out of their classrooms, off their campuses, and into some sort of office environment. Basic skills like how to properly send an email, complete a mail merge, finish a report, create a presentation, are not learned in the lecture hall and will most likely not be taught in a flowery orientation before starting that first fresh-out-of-college job.

Go for that internship. Once there, make a name for yourself--but not as the one who always leaves dirty coffee mugs in the sink, spends the day with headphones plugged in, shows up in jeans and wrinkled shirts or arrives two hours late every day. Look for a project that you can take ownership of. An easy example? Our generation possesses an innate knowledge of social networks and computer software that most older colleagues will not have.

Keep an eye out for things that need improvement. If the company's Facebook page is looking a little lame, offer to spice it up and propose a way to boost the number of fans. If you see that something can be done faster or more efficiently, find an opportune moment to suggest a solution.

Make it known that you want to work. If you do not have anything to do one day, which I guarantee will happen, speak up and ask for a project, preferably something that you can pick up and put down over the course of a few days or so. Slowly you will start to stand out from the never-ending stream of interns that the company no doubt gets every year. They will remember you as the intern who did "x," fixed "y" or was always available to help out.

Keep a record of your accomplishments. First, no one else at the company will remember which intern did what. Second, at the end of the internship, it will help you group together the things you did into several bullet points for your resume. It is important to be able to quickly identify the value you added to the company when you sit down for your next internship or job.

Finally, maintain contact with your coworkers and supervisors. It is no longer common that people stay with the same company all their lives, so when it comes time for you to list references, your former bosses might be elsewhere. Before leaving the internship, secure one or two recommendations, that is, ask the two people with whom you worked most closely if they are willing to be listed as your references. Afterwards, check in periodically (and not via Facebook) so that they do not forget you.

Even if they called you their star intern every day, it is possible that three or four years later they do not remember exactly who you are or what you did. Always notify your references when they should expect a phone call from a prospective employer. Send along your list of accomplishments with that notification so that they refresh their memories. And always send a thank you letter.

The bottom line is that internships are invaluable experiences. Sure, you may have to fetch coffee. And your boss might call you the wrong name. Remember that the goal is to gather experience, references, and land that elusive first job. Work hard, play it safe and do everything with a smile. Who knows? That supervisor who called your Mary for the first month might offer you a job or refer you to a friend.

Sometimes, his initial college is not where the student ultimately earns his degree.

### Transferring Colleges

Reportedly one-third of college students change schools prior to earning a degree. This number seems high, but the data point includes (1) positive switches: graduating with an Associate's and moving on to a Bachelor's program, (2) "negative" moves: from four-year schools to two-year, and (3) neutral (lateral) transfers.

Regarding the latter, restlessness, big changes in majors, academic dissatisfaction, changes on the home front, and/or loss of scholarship support can be legitimate reasons for switching. Although each college has its own criteria, these are general thoughts for a student to think about when considering transferring:

■ Merit aid is not as available for transfer students

■ All credits may not be accepted, regardless of what the current school says, because of quality distinctions between "identical" courses

■ Students may be at the end of the sign-up list for preferred dorm rooms

■ The student must create new relationships among classmates

■ The student may have to fight for attention from professors

■ A student may have to shake off a feeling of failure in the initial selection

With it comes to transferring, the "sending" college typically gives a high figure on the number of credits which can be transferred but the student only knows the exact number through a Degree Audit when he is enrolled in the new college and has declared a major. He should assume a 10% haircut in the number of credits transferred and try not to think about the money invested in those "lost credits." After all, what the student learned in those classes remains in his brain, correct? And his new college may have a specific National Honor Society for transferees.

Financially-strapped students who blow their scholarship at four-year colleges because of inadequate GPA levels and are forced to transfer typically land at two-year schools. Unfortunately, it is rare that the student who transfers "down" for this reason will eventually follow such a move with an "up" transfer.

If a student is dissatisfied with his first college, before transferring he should convince himself that his new college home will represent a significant improvement, not simply a swapping of addresses. He must make sure the college he is transferring to addresses a specific need:

■ Is the college bigger: more options, academically and non-academically?

■ Is it better suited to the student's major?

■ Is it better positioned for great networking—including a lengthier list of recruiters at the school's job fair?

■ Does it have more international study opportunities?

■ Is it less expensive, after factoring in all costs?

■ Is it possible to get credits for what has been done outside of the sending college, like the CLEP (College Level Entrance Program) test?

The mixed emotions pertinent to a particular type of transferring are captured well in this essay by a young woman from Dover who decided to drop her previous plan and leave the area after receiving her Associate's degree, in order to pursue a Bachelor's diploma at a college over a thousand miles away.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

MY LIFE-CHANGING DECISION, by Karen Cabanilla [Forum: November-December 2011]

A few months ago, I made a decision that changed my life completely. I knew I was graduating from County College of Morris and needed to continue my education in a University. I had a plan; I would finish getting my Associate's degree and move on to Montclair State University to get my Bachelor's and eventually my PhD in Physical Therapy. I would be close to home, commute to work, and still see my best friends. But closer to my graduation, I started thinking about a lot of things in my life. For example, I have always lived in a house where up to ten family members would be under the same roof. Although I love my family, I honestly could not stand the noise and no privacy.

At times it was irritating coming home from a long day of school or work and walking into a room full of people who had a million things to say to you, and all you wanted to do was to unwind. I never got the experience of dorming on campus and meeting new people.

Then I started thinking about my two jobs that I have been in for over five years each. I felt comfortable and enjoyed working with the other employees. I had the best relationship with the members; everyone knew who I was. The problem is that I felt too comfortable; I knew how to do my job so well and follow the guidelines at each facility. I knew I was afraid to move on and find a better place. As a personal trainer, I felt underpaid and always thought that if I worked at another gym, I would be better off.

I love my friends, and I would not replace any of them for anything in the world. I just did not like the idea of living in a town where everyone knows each other and their business.

I got tired of going to certain places where I knew I was going to see the same people every time. I was bored with the same routine because living in a small town, there isn't anything to do.

After I thought about these things, I knew what I had to do. I decided to move to Florida and start life all over again. The first thing I wanted to do was transfer to Florida International University to continue my education; they have an amazing Physical Therapy program. I would live on my own and obtain the privacy I always wanted. I would find a job as a trainer that would pay me better than in New Jersey. And I would meet new people and not have a clue about their past and they would not know mine.

A month and a half has passed since I moved to Miami and it has been tough change for me. Although I love the school I transferred to, everything else seems out of place. I have never missed my family as much as I do now. I wake up and come home to no one but the people I rent from. I feel so lonely here sometimes with no one to go to for help, or to keep me company. Sure I have met people, but it is not the same. The gym that I work in pays me worse than what I made in New Jersey; their guidelines are completely different from what I am used to.

I miss everything in Jersey and what used to bother me, I now wish I had back. I know it has been less than two months, but it is not easy leaving your family, friends and job all at the same time and starting all over again by yourself.

The people I have met in Miami tell me I am brave even though sometimes I feel foolish, but I know that this experience will only help me grow as a person, and I pray and hope that with time, things will get a lot better.

### Closing Comments

When the prospective Latino college student examines the long list of factors involved in a successful college experience, he should realize they are attainable. When he digs even deeper, the student will understand the connection between internalizing those productive college habits and success later in life, regardless of the particular career path chosen by the individual.

No mas! Time to move on and discuss several pieces of the college puzzle.

## Chapter Ten: DIFFERENT PIECES OF THE COLLEGE PUZZLE

This chapter covers the following areas of relevance to the college student: "books," room and board (the cost of which sometimes exceeds tuition), health (a good thing to have), parents (their roles), and international education (a two-way street).

### Piece One: Books and Technological Change

"Wait, I busted my hump to get grants and loans to cover the bill for tuition, fees, dorm room, and meals, and now I need how much for books and supplies—maybe $1,000 or more—and the cost is not covered by my scholarship?!"

The new college student quickly discovers that books are not only expensive, but—to his shock—they may not be heavily used in the very class which requires their purchase. Financially, books are fundamentally a lump sum, limited timeframe purchase or rental, whereas other costs—including tuition if a payment plan is used—are spread out over time. This means the student must have available a significant amount of cash or room on a credit card.

Historically, a few of the student's high-priced books became keepers—instead of being sold at the end of the semester—because of their on-going relevance to the student's major and projected career. Today, it is not quite so clear; some "important" books need not be kept for future use because the information eventually needed on the job increasingly is available elsewhere, either from the employer itself or on-line and free.

Responding to the college book situation, companies and entrepreneurs have responded with multiple initiatives, all of which save the student some money, although not necessarily a large fraction of the total book bill (the Student Public Interest Research Group, through Textbook Rebel, is actively protesting the cost of college books).

■ Over 1500 college bookstores (often managed by outside entities) are now renting the most widely-assigned books.

■ Used book websites are growing in number and effectiveness.

■ PDF versions of textbooks are sometimes available.

■ The use of e-books is growing.

■ The move to open courseware, while only relevant now to a small fraction of the college educational materials requirement, is accelerating.

It is the latter initiative which has captured the headlines in recent periods. The term used is "MOOC" (massive open on-line courseware), the somewhat awkward nomenclature given to what many believe is the wave of the future in the presentation and delivery of educational materials. Highly regarded colleges and unknown schools alike have seen the success of both their for-profit on-line competitors and the well-publicized non-profit Khan Academy and are actively exploring ways to modify some of their educational approaches. Specifically, the home run idea to confront the cost of books and related materials, and hopefully improve educational outcomes as well, is a future where open-sourced documents will be available on the web for a minimal amount.

Khan Academy has posted over 3,000 educational videos that are being viewed by over five million unduplicated students per month, over three million exercises per day. Users are throughout the world at all levels of education, including 15,000 classrooms. Founder and narrator/teacher/professor Salman Khan is able to create the feel of 1-on-1 tutoring with his exceptionally clear explanations of material (especially math) which lends itself to right/wrong answers; i.e. he does not (yet anyway) do history or other subjects which are not so formulaic.

The description used by many observers is that this approach "flips" the classroom—students learn the basics at home and then, at least theoretically, come to school for intensive interaction with the teacher/professor. Assuming that the teacher is aware of individual knowledge levels, he can then work at a different pace with each student.

Time in a classroom might no longer be an important part of the education system's measurement system for academic growth. Whether it be high school diplomas or college degrees or marketable skill certificates, the future piece of paper ultimately would represent the acquisition of real skill and knowledge. Conceivably, at the college level, for motivated students, the whole drill could be less expensive as well because the conventional four-year route to a Bachelor's degree could be shortened.

***

To be more specific about MOOC, when Stanford Professor Sebastian Thrun announced a free, on-line Artificial Intelligence course, the school quickly signed up well over 100,000 students from around the world, with the latest total being 160,000 from 190 countries. Professor Thrun subsequently left Stanford to form a for-profit company, Udacity, which reportedly has 400,000+ students taking its 14 courses. These numbers unsurprisingly have captured everyone's attention, and there is a growing list of high quality colleges pursuing their own approaches to the unfolding world of MOOC.

Georgia Tech, in a MOOC partnership with Udacity, is offering a Master's degree in computer science (a program which is highly ranked and selective in its admission policies) for $6,000, a fraction of not only its own normal price ($21,000 for a resident) but far below the level charged by competitors, both local and national. Done successfully, the ripple effect of this approach is large, including putting the spotlight on how colleges calculate their costs to deliver education.

MIT is expanding its previously existing free OpenCourseWare series of lecture videos, which number 2100 in total. It simultaneously is offering a paid certificate opportunity attached to its courseware; the cost will encompass access to on-line labs, self-assessment, and the equivalent of chat rooms among students. Harvard and MIT have formed a non-profit partnership, edX, to promote open courseware. Each university invested $30 million, serious money even for well-endowed schools.

Stanford professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng make no bones about the need for colleges to reinvent themselves, bringing access to everybody with a computer. "They have raised $16 million in venture capital for their for-profit company, Coursera, as a web portal to distribute a broad array of interactive courses [using Khan-like modules] in the humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, and engineering." A recent analysis had Coursera with over two million students for its 200 courses. It is the first MOOC approach to have the American Council on Education rule that its students may receive college credits, and public universities themselves are signing up to participate in Coursera.

There undoubtedly will be a flood of such rulings to bring MOOCs into the higher education system at a time when there is pressure to boost graduation rates and increase access to college by students who might otherwise not be terribly interested. At the outset, schools involved in MOOCs were providing Certificates of Accomplishment, which might sound like no big deal, but when it is a Stanford University, for example, putting its name on the certificate, there is no question about credibility.

The California Senate is looking at possible legislation which would require state colleges there to give credit for faculty approved on-line courses when a student cannot register for a classroom version because it is oversubscribed. The range of approved courses could be quite wide, from those provided by the big-name MOOCs described above to those offered by any number of outside providers of education, more testimony that "learning" will be judged on the basis of what the student knows, not where or how it was obtained.

The MOOC movement is an admission that not only are conventional college costs excessive but that for-profit schools got part of the equation right—a school can effectively serve large numbers of students through the on-line modality utilizing prompt feedback and student-paced learning. Moreover, as a collateral benefit, schools can attract a more diverse student body, both domestically and internationally; the latter already has been demonstrated in the initial reception for the MOOCs.

Whether the loss of on-campus interaction, and its many benefits—intellectual discourse, exposure to other ethnicities, beer-drenched parties, creation of networking contacts and/or lifelong friends—becomes a major restraining factor on the growth of MOOC will take several years to determine. Academically, the question will revolve around course completion rates (the numbers for past versions of on-line education are low) and how to establish the credibility of credits, since conceivably a student might accumulate "graduation" credits by taking multiple MOOC courses offered by different schools. High tech remote proctoring approaches are already being formulated (ProctorU, Software Secure) to handle the obvious risk of cheating by MOOC students on final exams, etc.

Financially, there will be a sorting through of different MOOC models: free initially and then pay at the regular rate, pay the regular rate from the outset, have a separate and reduced rate card for on-line courses, or offer an on-line course as an initial free sample, i.e, use it as a recruitment tool for the physical college. There are questions about how to split up the eventual fees which will characterize different aspects of the MOOC world.

Lesser quality colleges who have been able to charge high tuition rates in the pre-MOOC world may, no—they should, lose students to the new system of higher education which is evolving. Why should a student not learn from the best professor of a subject rather than the one at college XYZ? Professors at certain colleges are already raising doubts about the MOOC approach; only a cynic would say they are concerned about job preservation.

***

Not only is there growth in the MOOC area, but there is an acceleration in the use of iDevices in and out of the college classroom. Students enamored with the new technology have every right to be excited, but they also must remember that understanding how they best learn is an unchanging requirement for academic success. Whether open courseware—as a separate, but related issue to the use of iDevices—matches up well with Latinos who are the first in their family to attend college is an interesting question. While these students do have the advantage of having come of age during the digitization of contemporary life, there are so many complicating pressures on many of them that "merely" going to a conventional, physical classroom may be important for their success.

Illustratively, early surveys of e-book readers seem to indicate their owners cannot resist multi-tasking, making one wonder whether their use in learning processes where Reading comprehension is tested will prove a benefit to students in general. The long history of technological involvement with education reveals no positive correlation at all, a humbling fact that nonetheless probably will be swept away by the wonders of the iPad, its tablet competitors, and on-line accessibility. Previously, when there was a new approach to teaching a particular subject, ideally there was a lengthy phase-in period in which thought leaders attempted to discover whether the new way was better. With the technology of the current mind-blowing variety, nobody wants to take a methodical approach—the toys are simply too attractive not to touch, marvel at their magic, and use.

As a cautionary note, teachers, at least at the K-12 level, are conflicted about whether the digitizers are a net positive. The ability of students to pursue research independently is a big positive. On the negative side, there is another step down in the continuing decline in attention spans that began with the explosion of cable television channels: students come to think of learning new material from their digitizers as a function of persistent clicking in the presence of teachers who are helpful if they can be described (by the students that is) as "cool," "funny," and "entertaining."

***

A half-dozen years ago, a young man in my foundation's first education program was prescient in his outline of what is now commonplace discussion and action among those who are stimulating the above transformational changes in the educational materials sector. Kudos to Walter. Below is an edited, for space reasons only, version of his essay.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

PARADIGM SHIFT: EDUCATION, by Walter F. Rodriguez [Forum November-December 2007]

The Times, They Are A-Changin'

One thing Dr. Richard A. Muller's students consistently say about him is that he makes it easy to learn Physics. It's why I decided to take his class. Dr. Muller teaches Physics 10, which he calls "Physics for Future Presidents," in his classes at the University of California at Berkeley. He's a winner of the MacArthur Foundation's "Genius Grant," the Alan T. Waterman Award "for highly original and innovative research," and a citation by Newsweek as one of the 25 most important innovators in the United States. Most importantly though, he's a great teacher. William Arthur Ward once said,' "the mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." Having a truly inspiring teacher creates a love for the material and for learning in the student. Extraordinary individuals produce extraordinary results, but they are few and far between. Unfortunately, there's only one Dr. Muller.

It's why I'm sitting here, pen scratching notes into my notebook, as Dr. Muller explains subjects as diverse as the economics of oil, the formation of hurricanes, and the promise of solar power. As he goes over the syllabus, I get up to let the dog out and head to the sink to pour myself a glass of water before we get into the meat and potatoes of today's class. I don't want to miss anything important but I know that if I do, it's ok. I can always rewind.

I found Dr. Muller's class online at the U.C. (California) Berkley webcast site. Currently, the school offers forty-six of its classes online as web casts and/or podcasts. These are all completely free of charge. Stunning, isn't it? A school with the reputation of the University of California at Berkley usually makes a hefty profit by charging you access to the incredible collection of thinkers, teachers, and innovators that they have on staff. That's what you pay the big bucks for, to learn from the best, right? Well, the best educational material and leaders in the world are now made available to everyone absolutely free.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), widely regarded as the top science and technology university on the planet, charges an average of $35,000 a year for tuition. Meanwhile, all of its 1,700 classes are available online at no cost. That's right. Everything: the syllabus, the exams, the assignments and solutions, and the notes. The only thing they do not give you for free are textbooks. But you can go to Wikibooks or Textbook Revolution and you might be able to download those for free. What brought about this incredible change? Big name schools realized that unless you get a taste of how amazing their staff really is, you never know what you are missing. You have to pay to get a degree from them, but that treasure trove of knowledge they hoarded is now shared.

The American government has realized that all those countries that we never really paid attention to have suddenly sprouted strong economies and their education systems are harnessing available technologies faster than we ever have. We are falling behind in many fields, and education is the most important.

What the World Needs Now

As wonderful a step forward as public education was, it has not kept up with changes in the world around it. We still have the same basic emphasis in our schools - training one child to perform one job. In our present-day reality, those simple jobs do not exist. As new markets and technologies emerge, new jobs are created and people are needed to fill them. Some of the job skills that are deemed vital today were unimportant five years ago and every day more are added to the list. People must adapt to new challenges every day and be able to fill whatever positions are open in the companies of today.

Yet we continue to teach in the same way we have for decades. Even with the integration of PowerPoint presentations and computers, most classroom learning is still accomplished via rote memorization and note-taking. In contrast, very little teaching of that type occurs in real-world work today, where an employee is given a project and told to accomplish it and is expected to teach himself the skills necessary for the project's completion.

In the workplace of today, employees are educated by actually facing a problem and developing the skills and strategies to overcome it, in much the same way that we taught ourselves how to speak and walk as infants. Because of the failure of education to adapt to the changing needs of the world around it, we are being forced to cope with the problems the old system has caused. Our system of education is set up to educate the average student at a rate that frustrates the exceptionally gifted and those who need more reinforcement in order to succeed.

But There's Hope

The answers are coming, not from our traditional educational systems, but from outside sources. People are stepping in to help, people like Scott McNealy, founder of Sun Microsystems, who one day realized that there had to be a better way to teach his son about a dynamic force like electricity than by looking at static images in a book. He founded Curriki, a global community of educators, professionals, and volunteers who share their experience and time, trading ideas, expertise, and advice to create challenging curricula for students and then delivering the resources to fulfill those goals.

The gifted students who are bored with the coursework assigned to them in class can now explore advanced applications of the basics their class is learning by taking online college courses or watching talks given by individuals at the cutting edge of their fields. Conversely, students who require a slower pace and more reinforcement in order to learn can explore multiple ways of learning the material, and they may find that another method or teacher is better able to shed light on principles they were having trouble grasping.

Companies like Wikipedia and OpenOffice are making information and programs available to students who cannot afford to buy an up-to-date encyclopedia or the latest word processing or spreadsheet software. Instant messaging programs like Yahoo and MSN Messenger provide not just free text-chat capabilities, but also free voice chats and whiteboard integration in order to better illustrate the points being discussed. With this technology, students can help each other with their homework or ask volunteer homework helpers across the country to explain it to them. Online interactive resources, like those found at Curriki, help those same students by showing them visually how plate tectonics cause earthquakes or how exactly to balance an equation. Everyone can then enjoy the same resources as financially-privileged school districts.

The benefits do not end at the high school level. For graduates eager to set themselves apart, there are thousands of science, business, and arts projects looking for volunteers to help them accomplish their goals. In return for their time, students receive experience in solving real-world problems and receive training and mentorship from some of the most brilliant minds on the planet. Those needing to stand out from the pack can teach themselves a new language by downloading full audio courses for free from iTunes and studying grammar online at dozens of free websites. In order to practice their skills in the real world, they can use a social networking site like Ning to make friends with graduates or college students in other countries who will help them practice their new languages via messages and free international Skype calls.

Becoming multi-lingual is one way to make you more attractive to a prospective employer; another is having a more diverse education than offered by today's ultra-specific university programs. More and more, companies are looking for employees who can bring expertise in several complementary fields to the table, who can see their problems with fresh eyes. Diversifying your education provides that. And it cannot hurt your chances that you've taken a few classes from top educators at Johns Hopkins or MIT.

Artists, photographers, and designers looking for inspiration and constructive criticism of their work can publish galleries of their work on Flickr and DeviantArt and listen to the critiques and encouragement of fellow artists and art professionals. Many of today's top advertising companies have hired artists to work for them after seeing their online portfolios. Blogs are letting people present their thoughts and musings about various topics online and the discussions taking place on some of these are incredibly stimulating and important. The world's policy-makers, CEOs, artists, and leaders are already sharing their thoughts with us. Imagine what could happen by listening to them, learning from them, and beginning a dialogue with your own suggestions and solutions.

It is the dawn of symbiotic learning. Our educational system has long been criticized for its chronic inability to adapt to the world around it. It is sad that it has taken major change in other fields, such as politics or technology, to cause it to re-evaluate itself and recognize the need for change. The past two decades have proven repeatedly that more efficient and engaging ways of teaching exist and that they are inexpensive and easily accessible.

It Has Begun

Education is changing at its core. A paradigm shift has begun, as more and more tools are delivered to students, empowering them to take control of their own education. They can dig deeper into the areas that interest them and work on their weaknesses. They can find teachers, professors, and resources that suit their learning style, making more efficient use of their time, and inspiring them to pursue their own education long after traditional schooling has come and gone. The keys to learning are no longer found in where you were born or how much money your parents make--now, more than ever, knowledge truly is power. Knowing where and how to find these resources gives us the power to tap into them and benefit from them. Soon the quality of education each of us receives will be completely up to the student.

Alan Cohen said, "It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." This is the time for change. Study under the best teachers. Tap into the richest resources. Get to know and interact with the brightest people in your field. Stand on the shoulders of giants. You have always deserved it and now, finally, you can.

"Books" always have been an area where "best practice" for an individual student was driven by what he must do, as dictated by the professor; what he could afford to do, a function of money; and what he should do for the best academic outcome based on his learning style. Even with an acceleration in higher education in the new ways of creating/providing/transmitting/evaluating knowledge, this description of the decisions faced by a college student remains valid.

***

No surprise—the explosion of entrepreneurial activity in the educational materials field is reflected in a lengthening list of relevant websites. And Barnes & Noble (no, it has not gone out of business—yet) is full of Sample Tests, Guides (not to be confused with this GUIDE), and Dummy Books covering every facet and age range of education.

### Websites

Videos of college course  
ACADEMICEARTH.ORG

Books, including rentals  
AFFORDABOOK.COM

Books  
BOOKSAMILLION.COM

Rentals  
CAMPUSBOOKRENTALS.COM

Publisher  
CENGAGE.COM

The leader in rentals  
CHEGG.COM

Condensed versions  
CLIFFSNOTES.COM

Share knowledge  
CNX.ORG

e-Textbooks and materials  
COURSESMART.COM

Homework help  
CRAMSTERS.COM

Photography education  
CREATIVELIVE.COM

Books  
EFOLLETT.COM

E-bay's textbook center  
HALF.COM

Internet Public Library  
IPL.ORG

Photography education  
KELBYTRAINING.COM

Library of training videos  
LYNDA.COM

Compares prices at sites  
SLUGBOOKS.COM

Similar to Cliffsnotes  
SPARKNOTES.COM

Rentals  
TEXTBOOKRENTALS.COM

Rentals  
TEXTBOOKREVOLT.COM

Student-run, free materials  
TEXTBOOKREVOLUTION.ORG

### Piece Two: Room and Board

The cost of living in a college dormitory and eating on campus, together referred to as "room and board," is an important influence on the college selection process for many Latino students. This budget item is typically around $10-12,000 per academic year. About half of Latino students avoid that expense by attending two-year schools, which are almost all commuter colleges and which have lower tuition rates as well.

Of those attending four-year colleges, 25% go to Hispanic Serving Institutions, where the student feels more culturally comfortable and is more likely to somehow absorb the additional cost of being on campus.

On the food side, students will find greater ethnic and serving hour diversity than was true a generation ago. Nonetheless, after a monthly cycle of entrees is respected, the typical student is bored silly. Meanwhile, the Latino student is often frustrated that the taste of college cafeteria food is simply not as appealing as what is available at home. If he is not dorming at the college, he can avoid having to sign up for a college meal plan; otherwise, he is trapped into selecting one of the meal alternatives, which are not inexpensive.

Colleges believe their dormitory and food service amenities (and other non-academic characteristics) are important in attracting students. They promote this theory with zero documentation of the connection between facilities and student success, aka graduation and a decent job. Schools everywhere have piled on debt to fund their capital expenditures. Costs are passed on to the students of course.

Warning: somewhat of a rant is obviously underway.

An example of "put up a better building and the business will benefit" thinking is the relatively new student residence at Montclair State University, an important public institution in New Jersey. Montclair took advantage of the state's Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, which allows state and county colleges to bypass public bidding laws and hire a developer to finance the construction and operation of campus facilities.

Fundamentally it is the students who pay for this "luxury dorm living" (the school's words), with an assist from taxpayers in general. The business "owner," Montclair State University, collaborates with prospective customers (students) so that they may obtain federal (which means taxpayer) grants and loans sufficient (when combined with other sources of funds) to pay for both school and living quarters. The debt is the student's forever; the university has no continuing financial interest in the economic future of the customer. In business terms, it does not hold the receivable, which is always, by virtue of the system, deftly shifted to the government, which means taxpayers in general.

Montclair State is not alone in taking advantage of the legislation, which has been extolled as a job creation mechanism. Ramapo College's project involves a private company generating solar energy in several locations, including from a new roof at Ramapo, and the sale of electricity back to the college. The College of New Jersey's plan to avail itself of the above law focuses on a projected complex of restaurants, retail space and housing.

NJIT, in association with two local non-profit entities, intends to build a mixed-use housing facility. The new building would bring together honors students and those belonging to fraternities/sororities (apparently at present there is less than desirable interaction between students in these two categories), plus dining services (nothing is called a "cafeteria" any longer, too downscale), a convenience store, and a fitness center (how can an engineering student function without one!). NJIT is a school with a reputation for being less than totally friendly to its students.

Basically this law has made un-public an important financial part of a public entity's modus operandi. In no case is there any demonstration of reduced college cost inflation for the student, nor is there even an attempt to discuss a projected academic benefit. But the business, aka the college, is a major beneficiary: in the words of its public relations department, the school is bigger and "more competitive."

Continuing on this theme, in 2012, after extensive (and expensive) lobbying by colleges, labor unions, and corporations, New Jersey voters approved Governor Christie's $750 million bond issue for the state's higher education system, The emphasize was on the creation of construction jobs and attracting more of the state's high school graduates to New Jersey colleges. Schools are required to fund 25% of the state's grants, but are allowed to do public-private deals on dormitories, dining halls, etc.

Again, higher costs will be passed on to students, who now are responsible for 47% of public university revenues in the Garden State, compared with 23% a generation ago. (This ratio is also substantially affected by consistent reductions—for many years—in state appropriations for higher education, a negative which colleges focus on when raising tuition rates.)

Across the river, at New York University, faculty members themselves are finally questioning the edifice complex being exhibited by colleges nationally. Situated in the historic Greenwich Village section of New York City, the school has a president who apparently believes NYU's mission is not primarily the pursuit of academic excellence, but growth in square footage; he is pushing for a $6 billion expansion out to the year 2031. The NYU faculty has gone public with its opposition, pointing out the negative impact on tuition, student debt, and—faculty housing. As is proven repeatedly, only when it is your own ox which is being gored does one notice the existing flow of blood.

***

Students should cheer if MOOCs are the wave of the future, when students would become better able to choose when it makes sense to be a campus student and when it does not. At present, their reaction to excessive outlays for college tuition, room-and-board, and fees is often to go part-time, which is associated with a lower, not higher, graduation rate.

The room-and-board area is no exception to the rule: colleges have been converted into big businesses without regard to the quality of the outcome: graduation with a diploma which is a legitimate representation of what a student has learned, and what he or she has become as a young man or woman.

Nonetheless, to repeat the necessary—and obvious—mantra, the college world is what it is and the successful student is one who realizes what elements of the college experience he can control and what he cannot. The task of the student, whether Latino or not, is to negotiate his way through the system in order to accomplish the personal goals that will translate (no pun intended) to success beyond graduation.

***

In "room-and-board," I am omitting discussion of fraternity/sorority life, with its interesting mixture of characteristics: the chance to establish lifetime friendships, drinking, networking, totally unacceptable types of hazing, community service, group studying, drinking, etc. Partly reflecting the heavy proportion of commuting students in my programs, fraternity/sorority discussions in the office or on campus have been extremely limited.

(Coincidentally, Montclair State, with less than 4% of its students involved in fraternities or sororities, has nevertheless recently felt compelled to place restrictions on their activities.)

I am also not discussing the different ways in which freshmen students become roommates if dorming. Risks aside, serendipity in this process strikes me as a positive, but I know that colleges have multiple approaches to making these assignments.

### Piece Three: Health

The standard college bill includes a requirement that the student pay a hefty fee for health insurance. However, if a student is covered under a family policy, which now can be done up to age 26, he may request, in writing, to have the college insurance requirement waived, thereby saving $1,000+.

Note: a bill being discussed in New Jersey would rescind the college health insurance requirement. The reasoning is tied to money, Obamacare, and affordability—what, you expected a clear description of healthcare? This is a country which spends $8,000 per capita on medical stuff to live an average of 79 years (which is why I am hurrying to get GUIDE done), whereas Japan spends half that amount and the average lifespan is 83 years. More sushi anyone?

To digress, and not for the first time, reason #249 for a student to pursue higher education: a high school drop-out is three times as likely to die from diabetes as a college graduate.

***

Without a doubt, the leading health consideration for a college student is stress, which is difficult to define exactly and therefore its treatment, in milder forms anyway, is generally not covered by insurance. Moreover, its very existence is often initially rejected as being the culprit behind various physical manifestations requiring attention. Recognizing the need for stress relief, colleges have invested heavily in ultramodern fitness facilities, not only for jocks but for regular students as well. However, like the rest of the population, students often find they are not capable of completely overcoming their stress through running or lifting or working out in general.

When stress is a constant, and reflected in a non-enjoyable college experience, which simply exacerbates the stress, often depression follows. Similar to the attitude of many of their classmates, the Latino student may not be comfortable talking about being depressed with a person he would initially consider a therapist. The psychological picture of collegians, with special attention to Latinas, is described by this Master's-degree holder assisted by my foundation.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

Campus Blues: Rates of Depression in College Students, by Julissa Gil [Forum: August-September 2012]

College is a time of new adventure—a period of testing limits and exploring new opportunities. Yet for a number of university students, this is no longer the case. A dark shadow is cast over times of joy, laughter, and mischief in the form of depression. A national survey conducted by the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment in 2009 revealed a startling 30% of college students reported a level of depression that was impacting their level of functioning and a frightening 6% of depressed students seriously contemplated suicide. In sharp contrast the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 9% of the adult population suffers from depression.

Depression is a significant problem affecting students all over the country. It is a serious illness that includes symptoms such as significant sadness, low energy and motivation, difficulty concentrating, and/or loss of interest in pleasurable activities. Severe depression can at times lead to suicidal thoughts, plans, or actions. Although symptoms for a major depressive episode need to be present for at least two weeks, they can last for much longer. The onset of depression is approximately age 18, typically coinciding with the end of high school and start of college. Effective treatment for depression usually involves a combination of medication and psychotherapy.

The growing concerns about depression and suicide are not unwarranted as suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that Latina adolescents are more likely to contemplate suicide than other adolescents. Other studies from the ACHA have shown suicide rates to have increased threefold in approximately the last 60 years. Furthermore, in 2000 the National College Health Assessment revealed 16% of students identified having depression the previous school year and 20% of males and 24% of females had difficulty functioning at least once because of their depression.

So why does depression seem to be increasingly affecting our college students? Although college has always been considered to be academically grueling, it can be argued that today's adolescents are under greater pressures to achieve high grade point averages and outshine their peers. According to Dr. Vanita Braver, child and adolescent psychiatrist and best-selling author of the "Teach Your Children Well" series, the stress of academics is not the only factor. "Depression is increasing in college students for many reasons...there are more high school students with emotional and learning disabilities who are entering college than ever due to an increase in counseling programs in high school." She adds "these students who may have previously not gone to college are more vulnerable to depression."

Over the years, universities and colleges have lowered their thresholds for behaviors that constitute a need for having students evaluated. This is largely due to highly publicized tragic events such as the shooting at Virginia Tech and other institutions and the recent suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University student. A Crisis Intervention Service employee in a local Emergency Department feels that along with decreased tolerance for assessments, contagion effects are to blame for the rising number of depression screenings for students.

He reports "there is so much talk about kids self-harming and attempting suicide that it makes these behaviors more available in kids' minds." He goes on to say that depression can be increasing in students due to "waves of negative news involving school shootings, suicides, and other negative things without there being anything hopeful in the air." Although most universities are equipped with counseling centers staffed with licensed mental health professionals available to provide counseling, a high demand for immediate services lands many students in Emergency Rooms and Psychiatric Screening Centers around the country.

If students are found by college counselors to be a possible threat to themselves or others, they are usually transported by the school or by ambulance to the nearest hospital. Once the student is assessed by an outside mental health professional, he or she collaborates with the college to formulate a treatment plan for the student. Though still a work in progress, an increase in awareness and decrease in the stigma regarding depression may contribute to a greater number of college-aged kids being open to seeking treatment. This may account for a greater number of students being diagnosed with depression than before. Though the consensus in the mental health field is that numbers are rising, further studies will shed more light on all the contributing factors. Regardless, depression is a disease tearing down social economic background, racial, and religious divides.

A specific vulnerability has been found in Latinas who according to several studies have been found to experience depression at greater rates than their Caucasian and African American counterparts and twice as often as Latinos. Though there is debate amongst the research community in regards to what reasons may contribute to this occurrence, it is important information for universities and parents alike.

The bottom line is that whether depression is increasing in our college students due to increased competitiveness, academic and societal pressures or simply the increased awareness of this disease, it must be addressed to give all our college students an opportunity to excel. For students, seeking professional treatment for depression through college counseling services or an outside provider is the first step towards a successful recovery and fulfilling college experience.

Likewise college administrators should continue to reach out to their student population, especially vulnerable populations like Latinas, about services available to them on campus. Additionally, schools should fortify efforts to combat the stigma surrounding mental health issues on campus with activities such as health fairs and other student centered events.

Students need to know it is normal to seek support, whether from a trusted friend or a professional counselor or simply an older adult with whom there is a confidential relationship. When all is said and done, young people are more likely to seek on-campus therapy than ever before, and when they do so, they discover their concerns are not unique. Issues like anorexia or bulimia, self-cutting, alcohol abuse (particularly what is called "binge drinking," a major issue at some schools), depression, and long-suppressed sexual abuse are now part of the counselor conversation, supplementing the traditional college-age dilemmas of relationship issues and self-identity.

About 25% of college students seen by campus counselors are already on serious medications, which is a chilling statistic as far more Americans die from overdosing legal drugs than from ingesting their undocumented counterparts. Adderall, an amphetamine used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is so frequently used on campuses by students to stay awake longer (undoubtedly in order to study more), that several colleges have instituted their own protocols for obtaining and using the drug. Many believe that excessively prescribed legal drugs in general are increasingly important steps on the road to illegal drugs. Meanwhile, the limited legalization of marijuana confuses any analysis of the overall drug picture, and makes moralizing more difficult as well.

Colleges are quite helpful when it comes to alcohol consumption, one of the favorite on/off-campus activities. Lafayette College, for example, provides any inquisitive student with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) card and advice regarding "ways to stay in the Green Zone (when alcohol is a stimulant)" and thus avoid sliding into the Blue Zone (alcohol becomes a depressant) or, even worse, the Red Zone (when alcohol is dangerous).

Parents: don't you feel better now!

To further depress parents who are upset about high college costs, a new outbreak of campus cheating (or at least the public reporting thereof), and the image of drinking parties beginning on Wednesday night and extending through the weekend, suicides are the third leading cause of death among college students, after accidents and homicides.

FBI data indicate that 63% of suicides in the general population are individuals from single-parent households, which is also the "family" structure for 75% of adolescents with drug problems. Perhaps reflecting the strong Latino family culture, even including the incidence of single-parent households, the Latino suicide rate is barely half that of whites, 8 per 100,000 Latinos age 21, compared with 14 for whites. Male suicides of all ethnicities are four times the rate of women. Guys—it is not a joke: you need to talk.

I leave it to others to decide whether the seemingly heavier conversation level within Latino families has a better ratio of emotional connection to noise than is true elsewhere—or is it that fewer visits to medical people and social workers produces the conjectured side benefit: "ignorance is bliss." As is true in all relationships, even though it sounds like a bumper sticker, trust and open communication and finding support are the keys to avoiding horrible consequences. A sobering thought is that only a small fraction of suicides had previously sought therapeutic help at the college.

These are the warning signs with respect to suicidal thoughts:

■ Talking or writing about dying, disappearing, or types of self-harm.

■ Personality changes: withdrawal from family and friends, anxious, irritable, sad, indecisive, apathetic.

■ Inability to concentrate on school, work, or routine tasks.

■ Change in sleep, including insomnia, oversleeping, and nightmares.

■ Dressing down, unkempt and poor hygiene.

■ Change in eating habits.

■ Low self-esteem or overwhelming guilt, self-hatred or shame.

■ Loss of hope, believing things will never get better.

Probably the most comprehensive government websites on all aspects of health are those of CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), which is inclusive of the National Center for Health Statistics; and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (acf.hhs.gov). Elsewhere, the health area has a million websites related to every conceivable aspect of the topic; those below focus on every parent's nightmare.

### Websites

Student-run mental health groups  
ACTIVEMINDS.ORG

Mental health screening, hotline  
HALFOFUS.COM

Suicide prevention, hotline  
JEDFOUNDATION.ORG

Behaviors, attitudes, values  
MONITORINGTHEFUTURE.ORG

Suicide prevention; hotline  
SUICIDE.ORG

When a student is at college, his or her healthcare contacts (and everything else pertinent to the student except presumably non-payment of college bills) have an interesting characteristic: that information is confidential to the point of excluding parents unless the student states in writing that the information can be shared. The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), designed to protect the individual, therefore can give parents high-level anxiety, depending on the relationship they have with their offspring.

Terrible incidents in the past couple of years have heightened parental fears concerning college campus life. Sexual abuse cases at Penn State University (an absolutely horrible 14-year cover-up by the four most powerful people at this huge institution), Syracuse, Yale, Swarthmore, Occidental, and North Carolina, undoubtedly among others, coupled with the deadly attacks by Jared Loughner in Arizona and James Holmes in Colorado have crystallized the dilemma of institutions of higher education apparently believing that their internal rules trump those of society in general.

In each of these situations, critically important information was not shared and/or acted upon, to the ultimate detriment of many innocent people. Moreover, women who have been assaulted at college have felt the need to join together and go public with their complaints that the relevant schools have treated them less than fairly, i.e., basically wanting to bury the inevitable adverse publicity.

Is there a touch of irony here? The vast majority of students seemingly are willing to divulge virtually anything on Facebook and other forms of social media, but their college information, including innocuous stuff such as whether the student in fact is attending class, can be hidden under the provisions of FERPA. The concept, and legal definition at a certain age, of students as adults does not really address the issue as the student is rarely completely on his own in attending college; typically there are numerous "partners" in the process, beginning with parents.

Partly because I would rather not talk with college staffers—they are typically too bureaucratic for my entrepreneurial blood, I have never requested a student to provide FERPA-related access. On a few occasions when a student has sought my help with respect to understanding the college's presentation of his financial situation, he has provided me with his password and student ID in order to access the appropriate financial information and nothing more.

***

As a summary comment on health per se, ignoring any blatant disregard of good habits and omitting whatever is the result of genetics (yes, you can blame your parents for some things), the key to a student's overall health is balance: a class schedule which is rigorous but doable, a good mix of academics and non-academic activities, a reasonable approach to eating and drinking (leaving room for occasional non-compliance), and a quiet assertion that lifestyle decision-making and internal values are intimately connected.

To be consistently healthy, the student should start with a positive view of himself.

### Piece Four: Parents

Ah, the parents' role: "my baby is going to college"—a burst of pride followed by tears. Later, when the "baby" is off to school, will the parents call daily to check up on their college student.

■ to make sure their child has not been attacked ("the world is a fearful and dangerous place")

■ or that he/she has eaten (Latino students might be starving because there is no pandebono or sancocho at the college)

■ or that they have had enough sleep ("mami, I've got an exam tomorrow; can I call you later")

■ or that they are still attending church ("I am in a spiritual group now, we do not see the need to be in a particular building")

There is no easy answer to how much support and attention parents should provide their collegian. It is akin to the dilemma of the bar of soap in the shower: squeeze it too lightly and the soap drops from your hand; squeeze it too hard and the bar likewise drops from your hand. The trick is to find the point where the squeezing is "just enough."

It seems like a decent bet that Latino parents lead in any scorecard of communication with collegiate offspring. At the same time, they must realize that one of the benefits of their child being at college is that hopefully he or she is experiencing new people and their cultures, at least some intellectual diversity, and a few activities not available before. Yes, there is the scary thought—to parents at least—that along the way, their child may develop different ideas about life that those learned from his or her years at home. Overall though, parents need to know that students who get involved in campus life, even if it is "only" that of a community college, become not only better connected to people in general, but are more apt to graduate.

It is a challenging time for parents, which is why a four-year college orientation day typically includes advice, workshops, and/or counseling for parents. Universally the college's message is that parents must pull back—they cannot be hovering all the time or enabling their child to escape essential responsibilities, and they cannot misunderstand lesser interaction for less love.

The issue of trust will arise, whether it be in general—an awareness of the alcohol consumption associated with college, or more specific—like mixed gender dorms.

"You mean my little girl and some guy are going to be sharing a bathroom!

And the guy will have been drinking!"

The tricky part is that the more parents push for information on some of the issues associated with being a college student, probably the less which will be forthcoming and a lack of trust, or at least the feeling thereof, will evolve. Parents must want to believe as the college brochure says, "we (the total line-up of support services and individuals provided by the school) are here to help your student develop into a responsible, healthy adult." Hispanic parents in particular are forced to stifle their belief that this has been their job, not the role of a school.

As if parents did not have enough to worry about (and the prior comments about health did not help), rising discussion of the downside of social media usage certainly can add to their unease. Nasty messages aimed at those young people who are already feeling some sense of social isolation may be increasing the rate of depression. Perhaps it is not Facebook itself, since it is now a major business valued at many billions of dollars and must be careful to protect its image and reputation, but other, less responsible social media websites.

College Anonymous Community Boards (collegeacb.com) came under fire for facilitating the ability of students to say anything they wanted to, with zero attention to facts or sensitivity and with no need for the message senders to sign their names. The website's mission: "we'll be there when you want to write without responsibility." Colleges with high integrity shut it down.

Perhaps knowing the student's use of different communication methods can help reduce parental stress when, for example, a phone call is not immediately returned. The essay below was written in the Fall of 2010 by a college freshman in my Project 2015. She attends a university 3,000 miles from home.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

COLLEGE AND COMMUNICATION, by Margaret Arias [Forum: November-December 2010]

I have discovered among other things, college is a lesson in communication, whether it is with parents, siblings, friends, or teachers. Everyone seems to be dying to hear what is going on but with the challenges of adjusting, and a new and difficult workload, this turns out to be much harder than expected. So suddenly it is not simply our social and academic lives that we struggle to balance, but also the importance of getting back to the people so essential in our life...especially with a three-hour difference.

What seems to have become an added unexpected difficulty for me is because school is on a quarter system, the completely different schedule makes seeing friends become complicated. For this article, I have decided to analyze the different forms of communication and the pros and cons each presents to me.

Texting: The most convenient and most reliable...at least for me...but the least personal. I can send a text message at any time and know that at SOME point the recipient will receive it...and hopefully reply. Unless both happen to be free at the same time, it is harder to have a good conversation but it seems the fastest way to get news out. There is a difference however between texting adults and people of my own "generation." Since we are much more phone dependent, we can hold some semblance of a conversation throughout a day. With my parents, I find this completely impossible.

Video Chatting: Continuing on the same line of more recent forms of communication, video chatting is also very popular. When chatting with other friends who have Mac laptops, I experience no difficulties and prefer video chatting to anything else. BUT pretty much with the rest of the world, maybe because of my technological deficiencies, maybe because of bad Internet connections, I can never exchange more than a sentence before someone freezes.

Phone Calls: As my parents procrastinate getting a video camera for the computer, I have resorted to daily phone calls to talk to them...and it seems to work best. However, for the most part, our conversations are short and basic.

"Howareyouwhatareyoueatinghowwereclasses?"

Sadly, phone conversations with friends about drama seem to be much less incomprehensible as the words become a huge mass of sounds of which I only hear, "and then he...so she...and then...can you believe it? What should I do?

E-mails: They get the information across but with all that is happening, I seem to promise myself to reply later...and then later forget it too. So while I do Read them, I send replies that are either short or delayed...or both. In order to change this bad habit I've developed, I have begun to dedicate Sunday afternoons to going through inboxes packed with activity information and ACTUALLY replying to emails I need to, the ones buried with the "junk."

Facebook: I use methods 1-4 with family, close friends, and anyone important. Using Facebook is only ok if you are not too close with the person.

Hopefully as the year goes on, I will learn what are the best methods of communication with specific people, so it is not as difficult as it is right now.

In the Summer of 2012, the same collegian traveled to Ecuador as part of a college-based service learning project. Her many experiences there led to some updated reflections on the subject of communications.

"At the end of the day, people need to stop and reconsider when technology stops enriching and starts to cloud.... Does this happen a lot? Yes. In fact, I find the stupidity that is twitter the crowning glory of this downfall.

I get Facebook, pictures, staying in touch, etc. Twitter? Making your every thought public!... If it's important enough to make public, write an article, an e-mail, a story. Make an argument. Don't tell me what you had for lunch."

Now what is needed is a complete follow-up, "A Technological and Communication Advisory to Distant, or not-so-Distant, Parents." It would appear to me that a surprising number of college students have discovered the gimmick nature of certain technological "advances," while retaining their total commitment to other tools of the digital age. (See the relevant comments in the Chapter on Latino Culture.)

In today's difficult economic environment, parents and recent college graduates alike are getting an up-close and personal test on communication and whose values are paramount as about one-quarter of 18-30 year-olds are now living at home. Some one-third of the college graduates who have come back to their childhood abode, primarily because of economic considerations, have said their relationship with Mom and Dad has improved, about double the rate who said their relationship had worsened. Half of the graduates are still trying to figure out the impact of that renewed interaction, or, equally likely, are quiescent while hoping to change their circumstance, not because of reduced love for parents and siblings, but because it is time to become a truly independent adult even if they wind up living around the corner from the rest of their tight-knit family.

One almost-final note to Latino parents: when you find out that your niece in the "home country" is starting to plan her wedding, could you consider the dilemma of your college student if the date selected conflicts with study week for mid-terms or finals? I know family comes first—we mostly agree on that—but doing poorly on important college tests is a negative gift which keeps on giving: GPA down; morale reduced; resolve to stay in school and graduate, weakened. Ask your brother or sister to persuade their daughter to move the date away from exam time so that all can go to the wedding and dance the night away without worrying about "tomorrow's" test.

***

To close this little section of the college puzzle, if somebody can be more definitive about the dialogue between parents and college students, without resorting to simply quoting the twelve million books and websites on the subject of "How to Communicate with people who—love you, want you to be independent, do not want you to make the same mistakes they did, want to know what you are doing right now, etc., etc., etc.," please e-mail me.

As experts, including bartenders and cab drivers, always say, good communication is a "work in process." Or is it "progress?" I forget.

### Piece Five: International

Latino students already may have more international awareness than many of their peers, but if the money can be found, they should explore the possibility of spending a semester outside the United States—and away from their "home country." Organizations like the International Student Exchange Program (assehosts.com), CEA Global Education (www.gowithcea.com), www.ciee.org, www.aiesec.org, EF Education First (www.ef.com) and Enforex (www.enforex.com) facilitate international connections for students seeking a different academic and cultural experience.

Some 200 American colleges have international branch campuses or partnerships with local colleges abroad. The student receives his college credits here in a normal fashion (usually). The incremental cost is dominated by the plane ride (not an insignificant expense, but motivated students are known to engage in fund-raising campaigns for that specific purpose) and tourista stuff which will be purchased for family and others.

Students in my programs have been to Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, England, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, and Zambia. One student, enrolled in a maritime school, has spent his summers on the sea, the boat docking at multiple ports in the North Atlantic.

The flavor of being abroad is captured by this Latina college student.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

CULTURE SHOCK, by Emily Diaz [Forum: May-June 2012]

Upon my arrival to Seville, Spain I realized that I would have to quickly adapt to this new country if I wanted to become one with the Spaniards. Luckily, one barrier that some of my classmates had, language, was not something that I dealt with too much.

However, the Andalucía accent is something I wrestle with daily. A Spaniard in Seville speaks incredibly fast and eats the ending of every word. This is mostly in southern Spain. When traveling to the north, the accent is distinct. There are moments when I cannot even understand my host mother and sister when they talk at the dinner table. There is also a difference in some of the words I use with my Colombian Spanish. I walked into a bar with some friends one night and ordered a drink. When I asked the bartender for a straw, I used the word "pitillo" which in Spain means cigarette.

He stared at me for a very long time, waiting for me to correct myself. When he saw my confused look, he told me that the correct word to use was "cañita." There have been many other instances when this has occurred. Spaniards also use the term "vale" for the English equivalent "ok" and "no pasa nada," which means do not worry about it. These have become my favorite words, even when Skyping my family back home.

Another difference I quickly noticed was how important personal appearance is in Spain. Both men and women dress to impress every morning. For a regular Tuesday, you will see a female wearing a very flattering dress and matching high heels. A male will be wearing jeans and a button down with a cardigan. I have not once seen someone walk into my class in sweats and a hoodie. Even little children are dressed properly, as if ready for a photo shoot. I find myself staring at my closet every morning, trying to imitate the Spanish look.

Along with the Spain dress code, it is very normal for people in Spain to stare at one another when walking down the street. Initially I would become very self-conscious when men and women looked at me, but then I realized that this happens to everyone. Women walk by checking out what other women wear. In America, if someone stared at you in the same way that a Spaniard does, I am almost positive that a verbal feud would occur. I am even guilty of occasionally doing the same, something I will have to change when returning home.

The hardest difference I have had to deal with is the PDA or Public Display of Affection on the streets of Seville. When walking home from the park in pure daylight, I see a young couple doing things I believe are extremely inappropriate, and should be done in the privacy of their own home. Everyone lives their life on the streets. Because of the economy in Spain, it is very normal for children to live with their families until the age of 30 or at least until after they have graduated college and found a job. They do not have apartments like American teens do. Many families live in apartments, not homes, and so having friends or significant others over to your small apartment will seldom happen.

The best difference by far is the walking itself. Because I cannot drive around this city, I resort to walking everywhere. At The University of Scranton, the business school is only three or four minutes from my apartment. In Seville, I need to leave my home stay thirty minutes before my class starts in order to get there on time. Initially, I thought this would be very difficult to adapt to, but I realized how much I enjoy walking. On average, I will walk at least an hour or two a day. The great weather here also helps. Because walking does take a long time, I have ordered Sevici, Seville's bike transportation.

For only 25 Euros a year, I am given a card where I can take out a bike from a certain station and then have thirty minutes to leave it at another stop. I had not used a bike since I was in middle school, and now I use Sevici almost every day. It is an amazing form of exercise. They also have this form of transportation in other parts of Europe, like in Paris. It is great for people who do not have cars or do not want to spend so much on cabs. Everyone from young teens to businessmen use Sevici.

I have experienced culture shock when moving to Spain but I feel like the real challenge may be returning to New Jersey and having to re-adapt. I enjoy the Seville accent. I like the fact that people care about their personal appearance and do not look like slobs on the street. I do not enjoy the PDA but I do love that life is on the streets. No one is cooped up at home, but rather spend Sunday mornings walking around the Cathedral. I love this sunny weather and I love walking everywhere. I have fallen in love with the Seville way of life and have no desire to leave this beautiful city.

Undoubtedly some parents are nervous about their offspring circling the globe when a casual Reading of any newspaper or viewing of any news outlet is enough to keep a person under the bedcovers until the world regains its sanity. However, in all probability, periodic crises in various countries—it sometimes appears there is a coordinated rotation of craziness—are not likely to cause anything more than a minor hiccup in the trend which has seen the number of domestic students studying internationally grow to 250,000, from one-quarter of this level two decades ago. This is not to say that the violence level in certain places cannot become a game-changer; for example, in 2012, the Peace Corps closed up shop in Honduras and El Salvador, citing unsafe conditions.

***

In reverse fashion to the flow of American students studying abroad, there is a major push by American colleges to attract even more international students than the 700,000+ they already enroll. International students come in under an F-1 visa (with the I-20 as proof of eligibility to apply for the F-1); they must fill out a SEVIS form, and must take the TOEFL.

For Latino students, at the same time as going abroad is an attractive cultural opportunity, the experience of going to college here and interacting with young people from around the world can be a somewhat unexpected positive. India and China represent about half of the 15,000 F-1 students in New Jersey, with South Korea, Canada, and Turkey rounding out the top five countries of origin. Listening to a bright young college student is instructive as he discusses the benefits of exposure to international students.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

FOREIGN STUDENTS IN AMERICA, by Alejandro Sanchez [Forum: May-June 2010]

The United States is the biggest country with the greatest diversity of cultures in the world. When an individual is in contact with a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and experiences, he or she will benefit in different aspects individually and as part of a global society. By experience, I have found that when I coexist with students from different backgrounds and personalities, I gain the ability to manage people different from me and it is a valuable skill, especially when society is growing in diversity.

Communication between people is an important skill for students to obtain; communication skills are not only the key to a good business but also a key to a good living. If you cannot communicate your ideas and thoughts properly, you will not receive anything in this competitive world. My native language is Spanish and I have English as my second language, so it is a goal for me to receive a well-balanced pool of knowledge, experiences and creativity from other cultures. A college or university contains an exciting community of people with a broad variety of backgrounds and experiences from which any foreign student or students in general will benefit, gaining values that will help him or her to recognize and appreciate the differences of cultural backgrounds.

It is important for a student to realize the value of all people and what worthy contributions each individual can bring to society. Global relationships are significant in everyone's life, because people can learn different philosophies and develop better communication skills, which will prepare them to work with people around the world. I believe more socialization allows for a better coexistence within a community with less problems relating to race, color, or other stereotypes that bring racism and cause conflicts.

In a college, foreign students have the opportunity to represent their culture and encourage positive acceptance of diversity by students, teachers, and any person who is part of the community around them. Even though foreign students meet others with whom they might expect to have no common ground because they are from different parts of the world, they often have much in common and much to learn from one another, creating mutual benefits.

Students report tremendous educational and personal growth from exploring cultures in which they might or might not have roots. Students like me (foreign) with different backgrounds can provide others with opportunities to learn about ethnicity and to explore their own identity, which will make them explore deep into their own choices, goals and ambitions. It will be a process of self-discovery that creates a global personality for them, with a deep respect for other cultures, and simultaneously greater understanding and appreciation of their way of living.

As we become more mature in understanding similarities and differences of lifestyles, our community will be better--we will learn excellent principles of life from other nations and from our own.

Students who have earned college credits in foreign countries and who have come to the United States as new enrollees can get many of their credits validated by an organization in New York City, World Educational Services (wes.org). The cost is $100+, and it can take time, so a student should not wait until the last minute, an "in this moment" habit that should be consigned to the wastebasket of past unproductive practices.

American schools of higher education make no apologies about touting the international student sector as a way "to generate new revenues" because the rate charged is much higher for these students. The net gain to the economy reportedly exceeds $20 billion; there is no estimate as to the lost revenue associated with undocumented students who think of the USA as their home country, but are not yet able to pursue higher education. Better presumably to import more Chinese students, 20% of the total international count.

In India, the top colleges are full and it is easier for prospective students to become enrolled in American schools. Half of India's 1.2 billion people are under 25, making the arithmetic of near and intermediate-term supply and demand for college seats in India very difficult, which means more will be coming here. Enrollment of students benefiting from Saudi Arabia's scholarship program has climbed sharply; there are over 70,000 Saudi students here. (For those who believe even paranoids have enemies, fifteen of the nineteen hijackers in the 9-11-01 attack were from Saudi Arabia; several had student visas.)

Not only is there on-going growth in the number of international students, but according to the Institute of International Education (iie.org), there has been a significant increase in the number of foreign-born presidents of American colleges. One would expect that these individuals are more aware of the academic and cultural needs of a diverse, flat world than many of their native counterparts. It does not stretch a point to observe that this is further evidence Latino students should feel more at home in the evolving American college marketplace, more comfortable in their ability to convert their bilingual, bicultural skills and personalities into successful, sustainable life paths.

I cannot say enough about the merits of international exposure for a student, whether it be traveling abroad or interaction on an American campus. If nothing else, it broadens anybody's definition of diversity, which can only be beneficial in the unfolding demographics of the United States.

***

Note: none of the above information is directly pertinent to the completely separate State Department-authorized Summer Work Travel program. Under a J-1 visa, some 100,000 foreign students come to the United States for up to three months of work and one month of travel. Working conditions and other aspects of this program have caused considerable controversy, leading to additional rules for employers of these students.

***

For those keeping score, I have made 17 trips to Spanish-speaking countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia (3x), Dominican Republic, Ecuador (3x), Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico (3x), Spain, and Uruguay.

Mexico and Puerto Rico were family trips, while Argentina/Uruguay was a solo venture. Ecuador reflected two trips related to sponsorship of four children in Guayaquil under the Compassion International program, plus a trip to attend the wedding of two members of my I WILL WALK! program. In Colombia, my friend and I had put together an after-school project assisting about 50 young people ages 6-10 and the trips were to interact with staff, parents, and students. The trips to Bolivia, Chile, Dominican Republic, and Honduras all involved foundation education program members.

While outside the cities in many of these countries, the street lights are typically dim or nonexistent, elsewhere the traveler can see new shopping malls being built. Sometimes constructed to serve as laundering mechanisms for drug money (like the cocaine producers say, "thank goodness for the American nose"), the malls always have security guards. And everywhere, as is true with kids football in the USA, the omnipresent futbol fields in developing countries teach all the essentials: specific skills and physical conditioning plus the acceptance of gloating, fighting, arguing, and yelling at teammates.

If I wanted to be dramatic about the travel, I could detail the armed robbery I missed seeing—by about five seconds—on the streets of Palmira, Colombia. Or I could enumerate the multiple times when my host/traveling companions quietly requested that I put my digital camera away. There have been days of cold water only, fetid water under the living room boards of a home, and no water at all. I have used outdoor communal bathrooms and noted razor wire on the house adjacent to where I was staying. Stop signs have been described as suggestions, or better yet, "decorations." Babies, bags, and balls have been seen piled perilously high on the backs of motorcycles last observed weaving in and out of traffic with seemingly scant regard for anybody's life expectancy.

I have eaten chicken which was killed the day before in the small backyard of the next door neighbor and slept a few feet from a skilled individual who was welding garage and window security bars. And I have played basketball in a jungle hangar while thirty feet away an anaconda lazed on the sunny tarmac. No, I did not seek to retrieve the ball when it went out of bounds in the direction of the native.

After a lengthy discussion about the relative merits of Alvaro Uribe (past President of Colombia), Rafael Correa (President of Ecuador), and the late Hugo Chavez (President of Venezuela), I have asked people I was visiting to weigh in the important topic of which country among the four leading candidates in South America spends more time, money, and attention on feminine beauty. Using the statistic of non-surgical procedures relative to population, the order is Brazil, well ahead of Colombia, followed by Venezuela and Argentina in a virtual tie. It probably is a shock that the worldwide leader is South Korea.

When buying a cervaza through the barred window at the corner store, I have wondered whether the young girl learning the business from her abuelita has any opportunity to think about a life beyond the few blocks which now define her daily existence. What is opportunity? Education, money, culture, fair rules, full information accessible at minimal cost, luck, contacts—what is the combination, coupled with personal characteristics, which brings some out of the limited box in which they are born, enabling them to live life on a grander scale.

Being outside the United States reinforces the observation that whether it be regarding drugs, immigration, abortion, trade policy, or a long list of other issues, too many Americans view life in black and white terms. Such a simplistic analysis cannot survive international travel, where gray is the predominant coloration.

A person aware of the impact on Colombia of Americans' consumption of drugs cannot categorize undocumented immigration to the USA as comparable in illegality to running a red light.

The traveler seeing too many mouths to feed cannot avoid thinking about the Catholic Church's position on birth control and abortion. And it is a challenge to understand trade policy in a world where the typical shopper with discretionary income has no moral or practical compass pointing him to the local product. (This does not contradict the fact that residents of less developed areas do buy local—they have no choice—and in some ways may be better off as a result.)

Leaving politics aside, in moving around within these countries, and having some capability of entering into commercial transactions or getting simple directions, I have been struck by the ability and desire of shopkeepers and street-cleaners alike to be helpful. Whether the monied classes (Americans are rightly concerned about income inequality; it is even worse in some of these countries) are a bunch of snobs, I have no idea because I have not moved in those circles. They might not as easily accept an unshaven, blue-jeaned old guy with a Juan Valdez Café hat and, whenever possible, a Canon digital hung around his neck like a tourist from Ohio or Tokyo.

There are times, especially in the midst of Hispanic family celebrations, when I have come to the ultimate conundrum: wistfulness toward a way of life I can never have and, in truth, would probably not want anyway. So why be wistful? Because I would have liked a portion of that warmth in my home growing up. I did not have a negative environment, simply one of nothingness (okay, my three siblings and I all graduated from college, have not been in jail, and are only 50% divorced, so our parents did okay I guess.)

It's efficient for a traveler to be dropped off at the airport and it's chaotic when an entire family—or is it the whole town?—is with the traveler every step of the way through the international airport, from check-in counter to immigration. But there is something a touch cold about the former, while the opposite is true for the latter.

The net takeaway of travel for me is straightforward: greater understanding of the lives of the several hundred Latino students with whom I have interacted during the past two decades. Has this insight provided the path to a neat formulaic approach to my foundation's programs? Not really, unless one counts a reiteration of the age-old truth: the person attempting to "help"—whether it be a teacher, mentor, parent, or foundation executive-director—must truly care about the student, and knowing where they come from is a major component of caring.

### International Websites

Global Youth Leadership Development  
AIESEC.ORG

Student Exchange Program  
ASSEHOSTS.COM

International Educational Experiences  
CIEE.ORG

International Education  
EF.COM

Teaches Spanish as a foreign language  
ENFOREX.COM

International education on global issues  
GOWITHCEA.COM

Institute of International Education  
IIE.ORG

World Educational Services, validate foreign credits  
WES.ORG

### Closing Comments for the Chapter

The importance of each area described above will vary with the individual student; the leading influence is the type and location of the school which he is attending. If he is enrolled at the local community college, he will not be thinking about studying abroad, his relationship with his parents probably will be similar to that of his past, and he will not have the big bill for room and board. Books will still be expensive however.

In contrast, the student going away to a four-year school will see the importance of a majority of the pieces of the college puzzle rise in significance. The role of independent thinking on the part of the student will become more central, hopefully augmented with productive dialogue on the home front—supporters asking good (and leading) questions, with few "you must do this" statements (that function is left for GUIDE!).

## Chapter Eleven: THE BENEFITS OF A COLLEGE DEGREE

When access to college and its high cost push aside the issue of academic/personal preparation and become the center of the higher education discussion, every student needs an answer to the question: what are the benefits of college? And maybe, like the Reader who skips ahead to the conclusion of a tantalizing mystery, the Latino student interested in college already has flipped to this chapter before returning to the prior material detailing the nuts and bolts of the whole college process.

In the words of a typical student, "tell me why I am embarking on this lengthy college trip, with its multiple cultural and economic challenges."

■ Maybe it is because with their bilingual, bicultural capability (not applicable to every Hispanic), Latino students have a competitive advantage in finding attractive careers in the changing workplace of the 21st century: more pressure on companies to configure products and services for the expanding Hispanic population, more open collars instead of white collars, more emphasis on collaborative efforts.

■ Maybe it is because a Bachelor's degree-holder earns over a million dollars more in his working life than his high school graduate counterpart. Even with the impact of incremental debt on the financial benefits of college, the debate about pursuing higher education is one of relative economic advantage, not whether an advantage exists. There are non-monetary benefits as well; according to the College Board, graduates are more likely to volunteer, vote, and exercise, while they are less likely to smoke or to be overweight—which means they live longer.

■ Maybe it is because Latino students, if they pay the price of total commitment to a quality higher education, have a compelling opportunity to move themselves and their families up the income ladder. There are so many collegians on campus who major in socializing and simply getting by that those students who march to a different drummer will stand out. High quality professors will adore them, the right kind of peers will gravitate to them, and employers will welcome them.

■ Maybe it is because by the year 2043, when this country will have no ethnic majority, Latinos may be one-third of the workforce, but today only 13% of young adult Latinos have a Bachelor's degree, compared with 39% of whites and 21% of blacks. Either educational attainment for Hispanics must rise dramatically or there will be increased socioeconomic tension throughout American society. (Or everything economic will emanate from China, which annually has triple the number of USA college graduates.)

■ It is not because of a future which features great vacations. On average, an American gets 12 days while a Brazilian can go to the beach for 30 days.

■ Maybe it is because the Great Recession has elevated the role of networking, which is closely related to making new friends in a college environment, not on a street dominated by panaderias, nail salons, barber shops, restaurants and other small businesses. Employers are being mined more than ever for referrals of candidates they may know for open positions in the company. Those resumes get pulled from the literal or figurative pile and get acted upon at a rate far above those of anonymous applicants. No shock—over two-thirds of those thusly recommended are of the same ethnicity.

■ The clinching reason for graduating from college is to make the family proud!

### Incomes at Different Education Levels; Mobility

Cutting immediately to the chase, the monetary stepladder of education is clear: median annual earnings rise significantly with each additional level of education:

What this means, on average, is upward mobility. According to a report by the Pew Charitable Trust's Economic Mobility Program (<http://www.economicmobility.org/>), 84% of young people who had parents in the bottom fifth of income, but who persevered and graduated from college, moved ahead.

■ 19% moved into the top fifth of earners

■ 22% got to the top-middle rank

■ 21% went up to the middle fifth

■ 22% climbed one rank to the second fifth

■ 84% subtotal of all those who showed improvement

■ 16% stayed in the bottom fifth

■ 100% total

The distribution of those young people who did not earn a college degree is quite different as 45% made no improvement at all.

These are the Pew data:

■ 5% moved into the top fifth of earners

■ 9% got to the top-middle rank

■ 18% went up to the middle fifth

■ 23% climbed one rank to the second fifth

■ 55% subtotal of all those who showed improvement

■ 45% stayed in the bottom fifth

■ 100% total

Following on these data, it is not surprising that second generation Hispanics have a median household income, at $58,000, which is up 25% from that of first generation households. Some 36% have college degrees, compared with 29% for the prior generation, and 64% own their homes, up from 51%. Only 11% are in poverty situations, down from 18%; only 10% do not finish high school, down from 28%. There is clearly symmetry and logical relationships among these education and income numbers.

The positive view of economic mobility within the Hispanic community is underlined, according to the Brookings Institute, by the progress made in the melding of education and higher quality occupations. On its data, 30% of working-age immigrants have a college degree, for the first time exceeding those without a high school diploma, 28%.

This positive differential in education level grows to at least 25% in almost half of the 100 largest cities in the country, which speaks to the willingness of Latino college graduates to go where the jobs are—and other college-educated young Latinos—and the bright lights. With more time spent in the United States, Latinos are less constrained by the geographical bungee cord of their traditional family, without contradicting the cultural rootedness of family, which remains a given.

Time's "Opportunity Nation" article looked at the issue of circumstance and economic mobility in a quite different manner. It used material from the Brookings Institute and the Pew Economic Mobility Project to create the interesting data set below. The question Time addressed was, "what are the chances of a person becoming middle class, defined as an annual income of three times the poverty level (which means $66,000 for a family of four) at age 40"?

These percentages are the odds of eventually reaching middle class if the individual has the indicated characteristic.

■ 85% Succeeds consistently at life stages, early childhood to adulthood

■ 72% Born to an upper-income family

■ 70% Caucasian

■ 66% Male

■ 64% All Americans

■ 62% Female

■ 59% Hispanic

■ 52% Born to a lower-income family

■ 50% African American

■ 33% Fails consistently at life stages, early childhood to adulthood

Traditionally the American ideal has been a mobility triggered by equality of opportunity. A forced equality of outcomes has never been a government policy objective. However, with the disproportionate cost of college and the on-going shrinkage of the middle class, there is concern that regardless of the above past data, the economic mobility deck has become stacked. Those families who got crushed by the collapse of the housing bubble and then saw culpable financial institutions get bailed out, while homeowners were not, already believe the system has gone off its tracks. Moreover, a new study indicates disappointingly wide variations in economic mobility across different geographic regions of the USA; key variables include the strength of the K-12 education system, the proportion of dual-parent households, and the degree of "civic engagement."

For twenty years, inflation-adjusted per capita income of the lower half of the American income spectrum has gone nowhere—that of a high school drop-out is down 25%—while college costs have escalated at far above inflation rates. The bottom 90% of workers are earning less than eighteen years ago. It does not take a math major to figure out the fiscal difficulties and reduced mobility ensuing from this combination. Adding to the pain is that both the Great Recession and its after-shock have underscored the necessity for acquiring either a marketable skill or a college degree, but the latter has become frightfully expensive while the former receives inadequate attention.

Behind long-term mobility is the quality of education. Not only is the United States doing poorly relative to many countries, but the variability of its academic results among socioeconomic levels (for example, the well-publicized "achievement gap," wherein minority students who are seniors in high school are scholastically at the level of eighth-grade white kids) is similar to that of Mexico and others. The evidence is clear that many students are not receiving the education necessary to even have a chance of moving up economically. Not rectifying this educational disparity is a prescription for limited mobility and a recipe for even greater conflict between different economic classes.

As it is, American parents overall no longer believe their children will do better economically than they did, which is the first time such an attitude has been prevalent in the entire history of the United States. Coupled with this economic negativity is the conclusion of parents and non-parents alike that the current generation is less educated than their elders. The two deficits—economics and education—obviously are connected.

Bilingual, bicultural Latinos have the opportunity to be on the positive side of this equation, coupling increased education with prospectively better economics, and therein outpacing their parents, who become beneficiaries of their children's success.

***

The material below should be useful as students think about their futures. It could have gone earlier in GUIDE but there was already enough data in the relevant chapters. Besides, thinking about higher education and a career is as much a circular exercise as a straight line analysis.

### Jobs, Education Requirements, and Incomes

According to certain government estimates, of newly-created jobs in the next few years, a Bachelor's degree or higher is required for about 38% of the positions, while an Associate's degree is sufficient for 10%. Some college is needed for 18%. A high school diploma is okay for 26% and even less educational attainment for the remaining 8%. Cautionary note: there is an important point not covered in this breakdown: how many of the non-college degree job openings are based on individuals having a marketable skill and how many are simply fast-growing, but low-wage service jobs not linked to an economically sustainable life.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (<http://www.bls.gov/>) publishes a ton of useful data on every aspect of employment (and the material can be tweeted!). It breaks down occupations by education required, growth (or lack thereof) in the area, median compensation, work experience required, and contacts for more information. There is even a subcategory for "green occupations," both traditional and newly-created.

As an example, below is what BLS had projected as the fastest growing job categories. Suggestion to Reader: do not obsess about any precise forecast numbers in GUIDE; think of them not as arithmetically definitive but as painting part of an overall accurate picture. For example, the Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook has updated numbers out to the year 2020, but there is no real change in the projections relevant to a college student thinking about his career: there are many growth categories—in either absolute numbers or percentage terms—for jobs which are not demanding educationally, and which are not high-paying (consistent with above observation).

Another entry in the job market crystal ball comes from USA Today. Its forecast of the top hiring sectors in the next four years calls for this breakdown of newly-created jobs:

From this forecast, it would appear that some rationality had ensued in the financial world since the collapse of 2007-8; before, it seemed every college graduate was headed to Wall Street or a management consulting company to make millions without really producing anything of substance. However, the ten top majors according to the 2013 hiring plans of the National Association of Colleges and Employers are more indicative of déjà vu: finance heads the list, and both accounting and economics are in strong demand as well. Engineering is well-represented: mechanical, electrical, and computer.

Other occupations in the top ten are computer science, business administration, management information systems, and marketing. From a global standpoint, in this case meaning American corporations with a worldwide presence, hard science talent is scarce and humanities graduates are plentiful. For students who are "like totally into" the explosion in social media and "apps" for everything, the good news is that these places are hiring. Unfortunately, these newer types of computer/Internet-based companies do not involve large staffs, so the competition for jobs is hyper-intense.

Recent starting salaries for new Bachelor-degree holders have been $55-80,000 for various categories of engineering; $54-61,000 in the computer area; $45-50,000 in business; and $30-35,000 in communications and health services. (Different sources come up with different numbers.)

Prospective college students who have not yet become focused on what they expect to choose as a college major or career goal may look at the above data or could look at a different table in the aforementioned Occupational Outlook Handbook. BLS combined annual earnings, percentage growth, and annual job openings to create what it regarded as the "Best 100 Jobs." I have modified the data slightly to use ranges instead of precise estimates, and I have only included the top 15 jobs as my purpose is simply to give a flavor for how the estimates were put together. The complete list includes 100 occupations, with some job identifications not immediately recognizable by the average student (or me).

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (naceweb.org), Payscale.com and CollegeMeasures.org provide different series of education and earnings data. Payscale uses self-reported data and includes both starting salaries and income ten years from graduation, a helpful coupling to gauge an expected progression. CollegeMeasures uses data—based on information from state unemployment insurance programs—for graduates of two and four-year public colleges in an individual state (thus far: Arkansas, Colorado, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia). Therefore the statistics can only encompass those graduates who chose to stay employed in that state.

***

The general advice for the job-seeking college graduate, as always, is to not sit around and whine, but to network like it was breathing with anybody the graduate ever shook hands with—or, better yet—hugged and to stay current on Facebook, LinkedIn, CareerBuilder.com, Monster.com, Craigslist.org, Burning-glass.com, and, where relevant, other more specialized sites. Whatever it takes to keep the applicant's name and incredible list of talents and accomplishments in front of somebody who could help get the graduate into a job interview.

If it is any solace to unemployed recent college graduates, they might keep in mind that when this country obsesses about "high" unemployment, the level is usually still significantly below that found in many other areas of the world. For example, the unemployment rate for a 16-24 year-old in Spain is 50%; in Britain, it exceeds 20%. There is little positive going on in employment throughout the PIIGS area (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Spain), where problems are large and likely to be protracted.

Challenges in the BRIC sector (Brazil, Russia, India, China) until recently had been more about how to manage slowing growth: absorbing the impact of relatively soft demand from the United States and Western Europe. Now there are serious reservations about each of these countries: in the case of Russia and India, corruption is a major factor according to many; Brazil has been surprised by educated, relatively affluent people taking to the streets to protest various government shortcomings; and the fear in China is that its building boom is not sustainable and may already have sown the seeds for a collapse in values.

The net of these observations is that the United States, for all its economic challenges, continues to represent the biggest opportunity for educated young people, Latino and non-Latino alike, to achieve economic success.

### Government Jobs and Incomes

Ignoring the "minor" detail of many states being in difficult budgetary circumstances necessitating deep re-thinks of their financial obligations, especially those of the entitlement variety, government job opportunities should not be ruled out completely.

Aggregate employment by all government entities is 22 million, making it the largest employer in the country. Average earnings for the federal jobs listed below (www.naceweb.org) are around $29 an hour, with considerable benefits, at least until economic rationalization sets in because of government deficits. While many Latinos are reflexively skeptical of government—viewing it as the ultimate in "who you know" favoritism—it does make sense to at least look and see where a student's talents might fit.

Airport screener...air marshal...animal caretaker...autopsy assistant

ATF inspector...accounting clerk...bank examiner...border patrol officer

Bailiff...customs officer...criminal investigating...communications

Computer clerk...correction officer dispatcher

Data transcriber...deputy marshal...evidence technician

Environment assistant...FBI/DEA agent...fish and wildlife officer

Food inspector...forensic investigator...forestry technician

Fingerprint technician...fire prevention...guide ranger

Game law enforcement...health aide

Intelligence clerk...immigration officer...legal clerk

Library assistant...municipal court administrator...nursing aide

Parole officer...postal inspector...passport/visa examiner...police officer

Recreation aide...security clerk...social service aide...secretary

Security officer...telecommunications...warehouse and custom worker

Average federal pay has continued to inch ahead, despite the Great Recession and little in the way of good news for wages in the private sector. Average compensation, including numerous higher-paid jobs not included in the above list, is over $75,000, plus those generous benefits. Higher education levels of many federal employees are a factor behind the attractive incomes.

(As an aside, seven out of the ten richest counties in the USA are around Washington, D.C. In case you wondered whether your tax monies were helping out the truly disadvantaged or whether the lobbyists attached to numerous corporations and other organizations who have gravitated to the country's center of power are struggling to pay for their next meal.)

Contrary to what might be thought, civil service occupations like the police and firefighters pay quite well, at least in a high living cost area like New Jersey. Compared with an average annual salary for all occupations of around $55,000, police and firefighters in the Garden State are in the $70-75,000 range. Teachers average $65-70,000; lawyers and healthcare practitioners are $100,000 or better. Consult the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development for further data.

Rising diversity is evident in career areas which might have been shunned in the past. For example, at present, of the 8,500 qualified applicants to New Jersey's Police Academy, 19% are Hispanic, a much higher share than ever before. Academic requirements to be a policeman are not strenuous: an Associate's degree plus two years at a job or in the military, or a Bachelor's degree. Moreover, culturally (and politically) sensitive government employers are aware of the practical need for greater diversity, including on the police force. Businesses are already embarked on that path for numerous bottom-line reasons.

Still another way that students can look at jobs is provided by this listing of opportunities.

### A Breakdown of Careers and Incomes

Many prospective college students, Latino and non-Latino alike, have not stitched together their generalized career interests with specific jobs and accompanying education requirements. Moreover, they may not know what those occupations mean in terms of projected incomes. Better to find out now than halfway through college.

■ Over $100,000  
Financial, information systems, sales managers...chief executives...lawyers

■ $70-100,000  
Operations manager...sales manager...computer engineer...computer software engineer...management analyst...sales rep...computer systems analyst...computer programmer...occupational therapist...financial advisor

■ $50-70,000  
Registered nurse...accountant...mail carrier...policeman...loan officer... purchasing agent... supervisor... network administrator... teacher... paralegal... network security specialist...social media specialist

■ $40-50,000  
Administrative assistant...fireman...industrial mechanic...plumber... electrician... insurance agent...physical therapist assistant

■ $30-40,000  
Clerks...secretary...dental assistant...welder...inspector...social worker... carpenter...correctional officer...automotive technician...maintenance worker...customer service rep...machinist... bill collector...truck driver

■ $20-30,000  
Pharmacy technician...security guard...cook...hairdresser...school bus driver  
counter clerk...recreation worker...nursing aide...shipping clerk...janitor landscaper...filling machine operator...construction laborer... receptionist...social work assistant... office clerk...teller...medical assistant...home health aide...stock clerk...telemarketer...skin care specialist

■ $15-20,000 (some of these categories receive tip income as well)  
Waiter...fast food cook...cafeteria worker...bartender...vehicle cleaner... childcare worker... dishwasher...maid...packager...food preparation worker

### Education, Ethnicity, and Unemployment

The hiring criteria in every sector begin with specific experience (which always drives college graduate first-timers slightly nuts because of the circular reasoning—"how can I have experience when this would be my first job?") and then general experience—within the industry, including an internship or co-op situation. After this set of criteria comes the specific college attended, availability ("not an issue; I am applying, aren't I!") and the ability to relocate in order to accept the job offer (if you have to check with your parents or romantic partner, this can be a problem).

While the college graduate soon discovers that a diploma is not a guaranty of a job, it is a required "ticket" to become involved in the employment discussion, to get through the door marked "Human Resources," even if the contemporary equivalent is a database like Monster.com or LinkedIn.com. Keep in mind that a "B" student with passion, curiosity, and a desire to learn is more attractive than an "A" student without passion.

If that college graduate you thought was so bright has not found a job yet, blame Bush or Obama or Wall Street if you like, but not the student. That is, unless he is sitting at home, with the computer and smartphone turned off, bemoaning his fate instead of sending out resumes, calling every contact who would recognize his name, and putting himself in front of employers by every method short of a sandwich board.

These are recent unemployment numbers by ethnicity and education; the data speak for themselves in terms of underlining various points made throughout GUIDE:

Reportedly employment for college graduates is up 9% over the last five years, whereas high school graduate jobholders are down 9%. However, some 40% of college graduates under 25 years of age are currently employed in positions which they believe do not require the college degree they earned; in 2000, this was only 30%. What is called "up-credentialing" by employers is a national characteristic; they can be more demanding in terms of the degree required for their scarce job openings.

A few years ago, younger workers were looking for employers offering "mental stimulation" and "advancement opportunities," all so the former could lead "balanced lives." Now it is, "can I just have a job thank you."

Seniors in college will be worrying about their next step—the hunt for a job or a decision to enter graduate school—no matter what, but hopefully they can relax a touch, like this 2012 graduate from one of my education programs.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

THE LIFE OF A COLLEGE SENIOR, by Emily Casiano [Forum: November-December 2011]

Senior year can be a nerve-wracking time. With graduation around the corner, it is easy to get overwhelmed with thoughts of "what next." I have lost track of the number of conversations I have had with roommates, friends, and family about that big and scary thing called the future.

What will I do after graduation? Will I work? Where? Should I go straight to graduate school? What should I study? Will I move back home or live on my own?

The good news is I am not alone in this. My fellow seniors are as confused as I am. Even people like my roommate, who seemed to have it all figured out, are going through similar end-of-college crises. My roommate has been pre-med since freshman year, but the thought of so many more years of schooling, grueling hours, and having to choose a specialty has made her consider taking a gap year to work and clarify her goals. That idea of a gap year seems to be the trend among my classmates, who see the cost of a graduate degree as being too much to take on unless they are sure of what they want to study.

For me, I had never planned to go straight to graduate school. I know I will go within five years or so, but I had always planned to work first to get a better idea of what and where I want to study. My senior crisis has less to do with the debate between study and a job and more to do with where I see myself the day after graduation. I'm more concerned about where I will work and how I will land the job I think I could see myself doing as a career.

As scary as senior year can be, it does have some amazing moments. Take, for example, when a friend finally realizes what he or she wants to do as a career.

This epiphany is so much better and so much bigger than picking a college, a major, or a minor. Suddenly the whole post-college idea does not seem so daunting. Sure, it might be hard to find a job or get into the right graduate school, and it doesn't necessarily make the decision of where to live any easier. Yet, somehow it lifts a huge weight off that is difficult to explain. I have had my own breakthrough recently, and I have to say that it makes senior year much less stressful. In fact, it's exciting. There is a long, hard road ahead, but I think the journey will be much more fun now that I know where it will end.

A less favorable view of higher education and its connection to employment is expressed by this 2012 college graduate.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

THE FALL OF THE COLLEGE DEGREE, by Jonathan Feria [Forum: November-December 2011]

Technology has changed the basic lives of everyone who interacts with it on a daily basis. With smartphones and the iPad, the internet and all the advantages of technology travel alongside you at all times of the day. No status, tweet, or news update missed. Technology has caused the fall of the physical format: all newspapers, magazines, comics, and novels are making the switch to digital.

In order to survive, they have had to change their business models. Technology changed them, and various industries as well, colleges included.

Colleges have used online courses as early as the internet itself, sending notes and lectures to students who were unable to make it to class. Colleges adapted online courses to those unable to attend the campus itself. Full degrees and even Master's degrees are available to those who want to take the courses online. Many argue that without 1-on-1 interaction between student and professor, the ambition to learn will not be there, but few colleges offer that chance with classes exceeding 30 students.

With the economy in a slump, people are rushing to colleges with the false idea that degrees promise jobs. And more people are coming out disappointed by the job market today. With each passing year, there are more and more success stories coming out from people who drop out of college or do not even attend. For convenience sake, we will use Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, as an example.

Yes, he did attend Harvard but eventually dropped out to pursue this new job he created for himself. This job/idea came from his interest in computer programming and hacking, hobbies he had pursued from a young age. He was able to do something he enjoyed and make money out of it because of his past experience; Harvard could have added to it, but his interest in programming surpassed what Harvard or any university could have offered.

Ambition can take a person a long way, and before colleges, "students" would study under people, or do their own research if they had enough willpower to follow it. They would seek apprenticeships (some of which today are known as internships) to learn what they could about their profession. And even to this day, if you take time to research and understand things you are interested in, you will have a greater understanding of the subject without ever having to take classes.

The classes could work as a jump-off point for your interest and colleges could help give you the opportunity to network and get a taste of other professions you could pursue. But it is ambition that drives you. The artist mentality is that you cannot teach painting to someone else; it's through their own experiences and their own vigor that they can truly understand how to paint. A professor at my college calls this mentality, "Welcome to Venice." When he was younger he visited Venice; after an hour with a tour guide, the latter turned to the professor and said, "Welcome to Venice" and disappeared into the crowd.

The professor needed to go back to his hotel or risk being in an unknown city at night by himself. He began to take mental notes of landmarks that helped him navigate through the city and to his hotel. After that experience, he did not need his tour guide anymore, he had an understanding of how the city worked and how to navigate through it. This is how the professor approaches his classes and his own work; if you ask him how something is done, he will ask you what your opinion is or how you think it should be done.

So with all the information available at one click, and most of it being less expensive than a college, there are chances the college degree will start losing its value compared to the education attainable by those who are self-taught. Your degree is not a life career, it stands for your networking and as a stimulant to your knowledge, but knowledge is something achieved by the self. The college degree will become the next newspaper and the next magazine; it will die. Colleges and universities might survive, but the value of the degree will be lost. It will not happen soon, but the road is there, and we are slowly heading in that direction.

Looking ahead, both employers and employees assume less loyalty to the company, and therefore greater turnover, than in the past; taking a job is becoming more like an arms-length non-contractual agreement between consenting adults. Except for positions at a handful of companies like Google, there is not the attitude and implication of many job-takers of years gone by who fantasized, "this is the company I want to be with for a long time." Instead, in the course of a working life, a jobholder may have a combination of experiences: intern, temp, 1099, at-will hiring, and something more solid.

The observation of Upwardly Global (<http://www.upwardlyglobal.org/>), a non-profit organization which helps immigrants (mainly professionals) get connected with jobs, is relevant to this discussion of students entering the workforce. In its view, in the USA, the interview is critical, whereas in other countries, it is the resume and the educational experience. What this means is that American employers are so cynical about the meaning of an education degree that they must rely on their own assessment of what the individual knows how to do, and what he can be trained to do, not the label put on them by a college. And yet, without that label, i.e. a diploma, job conversations are much more limited.

Advice to employers and to collegians in this new world is well-provided by a New York City management consultant.

### ADVICE FROM A PRACTITIONER

HELP GRADUATES FIND THEIR FOOTING, by Robert W. Goldfarb

It's understandable that many of today's college graduates view themselves as the generation that opportunity forgot. This fall (2011), I interviewed 85 recent graduates of various colleges to discuss their success in finding a job. We spoke in settings as varied as Zucotti Park, the Occupy Wall Street site in NYC, and meetings of young conservatives.

Of those I interviewed—many from prestigious schools—only five are in the career field they prepared for; the rest are unemployed or in jobs they hope are temporary. Graduates with once-marketable degrees in accounting and computer science, for example, now compete with applicants who have five years of experience and will accept the same entry-level salary.

Mainly because there are too many applicants for too few jobs, employers are ignoring resumes that once commanded interviews. But in my work as a management consultant, I find that many executives also feel that recent graduates have contributed to a perception problem: that young people have been so pampered by hovering parents and so untested academically that they bring little value to today's demanding workplace.

A surprising number of senior managers have always championed the hiring of young people who seem unlikely candidates for corporate life: theater majors, for instance, or campus activists with mediocre grades, or eccentric computer prodigies with few social skills. These managers realize that while irreverent newcomers might create chaos, they also bring fresh ideas. But recently, managers grumble that painful job hunts have sapped young people of their daring, creativity and willingness to challenge old procedures.

Until recently, common wisdom held that older employees resisted change, were slow to adapt to technology, were less productive than younger associates and resented taking direction from bosses younger than their children. Those perceptions are changing significantly. Older employees, desperate to rebuild their 401(k)'s, are reinventing themselves by welcoming new procedures, becoming technologically adept, bringing mature problem-solving to their jobs and responding willingly to younger bosses.

Managers have become less tolerant of the missteps that were once expected of any new hire, and are finding that older employees make fewer of them.

Some of the least judgmental, most supportive managers I know are criticizing recent graduates for poor quality of written and oral reports, and for difficulty in drawing essential facts from masses of data. Earlier generations heard this criticism, too, but employers flooded with resumes have become far more selective than their predecessors. Amid relentless talk about unemployment, little is said of the impact on the nation's future of a generation convinced that the workplace has little use for it.

This generation must regain its confidence if we are to remain the birth-place of ideas, products and services that shape the world. The quickest way to reshape that confidence is to form partnerships between recent graduates and the companies they hope will employ them. Entrepreneurs and corporate managers, current and retired, are eager to be mentors. They are active in the Young Presidents' Organization or in professional and alumni groups in many cities.

Corporations, in turn, should consider investing in training and developing a generation they will eventually need. High-potential graduates for whom there isn't an immediate opening could be hire, not as unpaid interns but as salaried trainees given three to six months to prove their value in a series of assignments. Those who don't seize the

opportunity can quickly be dismissed. Trainees should be given mentors to help them avoid the small missteps that can damage a career before it starts.

Determined to cut costs, many corporate officials will undoubtedly dismiss as impractical the idea of investing in employees they don't immediately need. But a choice must be made: employers can keep faulting overindulgent parents, ineffectual teachers, colleges without required subjects and graduates unsuited to today's complex workplace, or they can play a greater role in training and developing a generation longing to take its place in the American mainstream.

Given the periodic panic among college graduates about getting a job, the data below are interesting because they compare longer-term changes with the shifts wrought by the Great Recession, which for this purpose is 2007 to 2009 because technically the recession ended in the latter year (do not tell that to the unemployed or underemployed, especially recent college graduates).

In re-Reading this analysis in 2013, I believe the underlying fundamentals which drove employment changes in the prior period will continue: management positions which are seen as having little value-added will be under pressure, specific skill occupations will win, production-related jobs will remain economically sensitive (there is some indication that a few out-sourced manufacturing jobs are returning to the USA), service categories will keep growing to fill the perpetually rising needs of the affluent and/or those who are pressed for time, and the Internet will do nothing but expand its impact on sales positions.

If there had been a line in the preceding analysis that encompassed employment trends in Internet-based companies, it would have been straight up throughout this period and undoubtedly continues to climb. At the same time, strictly in terms of number of employees, these newer employers do not necessarily hire that many people.

The exceptions are well-known and show up in the ensuing table, which otherwise has a strong "brand name" flavor as the answer to the question of:

### Where do College Graduates Want to Work?

Universum, a leading consulting firm, answered this question with a listing of the most popular companies in multiple categories. I have included the top twenty-five choices in four different academic/professional disciplines.

P.S. Google receives two million job applications annually. Its interview questions are uniquely analytical and impossible to prepare for, but it has gone public with a description of what Google looks for in a manager. Its emphasis on collaboration and communication, skills not completely coincident with the environment of many classrooms, is consistent with the message in many parts of GUIDE, and would seem to suggest a good match with Latino students—if they have acquired the necessary underlying technical skills and possess the passion necessary to succeed in a high-performing company.

#### Google's Good Behaviors for Managers

■ Be a good coach.

■ Empower your team and don't micromanage.

■ Express interest in team members' success and personal well-being.

■ Don't be a sissy: be productive and results-oriented.

■ Be a good communicator and listen to your team.

■ Help your employees with career development.

■ Have a clear vision and strategy for the team.

■ Have key technical skills so you can help advise the team.

#### Google's Three Pitfalls of Managers

■ Have trouble making a transition to the team.

■ Inconsistent approach to performance management/career development.

■ Spend too little time managing and communicating.

So how does the graduate mentally prepare for a typical work environment, i.e., not that of Google. Here are tips for the college graduate as he begins his first "real" job, from Mark Schnurman, a career coach and Star Ledger columnist.

"The fun and games are over...You are no longer in youth soccer where everyone gets a trophy...Be flexible...Find peers with similar drive, passions, and professionalism...Build a network...Learn how to communicate effectively...Find a mentor...Continue your education...Appreciate every mistake as an opportunity to grow...Do not drink alcohol at work functions...Be aware of trade-offs: the world is gray, not black or white."

Mark points out that "less than 20% of candidates get jobs through online job postings." Persistence is necessary through all the subcategories of networking and social media; even old-fashioned phone calling (with a pitch, not a question as to whether the person has seen your resume) remains part of the process. You know, like a live conversation.

Despite an admittedly gloomy employment picture for college graduates—exacerbated by the inclination of corporations to do anything to avoid making a full-time hire: interns, consultants, temps, part-timers, contract workers, free-lancers (the combination of which, including those who have virtual/at-home occupations, is over 10% of all those in the employment category)—let's assume the graduate has been bestowed with the opportunity to choose—between following his passion for a specific career path or taking a semi-related position for higher pay. What does he do?

Take the former, follow your passion! "You do not yet have a house/mortgage and wife/kids and dog, do you? Please tell me no. You have not cut short your college in order to get married and employed at a no-growth job, have you? And you have stayed safe in your relationships, haven't you, despite the nagging request by well-meaning but misguided relatives for you to get married and provide them with grandchildren." If you do not take the passion job now, when will you? At 40, will you fall out of bed and say, "now is the time. I am quitting my job at the Big Company and pursuing my long-held goal of being a free-lance photographer." Unless there is a pile of cash under the mattress, this scenario is doubtful, doubly so when a spouse patiently explains—or perhaps with a rising voice and physical gestures—the financial facts of life.

Through all the angst surrounding the search for that first real job, you do want to enjoy your work. Blue Cross found that 75% of the people who die at work do so on a Monday.

Reaching for the ideal of truly liking what one does for a living does not contradict that life consists of a series of trade-offs. People of all ethnicities find themselves having jobs which do not engage them fully, and they develop interests and hobbies having nothing to do with work. While the oppositional phrasing of "I want to work to live; I do not want to live to work" is meaningless in its extremes, seeking balance in life is desirable and inevitable.

In any event, GUIDE is about students at the college level and "going for it," not prematurely "settling." Enough of that happens later in life, or not so later if the country evolves from the Great Recession to a lengthy period of only slow economic growth.

Looking locally for a minute, the student who intends to become employed and live in New Jersey after gaining his degree should be aware of the financial challenges. Below are some interesting:

### New Jersey Economic Data

The data in the following table capsulate the dilemma of living between New York City and Philadelphia, a humorist characterization of New Jersey which is the source of much of the state's on-going angst. Income in the Garden State must be substantial, which dictates the need for a higher education diploma or a marketable skill. The "Household Survival Budget" in Morris County, of which Dover is a part, is $62,290 for a family of four and $27,272 for a single person.

Around age 30, many people—including multiple members of my foundation's various education programs—are looking at a combination of housing, job, marital, and parental decisions, and they often become discouraged by the economics of living in a high property tax, high living cost state. Throw in a pervasive ardor by Latinos for warmer weather, and Texas/Florida/North Carolina become the target states. Businesses themselves are not thrilled about New Jersey, with only one-in-four regarding the state as a good place to pursuit profits, which naturally becomes a consideration when graduates are contemplating the location of future job markets and opportunities.

Combined with dismal economic conditions in recent years, the high cost of living in New Jersey is reflected in over 10% of the population living below the federal poverty level. That standard equates to income of $10,830 for a single person, $14,570 for a family of two, $18,310 for a family of three, and $22,050 for a family of four." Median income in the state is $62,338, with 27% earning less than $35,000; 57% earning $35-150,000; and 16% earning over $150,000. About 5% of hourly workers earn the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour (a push to raise this to $8.25 is to be voted on in the November, 2013 election). The median housing price is slightly over $255,000. Mathematically, the median income person in the state cannot afford the median house.

The rise in poverty in New Jersey has affected all categories, including those ages (children and 18-24) particularly pertinent to education, as detailed in the following table.

As elsewhere in the country, big earners in New Jersey have increased their absolute incomes significantly, while others have stagnated or gone backwards. Individuals in the top quintile earn more than eight times those of the lowest quintile. Combined with absolute growth in the ranks of those in poverty situations, income inequality has reached historic proportions, underscoring the need for a lower net cost of higher education to bring more aspirants into the better-earning workforce.

***

Stepping back from the hard data side of the interplay of education and economics, there is an important aspect of life for the newly-employed bilingual, bicultural college graduate which can be called:

### The Latino Cultural Interface with Corporate America

For the Latino student, the close-knit family culture can again become a consideration upon graduation from college. If he receives a job offer and it is far away from home, does he take it? If family finances are not in good shape, does he take a lesser job locally in order to help out? Does he live at home in order to assist even more?

What goes through a college graduate's mind if he returns to the residence of his upbringing—he has worked his butt off for four-to-six years, proven himself capable as an independent person and now he is home, where in many cases not only has nothing changed, but maybe nobody has changed but him. Lots of agita, no easy answer.

Let's assume the Latino student has landed an attractive job in Corporate America, as a result of his degree and the contacts established at college. The jobholder has found an apartment, with a roommate, which enables the new employee to afford living somewhere near the jobsite but far from home. The family understands, sort of.

Like most people in most jobs above a certain level—or more accurately put, with different capabilities and job responsibilities—the new employee may find himself confined to a cubicle, staring at a computer, hour after hour. His innate restlessness becomes palpable: he wants to get up and walk around, talk with somebody live, have a coffee, but the culture around him can be so work-oriented that he may be intimidated.

In their first career-oriented position, especially in a corporate environment, many Latinos struggle in their attempt to bridge the two cultural modes discussed at the outset: expressive and instrumental. They may think, like employees of all persuasions, that they are smarter than their bosses and that many of their companies' policies are strange or idiotic. They look at half of their college education as being irrelevant to what they are doing on a daily basis.

Some of them, especially a restless male who has a more laidback attitude toward aspiration and what is needed to be happy, cannot resist thinking about that restaurant idea in the back of his head or perhaps converting his love of cars into a repair shop business or adding to his computer talents and becoming an on-call computer fix-it person. When friends employed by different companies meet up for coffee on a Saturday morning (or for a beer after a particularly trying workday), they often agree that starting their own business is preferable to being enslaved in a cubicle for the rest of their lives.

The itch grows, but there are restraints to the entrepreneurial actualization:

■ the existence in their lives of financial responsibilities.

■ the speculative income associated with a new venture, compared with the known compensation of the current job.

■ the need to understand how the new enterprise will attract clients/customers.

■ the government paperwork and other "bureaucratic" challenges.

■ the need for start-up money.

For most of the group, this means back to the cubicle on Monday morning and making peace with the characteristics of the life they have prepared themselves for (at least theoretically), seeing its economic upside even when there are aspects of their employment world they would like to change.

At times, the Latina may appear less disturbed by the corporate cubicle life. However, she may wonder whether it is her combination of intelligence, drive, and bilingual/bicultural capability which is getting her promoted or the company's desire to check off the right box on its diversity scorecard or the fact that she is attractive enough to get tongues wagging of female gossipers who have been stuck in their jobs for many years.

And, yes, some in her extended family are not shy about asking that question which never disappears, "when are you going to get married and have kids?"

It is not as if she has not thought about those subjects, but in her high twenties, she is only beginning her career; the timing for suddenly "going domestic" is not appealing, which is what she says to herself as the birthdays click off.

***

To survey overall Latino cultural values as they apply to the workplace, the following table was organized by Damaris Hurtado, a member of one of my programs. In an ideal world, this kind of analysis would find its way into the managerial discussions of every open-minded company. With all demographic trends pointing to greater Hispanic participation in the American economy, moves by companies to convert cultural interaction into greater productivity should be inevitable. Ultimately a company is concerned with profitability, the green of money, not the rainbow coloration of its staff. In most cases, ignoring the public relations verbiage, the latter is a means, not an end, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission notwithstanding.

The specific purpose of this study was to examine how Latino cultural values influence communication with employers and fellow employees. Respondents were asked to mark positive, neutral, or negative and to explain their view.

For a similar but more specific purpose, a few years ago I conducted workshops to assist our education program members in acclimating themselves to the culture of American companies. Below are the notes from these meetings; they easily stand the test of time in terms of being on-point information and guidance to new Latino college graduates attempting to make sense out of their first career jobs. One get-together was for Latinas and one was for Latinos.

### Adjusting to American Corporate Life: Panel One: Latinas

First question: differences between men and women in the corporate world:

■ Typically, management is male-dominated (at the Chief Executive Officer level, only 4% are female, which is still triple the level of ten years ago), while those doing the work are mostly female.

■ men earn more than women in the same position; $5,000 for a Bachelor's, $10,000 for a Master's, and $20,000 for a PhD, according to one panelist.

■ machismo is not only evident in Hispanic countries; here it is the "old boys club."

■ women are reaching higher levels, but the glass ceiling still exists.

■ women have to prove themselves many times more than a male.

■ "aggressive" is positive for a male, but gets a woman labeled as a "bitch."

■ when going to a review at the job, be professional, present oneself well, and control your emotions.

■ sometimes women have to prove themselves more to other women in the office than to men.

■ it is not uncommon to hear remarks about who is sleeping with whom, or who is related to whom, when it comes to the promotion of women.

■ it can be a good idea to take a negative comment as an incentive to prove yourself; make it a positive force.

■ a woman's criticism can feel twice as bad as that from a man.

■ it is painful to be criticized by Hispanics who have been in the United States for many years, and who may seem to resent success by newcomers.

■ one approach is not to think about discrimination, but instead set goals and pursue them—believe in your individual objectives while still watching your back.

The second question dealt with the career-family dilemma:

■ balancing the two is tougher than you think; the reality is harder than the theoretical expectation.

■ there are cultural challenges, including prospective grandmothers pushing for grandchildren to be born.

■ unsupportive husbands are a big problem; they do not understand educational aspiration and want wives focused on cleaning, cooking, and having babies.

■ the timing of having a child relative to educational plans is a key factor.

■ women need support to make the career-family situation successful.

■ there is always some guilt when the woman/mother is away from her children; balance is key.

■ while having a child as a single mother is now commonplace, the career woman often still needs somebody to share her achievements with.

■ men do not think of their responsibilities at home.

■ there can be regrets later for not having had children younger; new couples sometimes delay having families because they are concentrated on their own lives at that time.

The third question regarded the treatment of Latinas seeking jobs:

■ in interviewing, there are many relevant factors: attire, culture, language, knowledge, energy, curiosity.

■ while there may be accent issues, knowing English well is more critical.

■ talking Spanish at home and on the job hinders the learning of English.

■ besides cultural diversity issues, one must learn the "politics" of any office to you can interact with different people in different positions.

■ using the words of the questioner in framing your answer helps create a better bond, because it shows good listening, flattering to the interviewer.

■ If you are changing jobs, have a good answer for why you are leaving the prior job.

■ remember that a company hires a person for what the latter can bring to the former in the way of skills which will help the profits of the employer.

■ the constant need to prove oneself is a given: accept it and move on.

### Adjusting to American Corporate Life: Panel Two: Latinos

These are the various Corporate Descriptors provided by the attendees:

■ commitment, hard work, teamwork, networking.

■ experience gained on the job, challenge, never give up, coordination.

■ prioritize, traveling, stressful, proactive, vision, goal-setting.

■ time management, coaching, technology, responsibility, dedication.

■ empowerment, value to all levels of the job, accountability, results.

Discussion Notes:

■ agenda-setting on daily basis; customers accept no excuses.

■ are competing with native-born.

■ multitasking required.

■ the ability to properly set priorities is valued.

■ pressure is proportionate to compensation; when you get a salary increase, stress rises, must think more about job.

■ cultural aspect: not right or wrong, but different.

■ immigrants pay a price to be in corporate life: they receive unequal treatment, often based on language.

Debate Point: When one panelist leaves his job, he does not think about it, he does not discuss it with family. Others share thoughts with their spouse or friend, which can help reduce stress and sometimes lead to a better approach to a dilemma. The extremes—no discussion of job, talking excessively about the job—are not healthy, but only the individuals involved can determine, through good communication in their relationships, what is an appropriate level of talk about the workplace. In a way, this is like any topic: a certain amount of conversation can be quite interesting, while too much loses the audience (it is harder to excerpt a conversation than it is a book, uh, like GUIDE.)

Debate Point: Is going the extra mile rewarded appropriately? Surveys have shown that Americans have a higher belief in the idea that working hard and well, doing extra, taking initiative, etc. ultimately will be rewarded not simply with praise and public recognition, but in the paycheck. Young, restless people, particularly those in their first career-oriented job, probably have a lesser belief in this idea. What is the alternative however; is it thinking that the pattern of life flows entirely from a power structure over which the individual has no control? (Of such thoughts, great political/philosophical discussions are born, particularly in the presence of good food and limitless drink.)

Debate Point: Individualism compared with a "collective" attitude, and the impact on teamwork and promotion. Yes, the American cultural emphasis is more individualistic, ignoring the apparent contradiction that corporations are perpetually promoting group interaction. I expressed the belief that in any committee or group effort, one individual must "own the idea" if it is to become reality. This does not contradict the teamwork objective; it simply means that in my experience, if somebody is not working on the idea when everybody else is "sleeping," it does not become a reality.

Debate Point: American companies want specialization. To a point this is true, but after a certain skill level is demonstrated, employers seek candidates with management capability. This is the real scarce asset, the characteristic which drives long-term growth. Companies want eager learners, not those who announce what they will not do.

### Closing Comments

As the years pass and everyone seems to get older, the lives of those college graduates with whom I interact become increasingly complex, including the on-going necessity by many program alumni to negotiate progressive stages of that life in the American corporate environment. Certain aspects of my dialogue with students have shifted accordingly.

For example, I have had occasion to discuss the concept of a "rabbi," the person in a large organization who may or may not be an employee's direct supervisor but with whom the individual has a strong and confidential advisory relationship. A rabbi is consulted with respect to both problems and opportunities; given that the rabbi has more experience in general and specifically at the company, he or she is able to give advice based on knowing both the "politics" of the situation and the capabilities of the "players" involved.

When an approach I suggest seems to work, it cannot be more gratifying; it is affecting an entire life, or even lives if there is a family involved.

AN ALUMNA SPEAKS

Hello Bob!

First and foremost, thank you VERY MUCH for your advice on Monday. It really helped me understand better my options and see my situation from a very positive perspective. You definitely were a "Godsend" that day. I couldn't have coordinated better the timing for our lunch :)

Accordingly, I spoke with my Rabbi on Wednesday. The conversation went well & he recommended I spoke with the Customer Care VP who would be in NY in June. He also said that my options are not reduced to 2, FServices or leaving, and that in the worst case scenario I could continue doing what I am now. That I am very valuable to the company and that I have hiring preference in any area because of my performance and seniority in the company.

So, I emailed the VP yesterday and asked him for a time & date for our meeting. He replied back 2 hours later and said that was finalizing his agenda for June & that would confirm within the next week. Needless to say...I am SO excited!!!

Of course, I will keep you posted on the progress.

My perpetual hope is that suggestions which call on the multiple facets of a long life and several thousand student conversations get shaped in a manner which assists current members and alumni alike in a variety of employment and education situations.

Time to go back to the specific benefits of education itself in order to answer the economic component of the opening question of this chapter. Money certainly is not the exclusive determinant of success for any endeavor, but if the Latino student is still wondering about the financial value of incremental higher education—and has taken zero notes in his intensive Reading of GUIDE, here are the answers in an incredibly eye-catching format: Presumably the data are close to the income enumeration which was included earlier in this chapter (actually, there are some differences, but this is not unusual in the world of education statistics and the disparity in the numbers is not important to decision-making).

The goal of each student, irrespective of educational path, must be the establishment of a core competency—something he or she does well, something which has value in the marketplace. A college degree by itself guarantees nothing; instead, as stated, it is a door-opener which gives the graduate a chance to talk about a possible job. Beyond that point, the outcome is dependent on a myriad of variables, usually beginning with whether the person can do the job and whether he or she can play nice with all types of colleagues.

To this initial set of desirable characteristics in an employee, add the qualities of being bilingual and bicultural. Top the combination off with irreversible demographic changes. Thus, hence, and therefore—the educated bilingual, bicultural Latino individual has to be in an advantageous position in the American and global economy of the 21st century.

On to a brief discussion of Graduate School.

## Chapter Twelve: GRADUATE SCHOOL

"Wait, my Bachelor's degree is not enough?" Maybe—it depends.

### Overview

Professional careers and certain employment positions have always required a student to pursue higher education beyond the Bachelor's, whether it was a Master's degree or a Doctorate. Now there are at least two added factors in the picture. First, employers often do not trust that the generalized education associated with a Bachelor's degree conveys an accurate and usable understanding of what a student knows, the existence of a definable major notwithstanding. Second, there is currently a surplus of college graduates in the workplace, and employers can therefore be more demanding about education credentials.

The combined result is a substantial psychological downer for financially challenged students of all ethnicities, especially when these college graduates have become more acutely aware of the monthly loan repayment resulting from their undergraduate experience—because now they are writing the checks. Their financial position is difficult and essentially not subject to their control.

Inevitably then, despite the financial implications, a significant percentage of four-year college graduates who had not previously contemplated more education will experience either the need or the desire to go to graduate school, which means another two years or maybe more. Added debt (although repayments are deferred) for added income.

From a procedural standpoint, years back, a conventional four-year Bachelor's degree was followed, perhaps after a couple of years in the "real world," by a conventional Master's for students choosing that route. This approach still exists, but there are now a myriad of options. There are five-year blended Bachelor/Master programs which the student signs up for while an undergraduate. There are opportunities for a student to combine the Bachelor's with stipulated courses and professional credit classes, taught off-site and/or on-line, to get the Master's. And there are advertisements for what I call, "get a Master's by Tuesday," accelerated programs for getting at least a piece of paper from an accredited institution—but not the full classroom/on-line experience, including networking, available at a college whose name is actually recognizable by employers.

In still another variation, during the period in which a student is accruing credits toward a possible Master's degree, he may receive a certificate, thus giving him something to show for his added schooling even if he does not get the Master's. A different type of certificate is that applicable to a short, but not cheap, course offered by a well-known company itself. A subject taught under the auspices of a Cisco or a Microsoft, not to mention Google or Apple, may be more relevant, in terms of the credential given to a course graduate, than a Bachelor's degree from some schools.

(Note that the term "continuing education" should not be confused with the "standard" Master's program. Courses involved in continuing education often are not optional for the professional seeking to advance his skill set in order to be eligible for promotion; in other cases, the added education requirement is connected to the maintenance of a license in the practitioner's field of expertise. Or the label may be attached to a myriad of courses offered at night to members of the community.)

The tack taken by colleges and other education vendors of partial or full-fledged degrees is clearly, "bring the students (revenue) in and give them a legitimate piece of paper to show for it," with both sides knowing that ultimately, as is true with short course or specific skill certificates, it is the workplace which gives that credential its true credibility. For the student, the generalizations about any education decision remain valid: what is the time, energy, and money required and what is the credibility of the outcome.

***

Meanwhile, there is a certain amount of irony in the discussion of more time in the classroom (or on-line, which is growing in the Master's area) because for value-added positions at the management level, employers continue to focus on the basics: can the individual think for himself, function separately or collaboratively, and write with accuracy and clarity. Many employers believe they can teach the new employee the nuts and bolts of their business; naturally this approach still assumes a certain base knowledge—the student should not get carried away and regard formal schooling as not necessary. Maybe the real message is that the student, beginning in high school, should pay attention to the development of the above soft skills—and writing, a capability correlated with Reading.

The characteristics a conventional graduate school seeks in its students are refreshingly old-fashioned and consistent with the above thoughts. Typically, an outside recommender—sorry, not a student's Mom or Dad—must rate an applicant as outstanding, above average, average, below average, or very poor versus these descriptors. If the recommender checkmarks average, the student has chosen the wrong person.

These attributes which drive graduate level success are not "click" answers to multiple choice questions. They require students to demonstrate the totality of what they are about as individuals, characteristics which inevitably must reflect years of "practice."

***

A statistical profile of some components of graduate education is captured in these:

### Data Points

Graduate school enrollment is about 1.5 million, with the biggest statistical story being a sharp increase in the number of students who are in the United States on student visas. The marketing push by American colleges/businesses for high-tuition rate international students is proving quite successful; 40-45% of engineering/mathematics/computer science students come from outside this country, which also reflects the apparent disinterest by American students in ultra-rigorous coursework. While new enrollments have dipped, the number of Latino enrollees is up. Some 58% of recent enrollees were female, continuing the trend previously remarked upon in several places. About 60% of first-time graduate students went to public, not private, colleges.

When a student is considering graduate school, the data in the following table should be plugged into his computer's calculations. Add the cost/debt data, then click on the theoretical "return on investment" and "desired lifestyle" buttons to determine the decision. And funds must be available as well.

The leading advanced degree categories are below.

In 1990 there were 6.7 million individuals with Master's degrees, 2.3 million with professional degrees and 1.0 million with Doctorate's. By 2009, these counts had climbed to 12.3 million, 3.2 million, and 1.8 million, respectively. Below is a set of data on these advanced levels of educational attainment. Based on these figures, one could conclude that the average person is getting smarter, but most people over a certain age are not convinced that the Google generation is more intelligent than mom and dad, unless technological dexterity equates to brainpower.

To enter the world of post-Bachelor education, there are various academic hurdles.

### Graduate School Tests

GUIDE will not attempt to discuss graduate schools in great depth nor the different entrance tests, but here is a capsule descriptor of a few such exams:

■ GRE......... Graduate Record Examination, the most widely used test. Includes verbal/quantitative reasoning/analytical writing

■ LSAT........ Law School Admissions Test

■ GMAT....... Graduate Management Admission Test

■ MCAT....... Medical College Assessment Test

■ PRAXIS..... Teacher Licenses

The whole graduate student area is covered in other guides. However, a few comments are in order. For example, if a student is interested in attending law school, he does not need to obsess about his undergraduate major; it can be anything. The same applies to the pursuit of a Master's of Business Administration (MBA); the undergraduate line-up of courses is not a completely determining factor. Besides, to quote a colleague of mine who is the owner of a small business (and whose comments echo those described above), "I can teach anybody the fundamentals of my industry; what I am looking for is an intelligent, personable individual who can work with and communicate to colleagues, clients, and anybody else he comes in contact with."

The operative generalization is that each graduate school has its own criteria for the specific program being pursued by a student. Letters of recommendation typically are part of the application package. For certain sectors, like social work, there is an additional requirement of field hours at the undergraduate level. Still others not only look at the specific test results associated with applying for the graduate degree, but prior SAT scores as well. GPA hurdles are common; moreover, to have a chance of obtaining financial aid at the graduate level, which is much more difficult than at the undergraduate level, a 3.0 GPA at the Bachelor's degree level is a common minimum.

U.S. News and World Report ranks graduate schools in the legal, medical, business, engineering, education, social work, and several other fields as well. Their methodology is complicated, but transparent—and, in their own words, should not be used as a substitute for direct research, but as a supplement.

In lieu of going through a ton of data on the matrix of schools and their reputations, all of which is readily available in the above magazine/website, here are a few comments on several of the leading graduate school options.

### Medical School

If a student is interested in a medical career, it is almost necessary to have shown an affinity for science while in high school. At the undergraduate college level, there will be substantial related coursework required. The medical road is the longest and most difficult of any of the specialized professions; the cost can be prohibitive, well over $50,000 per year.

Reflecting the issues of time commitment, energy, money, and lifestyle pertinent to becoming a doctor, it is not unusual for young people to instead aspire to be a physician assistant (Physician Assistant Education Association). Meanwhile, in thinking about the same issues, some medical schools are experimenting with a three-year graduate regimen, one year less than standard.

In 2012, there were 19,517 medical school matriculants, out of 45,266 applicants at the nation's 140 medical schools. (For comparison, the country has about a million doctors.) Based on year-earlier data, Hispanic students represented 8% of matriculants, compared with 7% for African Americans, 23% for Asians, and 66% for Caucasians. Considering the changing demographics of the country, these proportions should shift over time. (This could be one reason why medical schools in the Caribbean are apparently stepping up their recruiting efforts in the USA.)

Here, non-profit organizations like Bronx, New York-based Mentoring in Medicine (<http://www.medicalmentor.org/>) are attempting to shift the above ethnic ratios. MIM works with, and provides mentors for, students who are interested in healthcare, from third grade through the professional levels of higher education. Of 100 minority students who indicate an interest in pre-med as college freshmen, less than half enter medical school.

Longer-term, a shortage of primary care doctors could happen geographically if the above ethnic ratios are unchanged and, nationally, if specialists continue to earn twice or more what a primary doctor makes. According to Medscape, radiologists and orthopedic surgeons average over $300,000 in annual income, slightly above anesthesiologists, who in turn earn about 5% more than dermatologists and about 10% more than ophthalmologists.

As a side note relevant to my home state, analogous to the brain drain New Jersey experiences at the high school graduate level, with more going out-of-state than vice-versa, the same holds true with new doctors. In 2009, of 860 first-time physicians, 490 left the state and 370 remained. Ostensibly, the leading reason is the cost of medical liability premiums. Maybe the second is property taxes on the doctor's big house.

### Law School

Getting accepted into law school is as difficult as entry into medical school. It requires highly-focused academic preparation and a cool head under time pressure to pass the requisite tests. The LSAT maximum score is 180, with 140+ required for a "top" school.

Tuition alone averages around $20,000 annually at public colleges and twice that or more at private law schools. Attempts by schools to cut their costs in order to increase access by students with less money heretofore have run into restrictive accreditation policies—which means prices stay high, which means debt, which means the graduate must earn the median $120-150,000 income of a lawyer in order to pay both current bills and school debt. (At the big law firm level, a partner can make seven figures.) The move to open courseware, described earlier, could reduce the cost of obtaining a legal education, but in 2013 a student should not hold his breath waiting for this hypothetical future date.

Longer-term, a recent sharp decline in law school applications (50,000, half that of a decade ago), coupled with a negative mismatch between the number of projected graduates (high) and employment prospects (low), is producing a deep re-think of the law school model, including its cost. For example, there is now substantive discussion about the merits, or lack thereof, of the third and final year of law school; even President Obama weighed in on the subject, urging the third year be dropped. Such a change—by reducing the cost/debt of law school—would especially incentivize students who want to serve the needs of non-corporate America to stay the course.

The poor job market nationally for lawyers has led to considerable stress; not only has it been difficult for those seeking first-time employment, but well-respected law firms have been laying off associates and staff, and reducing compensation for partners. So far, courts have dismissed lawsuits filed by unemployed law school graduates who had bought their school's hype, "90% job placement rate, everybody makes over $100,000" or words to that effect. Instead the message from the judge has been, "tsk, tsk, law schools, please modify your marketing brochures to be less like prime time commercials, where economic success and an effortless sexual conquest are promised if one purchases a particular product."

These data capture the dilemma now existing in the law school sector.

Only 55% of 2011 graduates had a law-related job nine months after graduation... In 2009, twice as many people passed bar exams as there were jobs... Average debt for a graduate is $100,000. The projected need for lawyers is a fraction of the current graduation rate.

Not to beat on the continuing theme of GUIDE, but why not: longer-term demographic trends augur well for the growth rate of bilingual, bicultural lawyers. Moreover, the possibility of significant immigration legislation in the second term of President Obama increases the demand for lawyers serving this client category.

In evincing their interest in going to law school, of which there are 200 in the United States, many Latinos profess their desire to become community lawyers, a function of personality/culture and the large void which remains in delivering legal services to the underserved sectors of the population. The ascendancy of Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court undoubtedly solidified the life goals of some Latinas in particular.

Latinos can share their law school and legal practice experiences through the National Latina/o Law Student Association (<http://www.nllsa.org/>), the Hispanic National Bar Association (www.hnba.com), and LatinoJustice PRLDF (Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund; latinojustice.org), among others. This mini-list is a fraction of the roster of lawyers who are attached to the growing number of immigration advocacy groups.

The Latino lawyer who is not interested in immediately returning to his community but instead is intrigued by a place which, because of its international client exposure, is open 24/7 (including food) might knock, for example, on the door at 425 Lexington Avenue in New York City. The address is home to Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, which (at last count anyway) had 600 lawyers in the building and another 200 elsewhere, plus a large number of IT people, paralegals, and other support staff. Moreover, in a recent three-year period, 42% of newly elected partners were women.

Of interest in terms of assessing the evolving multilingual, multicultural world is that in Sao Paola, Brazil, the firm has six partners, four of whom speak Portuguese and three of whom speak Spanish, and twenty associates, all of whom are fluent in either of these languages. Leaving aside the standard puffery of all marketing material, the terminology from the firm's literature should resonate with Latinos:

"By offering multi-lingual attorneys with years of legal experience and a familiarity with local customs and market practice, we are able to provide unsurpassed service to our clients....Our Latin America practice group benefits from its friendly, collaborative culture...[We] encourage teamwork to deliver the best service."

This mini-discussion of lawyers will conclude without any bad lawyer jokes and without making any comparisons of the United States with other countries which seem to survive quite well despite much lower lawyer-to-population-ratios.

### The MBA

The student who has majored in Business Administration at the undergraduate level often discovers that both employers and the Bachelor's degree-holder himself have difficulty understanding what that major actually means in the workplace. The questions become, what does the graduate know how to do, is on-the-job training sufficient to fill in the gaps, does he have a learning personality that augurs well for potential managerial roles. Regardless of the answers to these questions, it is common for the new employee to come to the conclusion that he needs more expertise in finance or marketing or another sub-discipline. His interest in an MBA often flows from that realization—and from seeing that those ahead of him in the organization chart have such a degree.

The prospective business school student will want to look at the data in the ensuing table as he attempts to calibrate the variables of his GMAT score, the target school's admission rate, the cost of that institution, and what he can afford. He may be able to increase his price point if he is applying at the same college where he got his Bachelor's and can land a teaching assistant or resident advisor position.

The analysis of a prospective school is then put into the context of the student's anticipated improvement in earning power. Brand names among business schools unsurprisingly command premium rates, even when the classroom information—but not the networking—is more of a commodity, increasingly available off the Internet.

Some colleges, usually those of slightly lower rank than those included in the table below are offering what some call "MBA Lite." In other words, they are doing what in business is called "target marketing," structuring specific groupings of courses, enabling individuals to choose which skill sets they need to add. Somewhat like a New Jersey diner approach.

(P.S. The prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania reported some interesting data on its full-time MBA Class of 2013: 45% of the students were female, one-third were minorities, and 36% were international. All three of these numbers are in synch with the trends, and the opportunities, outlined throughout GUIDE.)

### Teach for America (admittedly not a true graduate school option)

All the lines of education life are being blurred as every entity in the progression from Kindergarten through college comes to realize it must analyze itself backwards—what works in terms of the agreed-upon measurement of success, not what historically transpired: credentialed people assumed to be performing the desired education task. Specifically, one of the many pieces of the education reform puzzle is the belief that conventional teachers colleges have not adequately prepared their graduates for the many challenges of the classroom, particularly in urban America.

Numerous organizations have stepped into this void, not necessarily in the sense of establishing new teachers colleges themselves (although this is happening, _e.g._ Relay School of Graduate Education) or creating specific graduate level programs, but in the area of either on-the-ground training ( _e.g._ , NYC Teaching Fellows) and/or facilitating immediate roles in schools.

The most prominent example of the latter is Teach for America. TFA recruits newly-minted Bachelor's degree-holders to devote two years of their lives to teaching in underserved communities. According to TFA, of its 28,000 alumni, two-thirds remain in education after the two-year commitment, with half being teachers and half being principals or superintendents. TFA teachers are paid whatever the local rate is for first-year teachers, which is almost always less than what the college graduates would have projected for their career incomes when they were freshmen on campus. Applications have skyrocketed, reflecting the Great Recession and the well-publicized academic success of those charter school management entities which are heavy employers of TFA alumni.

***

As stated, it is not my intention to drill down on the complete array of graduate school possibilities—they are virtually limitless. What is required of the student at this level of commitment is a complete understanding of what he is seeking to accomplish. He should be able to articulate how a graduate degree relates to a clear career objective, even if the reasoning in some cases is dominated by competitive necessity and not a requirement attached to his expected professional career.

And, like always, this subject is part of the discussion:

### Financial Matters

Not to worry, despite the debt burden in hand from gaining a Bachelor's degree, the student can borrow even more for graduate school, which is fortunate given the scarcity of scholarship assistance. Graduate students represent 30% of total student debt of $1 trillion, with typical debt levels around $40,000 for Master's degree-holders.

The Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan allows graduate students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance, less other aid. The borrower must be enrolled at least half-time, which is six credit hours. The loan has a fixed interest rate of 7.9%. A 4% origination fee is charged but a 1.5% fee rebate is offered to all borrowers in anticipation of on-time payment. Loan approval is subject to credit criteria established by the DOE, including an acceptable report from a national credit bureau. An endorser can be added if a credit denial is received.

Repayment begins within 60 days after the final loan disbursement for the academic year; however, repayment may be delayed until six months after the student graduates or is no longer enrolled at least half-time by contacting the Direct Loan Servicing Center at 1-800-848. Funds are electronically disbursed directly to the student's school account. The loan can be repaid fully or in part at any time without penalty. In the event that you die or suffer permanent and total disability, the loan is forgiven. Thanks!

Longer-term, the Department of Labor assumes job-changing will be greater than with prior generations, regardless of economic fluctuations. However, debt repayment pressures probably will at least temporarily reduce the disposition to job hop, even though it is clear that there is no loyalty factor binding most employees to most companies. Young people entering corporate America see business in most instances as being about a bunch of numbers, not as a gathering of like-minded individuals pursuing a common cause.

More positively, a student may have a situation where his employer is picking up part or all of the tab for a graduate degree, in return for approval of the courses being taken and attainment of a specific GPA (and at least a moral commitment to remain with the company for a period of time). Ties between the business community and universities in particular are being accentuated in the form of curricula design, joint R&D projects, the commercial exploitation of patents granted to individuals who are full-time professors at the college, and other relationships. A logical outgrowth would seem to be increased corporate support for employees enrolled in graduate programs, but the after-effects of the Great Recession mean employers can pick and choose among whom they wish to hire and retain, making them less likely to extend financial assistance.

***

In the midst of the whole mixture of negatives and positives in the area of economic, education, and policy variables, there is a category of individuals who have become virtually insulated from normal financial life.

### The 1%ers

Like numerous others, some Latino students undoubtedly have a secret desire to be really rich; others may want these data on the super-rich to support their thesis that the economic deck has become completely lopsided. To be of service to both constituencies, then, I am including a few words about the 1%ers. The term is not only a specific number relevant to having a big pile of dough but also the conceptualization of income inequality, as popularized by the Occupy Wall Street protests of 2011.

The conventional perception is accurate: 1%ers have taken a disproportionate share of the incremental earnings for the country as a whole during this period. In fact, if the number is expanded to 7% of households (over $500,000 in net worth), this fraction of the population accounted for all of the country's growth in net worth in the 2009-2011 period.

At the bottom level of the economic ladder, the poverty rate is around 15% in the USA, based on a threshold of slightly over $23,000 for a family of four. Median household income is more than twice that amount, a touch above $50,000, which is the same as the level of twenty years ago. Median household income of 1%ers is almost ten times that level, $468,400 to be specific; educationally, half of those classified as the head of a 1%er household have an advanced degree. The numbers were delineated in a fascinating article in the New York Times. I put the data together slightly differently, omitting what percentage of households in each occupation reaches this income level.

The data below are from the same source. The 1%ers definitely are a breed apart.

It would be interesting to know some additional data about the 1%ers: the proportion of complete workaholics, the number who have had to severely modify their cultural upbringing in their quest for financial success, and the life path outcomes of the children of these households. How many positive lessons are there to be learned from the experiences of the 1%ers and how long is the list of negatives to be avoided? What are the trade-offs? What is the meaning of life! Yipes, enough already.

### Closing Comments

A positive opening is always a good idea, even for a closing.

Hey Bob:...I got accepted into the Master's program! How awesome!...Thank you for everything...for taking the time to write the recommendation letter, the time to come visit even though there was a storm out there, and for being there for me in all the ways possible. Thank you. We love you!

Latino students who have reached a high level of educational accomplishment embody the qualities of grit, resiliency, and self-awareness; the ability to know when to reach out for help; and the willingness to request well-meaning friends and family to back off for a moment when they need extra time for important academic purposes.

They probably have strong relationships with at least one advisor, mentor, tutor, friend, and/or family member who understands what they are going through, but ultimately their most important relationship is with themselves.

Latino students who have overcome multiple hurdles to get to the graduate school level may step back, look at their entire educational landscape, and conclude that middle school really did not prepare them for high school, which did not actually prepare them for college, which did not adequately prepare them for a career. This is overstated and smothers a whole series of inputs, but there is a significant amount of truth embodied in the characterization as well.

Perhaps the underlying, and more difficult but more demonstrably positive, moral of the story is that true education starts in the home at a young age and gradually shifts to an internalized set of values which attach to students irrespective of the institutional environment in which they find themselves.

This is softly said, but critically important. And if there was one trait you would wish in a student from day one, it would be a desire to READ.

I confess to being a sentimentalist, but of the closet variety—it would take the persuasive force of a subpoena for me to go public with all the student notes resting in those boxes in my attic. However, I simply had to include a few in GUIDE to give appropriate flavor to my ramblings. And, as I was attempting to finish this quirky manuscript, I received a particularly poignant graduate school thank you, the type which reminds me why I do what I do—and how much fun it is to be in my position.

"Bob, I want you to know that my graduation is in great part because of you. Not only from a financial standpoint but because of the support and faith you placed in me that I could do it. Many times during the past four years I felt like quitting and second-guessed my ability to complete or questioned if what I was giving up for this degree was really worth the sacrifice. However, I always remembered what I felt when I received your check and how I knew you believed I could do it. Thank You will never be enough.

Finito! (More-or-less.)

## Afterward: EDUCATION REFORM

■ New York State, 74% of high school students graduate, but only 35% are prepared for college (which is why a discussion of education reform is in GUIDE).

■ By law in New York, before 2009, student results could not be discussed when evaluating teacher performance at the K-12 level.

■ In Newark, K-12 spending of more than $20,000 per student produces a prospective college graduation rate of less than 10%.

■ Of Americans 25-34, 43% have college degrees, compared with 64% in South Korea.

■ The college graduation rate for students in high income households, compared with a generation ago, has risen—that of lower income students is virtually flat.

### Education reform anyone?

The good news is that the breadth and depth of reform efforts nationally, most notably at the K-12 level, is gratifying to those, like this writer, who have been there almost from day one. I hope that the necessary political will to implement changes in the education system does not flag under the on-going pressure from those quarters that prefer the status quo and its dismal education outcomes.

GUIDE will not remotely attempt to address all the elements of education reform, including those referenced in this colorful, although certainly not conclusive, critique of the system by the student below. The writer, a member of Project 2015, does capture the attitudes of many young people sitting in a classroom. Whether to a certain extent she is mistaking the cause for the cure is for the Reader to decide.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

HOW PUBLIC SCHOOLS FAIL, by Amanda Maldonado [Forum: May-June 2011]

Random House defines education as, "the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life."

This seems like a basic foundation for what the U.S. public education system should be. It would be nice if our public schools taught us general knowledge, helped us develop the powers of reasoning and judgment, and prepared us intellectually for a mature life. Unfortunately, they do none of these things.

Currently, the U.S. education system accomplishes three things: teaching us irrelevant information, preparing us for the bureaucracy of the college system, and destroying our intellectual curiosity. The saying, "All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten" is not far off. As students approach high school, the information they learn goes from necessary, like addition, to slightly applicable, like intermediate geometry (while I may use the Pythagorean theorem sometime in my life, I have yet to encounter that occasion), to just plain unnecessary.

For example, in our sophomore year we were taught the law of cosines, which allows us to find the length of one side of a triangle when we are given the degree of the opposite angle and the length of the other two sides. This is as useless as it sounds, unless you plan on going into mathematics or engineering, and it is only one of many useless facts today's high school students are forced to learn.

It is sad but true that many students are more focused on getting into college than on their academic development. College graduates make substantially more money than those with only a high school diploma, and though there is no direct correlation between money and happiness, a college degree increases your chance of having an enjoyable job, financial security (different from wealth), and the respect of your peers. This is all well and good, but our public school system has been so focused on getting students into college that it has completely screwed them over.

For one thing, schools now place more emphasis on preparing students for standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. Only recently have colleges begun to realize that these tests do not actually measure intelligence; it is common knowledge that these tests only determine students' ability to take standardized tests. This is bad for both the students who do well and those who do not. Bad for those who do well, because their hard work preparing for the test is an investment that won't help them in the future; bad for the students who do poorly, because most receive a low score simply for not being good at taking tests.

The college application process skews students' priorities when it comes to extracurricular activities. Many students are motivated to do volunteer work and community service only because of their desire to get into a good college. Colleges have also messed up high school education by turning it into a competition. Your chance of getting into a good college often depends on your class rank, regardless of how smart or dumb your class is. Or it may depend on your GPA, regardless of how hard or unfair your teachers were. These two statistics merely provide a glimpse into the complexity of the college applicant. Luckily for some of us, the better colleges emphasize student essays, but even that can be risky. Some people simply are not that good at writing, even though they may excel at other things, so their essay could decrease their chances of getting into a good school.

The final failure of American public education is the destruction of students' intellectual curiosity. When we are in elementary school, we look forward to school because what we are learning is relevant and practical. This fades as we enter middle school, and by high school the subject matter is both uninteresting and impractical. This combination makes high school students view school as something that they have to trudge through every day until the final bell rings and they can "have fun again."

Where did it all go wrong? When we started focusing on the competitive aspects of education and how well our students did compared to those of other countries, we forgot about the people who really matter: the students. How can we fix it? It may be too late for our generation, but the next one could be improved with a few adjustments.

First, we need less emphasis on the "core classes" like science, math, and social studies. We all need basic backgrounds in these subjects, but by the time students reach high school, they know what they like and should be allowed to choose which classes to take. This will allow students to learn what they enjoy while still preparing them for life.

Secondly, we need more emphasis on elective classes since they help develop academic curiosity. While some teens view electives as easy ways to fill up their schedule, they actually help students grow as people while teaching them practical skills for life. And since students choose these classes, they will not lose their academic curiosity. In the end, the biggest change needed in the U.S. public school system is listening to students. While some psychologists would have you believe that teenagers should not be in charge of their education, our input is critical if we are to flourish in high school.

Many students are surprisingly knowledgeable about their educational needs, and if our voices are heard, then the education system could get back on its feet and accomplish its purpose: to impart general knowledge, develop the powers of reasoning and judgment, and prepare us intellectually for mature life.

***

Is the American student really involved in a dysfunctional education system?

### Background: International Comparisons

The United States has a graduation rate for students at four-year colleges which lags that of Poland, Denmark, Portugal, and Japan, among others. As an additional data set—among the many which are available—which supports the contention that American students are not doing well, look at the following table on Science, Reading, and Math test results. Data are from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD.org); 15 year-old students (a key age point in terms of preparation for higher education) were tested in 65 countries. I excerpted data to include all countries which were #1-5 in any category and to include all three Chinese administrative regions.

The overall winners in this contest are China and other Far Eastern countries. The Chinese education system, not atypical within this group, reportedly entails more respect for teachers, while simultaneously providing easier mechanisms for removing ineffective teachers after appropriate attempts at professional development. On the downside, critics maintain that the rigidity associated with Chinese education hurts creativity and the development of an independent personality, categories in which the United States retains global leadership.

(Apple is running advertisements saying that its products were "created in California;" they do not mention the manufacturing locale, which unsurprisingly is China."

Defenders of our education system believe they can take apart the international data and show that white and Asian students in the United States are on par with their foreign counterparts. At the same time, in the lowest economic decile in the USA, less than 10% graduate from college. The combination of these inputs circles the observer back to the statistical area already identified: the overlap of reduced opportunities and lower educational attainment with minority and low-income students.

Meanwhile, those who want to become seriously depressed should read a report by The Center for American Progress which compares Chinese and American preparation for the "next generation workforce." (Comedian Jimmy Fallon had his own appraisal: "I read that 25% of toddlers in America know how to use an iPad, while 100% of toddlers in China know how to make one.")

These are some low points pertinent to the United States:

■ Half of U.S. children get no early childhood education.

■ More than a quarter have a health condition impeding their capacity to learn.

■ More than 22% lived in poverty in 2010, up from 17% in 2007.

■ More than half of U.S. postsecondary students drop out.

Chinese goals for 2020 are these:

■ Enroll 40 million children in pre-school, a 50% increase from today.

■ Provide 70% of children in China with three years of preschool.

■ Graduate 95% of Chinese youth through nine years of compulsory education (165 million students, more than the U.S. labor force).

■ Ensure that no child drops out of school for financial reasons.

■ More than double enrollment in higher education.

"Between 2000 and 2008, China graduated 1.14 million people in the STEM subjects. The United States graduated 496,000."

If America's education system does not better prepare students—of all ethnicities—for the unfolding workplace dynamics of the 21st century, the takeaway is that other countries will fill the demands of employers.

In response to the unproductive nature of the current American K-12 education system, some 46 states have signed on to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for Colleges and Careers (PARCC) and its Common Core State Standards (<http://www.corestandards.org/>), which are to be "aligned with college and work expectations." Initial implementation of Common Core will bring terrible test results, which will make it mandatory that politicians stay the course if they want sustainable improvement in American education. Because the standards are the outcome of an initiative led by the National Governors Association for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers (achievethecore.org), one should be optimistic. However, when I look at the scar tissue on education reformers from years of education politics or observe that states can unilaterally pull out of PARCC, I get nervous about whether the resolve will be there.

***

Moving on from the international comparisons and Common Core, the initial and on-going philosophical debate when it comes to improving education outcomes, particularly in urban America, most often centers on whether poverty and derivative social conditions must be more effectively addressed before high quality education for all students can be accomplished.

### Socioeconomics: Poverty and Education

A Project 2015 college senior makes the case in this extended essay.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

POVERTY: THE CAUSE OF RACIAL/ETHNIC INEQUALITIES IN ACHIEVEMENT by Esthefany Castillo [Forum: August-September 2011]

The educational system of the United States is in desperate need of reform as the achievement gap between affluent white students and middle class students of color is widening. The achievement gap has come to signify the inequalities in education throughout the United States. As educational reformers and the American government attempt to find a solution for the gap and provide an equal education to all children, they have inevitably become inclined to focus on the structural problems within the schools that seem to be more easily managed, such as teachers and resources. They have failed to devote time to alleviating the bigger problems outside the schools. It is hard to think about exterior and interior structural educational predicaments as mutually exclusive.

In his essay, "Our Impoverished View of Educational Research," sociologist David C. Berliner presents the compelling argument that poverty is the cause for the inequalities in education and achievement. This is in fact true. The structural characteristics of poverty that influence segregation, inequalities in quality of education, lack of resources, teacher expectations, and tracking, are the main causes of racial/ethnic inequalities in achievement. In order to change this paradigm, America must change their vision of what school reform should look like and must begin to reform education from outside of the schools and work their way into the classrooms.

The achievement gap is the difference in educational performance between students of different gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. In a report which focused on unequal racial/ethnic achievement among White, Black and Hispanic students from the early 1970s to late 2000's, The Nation's Report Card: Trends in Academic Progress found the following: Reading and math levels of white and black students and white and Hispanic students had no significant change, as was true with either White-Black or White-Hispanic math and Reading when looking at score gaps since 2004.

This means that the academic performance of students of color is at a standstill—students of color are still behind white students in Reading and math. This is important to note because it questions whether there are inequalities in education. If so, what are they and what causes them? And if there aren't any, why aren't Black and Hispanic students scoring as well as White students?

These are questions that sociologists who focus on various topics--education, culture, the family, race/ethnicity, and social stratification—have tried to find the answers to. Nonetheless, they are looking at the easy answers. The majority of educational reformers and sociologists are choosing to blame classrooms and teachers because they are easier to control. Standardized testing can easily be implemented and teachers can teach for tests and scores will slightly increase. In response, the school's rating will increase and it is assumed that the problem is solved. On the other hand, poverty appears too big of a problem, and because of its complications, it is easily being overlooked.

Poverty greatly affects schools in underprivileged neighborhoods and the quality of education received. Schools are part of a nested community, in which they don't stand alone, but act as one component of a larger community. When addressing nested communities, it is vital to keep in mind that communities in the United States are greatly segregated, not only by social class, but also by race and ethnicity. Berliner affirms that poverty is racialized; it is no mistake that students of color and their families are the predominant inhabitants of low-income communities. Whites tend to live in the wealthier parts of the country.

In their efforts to explain the achievement gap, Christopher Jencks and Meredith Philips state that "whether a child lives in a "White" or "Black" environment has far more of an impact on their test performance than the number of Africans or Europeans in their family tree." Although race and poverty are intertwined, Jencks and Philip are trying to make the case that the level of poverty in a neighborhood has more of an effect on a student's test scores than the child's race itself. Berliner states, "segregation is an overriding contributor to the obvious scoring disparities that exist between races." The racialization of poverty and its effects on schools in low-income communities plays a major role in the inequalities in education. A student will get less education from a lower income school as opposed to a school in a wealthier neighborhood.

The racial segregation amongst communities, due to poverty, influences the amount of resources a school will have to properly educate their students. In his sociological ethnography, Savage Inequalities: Children in the U.S Schools, Jonathan Kozol focuses his research on the inequalities within two schools in the same district. One school is located in the low-income neighborhood of Jerome in North Bronx (Public School 261) and the other is situated in Riverdale (P. S. 24), the wealthiest part of the Bronx. His observations of P.S. 261 consist of multiple classes being held in a small room with low ceiling and no windows. The school's library hold about 700 books and the school as a whole has only 26 computers for 1,300 students, mostly Black and Hispanic.

Classes that exceed 25 students are not uncommon and some classes have up to 100 students from different grades, receiving different lessons, in just one room. The school barely has any textbooks in good condition and children are forced to share them. One teacher reported to Kozol the lack of a working air conditioning and heating system, including in winter. On the other hand, only 830 students, predominately white, attended P.S. 24. The library has over 8,000 books and its windows are big and decorated with nice colorful curtains. In respect to the distinctions between both schools, it is apparent that school and community resources differ by social class, and therefore inevitably differ by race and ethnicity. Classroom sizes are small and the textbooks are in prime condition.

It is evident why the students in P.S. 24 would have higher test scores--the school has more resources. Smaller class size allows for more individual attention and the spacious atmosphere that encourages students to want to be in school and learn as opposed to the students in P.S. 261 who are treated as inmates within closed spaces and without any windows. Students in P.S. 261 are less likely to want to attend school because they do not want to deal with the constraints of the school. Poverty is the main cause for such differences in schools, and the academic performance of the students is affected.

Schools that are harshly impacted by poverty are affected, not only by a lack of resources, but also in the abilities of the teachers to teach fairly. Given the circumstances of a school in a poor neighborhood with lack of resources, teachers will teach expecting their students of color to not succeed because they are aware of the odds working against them. Teachers will thus not make much effort to teach, students will not be taught, resulting in low-test scores. In his essay, "On Understanding the Process of Schooling," Ray C. Rist explains how teachers often label students based on their social status. Rist states, "teachers expect less of lower-class children than they do of middle-class children." Teacher expectations influence tracking, the placement of students in higher level or lower lever subjects. Children who are clean and well-dressed are assumed by teachers to come from a good and stable home and are almost always placed in higher tracks.

Students who are labeled as "poor" are tracked into lower-level classes; those students are often students of color because their families don't always have the economic means by which to provide their children with trendy clothes. Rist explores the idea that labeling is followed by a self-fulfilling prophecy. If a student is told they are bad or not smart, they will believe it and internalize it. Students of color who are expected to not be academically capable of performing up to the standards are given less attention and are more likely to not perform well. This is not because they are not smart, but because they are placed in lower tracks and are not taught to think critically. Once a child is placed in a lower track, it is nearly impossible for them to track out of it. Essentially, they will always be behind. This plays a major role in the lack of high test scores among students of color.

Structural problems outside and inside of school caused by poverty are the only valid explanation for the racial/ethnic inequalities in achievement. Every possible explanation for the gap always winds down to the factors of poverty. For example, there are many who argue that educational achievement inequalities are not caused by structural factors, but rather by cultural ones. Conservatives who consider cultural reasons as the reason for the achievement gap believe that there are racial differences in academic performances because of the individual cultural capital differences of students of different races/ethnicities. Cultural capital is an alternative academic standard in which linguistics abilities, previous academic culture, formal knowledge, and general culture are taken into consideration. Having good cultural capital is measured by how closely one's culture is to that of an educated white person.

Cultural conservatives think that assimilation into white culture for all students is the best way to lever the gap. They believe that teachers should teach to a test and that there should be one standardized test that all will help bring students together as well as differentiate them. Testing in such a way is racist because it fails to consider the value of different kinds of cultural capital. The teaching will be done in one way, assuming that all students have the same cultural capital. These cultural conservatives are failing to acknowledge what accounts for the difference in cultural capital, poverty. For example, a student from P.S. 261 is going to have less cultural capital than one from P.S. 24 simply because of the environment and resources that surrounds them. If differences in cultural capital are the reason for the inequalities in the racial/ethnic achievement gap, then poverty must be the main reason because it directly affects one's cultural capital.

The key to easing the achievement gap, considering the structural causes, is primarily for politicians and reformers to focus their attention toward the problems outside of school that impact those inside of school. Poverty results in segregation of communities, inequalities in opportunity to learn, lack of resources within schools, lower teacher expectations, and tracking. As of now, the political focus is on the structural problems within the school. Nonetheless, since the problems outside of schools are not targeted, the standardized testing is essentially testing a child's environment as opposed to their intelligence. It is important to keep in mind how a public education in suburban New York is going to vary from that of education in New York City. In return, scores of kids in these schools are going to vary as well.

Berliner proposed the idea of increasing the income of families in poor neighborhoods. He states, "increases in family income resulted in increased school attendance and better school achievement for the family that gained more income." A policy can be implemented in which the family of the child receives a stipend depending on their child's attendance. The stipend will only be allowed to go toward school supplies or clothing. Nonetheless, this does not have to be taken literally as government give-away. Spacious and creative after-school tutoring centers outside of schools can be built within the community to reduce the negative atmosphere of the community. Mentoring programs between adults and students can be instituted. If no efforts are made to alleviate the poverty in low-income neighborhoods, schools there are never going to see improvement. Ultimately, the racial/ethnic achievement gap will never cease to exist.

The main cause of racial/ethnic inequalities in academic achievement in the United States is poverty. As outlined above, poverty influences segregation between communities, quality of education, lack of resources, teacher expectations, and tracking. These are all major factors that affect the gap within schools. It is apparent that the problems within the school play a significant role in how the student will score. But even then, poverty is the underlying cause of all the educational drawbacks happening within the school.

It is great that educational reformers and the American government are attempting to take on the burden of finding a solution to the achievement gap and provide equal educational opportunity to all children by focusing on the structural problem within the schools. But, in so doing, they have failed to pay attention to the bigger problems outside of school. In order to address this issue, America must begin to reform schools from the outside and work their way into the classrooms. [Sources are available from the student.]

In a recommendation consistent with the preceding socioeconomic analysis, the Campaign for Educational Equity at Teachers College in New York City maintains that in order for New York State to accomplish its education reform objectives, it should allocate $4,750 per student per year for outside programs and services on top of the $18,126 per student it calculates is being spent for conventional education. Merit opinions aside, nobody believes this expenditure is happening anytime soon.

Imbedded in the premise of poverty as the most important variable in the educational achievement gap are numerous difficult sociological challenges, over and above the issues of language and documentation which can be such critical factors in many Latino households. They cover a wide range. For example, a child in a welfare home reportedly hears about 13 million words in his first four years, half that of a working class child and less than one-third that of the offspring in a professional level family.

GUIDE has not attempted to drill down on these broader socioeconomic issues, although it has obviously touched on them in the context of the Latino student. Suffice it to say, the typical Latino seeking higher education success by definition has to have above-average determination and a thicker-than-average skin. Many of these students are already experiencing the environments being studied by the researchers.

Any discussion of the education system validates the view that there are demonstrable "big picture" factors which play significant roles in the historical level of Latino educational attainment. Recognizing their legitimacy, however, is not synonymous with accepting them as impossible obstructions to aspiration. If I did not think that committed, informed students from every place on the economic spectrum could achieve academic success, I would not have written GUIDE.

***

Mixed in with the challenges referenced above is the specific component of racial interaction. Education reformers are predominantly white while the students in their schools are overwhelmingly minority. Historical racial tension within the relevant school community cannot be completely buried even though the goal of these white leaders is improvement in the lives of minority students. For example, some African Americans remain suspicious of charter schools, although the schools are completely public and transparent (unless the government authorizers are sloppy), seeing the potential for either profiteering or social engineering or both by "affluent white outsiders."

While recognizing the inequities bred of difficult socioeconomic conditions, education reform practitioners believe it is unfair to urban/minority/low income students to effectively tell them to wait on the opportunity for a good education until all socioeconomic problems have been resolved, which undoubtedly will be never. Instead, reformers, most prominent being those in the growing charter school sector, are maniacal about creating good education environments today—and pushing students to succeed.

Some, like Geoff Canada's Harlem Success Zone, attempt the seemingly impossible: improving every characteristic of a neighborhood while creating charter schools in hopes of lifting academic standards throughout the Zone and, ultimately, boosting college graduation rates as well. Even Geoff would admit though that he cannot save everyone; "there is nothing I can do for the 16 year-old with no academic or non-academic skills." And he espouses, with respect to higher education, doing "a lot for a few" over doing "a little for a lot," because only then will a leadership cadre be created which can return and continue to improve the community long-term.

More typical than the zone approach is the creation of non-profit charter school management organizations, which capture both the talent and vibrancy of the individual school leader and the effectiveness of shared expertise, particularly in the areas of teacher professional development and school finance/real estate. In my capacity as Executive-Director of the WKBJ Partnership Foundation, in 1995, I was the founding funder and initial Board Chairman of North Star Academy Charter School of Newark, which was brought to life by Norman Atkins and Jamey Verrilli. North Star began with 72 students and now has over 2,500. It is one of the multiple charter school networks that constitute the non-profit Uncommon Schools, which as of this writing has 38 schools and more than 10,000 students in New Jersey, New York State, and Massachusetts.

### Teachers, Tenure, and their Union

The political bulls-eye of education reform has revolved around the battle between charter schools, which typically have non-union staffs, and various teachers unions.

Before continuing, I want the record to be clear:

I love teachers. It is the highest profession, relative compensation notwithstanding. My older daughter for years was an assistant director of a church-based school and is now a volunteer and tutor in the traditional public school system. My younger daughter is a K-1 teacher at a charter school. Both are in North Carolina. They are great; I love them totally.

The dilemma with respect to thinking about teachers is, in one sense, relatively simple: great teachers are the sine qua non of value-added education at any level and yet parents everywhere have had no real tool for understanding whether the teachers of their children were doing a good job or not. This is an especially difficult scenario for Latino families without experience in the American education system. Their attitude has been that they "turned their children over to the professionals," whose job it was to return them as educated students. Often it is only if and when their child is in college taking remedial classes that parents realize the error in their assumption about high school education.

The predominant structural approach to the employment of teachers in my geographical area, and many others, is one which heretofore provided a protected job, through the tenure process, to virtually all teachers regardless of their classroom accomplishments. The teachers union has defended teachers vigorously against any attempts by school leadership to move poor teachers out. Graduates of American teachers colleges have typically been safe in their jobs after three years, with excellent pension plans and health benefits in many of the bigger, unionized states—without any explicit analysis as to whether their students were learning.

The subject of teacher tenure is cogently analyzed by an embattled school superintendent in an area of New Jersey which has a heavy population of Latino students.

### ADVICE FROM A PRACTITIONER

SUPERINTENDENT LAMENTS THE TOLL TENURE TAKES by Janine Walker Caffrey

As the superintendent of the Perth Amboy school district, I am responsible for the education of more than 10,000 children. We are fortunate to have the dedication of hundreds of committed and talented teachers and administrators who focus on education every day. But for 15 to 20 percent of each week, I shift focus from our students, who should be at the center of all we do, to certain adults who no longer have a place in our education system, yet simply can't be dismissed.

There has been much discussion about teacher evaluation and its potential to improve learning in our classrooms. This issue focuses on things like linking teacher tenure and pay to student test scores, and so-called "value-added" data. There are many disagreements about these measures, but I believe we can agree that there are certain teachers who just should not be working with children.

We don't want teachers in our classrooms who talk explicitly about sexual acts, or who hit children, put soap in their mouths or curse at them. We certainly don't want teachers who make repeated sexual advances to other teachers, who do drugs at school or fly into rages for no apparent reason. I have active cases like these, and have returned almost all these teachers to their positions.

How can this be? New Jersey's tenure law, enacted more than 100 years ago, effectively confers lifetime employment to teachers. And the process to remove tenure is so onerous, it is essentially impossible to do so.

The overwhelming majority of Perth Amboy's—and, indeed, New Jersey's—teachers are honest, hard-working people of great integrity who have kids' best interest at heart. I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about the very few who don't show up for work or who shouldn't be around kids. Because of the current tenure process—one can take as long as three years and cost more than $100,000 in legal fees to remove a teacher—I must engage in a rarely successful process to remove these individuals.

No district should have to bear that burden. And most, as a result, do not challenge tenure. Even if we make our case thoroughly and successfully, and a judge agrees to let me dismiss a teacher, he or she can still appeal to the commissioner of Education, the Superior Court of New Jersey, and potentially, the state Supreme Court. Proponents of tenure will tell you that any school or district can remove a teacher by the due-process system that the tenure law affords. That may be the intent of our tenure law, but it certainly doesn't work that way.

Some say the current law is fair because a principal or a school system has three years to figure out whether a teacher is good before tenure is awarded, and they can deny it during that time. Why would we assume that someone who works well for the first three years will be equally effective 10 years later? In a profession as important as teaching, shouldn't our classroom professionals prove themselves every year?

Is tenure something that our teachers need to protect them from capricious actions of managers? Or should they simply have the same due process rights as other professionals? Shouldn't a principal and superintendent have the right to remove a teacher who poses true danger to children?

We owe it to the majority of the hardworking, effective teachers that they be surrounded by respectful educators who behave in a professional manner. We owe it to the taxpayers who pay exorbitant sums to dismiss egregiously bad teachers.

But most important, we owe it to the children to ensure that only the very best educators will be in our classrooms.

Not only was Principal Caffrey adamant about lifting educational standards through rational reform, she also refused to look the other way at unethical behavior by board members. For this commitment to her students, she was placed on "administrative leave" by the Board of Education of Perth Amboy. After a great deal of back-and-forth verbal volleys and rulings, the New Jersey Commissioner of Education ordered her reinstated and the Board in Perth Amboy rescinded its suspension of Caffrey. It will be interesting to see what happens when her contract expires in 2014.

(P.S. In August, 2013, in Mexico City, thousands of striking teachers virtually shut down the government. They were protesting against various education reform measures, including evaluation.) Did somebody say, "Education = politics!"

***

Exacerbating the tenure problem outlined above, the lowest-performing public schools, quite frequently those with urban/low income/minority populations—are often the job sites for the lowest-performing teachers. What really hurts, according to a study by the Los Angeles Times, is that "having a teacher from the top quartile of teachers for four consecutive years is enough to eliminate the black-white achievement gap," the educational challenge wherein an 8th-grade white student is taking classes which are comparable academically to those of a 12-grade minority student.

In addition to the overlapping factors delineated above—which teachers are located where and under what governance structure, there is no correlation of regulatory requirements, _e.g._ , certification, with teacher effectiveness. In an attempt to rectify this shortcoming, there is growing interest in delaying giving a teacher a license until he or she has demonstrated the ability to plan a lesson and handle classroom management. An assessment tool to this end is being developed and actively tested by Stanford University and Pearson, a leading publisher.

The good news is that the debate over formal evaluations of teachers has moved from "whether" to "when and how." How much of the improved environment for substantive change is a result of (1) strong language from political leaders on both sides of the aisle (and President Obama's pledges of $5 billion to states for overhauling their approach to teacher education and $1 billion for a Master Teachers Corps for STEM subjects, (2) fear of China usurping this country's world leadership role, (3) the availability of state and/or private money if the union does the right thing with respect to a teacher evaluation system, and/or (4) an accurate Reading of the mood of a dissatisfied public, is anybody's guess.

Leaving aside an analysis of all the elements of education reform, the bottom line is clear. Is better training and more thoughtful placement of teachers necessary? Yes. Should the status accorded teachers and their compensation be higher? Absolutely! Should teacher evaluation be connected to whether the students are learning? Of course. Are standardized test results the only barometer of teacher quality? No.

I leave the details up to the negotiators and cross my fingers politically.

***

Being in a classroom adds to the appreciation of teachers. As somebody who has been in multiple schools, I marvel at the intelligence and sheer energy of many teachers. Below are the thoughts of a young person new to the teacher's side of the picture. The writer is a Project 2015 member who served as an aide during her sophomore year in college.

### THE STUDENT SPEAKS

SCHOOL: FROM A TEACHER'S PERSPECTIVE, by Desiree Colon [Forum: May-June 2012]

In all the years I have been a student, I only had one view of what school was all about: the "kid's view." I never understood how much work teachers put into planning their assignments. I experienced the realities of education from a teachers' standpoint during my internship in New York City. Growing up, it was easy for me to believe that teachers had an easy job. After all, they have the summer off. My thoughts were that they loved to give work and had nothing to do but boss their students around.

But, I am happy to know now that I was so wrong.

One of the teachers I worked with, Ms. LeDee, was stressing about how to get her students to be above average. While she was being tough on them, I saw that many students were actually listening to her instructions and were improving their Reading skills. At the beginning of the day, I would work with a couple of students on their Reading skills and I realized that many were rushing through and not really thinking to the best of their abilities.

Seeing that Mrs. LeDee was pushing them to work toward their best abilities, I decided that I should do the same and remind them that they must take their time. Students (especially children) tend to believe that being the first to finish is important so they make mistakes. In fact, there is no competition and they constantly have to be reminded of that.

The students in this second grade class came from different backgrounds and are at different educational levels. I can imagine it is difficult to have each student be on the same level because everyone learns differently. What amazed me about one student was that her Reading was at a fifth grade level, and she even challenged me on some college words. As I wrote down words for her, she was able to Read them aloud to me. Her confidence and intelligence surprised me.

The only problem with having a student like Tarah is that they quickly become bored if they are not challenged. Mrs. LeDee explained to me that when she would give Tarah Readings, she would finish a lot quicker than the majority of the class, which caused her to become restless quickly. Mrs. LeDee immediately moved her up to a higher Reading level to sustain interest and attention.

It is essential not to let students settle but actually push them to do more than what is expected from them at their age. The role of the teacher is crucial.

High-quality teacher preparation prior to first stepping into a classroom is a fundamental requirement. As one reaction to the need for improvement in this area, colleges which train students to be teachers now are being rated by U.S. News and World Report, which for many years has published controversial rankings of colleges. No shock—the education schools are crying about the scrutiny ("our reputations will be tarnished"), while pointing out micro flaws in a macro good idea aimed at bringing more transparency to this key part of education reform.

Complementary to the need for improved teacher training is the requirement for creating school leadership dedicated to the implementation of best practices. Management talent is a scarce asset. As in the teacher training area, non-profit and for-profit entities alike are attempting to serve the market need by offering extensive leadership training programs. Strong school leaders in any system of governance think in terms of a "thin" contract governing teachers, which is code for having the managerial flexibility to move people around to accomplish the true objective of a school, imparting knowledge to students. In contrast, the Boston Public School union contract reportedly is 260 pages, supplemented by a 60-page Appendix, and neither is in 12-point Garamond Bold.

Right now, great urban schools within the traditional zoned school construct are led by individuals who have figured out how to finesse the bureaucracy which typically clogs the system, who have high academic and conduct standards, who have mostly mission aligned teachers, and who have attracted supplemental funding for particular value-added education programs. In other words, the school's success is idiosyncratic, not the product of an effective overall system for teaching kids.

Reduced class size is frequently cited by anti-reformers as the key to erasing poor student outcomes. These individuals want to ignore the impact of automatic tenure and the role of leadership. However, average class sizes are down compared with years back, and there has been no change in academic performance. At the extremes, class size is relevant, but in the normal range, a good teacher trumps the size issue.

Money per se is always the leading candidate for the silver bullet designation, the quick and easy way to education reform. It seems obvious; after all, affluent families spend large amounts of untracked education expenditures outside the school building and look at the standardized test results achieved by their children. However, the measurement here is per pupil government spending, and greater outlays have not meant better student outcomes.

### New Jersey: an Important Player in Education Reform

My home state has been a highly publicized battleground for education reformers, particularly in Newark. New Jersey's 1.35 million students attend 2,485 schools, with over 100,000 teachers—virtually all unionized excepting those at charter schools. It was the first to pass a tenure law, in 1909. The state spends $16,841 per student, second in the country, without achieving the results one would associate with this funding. Charter school enrollment in the state is only 2% of the total, but in Newark, charters have 8,000 of the 45,000 public school students, and the city is the focal point for heavy doses of political and funding firepower.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (Republican), aka the Devil Reincarnate if you listened to the past rhetoric of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), essentially has been on the same education reform page as outgoing Newark mayor Cory Booker (Democrat) and outgoing New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg (Independent), not to mention Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan and President Barack Obama.

To fight this line-up (conceptually) and specifically the governor's attempt at instituting a revised approach to tenure, the NJEA spent $11.3 million on lobbying activities in 2011, nine times the level of the next biggest spender. According to both the polls at that time and subsequent events, the union failed miserably; two-thirds of those surveyed opposed tenure based on length of time in the job, instead saying evaluations should be based in part on student's progress on standardized tests.

Subsequently, in 2012, an education reform bill sponsored by State Senator Teresa Ruiz (a Democrat from Essex County, which includes Newark) was passed by the New Jersey legislature and signed by the governor. Among other provisions, it requires teachers to have three consecutive years of good evaluations in order to earn tenure. Any teacher can be fired after two years of negative evaluations, regardless of seniority, which is otherwise protected as before, an unattractive feature to many reformers and the reason the Governor initially was hesitant about signing.

The evaluation/compensation tiers involved in this bill are being incorporated in a merit pay program for the Newark school district. The contract was approved 1,767 to 1,088 by the Newark Teachers Union, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, not the NJEA. NTU president Joseph Del Grosso said, "It's something I've championed for a long time." Which is complete nonsense of course.

The deal includes not only merit/bonus tiers (up to $12,500) but retroactive pay (the contract covers 2010-2015) and a 13.9% salary increase over three years for those rated "effective." A teacher representative will be included in the process of reviewing who is effective and who receives a bonus. Total contract cost is estimated at $100 million, half of which is coming from private donors, a factor that raises a host of unanswered questions. A top Newark teacher can earn over $100,000, significantly higher than is possible in New York City, Boston, or Philadelphia. Not bad for a school system in which half the high school kids do not graduate and, of those who go on to college, 90% need remedial work.

At the state level, New Jersey Commissioner Chris Cerf has led a series of education initiatives, the goal being a "logically sequenced series of year-end tests designed to ensure a high school diploma is a meaningful measure of college and career readiness." The gaps between graduation rates and true preparation for college are particularly wide for minority students. The commissioner also wants would-be teachers to have at least a 3.0 GPA in college, up from the current required range of 2.5-2.75.

Reformers like Cerf point to the characteristics of education in those nations which have gone ahead of the United States on international tests.

Common academic standards (the USA is going in this direction; Common Core Standards are being rolled out; students will have four more hours of high-stress tests per year, with the added twist of being on-line and providing fewer opportunities to guess among multiple choice options).

■ Better student learning diagnostic instruments (progress is evident)

■ Better training of school leaders (mostly happening outside the system)

■ Higher status for teachers (must happen)

■ Increased teacher compensation, particularly at the starting level (let's hope)

(To which I would add, without benefit of a sophisticated survey, a bigger commitment to education at the preschool age level, whether formal or informal.)

Success in education is a function of numerous variables (with the role of preschool often ignored in conventional analyses because it is a quite different set of characteristics and participants in the education delivery structure.) According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, these are the consistent characteristics of high-performing schools.

Additional features of many such schools include: longer days and school years, more selective staffing, frequent quizzes, high dosage tutoring, and a structured culture. (Did I mention that poorly performing charter schools should lose their charters? I meant to—and it is happening in New Jersey and elsewhere. Traditional schools which do not educate children also should be closed, which is happening in Chicago and Philadelphia.)

(P.S. I am not aware that selling advertising space on school buildings or K-12 athletic uniforms or education programs is characteristic of high-performing nations. How can a demonstration of support for the cynical view that contemporary education is about creating better consumers, not better citizens, be part of education reform?)

### Closing Comments

Whatever a person's reaction to observations on the socioeconomic conditions behind educational attainment or to the modest verbiage on education reform, it is clear that on paper, the political line-up for substantive education reform has been positively glittering compared with the mostly antagonistic environment of 1995, when the first group of charter schools in New Jersey was authorized. All too often however, there remain self-defeating political and community battles, mostly among adults focused on adult issues (jobs, security, compensation, benefits, votes, history), with the education of children an ancillary topic in the heated discussions.

Without becoming crazed about the many challenges faced by the United States, it cannot be refuted that an improved education system has to be designed and implemented if the country is to be a leader in the 21st century.

At present, the biggest challenges are (1) the ability of high-performing schools, particularly charters, to gain access, with suitable economics, to existing, underutilized zoned public school space, (2) a rearguard action in some areas by teachers unions and their political allies that is about job preservation and nothing more, (3) finding and training teachers who will remain in the classroom as a career, (4) finding and training sufficient leaders for the newer schools of choice, including those within the traditional system, and (5) maintaining the high-level political resolve necessary when controversies erupt at the first publication of sharply lower results on tests which incorporate the new Common Core Standards (as has already been reported in New York State).

By no means are socioeconomic conditions irrelevant—as many charter schools who initially went overboard on their "no excuses" mantra have discovered, but rather it is that the education reformer message to students: "we will not ask you to wait!" is the correct theme to galvanize school leaders, teachers, parents, and students to act, with courageous politicians either leading or following.

## CREATIVE "EXORCISES"

### #1: THE ROUTE TO A COLLEGE DIPLOMA: A fantasy student speaks his/her mind

10 Months before Delivery: I hope that both the man and the woman think through this whole idea of having a child.

At Delivery: I confess, I really want a mommy and a daddy. If I cannot, I want two adults who live full-time where I do, and who give me heaps of love.

0-1 years: Love me and be patient with my learning curve.

1-5 years of age: Please, Read to me, talk with me, Read in front of me; give me both quality time and big quantities of it.

6-14 years-old: Do not change, keep talking to and with me, keep Reading as an ingrained habit of the entire household. Help me with my homework when I don't understand, but do not do it for me. Help me understand that learning is my responsibility.

Freshman in High School: Enroll me in academically challenging courses; start me volunteering at a place of my interest. Do not let me substitute partying or games for homework; the latter precedes the former.

Sophomore: Take me to visit a couple of colleges simply to see what they are like. Start me thinking about what I want to do with my life.

Junior: Help me to identify a list of colleges of interest.

Senior: Help me to apply to college, but do not do the work for me.

Freshman in College: Send me those delicious "care" packages, but do not flip out when I start to think differently from that young child at the dinner table.

Sophomore: I hope you like my new friends; if you do not, it's okay. Do not misconstrue fewer phone calls or less visits home as a reduction in my love for the family.

Junior: Yipes, where is the time going! Please give me moral support when I ask to study abroad for a semester (I will find the money somehow); do not get nervous thinking I have a specific lifetime plan in mind.

Senior: I am getting anxious about the nearness of real life; please keep quiet about the issue of my finding a job, but help me if I want to bounce ideas off you.

Graduation: Please be there with the whole family, cry, take a million photos. Without you, I would not have made it!

### #2: A PREDICTIVE PROFILE OF COLLEGE PLACEMENT SUCCESS

Can somebody put numbers on these factors—figure out a nice, neat formula thank you.

#### Student Factors:

■ has demonstrated the ability to function independently of adult guidance

■ will not require remedial Reading or writing

■ has taken Advanced Placement courses in high school

■ has been committed to completing homework on schedule

■ has peers who are on similar aspirational paths

■ has demonstrated resiliency

#### Family Factors:

■ is the student the first in his family to attend college?

■ what is the education level of his parents?

■ do his parents understand the challenge of a four-year college?

■ are his parents the "helicopter" variety?

■ is there pressure for the student to attend a nearby college?

#### College Factors:

■ is the average SAT within 100-200 points of what the student recorded?

■ is it large enough to change majors without changing colleges?

■ are there substantial on-campus support services?

■ is there diversity in the classroom?

■ are there students he knows who have gone there; what are their thoughts?

#### Financial Factors:

■ what is the Cost of Attendance?

■ how much can be changed—by commuting, renting books, etc.?

■ is the Expected Family Contribution reasonable?

■ what is the estimated college scholarship; what are the requirements?

■ what is the estimate of outside scholarships; what are the requirements?

■ what is the estimated Net Cost, after all scholarships and government loans?

■ will the student be working no more than 15 hours/week, with the money going to the student, not the home?

■ what is the estimated debt at graduation with a Bachelor's degree?

### #3: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO MOVE THE NEEDLE?

This ancient piece remains on-point; it prods students to think more deeply.

The essay below was written with love, yes of the tough-minded variety, after more than a decade of being immersed in the Hispanic community and interacting with several hundred people of different ages and backgrounds.

When you are looking at the gas gauge in your car, the arrow, which is referred to as the "needle," indicates the relative amount of fuel you have in the tank. In other gauges or graphs of different socioeconomic variables, the needle moves, for example, from low income to high income, or from low education to high education. Thus, "moving the needle" is associated with going from a less desirable to a more desirable situation.

Through my third-floor office window, I see people of all ages walking East or West on Blackwell Street, the main boulevard of Dover, a town which in its rhythms is more like a little city, a town which has a unique ethnic mixture—roughly two-thirds Hispanic and one-third Anglo--with most of the latter wanting to turn back the clock about 25 years. Some of those on the street are not walking at all, instead are standing and talking with their friends, or waiting for who knows what or whom. In the morning, they may simply be hoping that the passing truck will offer them a job for a day. Some are striding briskly, the intentionality of their lives evident from the pace they request of their feet.

The stories of remarkable success are frequent and well-known in the Hispanic community. The young woman from Ecuador who came here as a child and who next year, still in her low twenties, will receive her Master's from a prestigious New York City university, while holding down an important job at a leading international company. The articulate professor in his home country of Colombia who has come here and learned the language and the culture and is interested in graduate school work, all in just a few years. The somewhat older woman, also from Colombia, who had not set foot in a classroom for twenty years, now the proud possessor of a bachelor's degree. To be associated with such people, to have helped a little along the way, is one of the greatest rewards of my life.

And yet, how many of these Blackwell pedestrians, I wonder, will live exactly the same way tomorrow as they did yesterday. Sure, the polls show that everybody wants "a better life". But how many truly understand what it takes to commit to becoming educated, to finishing, not just starting, to truly want to "move the needle"—to sacrifice beyond the point of fatigue, past the fear that their status will be revealed by the driver of the next passing police car—in order to raise the economic standing of their children, either current or projected, so that the struggles of the next generation will be lessened?

(Warning: parts of the following verbiage may lead readers to conclude I am engaged in a harangue, "blaming the victim" as it were. In truth, I am instead trying to say that the "victim" cannot wrap himself in a "no-fault" cloak. I am asking for self-analysis, which is necessary for any depth of understanding. I am asking that the collective mentality be proportionately reduced, with the new space being occupied by individual responsibility, more "I" statements, instead of exclusive reference to the "theys" of a person's life. It is not a "they" who reads a book or takes a test; it is an "I." At the same time, I vigorously applaud the efforts of the "theys" who have provided the various kinds of support structures needed for those individuals who have risen above obstacles of all kinds and accomplished their educational objectives.)

Primarily you come to the United States for economic reasons, with the second reason being safety. You do not come for the weather (certainly not in this area!), the food, the music, the culture, or our dysfunctional Kindergarten-twelfth grade public school system, which sees its students do less well in terms of international comparisons the longer they stay in school! You quickly realize, if you did not know it when you left your home country, that speaking and writing English has major positive economic consequences. Then why do you not practice it more and why do you not push your loved ones, especially your children, in that direction? Yes, there are a myriad of things "wrong" with any ESL program, just as it is "wrong" to arrive late for class, to not complete homework, and to be happy, not upset, when your teacher cannot be at class or says it is okay to come late.

Do you simply want to cede the better jobs to Anglos, at a time when the correlation of education to income is higher than ever, and the income differences between moving the needle and not are widening? Do you want to devalue whatever degree you have by staying behind in English? Do you want to applaud the creation of a local Spanish newspaper without also thinking about the seductive danger it represents, if you want to move the needle that is?

Do you really believe your grade or your job or the expectations of you as a person should be based on your "life story" or on "effort" rather than "objective accomplishment," to use the three categories described by a well-known Hispanic educational leader? When you go up in the plane, do you want a pilot who had a tough childhood or one who is great at flying the aircraft? When you have an electrician in to fix the outlet in your child's room, do you want one who tries real hard or one who will fix the problem so your family is not at risk of physical harm? Do you want a teacher who knows his or her subject?

It is admirable and natural to want to "preserve your culture", whatever that actually means—do you really want to preserve every aspect of your "culture", _e.g._ , widespread and persistent political instability and corruption? You have the opportunity, because of both physical proximity and, more importantly, inexpensive communications spawned by the Internet/cell phone era, to stay connected in a way that immigrants of a hundred years ago could not. In that context, are you nervous that your children will forget their heritage, which surrounds them at home and many other places, if their skill in Spanish is matched by expertise in the English language necessary for their advancement in the society to which you have brought them? Do you help them by not speaking English at home?

Do you look at being in this country as primarily a place to obtain some incremental education and then go back to your home country at the earliest possible opportunity, if it is safe and the unemployment rate among college graduates is not too high? If you do not even profess a desire for roots, do you realize that you weaken your argument with the virulent anti-immigrants who simply want to brand all undocumented aliens and illegals as criminals, putting them on the next plane or in the next border patrol car?

Would your leaders consider endorsing the English-only amendments to state constitutions, which require use of the English language for interacting with the government but for nothing else? I am naïve politically, but I would wager that such a move would win you so much political goodwill that you could get certain positive legislation passed—for example, giving colleges the ability to treat undocumented high school graduates as residents solely for the purpose of providing access to higher education, including relevant financial aid.

If you want to move the needle, please do not moan and groan about your deficiencies in math or writing, encourage the creation of workshops for those purposes, and then not show up. The tutors do not need the work in math or writing. You do. That is what you said and that is what the record from your college indicates to be true. If you want to move the needle, please regard closure—completing a task you have said you want to get done--as your friend, not as part of a subversive culture, and think of words not as casual collections of letters, but as inevitably linked to your credibility, without which you become devoid of sustainable respect.

Try, as we all should, to think "outside of the box" of your life to this point. Similar to my own situation, growing up in a one-traffic light town of a thousand people, it is not possible that your upbringing prepared you for every complexity in your semi-new world.

If you want to move the needle, do not persuade me to bring you into an educational program and then proceed to tell me that you do not have time to pursue education with energy and passion. You and the person next to you on the plane coming to this country each has 168 hours per week to use. I know you have to work, and most typically at low-paying jobs, maybe even a full-time and a part-time, and I realize that you have no true control over your work schedule, and that a sudden cash need (often health-related) dictates changes unforeseen even the day before.

But do not tell me you have time to be at the computer downloading all manner of entertainment, to party at the drop of an invitation, to buy and care for a house and/or a car, to find and nurture a romantic relationship, to get yourself or yours pregnant and see your life/time allocation change overnight, to make long trips back to see family in the home country, and then tell me that "I can only take this many credits because I do not have time for more."

Before you go ballistic, please note that anyone, which includes me, can easily see that these are all personal decisions, none of which are my business. I am simply noting that time is, on the one hand, fixed—there is an absolute limit, and, on the other hand, malleable—people make time mean different things. Those who want to move the needle must prioritize time differently. When they tell family or friends they must study, and must physically separate themselves in order to do so, they hope the former will understand, but if they do not, the needle-movers study anyway.

They understand the difference between leading a purely consumptive life, where all time-energy-money is poured into today's pleasures, and a balanced life, where part of what you do on a daily basis is an investment which has no current payback but is geared to moving the needle long-term.

If you disagree with the challenges posed by the thrust of this essay, it seems to me you are saying that the current/historical approaches by Hispanic immigrants who want to move the needle are proving successful at a rate which does not argue for important changes. Looking at 25 years of data on the subject suggests the opposite is true, that there needs to be a paradigm shift which closes the gap between the rhetoric of wanting a better life, and what actually takes place on a daily basis.

There needs to be that increased self-examination which can create a better understanding of the different types of sacrifices necessary to attain a better life on a sustainable basis. And yes, there needs to be a societal response to the absurdly high cost of college and the difficulties in financing it; perhaps an affirmative action program based on income, not ethnicity, would be appropriate, as would the aforementioned legislation which would allow colleges to treat undocumented high school graduates in a fair and sensible manner.

What would I like, in the ideal situation when the impossible--perfect understanding of each person's circumstance--is available? To have a program which fully funded those individuals who through their rationally focused energy and passion demonstrate they want to move the needle, and to cheer on, but not fund, those who do not demonstrate such characteristics. I would like to avoid the loss of personal interest and withdrawal of energy which often affects those program leaders who transition to this state of mind and body from their initial unsophisticated and undifferentiated optimism.

I would like the "hope" that is behind every decision, whether personal or professional, to carry me through the frustrating days and deliver me whole to that beautiful graduation day when I see people "walking" who would otherwise probably not have had the opportunity. It is that graduation day which is the one time in the year when I allow myself to say out loud, "I am proud of the path I have taken."

***

With the invitation having been extended by me, there were multiple letters to the editor, of which a representative two are reprinted below.

The first letter was from Angela Bermudez, a member of I WILL WALK!

"'Do you really want to move the needle?' in my opinion is a very strong, controversial subject. For some people, it could even be taken as an offense from an "outsider." To me, it is the reality we live day after day. A simple example is my Mom. A couple of years ago, before she started studying English, she would say, "I'm too old and it's too hard." But now, she is actually getting it. I know it's harder for her and sometimes she feels like giving up, but she's got us to remind her that it's not only important for her job, daily life, or even for becoming a resident/citizen, but it is for herself, to make her feel better as a person, to be proud about achieving something she thought would be impossible.

Like you wrote, most of us are afraid of our status, and feel that because of that we have to work with what was given to us. Most of us are afraid of rejection, afraid of being told we are not good enough. Some others are just so used to doing what they do, and feel that change is not necessary for them to succeed, and there are others who are just lazy. We should all understand that sacrifices must be made in order to get what we want. Nothing is for free, and we shouldn't expect anything to be given to us just for waiting around; you can only expect great rewards after trying and succeeding.

About 'preserving our culture, whatever that actually means,' for our parents it's very important. When we say that we don't want our culture to change, it merely means that we are more family-oriented and our household is a priority in every aspect and for that to change would be like changing our way of living, the way we look at things and our decision-making. We should all understand that sacrifices must be made in order to get what we want.

I couldn't tell you how much I love this country, and how much I miss mine. They both have a home-feeling to me. If it weren't for the opportunities given to me here, I wouldn't be where I am, I would have stayed waiting on tables (I am not saying it's bad or anything, but it's not what I want for me in the future), and not really worrying about my future. For that, I have to thank my parents and sisters. They always pushed me to be better and they still do... and I am glad they do. There are so many opportunities out there waiting to be taken, but our fears blind us and make us insecure about what we can do.

I feel that I am lucky to be in a family which wants to move the needle; we want to make changes, we want to become a better version of what we already are, and hopefully to be an example to other families and individuals who do not have hope."

The second letter was from Jose Gonzalez, also a member of I WILL WALK!

"Excellent article...after I finished Reading, it seemed that I have been immersed in some of the situations and thoughts you speak about.

■ Moving the needle is about money,

■ moving the needle is about family,

■ moving the needle is about time,

■ moving the needle is about self-sufficiency,

■ moving the needle is about ambition,

■ moving the needle is about interaction,

■ moving the needle is about health,

■ moving the needle is also "why not" about luck.

Each is different, so each one reacts in a different way when facing particular scenarios. That is why moving the needle is complex. It is a mix of situations and thoughts that need to be figured out and sorted in order to make ourselves better off. A not so easy task that requires hard work and a lot will."

### #4: ROBERT'S RULES

These "rules," which—typical for GUIDE—are intentionally in no order whatsoever, have emanated from all the conversations with students over the years. As the Reader can see, they are a bunch of opinions, not specific "to-do's" about applying to and graduating from college—but in a way they may be even more important as students attempt to negotiate their way through the bureaucratic maze of the college business.

■ Going "to" (being attracted to a new college or job or residence or relationship) carries better odds of success than going "from," i.e., leaving any of these situations simply because you are ticked off.

■ When unsure, emphasize variable, not fixed commitments.

■ What are the unshakable truths about you: be totally honest.

■ What decisions must be made now, which decisions can wait.

■ Income fluctuates, but debt is forever.

■ Crawl... walk... run.

■ Most situations are a matter of degree with respect to the "answer."

■ A house is not really an investment; it is fundamentally a residence: assume you will be there five years when considering buying a house.

■ Your loving family is not in the classroom helping you take a final exam.

■ Pursue your passion first; at the same time, have an alternative plan.

■ Regardless of the different paths in life, everybody's goal is simple: a place to live, food, clothing, a loving relationship.

■ Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

■ Decide on your action based on the net: positive factors minus negatives.

■ There are always unintended consequences.

■ Bring the bad news first, the good news can wait.

■ Half of the "answers" come from being able to frame the questions.

■ Every day is NOT new. You start with the values you created yesterday.

■ Passion alone does not triumph over inertia: you need a plan.

■ I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible, but I refuse to be blown off my feet by any. (Borrowed from Gandhi?)

■ To start, you must have a good idea, delivered with passion. This will gain you an audience. When the approach is credible and favorable results ensue, you will have a following. If you add attention to data-gathering, procedural consistency and the development of talent, you will have a sustainable program—if you have funding!

■ Intentionality + Communication + Consistency = Consequences.

■ The cruelest, most harmful thing a teacher can do is to allow a student to think the world functions in a way different from that which the teacher knows to be true (definitely lifted from a great Reading while on the exercise bike).

■ Under-promise and over-deliver; over-promising and under-delivering is a cancer affecting everything a person says he will do.

■ Group data is meaningful, but it tells you nothing about the characteristics of any individual within the group.

■ Be aware of the Conflict Avoidance Syndrome: fight when you are right.

■ A degree opens doors and provides options; it does not guarantee a job.

### #5: COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES: HOW DO YOU IRRITATE? Let Me Count the Ways!

My annoyance at colleges led to this 2007 essay. To change the date to 2013 would only require changing the numbers, not the thoughts—they are consistent with the rants evident in the body of GUIDE, but I did edit for space reasons.

No, I am not suffering from total brain freeze. I do recall that our foundation assists a bunch of students in their pursuit of higher education, so I must believe in its merits. Well I do. A diploma or skill set certificate is a must in today's globally competitive world (those with a Bachelor's degree earn 50% more than those who do not finish college after initially enrolling), but simultaneously there is a list of serious college/university shortcomings.

#### Context: a Statistical Snapshot

In the Fall of 2008, a record 40% of all 18-24 year-olds were enrolled in one of the 5,000 colleges and universities in the United States, versus 24% in 1973. One-third were in two-year schools, two-thirds in four-year institutions. From an ethnic standpoint, 41% of Caucasians in this age group were enrolled, as were 32% of African-Americans and 26% of Hispanics. Unfortunately, to reach these levels, colleges function as full-fledged propagators of the American myth that this form of higher education is for everybody. It is not. Well–trained plumbers, carpenters, and electricians do not require American Literature 101 to succeed in their much-needed crafts. Meanwhile, proprietary schools are trying to add degree programs, two–year schools are adding courses historically offered by four-year colleges, and the latter are offering graduate programs shortened to fit with the quickened pace of the digital world, all of which seems to dilute the educational "product" while increasing the student count.

#### Pricing and Costs

Visualize the graph of college cost inflation versus the consumer price index over the past 35 years. The former rate of price increase is not merely greater; it is a multiple of the latter. What was bought for $1.00 in 1975-76 now costs $9.73 (private institutions) or $9.11 (public). While there is ample evidence that the incremental spending has produced more buildings, especially additional exercise facilities and research facilities aimed at attracting funding, graduate students and newspaper headlines, there is little evidence that the average undergraduate college student has received any additional educational benefits.

The Pell Grant began in 1973; a grant of $452 at the time compared with typical tuition/fees at a public four-year college of $438. In 2008, the maximum Pell grant was $4,731 compared with public college costs of $6,585. In the life of the Pell grant, college cost inflation was 7% per annum (warning: some numbers may appear inconsistent; the writer's staff of one was not able to pinpoint why truly consistent cost data were difficult to come by; apparently Wall Street does not have an exclusive on manipulating data.)

As political pressure finally has grown to restrain tuition inflation, colleges have taken a page from the corporate playbook and sought fee revenues under multiple headings. Here is a simple list of fee labels, gathered from the bills issued by 25 well-known institutions of higher education.

Acceptance, Activity, Administrative, Campus, Campus Recreation, Capital Improvement Fee, Child Care, College, Comprehensive, Computer, Computing Access, Counseling, Education Lab, Enrollment, Facilities, Full-time Activity, General, General Services, Graduation, Health, Health and Wellness, Health Center Access, Health Services, ID, Information Technology, Laboratory/Course, PIRG, Mobile Computing, New Student, Nonrefundable Registration, Nonstandard Charge, Occupational Therapy, Orientation, Parking, Registration, School, Service, Site, Student, Student Activity, Student Center, Student Government Association, Student Service, Technology, Telecourse, Undergraduate Council, University Day School, University General, Utility, Welcome Week, and......... "Parking Fee Non Women's College"

A new entry, at least to this writer, is a total separation of housing from the college financial picture. Students enter into contracts with a rental management company to whom checks are issued directly. Clearly what is being set up is a situation in which the college will claim no responsibility for the actions, most importantly including rental rates, of the landlord. To believe that the latter entity will be more considerate of student budgets than its academic counterpart is to be naïve to say the least.

Leaving aside the well-known collegiate arrogance demonstrated by non-returned phone calls, letters, and e-mails, there is now an additional way for colleges to avoid human contact. They simply refer everybody, for every reason, to their website and believe they have done their job. To be fair, colleges are not the only institutions voice-prompting us away from breathing people.

If I were in an analytical mode, or mood, these are questions I would pose to the university bean counters in an attempt to understand the price they charge for their product.

■ How are scholarships calculated: flow-through of other people's money, government funds, non-profit sources, rate card discounts, cash?

■ How is tuition calculated: undergraduate compared with graduate, allocation of common costs, mix of full-paid and discount?

■ How are fees calculated; how do they compare with direct costs, what are the assumptions on student usage, what is allocation of common overhead?

■ How are capital expenditure decisions made; what is their relationship to enrollment and to tuition inflation?

■ What is the student buying with his tuition: how many hours of the professor (not the assistant) being in the classroom (or is he buried in research or on a sabbatical); what is access to facilities?

■ How is the cost of on-campus housing calculated?

■ How is the cost of meals calculated?

■ Does anybody have a point of view about administrative costs?

■ Are undergraduate students subsidizing the above-average costs of graduate students and doctoral candidates?

■ Are course offerings too extensive, and therefore overly expensive? Reportedly more than half of Bachelor's degree credit hours are in 25 courses.

#### Good News

Meanwhile, the income numbers are still compelling for higher education: a Bachelor's degree-holder earns $47,000 (median) versus a college attendee at $33,000 and high school graduates at $27,000. Soooooooooo—you gotta do the college thing even with all the blankety-blank negatives listed above.

### # 6: A WOEFULLY INCOMPLETE ATTEMPT AT EXPLAINING KEY PARTS OF THE AMERICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM TO SOMEBODY FROM MARS

The title of this essay from a half-dozen years ago says it all.

(P.S. from 2013: Presumably the introduction of Cost of Attendance and Net Price Calculator information on colleges alleviates some of the angst. Good luck though; having waded through the websites of multiple colleges, it appears the concept of customer-friendly links is often lost on the creators of these confusing presentations of data.)

Let us begin our unsatisfying journey with a minor factoid: my home state of New Jersey has more K-12th grade school districts than it does legal municipalities. The picture is clear: a bunch of adults fighting to preserve their turf and power, when a more efficient governance system could also be more effective for the students, the purported reason for having schools I believe.

Schools in adjacent towns may have totally different approaches to education, to discipline, to parental interaction, even if they must abide by identical overall state standards. These differences are not inherently bad obviously (in fact can be downright positive given the sorry state of education, particularly in urban areas), but we are here simply trying to explain the system (not wander off into philosophical debates about church and state and labor unions and all matter of issues best discussed with high-octane beverages at hand). We want to create a road map usable by an outsider, who begins in a confused state of mind and cannot get MapQuest or a GPS to plot the route.

Even though there is now voluminous test result data available (subdivided into numerous ethnic and other sub-categories), few schools have a comprehensive document with which to walk a prospective school "customer" through an analysis which would include the following statements by the school:

■ This is what we believe is the best approach to education.

■ Here are some important bullet point characteristics of our school.

■ These are the demographics of our students' families.

■ These are the incoming academic data on our students.

■ Some xx% of our students graduate on time

■ Not only do xx% go to college, but xx% of them graduate.

■ Interested in learning more? Please visit. No appointment necessary.

So all our Martian visitor must do is skip work for a few days and wade through several feet of paperwork. Then he has a chance to understand a little, like the wisdom of moving to an upscale community, which would facilitate his taking advantage of the correlation between family incomes and SAT scores (or is this a chicken-and-egg question). While our newcomer is annoyed not to see the national curriculum found in his home country, he actually must be pleased (not that he knows this) that reams of data are now in the public arena and that school choice today is a multiple of that available only a few years back.

The new Americans may be more concerned about the safety of their children and the "values" taught at the school than data anyway, which produces decisions on schooling not necessarily consistent with the academic information. And did I forget to mention that financially disadvantaged families are trapped anyway unless school choice is on the educational menu in their neighborhood.

Lest I go off on a rant about political hypocrisy (example: rich incumbents sending their kids to private schools while fighting the right of a welfare mom to choose a school for her children), I will shift gears and move on to the college scene. Topics to be ignored include: all those certificate courses advertised on radio, television, and billboards; the quixotic nature of two-year community colleges; proprietary schools and their role in the educational marketplace; and the relative merits of classroom versus on-line education. These are all valid subjects for serious conversation, debate even. However, there are only so many pieces of paper which can be devoted to this essay.

Let's start the discussion of higher education with a factoid which links that level to the K-12 school in the aforementioned paragraphs: the universities of America have such a great regard for high school education that they must enroll about one-third of such graduates in remedial classes (the ratio is actually much higher at two-year schools). Moving right along, in higher education, we see difficulty in ascertaining what might be called "inside" knowledge, as opposed to the data now churned out by publishers of college guides.

"Inside" refers to knowing which courses are actually taught by full-fledged professors, not their assistants; which colleges have student advisors who respond to student inquiries; which professors have clear-cut expectations and which ones provide written commentary on student papers.

The process of college discovery is time-consuming and perpetually challenging. And we have not even discussed financial aid, a wonderful term which combines grants, scholarships, multiple types of loans and work study as if they had a common thread beyond the obvious of money. If you have detailed interest, there is a modest publication available on the subject; it is a mere 40 pages, but then it only covers the area of federal financial aid to students. I do have a wall chart which covers the aid waterfront more widely; to actually Read it, a degree in Egyptian hieroglyphics is highly recommended.

If a college financial award letter was written in "plain" language, it would say:

"The real, all-in price ("cost of attendance," which includes tuition, a place to live, books, supplies, transportation and maybe a pizza on alternate Fridays) to be a student at our school for an academic year is, for example, $35,000. (Try not to be distracted by the fact that the cost of books alone for an academic year is equivalent to a used car.) For you, we are knocking $15,000 off the price; we call this a college scholarship.

We do it because (a) we like you, (b) you have great grades, (c) you add to our diversity goals, (d) you are a top athlete, (e) your income is below some arbitrary level which dictates that we tap into our endowment and/or (f) you are a star in some area of our college where we are looking to add more talent. We will also get you a minimum-wage job on campus for 10 hours per week. That will net you $75 per week, although it will not be in your sweaty little hand when you must pay your bill—and it has all the financial impact of a rounding error anyway.

If your family is sufficiently short of funds, the definition of which is spelled out in 100+ pages of bureaucratese (the catchy title of the publication is: Expected Family Contribution, or EFC as it is called in the industry), you get a Pell Grant. Great—of course the politicos forgot to index it for inflation so it represents a much smaller percentage of college costs than at the inception of the program. Picky, picky. Anyway, let us assume a Pell Grant of $2,500 per semester .

As a middleman, we will arrange some loans for you, $10,000 to be exact. On $3,000 of these, the government will pay the interest (subsidized loan); on $7,000 you pay the interest, but we know you have no money (the EFC is drained at this point) so the interest simply gets added to the principal balance of the loan. If the EFC number proves to be bogus, the difference can be borrowed through a PLUS (Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students) Loan, which realistically includes an obligation from both you and your parents. The PLUS refers to the additional payback burden once you get your diploma (you should not expect your parents to pay it back; they are simply helping you out here).

Did I mention that this combination of financial burdens is for a single year? You might want to multiply by four to get your graduation day debt; actually, you might have to multiply by a higher number; some 2/3 of four-year students in New Jersey take six years to graduate. While their course load and tuition may be lower per year as a result of the stretch-out, the fees will not be, so the total cost goes higher. In any case, the debt will seem like a pain in the posterior, especially if you do not immediately get a job with compensation as advertised in the career planning brochure that enticed you in the first place to attend that college and commit to that debt level.

Your lifetime earnings are expected to be a cool $1 million more than those of a high school graduate, which is helpful to keep in mind when you are filing for unemployment compensation because the line-up of prospective employers at your college fair dwindled with the domestic crisis in the financial system and/or a sudden downturn in technology spending, leaving everybody looking at the healthcare system as the only big and expanding employer in town. Your mom said to become a nurse, but you could not stand the sight of blood, and now you feel like it is being drained from you when the monthly college debt repayment bill arrives in the mailbox."

Meanwhile, back at the guidance counselor office which in theory steered you to this college, the heavy reporting pressure on schools at all levels, and the need for staff to wear multiple hats, has meant that traditional guidance counseling at the high school level increasingly has been outsourced to entrepreneurial consultants (an estimated 4-5,000 charging $160 an hour or a package price of $3700 for a three-year relationship; for this outlay, you get the input of somebody who has traveled the application route before and who will bug you to get your papers in on time) or non-profit entities with an active interest in getting high school seniors (particularly those in the financially disadvantaged category) to college.

All this analysis and commentary leaves our Martian only slightly more educated than when he stepped off his spaceship. He cannot find the illuminating descriptor of the K-12 school, guidance counseling is illusive, and key college information is not available. Add in absurdly expensive higher education and you wonder whether the game is worth the candle. But in this society, having a college degree is a necessary ticket to enter the hiring discussion, even if hopefully it remains "what you know and can do + your ability to create and/or use a relevant network of contacts" that determines whether you are truly equipped for the job.

In truth, our Martian has little choice but to "play the game" if he wants "a better life" for himself and/or his offspring. Therefore, he must accept the idea that incomplete information and often unhelpful staff at educational institutions are simply part of the American educational landscape.

P.S. I forgot to ask the Martian if he had a green card. Without one, he is forced to skip over all the above sections which are about "financial aid" and instead must start looking for a very small number of uniquely crazy funders.

### #7: THOUGHTS ABOUT FUTBOL

In talking with Latinos, any reference to futbol is an instant conversation starter—which led me to have some fun with the subject in the following article titled "Heresy." But first, some personal background, aimed at establishing a small touch of credibility.

***

When I was a senior in high school more than a few years ago, I played "wing" on the soccer team. Our season was jumpstarted to a winning record by two exchange students from Ecuador, and we made the playoffs even after the Ecuadorians returned to their home country. In the playoffs, I was switched to halfback and from that position, I scored a goal against the fattest, slowest goalkeeper extant.

In the championship game in our section of New York State, we played an inner city team from Rochester loaded with kids of European background. The regulation game ended

0-0. In overtime, our class President, Wes Stauffer, headed in a goal to give us a 2-0 lead; yes, goals counted for two at that time, at least in our area. The guy I was supposed to be marking in my relatively new position slipped free, but then our fullback clobbered him, giving the opposition a penalty kick, which only counted for one. The final was 2-1 and we were the champs.

So I have had some exposure to soccer, aka futbol, the world's most popular sport. My article which follows (written several years ago) suggested eight changes in the rules; I did not attach my name for fear of my life in an Hispanic community. If one thinks that people in various parts of this country seem passionate about the game we call "football," they have not witnessed futbol mania "up-close and personal." Close actually is a relative term as many stadia have heavy duty fencing between the stands and the pitch, such is the assessment of the odds of mayhem breaking out at any moment.

***

Futbol is somewhat analogous to aspects of Latino culture, in both positive and negative ways, as I have enumerated below. Steven Leon, a committed futbol player and fan from Colombia (and an exemplary student in Project 2050), provided the responses in parentheses.

■ beauty and pageantry (futbol is treated as a fiesta, a big celebration where beauty is of the essence)

■ individual brilliance in the context of communal effort (there is a famous Latino unity chant, "el pueblo unido, jamas sera vencido!")

■ players born to the game

■ salsa-like moves

■ great noise and second-guessing

■ unbridled passion, at times leading to violence (think about the celebration after a new president is elected in Latino countries, great for the winning supporters, not so great for the losing ones)

■ theatrics (not unique to Latinos), leading to the "golden stretcher" where players seemingly at death's door are revived by a trip on the stretcher that lasts a few yards and maybe a minute or two

■ lack of discipline, with players continually clustering around the referee after a dubious call (could be attributed to the poor education in various Latino countries)

■ very little closure, which is why a goal brings on celebrations that are virtually orgasmic in their demeanor (similar to Christmas Eve in Latino culture, which is unrivaled in its fiesta ways)

Somewhere in the mix of futbol fervor, there needs to be a message about an alternate life plan for a student, the one which is more likely than playing for the national team, the one which involves Reading and writing and math and academic accomplishment, creating a path to a sustainable economic life. But all that stuff is for the body of GUIDE, on to—

HERESY! By a Fearful Writer.

There are certain thoughts that, if voiced, are potentially suicidal in nature. For example (deep clearing of the throat prior to courage coming to the surface)—being an American and suggesting rules changes for the sacrosanct sport of futbol. "What do you know about our sport?" "Futbol is unique!" "It is the most popular sport in the world—why should it change anything!"

These are the mild reactions; even those are inevitably delivered at great and rising volume, and in a derisive tone which suggests the Anglo has day-old dog food for a brain.

Well, what the heck, Fearful Writer has only one life to live, so here are some ideas anyway, the "goal" (pun intended) being to make the game slightly more interesting, where a 3-2 outcome would become as common as a 1-0 contest, and there would be fewer 0-0 battles of "beautiful soccer" followed by the lottery of penalty kicks to decide the winner—ycchh!!

#1: Have a second referee. World Cups produce more acting than seen at the local Baker Theatre in a lifetime of performances. With another pair of eyes, players would be more likely to play futbol, rather than flopping or diving like third-rate Hamlets. The flow of the game would be enhanced and more legitimate scoring opportunities would ensue, as many thespian actions are taken in the scoring area. (Although it would be a good idea to have a second field referee, the sport requires much vision and positioning. One single play interrupted by a referee could change the outcome.)

#2: Have a Golden Goal after the two extra-time periods. I have never heard of anybody who likes penalty kicks as a way to resolve the winner; they simply have objections about alternatives. Have people heard about not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good! Yes, the players would be tired. Yes, television executives would not be thrilled about games being longer than at present. So? (Penalty kicks are unfortunate, but they also add an extra level of excitement to the game. Teams are tested on their nerves on top of existing tests of stamina, heart, and desire.)

#3: Increase the number of substitutes to five per game from three. This raises the "fresh leg" ratio, which, all other things being equal, should augment scoring possibilities. In the extra time periods, up to three of the players who had been removed for substitutes would be allowed back in the game. This enables the coach to make additional decisions weighing both skill levels and fatigue. Note: this rules change could also reduce the probability of Golden Goals being deciders of games. (I agree with raising the number of subs, but not having players who have been replaced being allowed back into the game. Soccer is played at a certain rhythm; it would be interrupted by excessive substitutions.)

#4: Offside violations would only be relevant beginning at the 18-yard line, the box. This would open up the game more as teams would make decisions about putting their lead scorer further up field with the practical elimination of big-yardage offside traps. (I disagree with this; it would remove the offside trap from being used by both the defense and the offense.)

#5: If a team elected to kick the ball in from the sideline on an out-of-bounds call, it would be permitted. Again, the field would be opened up more, and more quickly, leading to the "beautiful" game actually resulting in more goals, which presumably is the objective, otherwise why do they keep score. (I believe that it would only make a difference in the last quarter of the pitch; it would change the game considerably as teams would have to develop new tacks to cover offensive plays off an inbound ball; it could be positive.)

#6: On a set piece/direct kick, the team putting the ball in play would have a maximum of 15 seconds to do so. If the defensive team did not comply with the distance rule in that time, it would be penalized the distance from the original spot to where the defensive team should have been. (This would speed play up; could it make it too easy for teams to score?)

#7: For the first yellow card, there would be a 30-minute penalty for the player. The second yellow card would draw a 60-minute penalty, and the third would mean a 90-minute penalty. At present, the first draws no penalty (during that game) and the second means a penalty of one game (90 minutes) plus the balance of the game being played. This rule change thus would make yellow cards somewhat more onerous, while retaining the concept of a one-game penalty for egregious behavior (the current red card system). There would be no substitutions permitted during yellow card penalty time. (Having such penalties would interrupt the rhythm of the game.)

#8: If a player who is apparently dying, judging from the magnitude of his gestures—groaning and moaning and crossing himself—is taken off the field on a stretcher, he cannot return for 10 minutes. After all, reincarnation should be a serious process, not accomplished with a little medicinal spray. (I agree; the player who is going through such pain should have more sophisticated treatment. This would limit the amount of acting on the field and leave it for Hollywood.)

***

P.S. 2013: Periodically, there is the thought by some observers that soccer/futbol in the United States is about to become a truly important sport. Usually the facts of attendance and television ratings contradict the optimism. For example, looking back only a year, a tape delay of a Premier League regular season match between Chelsea and Liverpool had an audience almost double that of the championship game in the MLS.

Lately, there has been a renewed buzz, reflecting the American national squad's splurge in victories and goal-scoring, plus the upcoming World Cup in 2014 and the high-priced signing of star Clint Dempsey to an MLS contract. However, the knowledgeable fan knows that the quality of play in leagues outside the USA continues to exceed that of the MLS; the people who run the various television networks in this country recognize this fact and are sharply increasing their coverage of top-quality futbol matches throughout the world.

## THE LIFE PATH (more or less) of BOB HOWITT

Born in Rochester, New York a very long time ago and moved at age three months to the suburban one-traffic light town of West Henrietta.

Fast forward: graduated University of Pennsylvania: Bachelor's in Economics.

Various Wall Street jobs from 1965-1969, at which time I was fired by a money manager who subsequently murdered his wife, was apprehended wearing women's clothing, and died in prison. For three years, I was self-unemployed and survived through some consulting, some writing, and some waiting on table, plus the sale of my Haloid stock.

After a two-year stint at Hallgarten & Co., joined First Manhattan Co. in 1974 as a security analyst; was named to the Institutional Investor All-Star Team. Became a portfolio manager and general partner.

In 1986-89, volunteered in homeless shelters in New York City. An insightful, but alas, unpublished manuscript, 18 Months in The Basement, ensued from my conversations with homeless people and related research into homelessness.

Left First Manhattan in 1992 to create the WKBJ Foundation and become Executive-Director of the "MADE in Dover" (MID) education program created by myself and my wife for students in the Dover, New Jersey area. MID had 61 active participants, who were incentivized to attend college.

As I was leaving First Manhattan, was asked by the Board of Directors of The Door to become its interim Executive-Director. From its inception in New York City, The Door has been a nationally known youth agency; however, at the time, it was managerially and financially challenged. With the help of the Board was able to save a basically bankrupt entity and subsequently merge it into University Settlement Society, while retaining its program identity. Today, every weekday afternoon, The Door serves over 400 young people (12-21) with a long list of services, all of which are free.

In 1996, as a foundation funder (WKBJ) and initial board chairman, was co-founder with Norman Atkins and Jamey Verrilli of North Star Academy Charter School of Newark. Begun with 72 students, it now has over 2,500. NSA is part of the non-profit Uncommon Schools group, which encompasses 38 schools with 10,000+ students. I am currently on the board of two networks within Uncommon Schools: North Star and Collegiate Prep.

From 1998 to date, trustee of the Charles Hayden Foundation, which makes annual grants of approximately $14 million to various education and youth development programs in New York City/Newark and Boston.

Beginning in 2000, led an education program in Dover entitled "I WILL WALK!" It assisted 79 adults to gain college degrees. IWW! completed its mission 12/31/09.

In 2004, with the help of a young graduate of MID, began publishing Forum magazine.

In 2008, formed "Project 2050." This was comprised of 41 students attending four (38) and two-year (3) colleges. The name referred to the demographic projection showing no ethnic majority in the United States by 2050 (now it is 2043). Membership is diverse.

In 2009, put together Project 2015, which encompasses nine Hispanic members from the Hunts Point section of the Bronx, New York City. All are in college.

Currently am winding up the use of WKBJ assets by providing Last Dollar Commitments on a semester-by-semester basis to a dozen students.

Enough said—there is insufficient space to discuss my basketball exploits.

### PUBLISHED WRITING CREDITS

Barron's Individual Company Analyses

Basketball Weekly NBA Player interviews

Daily Record A year of Opinion Shaper columns

Daily Record Op-ed essay on Undocumented Students

Daily Record Op-ed essay on Tuition Rate Equity

Financial Analysts Journal Satirical articles about Wall Streeters

Fortune Satirical poem as a Letter to the Editor

Forum (Editor; sometime writer) 39 issues of the foundation's magazine

Greetings Magazine Commentary on Greeting Card Industry

Hispanic Outlook for Higher Education Op-ed essay on Educational Paths

Wall Street Journal Op-ed essay on Social Conditions

Plus—that manuscript concerning my varied experiences as a homeless shelter volunteer in New York City in the late 1980's. The prime location was in the basement of a church on 42nd Street, opposite the Port Authority Bus Terminal, before Times Square was cleaned up and made ready for Disney and hordes of tourists from everywhere in the world.

## EPILOGUE

(Please do not tell the WKBJ trustees, but I think that probably a million dollars of foundation money has been "wasted" on grants which moved nobody's needle. Then again, some $15 million (inclusive of both completely external grants and support for students who have been members of the foundation's various programs) has been given out productively (to varying degrees) so maybe a million bucks of clunkers is not so bad. For the analytically inclined, prominent on the negative outcome list are funds to students who devoted minimal attention to proficiency in English and/or apparently wanted a college diploma only for their living room wall and the ability to brag to family and friends, especially those in the "home country.")

***

For Readers who are into the writing format called "haiku," I offer the one below from a student in one of my education programs. For some reason, it resonates real well with me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I would get you a gift but I'm a poor college student! Since I don't have money

I'll give you something handmade, a haiku! Enjoy.

Bob, you grow older  
Wiser, a kind inspirer  
Thanks for being you

Those kind words could, and maybe should, represent an excellent stopping point for GUIDE, but a few more comments are appropriate in my view.

***

In thinking about each variable in the equation of higher education aspiration, whether it be for a college diploma or a marketable skill, the Latino student must evaluate both group data where applicable and the implications of his own circumstance. When that group data is connected to negative outcomes—like dropping out of high school, having a baby out of wedlock at a young age, taking the easiest courses in high school—the prospective Latino college student must often go against accepted decision-making in his immediate environment. Many times, to do this he must be convinced he is in a more central position to make decisions than previously thought, as referenced in the prior circle.

Every student, regardless of the challenges he must overcome, ultimately has to take ownership of the linkage between his own actions and their consequences. Blaming others for shortfalls may feel good and may have a substantial level of validity based on the circumstances of the student's life, but the process is counterproductive. In contrast, nothing but good feelings, for both the student and his supporters, are evident when he or she rises above the "noise" and succeeds.

Excluding the long list of characteristics specifically relevant to higher education, socioeconomically the United States is at an "interesting" juncture: sluggish improvement at best from the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression, widespread disillusionment with the political process, a difficult national debt position, historic income inequality, a lack of resolution concerning immigration reform, and acute uncertainty about how to react to the many conflicts around the globe.

The sunlight in this otherwise perfect storm has the potential to shine brightly on the Latino sector. The combination of an interactive, fluid world economy and the unfolding demographic pattern in the United States of what is being called "multiple minorities" means disproportionate positive potential for educated bilingual, bicultural, documented Latino students.

Anyway, enough preaching and philosophizing, and no more counterfactual stuff. Time to get another cup of coffee from La Sierra. I cannot close, however, without including an exceptional piece of wisdom from an individual who must have been a highly educated college graduate—"everything affects everything" and a wonderful note from a student being assisted by my foundation, a young woman who quotes from Shakespeare.

HOW FAR THAT LITTLE CANDLE  
THROWS HIS BEAMS!  
SO SHINES A GOOD DEED  
IN A WEARY WORLD.

I CAN NO OTHER ANSWER MAKE, BUT,  
THANKS, AND THANKS  
AND EVER THANKS.

DOWN ON YOUR KNEES,  
AND THANK HEAVEN,  
FASTING  
FOR A GOOD MAN'S LOVE!

## ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First, there is the obligatory—and true—"I" statement. The writer is responsible for all errors, rants of questionable importance, and the inability to give complete credit to sources for material torn from various, assuredly reputable, publications.

Second, contributions from a long list of individuals found their way into GUIDE. Specific articles—which appeared in Forum magazine and which I believe provided invaluable insight and emotional flavoring—came from these students:

Alejandro Sanchez, Amanda Maldonado, Desiree Colon, Diego Ortiz, Angela Bermudez, Emerson Maradiaga, Emily Casiano, Emily Diaz, Esthefany Castillo, Jose Gonzalez, Jonathan Feria, Julia Hellwege, Julissa Gil, Karen Cabanilla, Margaret Arias, Sapphire Aragon, Walter Rodriguez, and Winans Largacha.

Third, of considerable usefulness in constructing what became the final version of GUIDE was information/analysis/thoughts gleaned from these particular organizations and publications (in alphabetical order): Delta Project, Immigration Policy Center, the New York Times, North Star Academy Charter School of Newark, Pew Hispanic Center, The Bottom Line, and the Star Ledger. Other sources, to the extent possible, are duly noted in the text and the long list of footnotes.

Fourth, the wonderful individuals below—known to me for many years through either my education program endeavors or my involvement in various non-profit organizations or because they are family—aided in the rewriting process. They pointed out structural flaws and confusing terminology, raised cogent questions, and listened patiently, and frequently skeptically ("you need an editor"), as I explained where I was going with the material each was Reading. I am grateful to all of them and blessed that they are part of my life.

Adrian Jaramillo... Aracely Santos... Allen Zwickler  
Alfredo Rainuzzo... Bob Storey... Carolina Poveda... Cynthia Coello  
Carol Wilson... Damaris Hurtado... David Howitt... Diego Arenas  
Darcy Dye... Dan Hurlbut... Deborah Gonzalez... Ed Matthews  
Emily Casiano... Eddie Lopez... Harry Howitt... Hector Mendez  
Ismael Iraola... Julia Hellwege... Julissa Gil... Javier Marin... Kari Hurlbut ... Sandra Montoya... Wendy Matthews... Xiomara Guevara... Nada Michael ... Steven Leon... David Gould... Simone Carson... Griselle Baret ... Angela Duque... Juan Cadavid... Sarah Tantillo... Deep Shah

GUIDE

IS DEDICATED

TO EVERY

LATINO STUDENT

WITH WHOM I HAVE

TALKED, AND MAYBE

HELPED A LITTLE,

DURING THE PAST

TWO DECADES.

THANK YOU FOR

YOUR INTELLIGENCE,

YOUR PASSION, AND

YOUR WILLINGNESS

TO SHARE YOUR LIFE

WITH ME.
