skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump and Harris notch easy wins as focus turns to battlegrounds; Experts express caution over post-election AI deepfakes; Report: Colorado's housing crisis linked to billionaire investors; Election Day is over; now it's a waiting game.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A Cambodian poultry farmer who lost his livelihood could be a hero for others, rural Montanans are anxiously awaiting a court ruling over a climate lawsuit brought by young people, and Northeast states say more housing for working families could boost jobs.

Colorado Latinos Continue to Face Barriers to College Degrees

play audio
Play

Monday, January 10, 2022   

The COVID health pandemic has blunted progress made in the number of Latino students graduating with a college certificate or degree, a development which could have long-term racial and economic impacts in Colorado.

Wil Del Pilar, vice president of higher education policy with the Education Trust, said the primary barrier for Latino students is lack of financial resources compared with their white peers.

Just 21% of Latino men have completed a college degree, compared with 47% for white adults.

"The reason this is critical is because the jobs that are being created require some post-secondary education," said Del Pilar. "And so unless we educate this population of our state residents, we are actually going to leave them behind in the economy."

Colorado ranks high nationally for its educated population; 61% of all Coloradans have some college credential.

A recent Chalkbeat report found that just one in four Hispanic Coloradans has completed a certificate or degree. Less than half of Latino men attending four year colleges in Colorado, and fewer than a third at community colleges, make it to graduation.

Del Pilar said even modest supports can make a big difference. He points to an emergency grant program his group helped launch to help students if they needed to purchase food or repair their car, in order to keep students from stopping out of school.

He says he was surprised by the average grant size.

"Seventy-six dollars could be the difference between a student earning their degree or a student being one of these statistics," said Del Pilar, "of the 36 million people in this country who have some college and no degree."

Hispanic enrollment in higher education fell by 5% last fall during the height of the pandemic. Enrollment among first-time Hispanic college students dropped by nearly 20%.

Del Pilar said students entering an environment where they don't see many people who look like them face additional barriers if they are the first in their family to attend college.

"When you're seeing a lot of first-generation, especially first-generation Latino students, is the student having to figure it out on their own," said Del Pilar. "They don't have what we call "college knowledge," of what it takes to get in, what it takes to pay, and then what it takes to get through college."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.




get more stories like this via email
more stories
In 2016, Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by almost 29% of the vote in Glynn and four years later beat Joe Biden by 23% of the nearly 42,000 votes cast in the county. The former president is expected to prevail again this year in the heavily Republican county. (Michael Rolands/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Jabari Gibbs for The Current.Broadcast version by Shanteya Hudson for Georgia News Connection reporting for the Rural News Network-Public News Serv…


Social Issues

play sound

It is Election Day and Maine voters are weighing the future of the state's extensive trail system. If passed, the Maine Trails Bond would inject …

Social Issues

play sound

Election Day is finally here, and this year more than 17 million Latinos are expected to cast a ballot. The National Association of Latino Elected …


A New York State Comptroller report found New York City had the highest rental cost burden in the state between 2016 and 2020. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A package of New York City bills can help preserve affordable housing. The Community Land Act creates more pathways for communities to purchase and …

Social Issues

play sound

By Lourdes Medrano for Yes! Media.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for Arizona News Connection reporting for the Yes! Media-Public News Service …

Michigan law has several built-in enforcement provisions to safeguard the process against the county and state officials who blatantly refuse to certify. (Olena Yefremkina/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A nonprofit report aims to build trust in Michigan's voting system by explaining the safeguards that ensure fair and free elections. The report …

Social Issues

play sound

Wyoming's secretary of state is asking county clerks to report non-citizens who try to vote, although cases of that - or any other - kind of election …

Environment

play sound

By Grace Hussain for Sentient.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaborat…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021