The New Reality in Tulsa County, 2009 Focus on Hispanics

1. The New Reality in Tulsa County, 2009Focus on Hispanics Prepared by the Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa, supported by the Metro Human Services Commission, June 2009

2. Prepared by the Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa The Council is supported in data and information efforts by the Metropolitan Human Services Commission in Tulsa, partners include: City of Tulsa Tulsa County Tulsa Public Schools Union Public Schools, Tulsa Health Department Tulsa Community College Tulsa Area United Way Oklahoma Department of Human Services Ad Hoc members include the Metro Tulsa Chamber, and Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa (a United Way member agency) 16 East 16th Street, Suite 202 . Tulsa, OK 74119-4402

3. TheBottom Line The rapid increase in minorities among the youth population is here to stay. We need to make a major commitment, as educators, to see that all our students have the opportunity to perform academically at a high level. There will be barriers of color, language, culture, and attitude that will be greater than any we have faced before, as Spanish speaking students are joined by those from Thailand and Vietnam. The task will not be to lower the standards but to increase the effort. To do so will be to the direct benefit of all Americans, as a new generation of people becomes a part of our fabric, adding a high level of energy and creativity that has always been characteristic of groups who are making their way in America. Their numbers are now so large that if they do not succeed, all of us will have diminished futures. That is the new reality. Source: Harold L. Hodgkinson (1985). All One System: Demographics of Education, Kindergarten through Graduate School, Institute for Educational Leadership

4. Hispanic Children: Fastest Growing Segment of Our Population • 47% of the nation’s children under 5 were a minority in 2008 • 25% of the nation’s children are of Hispanic origin _________________________________ • 44% of all children under 18 were a minority in 2008 • 22% of all children under 18 were Hispanic Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates 2008

5. Why Hispanic Children? • Fastest growing segment of our population • Unique linguistic profile • Most socio-economically disadvantaged group in the U.S. • Empirical evidence shows early intervention significantly improves outcomes Source: Eugene Garcia, 2008

6. Tulsa Public School Enrollment by Race 2005-2008 Source: Tulsa Public Schools, October 1 2008 Membership Report

7. Union Public Schools Enrollment by Race 1998-2008 Source: Union Public Schools

8. Percent & Number Change in Enrollment of Hispanic Origin Students from 1998 to 2008, Tulsa County School Districts *Leonard Elementary was annexed to Bixby Public Schools as of November 2008

9. Change in Percent & Number Change in Enrollment of Total Number of Students from 1998 to 2008 in Tulsa County School Districts* *Asian/Pacific Islander Category not included

10. Births by Race/Ethnicity, 2007 Oklahoma, Tulsa County, Oklahoma County

11. Educational Attainment of Hispanics in Oklahoma (25 years of age+) Source: American Community Survey 2005-2007

12. Defining the Hispanic Education Achievement Gap Adapted from Padilla, R. (2005) “Road to College for Latinos”, Lumina Foundation

13. Defining the Hispanic Education Achievement Gap • Demographics • Birth rate and population growth • For every Hispanic elementary school student, 48 dropout (NCES, 2005) • Immigration • Language acquisition • Immigrant status and related barriers to higher education access • Lack of adequate resources for ELL population • Community • Ethnic loyalty • Cultural divide/ethnic pride

14. Effective Strategies: What Works For Hispanic Students • CONECCIONES • Based on Kellogg Foundation’s ENLACE Program (Engaging Latino Communities for Education) • Focus on critical components and transition points • Enhance community and family outreach • Promote leadership development • Target area: Will Rogers High School feeder schools

15. Conecciones Strategies • Critical transition points (from home to Pre-K and from 5th Grade to Middle School) • Parent Involvement (through parent education and outreach) • Family Support (connecting families to needed community services) • Individual and Group dynamics (leadership skills, social skills, career exploration, college aspiration) • Tutoring (focus on ELL students and those lacking appropriate services)

16. Conecciones Lessons Learned: Successful Efforts • Focus on transition points has been highly successful to engage student and family and continue supporting them through next life/school level. • Even at middle school and high school, interventions are effective when establishing a connection with a student. • Parent-school connection is imperative for parent involvement, outreach and education. • Addressing student and family as a unit is an effective strategy. Student outcomes are strongly linked to home circumstances and environment.

17. Conecciones Lessons Learned: Challenges • Imperative need for bilingual/bicultural staff, culturally knowledgeable teachers and appropriate staff support to serve diverse student population. • Lack of adequate ELL resources/need for improved ELL curriculum and qualified teachers. • Need for a more coordinated effort to maximize available community resources. • Access to higher education opportunities is still an issue for many.

18. The Bottom Line The rapid increase in minorities among the youth population is here to stay. We need to make a major commitment, as educators, to see that all our students have the opportunity to perform academically at a high level. There will be barriers of color, language, culture, attitude that will be greater than any we have faced before, as Spanish speaking students are joined by those from Thailand and Vietnam. The task will not be to lower the standards but to increase the effort. To do so will be to the direct benefit of all Americans, as a new generation of people becomes a part of our fabric, adding a high level of energy and creativity that has always been characteristic of groups who are making their way in America. Their numbers are now so large that if they do not succeed, all of us will have diminished futures. That is the new reality. Harold L. Hodgkinson (1985). All One System: Demographics of Education, Kindergarten through Graduate School, Institute for Educational Leadership

19. The public education system alone cannot overcome the educational inequalities in our country. A comprehensive, multilevel approach from all sectors is imperative.

20. Prepared by the Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa We are available to provide a great amount of additional data and information on this topic and many others. The Community Service Council'sCensus Information Center (CIC) is provided in cooperation with the U.S. Census Bureau to make census data more accessible for use in planning to meet the needs of people in Oklahoma.  Please visit our website for a variety of presentations and sets of data for your use in planning and development of the State of Oklahoma. Go to www.csctulsa.org. Click on “Data” and “U.S. Census CIC.” The Council is supported in data and information efforts by the Metropolitan Human Services Commission in Tulsa, a partnership, including City of Tulsa Tulsa County Tulsa Public Schools Union Public Schools Tulsa Health Department Tulsa Community College Tulsa Area United Way Oklahoma Department of Human Services Ad Hoc members include the Metro Tulsa Chamber, and Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa (a United Way member agency) 16 East 16th Street, Suite 202 . Tulsa, OK 74119-4402 Contact: Dan Arthrell, MA darthrell@csctulsa.org 918-699-4229 Jan Figart, MS jfigart@csctulsa.org 918-699-4237