Virtual High School Hopes to Graduate More Students
by Ana Mendoza
One out of five students enrolled in a public school is Latino, but not every single one will graduate from High School. It is clear that Latinos are the largest minority in the United States and soon they will be an enormous part of the United States backbone. In order for Latinos to be a strong positive influence in the United States, the educational levels of the Latino community must increase. Latinos have the highest high school drop out rate in comparison to other minorities. High School drop out rates are unfortunately correlated to life styles; research from the National Center for Educational Statistics show that the median income of a high school dropout is less than half of a person with a High School diploma or GED credential. In 2005 Latinos made up 41% of high school drop outs even though they were only 17% of the total youth population. These are not good news for the Chicano communities, and they must identify the problem and find solutions.
Chicanos face many social problems; a great majority of Latinos attend inner city schools, live in neighborhoods with high poverty levels in which they are subject to pressure from gangs. Some Latinos stop attending High School and find work in an attempt to escape the difficulties from life. In Los Angeles one does not have to look very far to find young high school students working. In the Los Angeles Garment District many young students work during the weekdays or weekends. Their work will in most cases prevent them from graduating from traditional high schools. However, over the last eight to five years educators have develop and are trying to get across the country a educational alternative program to traditional high schools.
Educators are presenting what are often called virtual high schools; these new educational programs offer high school classes from computers. Students that sing up for the program can take the classes they need to graduate and when students are done with the programs they are able to receive a high school diploma or the GE degree.
The courses can be taken at any computer at home or at the library. Students are able to receive a free lab top in the Hacienda La Puente School district, the requisite is to be enrolled in the program and commit to finish the program. If the student does not have internet at home, the Hacienda La Puente is working out a deal with Time Warner Cable Company to provide internet service to the student’s home for free.
The Virtual High school programs are offered in the LA County as well as the Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura, and Riverside County. The programs focus on the students and their schedule. The program emphasizes student teacher interactions and therefore students can get help 24/7. Some programs offer interactive lectures, group projects or experiments making students participate and practice active learning rather than just learning from their computer.
The flexibility of California Virtual High school program to fit a student’s schedule may encourage a working Latino high school student to continue with his/ her education. The virtual high schools are a great alternative for struggling students and it is estimated that in a decade their popularity and demand would be stronger.
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Fall 2008
Update 1