Unit 2 Integrative Mini Paper- Application of Research in Working with Hispanic Children and Families

Unit 2 Integrative Mini Paper- Application of Research in Working with Hispanic Children and Families
Melinda Duplichan
SOWK 7159 Advance Field Education Seminar
Spring 2011

Unit 2
Summarize a research article specific to social work practice with Hispanic children and families.
This week my research lead me to an article “Closing the Achievement Gap: Focus on Latino students by American Federation of Teachers, (2004). The article talks about educational outcomes for Hispanics in which some signs of progression has improved not much. The article reports Hispanics   have an low academic achievement, and the highest dropout rates of any major ethnic group (U.S. Department of Labor [DOL], 2003). In the article it states that Hispanics face multiple barriers to improving academic achievement. With other barriers such as attending that are high poverty, and low- performing that tend to lack in more resources then other schools (AFT, 2004). The lack of access to fully qualified teachers. The article also speaks about parents with low-household incomes, and low levels of formal education is factor. The article speaks about how teachers who lack proper training, to present high quality language development (AFT, 2004). In reading this article I see this much in my school district. The article included that Hispanics with disabilities even have less access to adequate specialization intervention in ESL (AFT, 2004).
As the article concluded it spoke about the undocumented students that graduate from high school each year and is unable to apply from college. “With having declared citizenship of the United States, Hispanics who want to attend college cannot apply for financial aid and unable to pursue their professional aspirations” (AFT, 2004).  

Using critical thinking skills, what gaps in research and practice literature focused on Hispanic children and families have you identified as you think about your field education experience?
Many of the gaps in research...