Immigrant students find school system didn't have them in mind
National data show high dropout rates, but locally there are no studies.
by Gustavo Martínez Contreras
Photo: Harvey Finkle
José Ángel Torres (left) and his brother David
When José Ángel Torres arrived in the United States seven years ago, the most difficult thing was trying to understand what was going on around him.
He was only 10 and did not speak English. Nonetheless he was expected to be like any other 5th grader, learning math, science, and other subjects. He said no one bothered asking him if he needed any help.
Torres is one of an untold number of immigrant youth who have dropped out of Philadelphia high schools.
One recent national study found that immigrants make up nearly one quarter of the country’s teen dropouts.
“I didn’t like school from the beginning because I didn’t understand anything,” Torres recalled. “I felt I was dumb, especially with the vocabulary exams; those really screwed me up.”
Lost and lonely in a new world, his mind was set only on going back to his native Mexico – until hip hop came into his life, teaching him lessons he did not find in the classroom.
“I started listening to the radio, lots of music like Eminem, 50 Cent, Tupac and Biggie; I liked what they did with language,” he said.
Growing up in Philadelphia was not easy. He faced violence in and out of school
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