STUDY: Mexican-American Students Benefit from Speaking Some Spanish in School Environment
A new University of Missouri study shows that Mexican-American students who identify and practice speaking their native language have higher grades than those who are put in English-only environments in their schools.
“A real educational disparity exists because Mexican-Americans, along with other Latinos, are now the largest minority; yet, they still have the lowest high school and college graduation rates,” said David Aguayo, a doctoral student in the Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology in the College of Education. “I understand the reasons behind English-only efforts, but the research shows that if we don’t accept the cultural identity of these students in our schools, such as tolerating their native language, Mexican-Americans may not succeed.”
Aguayo compared survey results of 408 Mexican-American students. He examined whether the students were
