Document Type
Research Report
Publication Date
4-1-2015
Abstract
This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes for Latino students in the city of Boston. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that have been analyzed for the community by the Gastón Institute. Using the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE, the report focuses on demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethnoracial groups in the school district and to students statewide. The report has four sections:
The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring in the Boston Public Schools. Enrollment among Latino students has increased by 16% over the past ten years while the enrollment of all other ethno-racial groups has decreased. As a result, Latino students are now the largest ethno-racial group in the district.
The second section compares the performance of Latino students in Boston on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests with the performance of all students statewide and other ethno-racial groups in Boston. Latino students in Boston have made consistent improvements on the MCAS tests, but along with African-American/Black students remain the lowest performing ethnoracial groups in the district.
The third section shows Latino graduation, dropout, and college enrollment rates, relative to other students in the district and to all students statewide. Here too, while the data show improvement for Latino students, clear disparities persist between Latino and African-American/Black students on the one hand and White and Asian students on the other.
The fourth section compares outcomes and engagement variables at the ten high schools in Boston with the largest Latino student populations, showing drastic differences between the outcomes of Latino students at the three exam schools and at all other high schools.
Community Engaged/Serving
Part of the UMass Boston Community-Engaged Teaching, Research, and Service Series. http://scholarworks.umb.edu/engage
Recommended Citation
Berardino, Michael, "Latinos in Massachusetts Public Schools: Boston" (2015). Gastón Institute Publications. 196.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/gaston_pubs/196
Included in
Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons, Education Policy Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons