NCJ Number
118206
Date Published
1988
Length
115 pages
Annotation
The problems of Hispanic school dropouts are examined in terms of the consequences of leaving school without skills, policy and program options for helping at-risk youth become more employable, and the challenge of providing practical, rewarding jobs with advancement opportunities for these at-risk youths.
Abstract
Data from the United States Census Bureau indicate that approximately 1.8 million at-risk Hispanic youths between ages 16 and 24 are potential beneficiaries of special, targeted services. However, the nation's schools and its job-training establishment generally do not collaborate effectively to meet either the needs of at-risk youth or the needs of their potential employers. The usual separation of schools and job training overlooks the reality that by the time poor Hispanic children reach middle school, they need to work to earn money. In addition, many are average for grade. In addition, dropouts and low-skilled youth must be reached before they fall into underemployment or jobless patterns and before they accept welfare dependency as a way of life. Serving these Hispanic young people is both manageable and affordable, while failing to serve them is costly in both human and economic terms. Recommended interventions include pooling and using public and private resources, with collaboration and cooperation between government, business, labor, schools, and social services. In addition, policymakers need to rethink the nation's education, training, and employment systems for both college-bound and non-college-bound youth and to design fundamentally new systems. Appended tables and background information and 48 references.