Mexicans and Student Achievement in New York

A recent New York Times article cites issues with the increase in drop out rates among Mexicans in New York.  Although Des Moines is nothing compared to New York City, our Hispanic population continues to have high drop out rates and low test scores when compared to their white counterparts.  Many of the problems New York City cites are similiar to what I see as an educator.  First, many parents do not speak English and therefore feel uncomfortable communicating with school.  Furthermore, many immigrant parents work one or more jobs and do not have the time to get involved in their son/daughters school.  I have to say that many schools in the Des Moines area are fortunate to have Family Liaison's who many times are bilingual and reach out to our minority populations to make them feel more comfortable with communicating with school and getting them involved.  Overall, states and cities who have in the last 10-20 years experienced an influx of immigrants have to think about how they can help the current and future generations achieve success.  Regardless of what people think about illegal immigration, we as educators and the community have to continue to find ways to reach out to our at-risk population.  I believe the first step is finding a way to communicate effectively with the parents and get them involved as much as they can in their children's schools.  To many times I see students take advantage of the fact that their parents do not speak English and therefore do not have to exceed.  We should not allow this as an excuse anymore.