Chicano Higher Education Case Study

Systemic practices of degrading and suppressing Chicano culture has led to an educational pipeline full of leaks, which has translated into Chicanos having low levels of higher education attainment. When comparing the educational pathways of whites and Chicanos in the United States, there is significant and recurrent evidence of Chicanos having lower rates of engaganing in higher education. According to Schumaker and Getter (1977), across the United States, approximately 56% of whites are enrolled in college, however only 14% of Chicanos do the same (p. 15). Schumaker and Getter (1977) express that a white supremacist perspective would use this statistic to blame the Chicanos for their “cultural lack of appreciation for education” (p. 6). Through

In actuality, segregated schools imposed the notion of ethnic disgrace which discouraged Chicano youth from seeking further progress in education and explains the low levels of higher education degrees. Rios (2009) explains that the Chicano youth would instead seek recognition from other avenues of life which has caused the disproportionate incarceration of people of color (p. 151). The high rates of school dropouts and incarceration rates only further exacerbates the issue at hand and maintains the Chicanos in their social hierarchy position. The fundamental root of this perceived failure is the disheartening and threatening environment Chicanos must endure, just to better themselves in the United

Westminster stands as a hallmark court case of Chicano educational activism producing meaningful results in the progression of providing better education for Chicano youth. San Miguel (1982) explains that in the 1940s, Westminster started to establish new schools within the city that were strictly for Chicanos, because the school district’s rationale was that Spanish speaking students faced a “language deficiency” (p. 703). They believed it was in everyone's best interest if the Chicano students were segregated from the white students, because the discrepancy in English proficiency caused an impediment on all the students learning abilities. However, San Miguel (1982) states that the Mendez family found an issue with this, because they believed the law clearly “prohibited discrimination against or segregation of Latin Americans on account of race” (p. 703). The Mendez family started to make their complaints well-known and soon several other families, such as the Vidaurri and the Gonzalo families, began to speak up against the racial discrimination their children faced in school. In response, San Miguel (1982) notes that the Mendez family was offered admission to a local white school for their children, but they declined, because they insisted on “challenging the discriminatory school policies and practices” (p. 701) affecting all Chicano families. San Miguel (1982) explains that the United States District Court Judge McCormick eventually ruled in favor of Mendez