Men of Color: Ensuring the Academic Success of Latino Males in Higher Education

Abstract

This report seeks to elevate the grave statistics and realities of the growing gender gap in educational attainment among Latinas/os and provides recommendations for education practitioners, institutional leaders, and federal and state policymakers on how to support Latino males on the road to and through college and into the workforce. A first step in ensuring the success of Latino males is to provide information and strategies for stakeholders at the federal, state, regional, and local levels to both embrace and implement a comprehensive agenda that spans early childhood through college. The authors provide (1) a review of recent census and educational attainment data and related transition points in early childhood, secondary, and postsecondary education for Latinas/os; (2) a promising blueprint to help develop and implement education programs and initiatives to increase the success of Latino male students; and (3) policy and programmatic implications for stakeholders seeking to enact change at the pre-college and college levels and within national, state, and local contexts. Missing this opportunity to provide economic and social advancement for this community will have a profound impact on the future of U.S. citizens and the nation’s economy.