Critical Issues of Latinos and Education in 21st Century America

The year 2011 marked the first time in U.S. history where more nonwhite babies were born than white babies. Academic year 2014-15 marked the first year that K-12 public school enrollment became predominantly nonwhite. Among the five largest school districts, Latinos represent the predominant group. It’s all about a stemming population shift, not immigration, as more Anglo-Americans are dying than those replaced by births. Meanwhile, our public schools are in trouble, where "normalized failure" has become the new norm and international achievement has reached new lows. In this mix, Latinos are 1-in-3 newborns. As the future of America is now "inextricably linked" to the fate of these children, our educational system must be more responsive or the nation is imperiled. For this book, Abdín Noboa-Ríos interviewed 112 prominent educators nationwide, including some of the best Hispanic educators and thought leaders to search for answers to America’s educational challenges. What do they say? What do these leaders see? What can we learn? Their many suggestions and concerns are well highlighted. For these leading scholars and practitioners, their views are more about basic renewal, not piecemeal reform. Such action requires fundamental shifts in both mindset and attitude. Appeasement misses the point. We cannot undermine the severity of the problem.

“In this thoughtful and powerful book, Dr. Abdín Noboa-Ríos, identifies the central challenges facing our nation. This is not an issue unique to any one ethnic or linguistic group, but a challenge for the entire nation and one we must face together. It is particularly important that the author resists easy solutions and over-generalizations. Students who bear the label ‘Latino’ are not, the author argues, a monolithic group amenable to one-size-fits-all educational solutions. These students represent a complex set of cultures and backgrounds which enrich their schools and our country. This is a book to be studied and debated as educators, leaders, and policymakers come to grips with the inequities that continue to grip our educational system.”—Douglas B. Reeves, Ph.D., Author, Excellence and Equity Right Now: The 90/90/90 Solution; Founder, Creative Leadership Solutions, “Critical Issues of Latinos and Education in 21st Century America is transformational, for it documents a more accurate portrait of what Latino children have had to endure during their educational journey. Anyone who cares about Latino children must read this book. It is historical, well researched, and honors the legacy as well as the sacrifice of our gente [people]. Well done!”—LTC (R) Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, President/CEO, Educational Achievement Services, Inc., “In Critical Issues of Latinos and Education in 21st Century America, Abdín Noboa-Ríos provides both an informative and provocative history and analysis of this country’s underutilization and underachievement of Latinos. In one volume, he brings to our attention a better understanding of the failure and the promising futures for the next generation of new Americans.”—Eugene E. García, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University, “Kudos to Abdín Noboa-Ríos for his sweeping historical and contemporary examination of the poorly understood Latino educational experience. In light of rapidly-changing demographics, his injunction to policymakers and practitioners is for them to consider the urgency of time in the cultivation of constructive mindsets and in carrying communities in order to fully embrace diversity with a dedicated pursuit of the common good.”—Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D., Professor, College of Education, University of Texas at Austin; Author of Subtractive Schooling and Leaving Children Behind

With degrees from four universities, Abdín Noboa-Ríos ranks among the nation’s Who’s Who in American Education (2007-2008), among other distinctions: University of Illinois, B.A.; Harvard University, Ed.M.; U-C Berkeley, M.A.; C.Phil., Ph.D.; CT State University, 6th-year degree, and with additional studies at the Institute for Social Research (ISR), University of Michigan and educational research at Oxford University. He is President of Innovative Consultants International, Inc. (ICI, Inc.), with offices in Washington, DC and Puerto Rico.