Sec. 2. Findings
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/bill/116/hr/3827/ih/section-2·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds the following: Hispanics are the largest, youngest, and second-fastest growing minority population in the United States. While Hispanics compose 18 percent of the population of the United States, they compose 26 percent of the prekindergarten through grade 12 public school student enrollment in the United States. Over 3,300 school districts have 25 percent or more Hispanic enrollment and those school districts enroll 78 percent of all prekindergarten through grade 12 Hispanic students in the United States.
Hispanic students are overrepresented in lower educational outcomes, including lower grades, lower scores on standardized tests, and higher dropout rates. Hispanic students tend to face greater barriers once in college than non-Hispanic peers. Seventy percent of Hispanic college students are first-generation college students and 48 percent of Hispanic college students have an expected family contribution of $0, as calculated under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Hispanics are at high risk of not enrolling or graduating from institutions of higher education. More Hispanics are going to college than ever before, but only a little more than half of the Hispanic students who enroll earn a bachelor’s degree. Hispanics lag behind non-Hispanic Whites, Blacks, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islanders in attainment of high school diplomas, associate’s degrees, and bachelor’s degrees. Gains in Hispanic educational attainment will greatly benefit the United States economy because Hispanics will make up nearly 20 percent of the United States labor force by 2024.
Hispanics are an increasingly vital component of the workforce of the United States. Between 2010 and 2020, 74 percent of the growth in the workforce in the United States will be Hispanic workers. Without eliminating the education gap for Hispanics now, the growing Hispanic population will not be prepared for the jobs of the future, hindering the economy of the United States.