Study Finds Latino History Largely Ignored In US High School Textbooks

Despite the fact that the percentage of Latino students in the U.S. is increasing, a recent study found that Latino history is generally ignored in high school textbooks used nationwide.

Only 12% of the 222 significant Latino history themes that were identified by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and UnidosUS, a national Latino advocacy and research organization, were adequately addressed.

The survey was revealed on Tuesday, at a time when there are more Hispanic pupils enrolled in public schools in the United States.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the proportion of Hispanic pupils enrolled in public schools rose from 22% to 28% between the fall of 2009 and the fall of 2020.

According to the Pew Research Center in 2022, births rather than immigration have been the main driver of recent growth in the Hispanic population in the United States.

According to government education data, it is currently anticipated that by 2030, Hispanic students would make up 30% of the student population in the United States.

More inclusion in textbooks won't benefit just Latino students, argues Viviana López Green, senior director of the Racial Equity Initiative at UnidosUS.

"As the country grows more diverse, it's essential for our future workers, businesspeople, community leaders, and public officials to learn about the contributions and experiences of all Americans, including Latinos, the country's largest racial/ethnic minority," Green said in a press release about the study.

The researchers say that includes learning more about the Spanish-American War, the Mexican American War, the American purchase of Puerto Rico, the Panama Canal, the modern civil rights movement, Cold War politics, and legal advancements that shaped the Latino experience, such as racial segregation, the Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act.

They also recommend learning more about the modern civil rights movement, CBS News reported.

"The American Latino experience must be accurately depicted to our young people in the classroom if we want them to grow up in a society that recognizes and values the contributions made by people of color," José Gregory, a U.S. history teacher at Marist School in Atlanta and a consultant on the project, said in a statement.

The researchers made their determination after analyzing five high school U.S. history textbooks and one AP U.S. history book.

The names of the textbooks are not included in the study.

"This project aims to quantify imbalances that pertain to the entire field, rather than to cast praise or aspersions on any individual publisher," the news release read.

"Our hope is that the findings herein will inspire all curriculum designers, whether publishers or school system leads, to include the longstanding presence, challenges, and contributions of the Latino community in the telling of United States history."

The research team chose the textbooks after examining those used in two states with tiny Latino populations and five states with the highest percentages of Latino students.

In order to decide which textbooks to analyze, researchers contacted the relevant state education organizations after contacting publishers to inquire about sales in each state but not receiving a response.

The authors of the study pointed out that the timing of the release of their findings coincides with a turbulent period in American politics and that immigration is still a continuing problem.

The scenario, according to the experts, makes it even more crucial to ask concerns about the educational system.

"Namely, how can we introduce the next generation to the story of the United States in a truthful and empowering way," the study authors asked.

"To what extent must we lament and also honor the past? How do we ensure that U.S. History reflects the complex interaction of diverse peoples whose contributions shape the democracy in which we live today? There are no perfect answers, but the pursuit is worth undertaking together."