Beat the Odds Institute emphasizes need to better educate Latino students

September 27, 2012

Latino student education is among the top priorities of The Beat the Odds Institute. The research agency has been focused on finding ways to improve education in the last five years. The Institute is emphasizing its efforts on the education of Latino students -- now more than ever.

Lattie Coor Lattie Coor, CEO, Center for the Future of Arizona (Photo by Nadine Arroyo Rodriguez - KJZZ)

NADINE ARROYO RODRIGUEZ: The rate of Latinos in Arizona under the age of 20 has grown twice as fast as whites of the same age group.  Latino youths make up 43 percent of Arizona’s school aged population. Yet, compared to the state’s white students, Latinos continue to underperform in school. The Beat the Odds Institute highlighted the figures which were based on the 2010 census. Lattie Coor oversees the Institute. He says the success of Arizona’s future workforce relies on how these students are educated today. 

LATTIE COOR: Just as every generation has had to make sure its young were fully prepared to enter the workforce, we must do that for this entire generation, and this generation has a substantially greater fraction of Latino youngsters than we’ve had historically. 

NADINE ARROYO RODRIGUEZ: The Beat the Odds Institute trains educators, conducts research and advocates for better education practices.