Opinion
OPINION: Youth speaks out about immigrant and minority educational needs
Schools across the country are impacted by a growing number of immigrant students, alongside other minority groups. These students often have unique educational needs that require genuine effort to address, yet I often see peers and teachers treat minorities as if they weren’t there. As a high school student, I want to grow up to see these people reach their full potential, and I know this won’t happen if we continue treating them this way.
Although we are on the right track to providing what these students need to learn, a significant academic gap remains. The efforts being made to help these kids are simply not enough.
This gap becomes even more alarming when we consider the growing presence of immigrant students in schools across the nation. In Utah, for instance, there are areas where children from immigrant households make up about 47% of students enrolled in public school. With so many immigrant students in our schools, we must take action to ensure they can perform as well as other students. I believe everyone should have equal opportunities regardless of their background. All minorities should be able to secure meaningful jobs and contribute to the growth of our state and country.
Hispanic students, for example, only have about a 75% high school completion rate in the United States. Many underachieving students come from Black or Hispanic backgrounds, and these disparities translate to lower-paying jobs. The United States Census Bureau says, “The only group with higher income in 2023 was non-Hispanic White households, with an increase of 5.7% to $89,050. The 2023 median incomes of Hispanic ($65,540) and Black ($56,490) households were not statistically different from 2022 and remained the lowest among all race and ethnic groups.” This illustrates how Hispanic and Black families are falling even further behind.
Stable home environments, which are often tied to financial security, play a critical role in a student’s success. When there’s less financial stress, more opportunities may arise for students that their parents may never have had themselves. Breaking the cycle of educational disparities starts with empowering parents to secure better jobs. For many immigrant adults, language barriers stand in the way of career advancement. English fluency programs can help open up job opportunities that benefit these adults and their families. You can support these efforts by volunteering or donating to organizations dedicated to helping immigrant communities thrive.
My dad volunteers at a school in Salt Lake City that teaches adults English. The Guadalupe School also offers citizenship courses that help students prepare for the U.S. Naturalization Test. To some, this might seem insignificant, but these programs can change lives. At an assembly, I watched his students(immigrants from Mexico) present what they had learned through PowerPoint slides. Despite their small vocabulary, every one of them expressed immense gratitude for the program and how much it has helped them. It’s clear why his students value learning English- it unlocks opportunities and makes daily life more manageable.
By investing in the education and support of immigrant and minority students, we’re not just providing them with better opportunities; we’re also strengthening the future of our country. Because I’m so young, I feel I have a responsibility to ensure we enact change now, so they don’t continue falling behind. Our fellow Utahns deserve the resources to overcome the language barriers, economic challenges, and cultural obstacles they face. It’s up to communities, educators, and policymakers to ensure that all students have equal opportunities to succeed. If we take these steps today, we’ll soon see hardworking people flourishing under the support of those around them. By supporting every student, we lay the foundation for a society where opportunity has no boundaries.
Lily Thompson
Lehi, Utah
