Abstract
According to the GED (General Educational Development) Testing Service, 452,000 individuals earned a GED certificate in 2010 in the United States. Texas, California, Florida, and New York show the highest testing volumes. In Texas, the ethnic distribution of GED passers is the following: Hispanics (44 percent), Whites (39.5 percent), and African Americans (14 percent). Although the average age of the GED tester is 26.8, the 16-18 and 19-24 year olds are the largest age groups served in Texas. This paper examines the value of the GED credential for a group often not studied: Mexican migrants who dropped out of high school (in the United States) but have returned (as young adults) to the GED classroom to claim their right to an education in this country. The findings presented provide a critical piece to the puzzle of Adult Education by including a group that has not been studied within the context of the GED educational setting. In addition, I will include instructional recommendations for GED instructors on how they can ensure student retention among this specific group. If what Quinn (2002) said, ―The GED has become America‘s largest high school, and the cheapest‖ is correct, urgent changes are needed within Adult Basic and Secondary Education Programs. Adult Education scholars and practitioners should begin to examine not only how the GED program has changed since its conception, but also acknowledge the instructional needs of these new students in order to prevent the "double-dropout".
Creative Commons License
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Recommended Citation
Velez, L. G.
(2012).
Constructing Latino Cultural Citizenship in the GED Classroom:
Mexican Migrant Students Claim their Right to an Education.
Adult Education Research Conference.
https://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2012/papers/49
Constructing Latino Cultural Citizenship in the GED Classroom: Mexican Migrant Students Claim their Right to an Education
According to the GED (General Educational Development) Testing Service, 452,000 individuals earned a GED certificate in 2010 in the United States. Texas, California, Florida, and New York show the highest testing volumes. In Texas, the ethnic distribution of GED passers is the following: Hispanics (44 percent), Whites (39.5 percent), and African Americans (14 percent). Although the average age of the GED tester is 26.8, the 16-18 and 19-24 year olds are the largest age groups served in Texas. This paper examines the value of the GED credential for a group often not studied: Mexican migrants who dropped out of high school (in the United States) but have returned (as young adults) to the GED classroom to claim their right to an education in this country. The findings presented provide a critical piece to the puzzle of Adult Education by including a group that has not been studied within the context of the GED educational setting. In addition, I will include instructional recommendations for GED instructors on how they can ensure student retention among this specific group. If what Quinn (2002) said, ―The GED has become America‘s largest high school, and the cheapest‖ is correct, urgent changes are needed within Adult Basic and Secondary Education Programs. Adult Education scholars and practitioners should begin to examine not only how the GED program has changed since its conception, but also acknowledge the instructional needs of these new students in order to prevent the "double-dropout".
