The New Reality in
Tulsa County, 2009
Focus on Hispanics
Prepared by the Community Service Council of
Greater Tulsa, supported by the Metro Human
Services Commission, June 2009
1
Prepared by the Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa
The Council is supported in data and information efforts by the Metropolitan Human
Services Commission in Tulsa, partners include:
City of Tulsa
Tulsa County
Tulsa Public Schools
Union Public Schools,
Tulsa Health Department
Tulsa Community College
Tulsa Area United Way
Oklahoma Department of Human Services
Ad Hoc members include the Metro Tulsa Chamber, and Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa (a United Way member agency)
16 East 16th Street, Suite 202 . Tulsa, OK 74119-4402
2
The Bottom Line
The rapid increase in minorities among the youth population is here to
stay. We need to make a major commitment, as educators, to see that
all our students have the opportunity to perform academically at a
high level. There will be barriers of color, language, culture, and
attitude that will be greater than any we have faced before, as Spanish
speaking students are joined by those from Thailand and Vietnam.
The task will not be to lower the standards but to increase the effort.
To do so will be to the direct benefit of all Americans, as a new
generation of people becomes a part of our fabric, adding a high level
of energy and creativity that has always been characteristic of groups
who are making their way in America.
Their numbers are now so large that if they do not succeed, all of us will
have diminished futures. That is the new reality.
Source: Harold L. Hodgkinson (1985). All One System: Demographics of Education, Kindergarten
through Graduate School, Institute for Educational Leadership
3
Hispanic Children: Fastest Growing
Segment of Our Population
47% of the nation’s children under 5
were a minority in 2008
25% of the nation’s children are of
Hispanic origin
_________________________________
44% of all children under 18 were a
minority in 2008
22% of all children under 18 were
Hispanic
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates 2008
4
Why Hispanic Children?
Fastest growing segment of our population
Unique linguistic profile
Most socio-economically disadvantaged
group in the U.S.
Empirical evidence shows early
intervention significantly improves
outcomes
Source: Eugene Garcia, 2008
5
Tulsa Public School Enrollment
by Race 2005-2008
16000
15472
14759
14359 13827
1488514787
14554
13882
14000
12000
10000
7784 8021
8401
2005
2006
7084
8000
2007
2008
6000
4271
42604157 4490
4000
2000
569 579 606 580
0
WHITE
BLACK
NATIVE AM
Source: Tulsa Public Schools, October 1 2008 Membership Report
HISPANIC
ASIAN
6
Union Public Schools Enrollment
by Race 1998-2008
Union Public Schools District Ethnicity
October 1, 2008
9266
9390
9364
9213
9226
9070
8872
8599
8320
8097
7787
7580
7480
10000
9000
8000
96-97
97-98
7000
98-99
99-00
6000
00-01
01-02
5000
02-03
03-04
04-05
4000
05-06
477
537
616
708
925
1095
1249
1512
1700
1949
2316
2451
2638
900
980
1055
1117
1179
1277
1372
1494
1644
1696
1855
1998
2100
BLACK
07-08
08-09
510
526
741
933
1047
1141
1294
1473
1542
1559
1529
1532
1447
456
468
529
587
679
730
730
741
763
800
858
958
993
HISPANIC
2000
1000
06-07
ASIAN
3000
0
Source: Union Public Schools
INDIAN
WHITE
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Percent & Number Change in Enrollment
of Hispanic Origin Students from 1998 to 2008,
Tulsa County School Districts
1998
Tulsa County
Berryhill
Bixby
Broken Arrow
Collinsville
Glenpool
Jenks
Keystone
Leonard
Liberty
Owasso
Sand Springs
Skiatook
Sperry
Tulsa
4,014
15
112
227
20
69
239
14
9
157
87
33
10
2,410
2008
14,343
35
260
1,113
62
126
749
6
30
589
222
53
66
8,394
*Leonard Elementary was annexed to Bixby Public Schools as of November 2008
# Change
10,329
20
148
886
42
57
510
(8)
21
432
135
20
56
5,984
% Change
257%
133%
132%
390%
210%
83%
213%
-57%
0%
233%
275%
155%
61%
560%
248%
Change in Percent & Number Change
in Enrollment of Total Number of Students
from 1998 to 2008 in Tulsa County School Districts*
1998
Total
White Non-Hispanic
Black
Native American
Hispanic
99,011
68,428
16,901
9,688
4,014
2008
108,707
60,817
18,743
14,804
14,343
# Change
% Change
9,696
(7,611)
1,842
5,116
10,329
9.8%
-11.1%
10.9%
52.8%
257.3%
*Asian/Pacific Islander Category not included
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Births by Race/Ethnicity, 2007
Oklahoma, Tulsa County, Oklahoma County
Population
Oklahoma
State
% Total Tulsa County % Total
Oklahoma
County
% Total
White, Non-Hispanic
35,236
64.1%
5,675
58.1%
6,463
51.9%
Black, Non-Hispanic
4,900
8.9%
1,322
13.5%
2,200
17.7%
American Indian, Non-Hispanic
6,256
11.4%
780
8.0%
538
4.3%
Asian/Pacific Islander, Non-Hispanic
1,224
2.2%
243
2.5%
442
3.5%
163
0.3%
42
0.4%
32
0.3%
7,167
13.0%
1,702
17.4%
2,784
22.3%
54,946
100%
9,764
100.0%
12,459
100.0%
Unknown Ethnic Origin
Hispanic Origin
Total
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Educational Attainment of Hispanics
in Oklahoma (25 years of age+)
Total population
Population 25 years and
over
Less than high school diploma
High school graduate
(includes equivalency)
Some college or associate's
degree
Bachelor's degree
Graduate or professional
degree
Total
Hispanic (of
population any race)
3,576,929
247,660
2,311,130
121,785
15.8%
45.1%
33.1%
28.1%
28.9%
15.0%
17.5%
6.2%
7.3%
3.2%
Source: American Community Survey 2005-2007
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Defining the Hispanic Education
Achievement Gap
CONTEXTS NAVIGATED BY THE INDIVIDUAL
OUTCOMES
Macro Context
Demographics
Immigration
Community
Family
Parents
Family
Language
Culture
Race
Identity
Migrant Status and
Resilience
Opportunity
Structure
Institutional
Climate
Access
Awareness
Aspiration
Preparation
Advance Placement
Choice
Race
Gender
Equity
Regulators
Test
Finances
Resources
Interventions
Stress
Coping
SUCCESS
Transition
Adjustment
Fit
Dropping out
DROPOUT
Mentoring
INSTITUTIONS
Elementary School
Middle School
High School
Adapted from Padilla, R. (2005) “Road to College for Latinos”, Lumina Foundation
Post Secondary
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Defining the Hispanic Education
Achievement Gap
Demographics
 Birth rate and population growth
 For every Hispanic elementary school student, 48 dropout (NCES,
2005)
Immigration
 Language acquisition
 Immigrant status and related barriers to higher education access
 Lack of adequate resources for ELL population
Community
 Ethnic loyalty
 Cultural divide/ethnic pride
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Effective Strategies: What Works
For Hispanic Students
CONECCIONES
Based on Kellogg Foundation’s ENLACE Program
(Engaging Latino Communities for Education)




Focus on critical components and transition points
Enhance community and family outreach
Promote leadership development
Target area: Will Rogers High School feeder
schools
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Conecciones Strategies
Critical transition points (from home to Pre-K and from 5th Grade
to Middle School)
Parent Involvement (through parent education and outreach)
Family Support (connecting families to needed community services)
Individual and Group dynamics (leadership skills, social skills,
career exploration, college aspiration)
Tutoring (focus on ELL students and those lacking appropriate
services)
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Conecciones Lessons Learned:
Successful Efforts
Focus on transition points has been highly successful
to engage student and family and continue supporting
them through next life/school level.
Even at middle school and high school, interventions
are effective when establishing a connection with a
student.
Parent-school connection is imperative for parent
involvement, outreach and education.
Addressing student and family as a unit is an effective
strategy. Student outcomes are strongly linked to
home circumstances and environment.
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Conecciones Lessons Learned:
Challenges
Imperative need for bilingual/bicultural staff,
culturally knowledgeable teachers and appropriate
staff support to serve diverse student population.
Lack of adequate ELL resources/need for improved
ELL curriculum and qualified teachers.
Need for a more coordinated effort to maximize
available community resources.
Access to higher education opportunities is still an
issue for many.
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The Bottom Line
The rapid increase in minorities among the youth population is here to stay. We
need to make a major commitment, as educators, to see that all our students
have the opportunity to perform academically at a high level. There will be
barriers of color, language, culture, attitude that will be greater than any we
have faced before, as Spanish speaking students are joined by those from
Thailand and Vietnam.
The task will not be to lower the standards but to increase the effort. To do so
will be to the direct benefit of all Americans, as a new generation of people
becomes a part of our fabric, adding a high level of energy and creativity that
has always been characteristic of groups who are making their way in
America.
Their numbers are now so large that if they do not succeed, all of us will have
diminished futures. That is the new reality.
Harold L. Hodgkinson (1985). All One System: Demographics of Education,
Kindergarten through Graduate School, Institute for Educational Leadership
21
The public education
system alone cannot
overcome the
educational
inequalities in our
country.
A comprehensive,
multilevel approach
from all sectors is
imperative.
22
Prepared by the Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa
We are available to provide a great amount of additional data and information on this topic and
many others.
The Community Service Council's Census Information Center (CIC) is provided in cooperation
with the U.S. Census Bureau to make census data more accessible for use in planning to meet the
needs of people in Oklahoma.
Please visit our website for a variety of presentations and sets of data for your use in planning and
development of the State of Oklahoma.
Go to www.csctulsa.org. Click on “Data” and “U.S. Census CIC.”
The Council is supported in data and information efforts by the Metropolitan Human Services
Commission in Tulsa, a partnership, including
City of Tulsa
Tulsa County
Tulsa Public Schools
Union Public Schools
Tulsa Health Department
Tulsa Community College
Tulsa Area United Way
Oklahoma Department of Human Services
Ad Hoc members include the Metro Tulsa Chamber, and Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa (a United Way member agency)
16 East 16th Street, Suite 202 . Tulsa, OK 74119-4402
Contact:
Dan Arthrell, MA
Jan Figart, MS
darthrell@csctulsa.org
jfigart@csctulsa.org
918-699-4229
918-699-4237
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