As graduation season swings into high gear, a new economic crisis confronts thousands of this year’s high school and college grads — crushing college student loan debt.

America’s student loan debt recently reached the $1-trillion mark. That’s more than our total credit card and other consumer debt.

Ninety-four percent of the students who get a college degree take out these loans, up from 45 percent in 1993, according to The New York Times. The average college grad is saddled with more than $20,000 in debt by the time she dons her cap and gown. This is a tremendous burden for young graduates, many of whom are having trouble landing that first job.

Faced with the prospect of even more debt, many delay plans to attend graduate school. And for those lucky enough to find work, high monthly student loan bills may mean working two jobs or moving back in with mom and dad. While everyone agrees that a college education is the pathway to greater success in America, student loan debt is leaving too many graduates stalled at the starting gate.

“Higher education can’t be a luxury,” says President Barack Obama. “It is an economic imperative that every family should be able to afford.”

Recognizing the relationship between education and economic growth, Obama has made boosting America’s lagging college graduation rates one of his top priorities. It’s no secret that rising tuition costs are a major cause of stagnant or declining graduation rates, especially in communities of color. Currently, Obama is urging Congress to renew a 2007 bill that lowered the federal student loan interest rate from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent. If Congress fails to act, the current rate will double by July 1, increasing the average student debt burden by $1,000 over the life of the loan.

The irony of this debate is that both sides in Congress support an extension of the 3.4-percent rate. But like earlier fights over raising the debt ceiling and extending the payroll tax cut, lawmakers are arguing over how to pay for it. Senate Democrats would cover the $6-billion cost of the bill by closing some tax loopholes on high earners. Republicans continue to balk at any perceived tax hikes on the richest Americans and have made a counter-proposal to cut funding for a preventive health initiative that is part of Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

On the very day that student loan debt reached the $1-trillion mark, Senate Republicans blocked a vote to extend the 3.4-percent interest rate on student loans for another year. It reminded me of an old African proverb: “When elephants fight, the grass suffers.” Thousands of low-income students and their families are suffering while the two sides in Congress engage in ideological warfare.

College graduation is as important to our national security as a strong military. But when it comes to funding, education seems to always take a back seat to war. How much would graduation rates for African Americans and Latinos rise if they did not have to overcome the added economic barrier of high student loan debt?

Education is the Latino Issue, not Immigration (Fox News Latino):  In this election season, both Republicans and Democrats continue to reach out to Latinos by focusing on immigration, the supposed priority issue for Latino voters. Candidates translate their key messages into Spanish, thinking that we like to hear our native language when we communicate with politicians.

Democrat Gutierrez Would Back Rubio’s Version of DREAM Act (Fox News Latino): Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, the Illinois Democrat who has been a leading force in Congress in support of the DREAM Act, told Fox News Latino that he would support a pared-down GOP version –opposed by many in his party– if it will keep undocumented youth from being deported.

Facebook Goes Public, Updates Its Status Thanks to Its Latino Fans (Hispanically Speaking):  Well it’s official the ‘Libro de la Cara’ or Facebook is officially a publicly traded stock and all grown up due in part to the millions of Latinos living on it, Latin America loving it and Brazilians obsessing about it.

Hate Groups Grow as Racial Tipping Point Changes Demographics (ABC News):  The number of radical hate groups and militias has exploded in recent years in reaction to the changing makeup of America, and new census figures showing the majority of babies born in 2011 were non-white could fuel those simmering tensions, experts who track hate groups warned.

America’s Non-White Majority Won’t Remake the GOP Anytime Soon (Huffington Post):  The ethnic remake of America is already having a huge impact on land use, housing, social services, schools, and industries in countless small and medium sized towns, and rural areas that since the country’s birth have been exclusively or predominantly white. The GOP knows that. And the brutal reality for the party is that more minorities in America’s population will continue to translate into bigger numbers for the Democrats at the polls.

Appeals Court Upholds Key Voting-Rights Law (The Wall Street Journal): An appeals court upheld a federal voting-rights law that requires some local governments to seek Washington’s approval before changing election procedures, rejecting a challenge by an Alabama county.

Marriage policy used in appeals for Latinos (The Boston Globe):  President Obama’s shift to support gay marriage is energizing young Hispanic voters who have been working side-by-side with gay activists in their push for immigration reform. The alliance has been growing nationwide and helping dispel what many say is an outdated notion that Hispanics are less tolerant of gays than the general public.

Young illegal immigrants coming out of the shadows (The Salt Lake Tribune/Associated Press):  From California to New York, children of families who live here illegally are “coming out” — marching behind banners that say “undocumented and unafraid,” staging sit-ins in federal offices, and getting arrested outside federal immigration courts and detention centers, even in Maricopa County, Ariz., home of the sworn enemy of illegal immigrants, Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Will Population Shifts Alter Immigration Debate? (NPR):  As the migration surge ebbed, the political debate over illegal immigration actually intensified. Several states have drafted or passed legislation modeled after Arizona’s, enacted in 2010, causing a political firestorm and a wave of legal challenges. Controversy over the laws has entered the presidential election. Do these trends mean America no longer needs to corral illegal immigration?

Obama campaign working to counter new voter ID laws (The Washington Post):  President Obama’s reelection campaign launched a national drive Friday to counter new restrictive voter-access laws, which advisers said threaten his electoral chances in November.

Pell Grants plug pulled for thousands of students (San Jose Mercury News):  Among those who will lose Pell Grants in the summer are at least 65,000 new college students without high school diplomas and 63,000 who have spent more than six years in college. Changes in income requirements will reduce or eliminate grants for nearly 300,000 others.

Hispanics, Broadband and the Digital Textbook Revolution (Huffington Post):  The Obama administration’s FCC Chairman, Julius Genachowski and Secretary of Education, Arnie Duncan recently announced the goal of having every US student using tablets and digital textbooks in school within five years. This coming transformation challenges the entire education system – from kindergarten to college – to identify policies and pedagogy to maximize this resource and align policy to increase education attainment.

Dominican Republic’s Presidential Election Comes Down to Fear vs Frustration (Fox News Latino):  After eight years under President Leonel Fernández of the Dominican Liberation Party, or PLD, Dominicans will decide whether they are ready to give former President Hipólito Mejía, a gaffe-prone populist, another chance in office. Mejía’s four-year presidential term ended in disaster, with a banking crisis that sunk the economy and caused so much misery and scarcity that tens of thousands of people fled the country and voters cast him out of office.

Amidst growing daily protests at George Washington University, coalition leaders call on NBC’s Brian Williams to condemn Carlos Slim’s predatory monopolistic practices and join the Latino and community activists who are demanding that George Washington University sever ties and not honor such a man who amassed his fortune on the backs of the Mexican poor.

Juan Jose Gutierrez and Andres Ramirez, coalition leaders for Two Countries One Voice, issued the following statement:

“We call on NBC’s Brian Williams to use his commencement address as an opportunity to do the right thing and join us in our demands that George Washington University not honor a modern day robber baron like Carlos Slim. Respected American institutions like GW should not honor a man just because he is the richest man in the world. Carlos Slim is no Warren Buffett or Bill Gates – he did not sign the philanthropic Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge. To say that the University is honoring his philanthropic efforts is offensive to the people who have been gouged billions of dollars every year.

“Brian Williams will be addressing the George Washington University graduates on Sunday and witnessing the University honoring a man who has harmed the people of Mexico and across Latin America with his monopolistic practices. We call on Mr. Williams to join us and demand the University sever ties with Carlos Slim and rescind his honorary degree.”

Thousands of protesters will be on the National Mall during George Washington University’s commencement on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. EDT at the 15th Street Knoll (15th and Madison) on the National Mall.

BACKGROUND: Carlos Slim’s power and fortune is made up primarily from his monopoly on the Mexican telecommunications system. According to the independent and highly respected Organization for Cooperation and Development (OECD), Slim’s company, America Movil, which controls 80% of the total Mexican telecom, cell and internet industries, charges exorbitant prices and provides inadequate services. Their report also shows that Slim has price-gouged Mexican customers billions of dollars for basic telephone and Internet service. They point out that those specifically and most profoundly affected by these business practices are rural and poor communities.

The impact of Carlos Slim’s monopoly has resulted in Mexico ranking LAST in public investment in telecommunications compared with the 33 other OECD countries while Slim’s company Telemex had a profit margin of 47% – one of the highest of the OECD countries.

SOURCE Two Countries One Voice

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

[Photo by itupictures]

At church this Sunday my wife remarked at the number of children that there were at the service. I guess it’s one of those things that you don’t notice until someone points it out. There were many, many kids there. At communion time is when I really noticed. The families came one at a time; the mother lead the way, followed by a small pack of kids in a well behaved line, the dad shepherding the end. Family after family, kids either holding their hands in prayerful expectation or crossed over their chests, the tell-tale sign of an uninitiated to-be communicant.

I leaned over to my wife: “There’s a whole bunch of them.” And there were, all of them Latino. After church our conversation turned to the link between so many kids and education; specifically the fact that as minority children (Latino kids in our part of the world) fill the public school classrooms the real amount of public funding for schools has diminished. In fact there’s an almost proportional decline: as more Latinos enter the public school system, less money goes toward education.

This morning the headlines reiterated the demographic fact:  Whites Account for Under Half of Births in U.S.

All of the country’s major dailies carried the story: the U.S. Census has made it official.

This from The New York Times:

Non-Hispanic whites accounted for 49.6 percent of all births in the 12-month period that ended last July, according to Census Bureau data made public on Thursday, while minorities — including Hispanics, blacks, Asians and those of mixed race — reached 50.4 percent, representing a majority for the first time in the country’s history.

Interestingly, both The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post lead their stories with the same eight words, “For the first time in U.S. history…” It’s that momentous. Call it a tipping point, a watershed moment, a wake-up call. What you can’t call it is coming, or eventual. And the shift signals a bigger shift that’s yet to come.

While over all, whites will remain a majority for some time, the fact that a younger generation is being born in which minorities are the majority has broad implications for the country’s economy, its political life and its identity.

The shrill argument we’ve been having over immigration and the obtuse opposition to immigration reform from the right side of the political divide starts to find a place in this context – especially in the last two words of the quoted sentence: it’s identity. Immigration is just the field where a much larger game is being played. I saw it in church on Sunday and read it this morning in the headlines.

It would be good to have an honest conversation, one that calls things as they are instead of circumventing ideas and definitions. The immigration debate isn’t about the border or about jobs or the letter of the law. It’s about the American identity and how it’s changing; it’s about what it means to be American, what it looks like, sounds like and feels like.

Let’s have that conversation. It’ll be good for America. And while we’re at it, let’s put education first in a real sense an not just in a political rhetoric sense.  Minority kids need an education just as much as non-minority kids did when they were the ones filling the classrooms. Kids are kids, can we start the conversation there?

[Photo by Eastop]

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Education ranks behind only the economy and jobs as the most important consideration among likely Latino voters in five battleground states, according to a survey released today by the American Federation for Children (AFC) and the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (HCREO).

The poll results revealed that improving K-12 education—and not issues related to immigration—is the second-most important issue in the minds of Latino respondents, and education ranks in a near-statistical tie as the second most important issue among all likely voters.

Voters in five states—Arizona, Florida, New Mexico, New Jersey, and Nevada—were surveyed by the Democratic-leaning polling firm Beck Research on a host of education and other issues that will prove critical to deciding the 2012 presidential election. A majority (58 percent) of Latinos surveyed expressed a desire to hear more from both presidential campaigns on how the candidates will improve education, and large proportions of respondents also voiced strong support for a host of private school choice initiatives, including vouchers, scholarship tax credit programs, education savings accounts, and special needs scholarship programs.

“The support for making education a fundamental part of the campaign discourse over the next six months is remarkably strong across demographic, geographic, and ideological lines,” said Kevin P. Chavous, a senior advisor to the American Federation for Children. “The message to the candidates is clear: expanding educational options for parents, and education reform generally, should be a priority in 2012.  It not only makes good political sense, but it’s the right thing to do, too.”

A total of 85 percent of voters and 91 percent of Latinos think vouchers and scholarship tax credit programs should be available in some form, while majorities of likely voters and Latinos also support specific school choice proposals as well. Support is especially high for special needs scholarship programs, which are favored by 74 percent of voters and an astounding 80 percent of Latino voters.

Latino respondents particularly supported arguments in favor of school choice because of the immediate help it provides to children from low-income families, and their positive effect on graduation rates, academic achievement, and parental satisfaction.

“No voting bloc is more important to this election than Latinos, and it’s clear that education is among the most important issues,” said Julio Fuentes, president and CEO of HCREO. “Latino families want their children to have a chance to prosper, and that opportunity best exists through access to a quality education.”

In a campaign season dominated by talk of the economy, more than half (53 percent) of Latino voters also cited education as central to improving our country’s economic situation.

The Beck Research survey interviewed a total of 1,050 likely November voters, including an oversample of 300 Latinos. The poll’s margin of error is +/- 3.6 percent.

SOURCE American Federation for Children and Hispanic CREO

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1bTPT)

Education Trumps Immigration among Top-Tier Issues for Latino Voters, New Poll Finds (PR Newswire/The Wall Street Journal): Education ranks behind only the economy and jobs as the most important consideration among likely Latino voters in five battleground states, according to a survey released today by the American Federation for Children (AFC) and the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (HCREO).

Mexican Author Carlos Fuentes Dies at 83 (Fox News Latino):  Renowned Mexican author and diplomat Carlos Fuentes died at the age of 83 in a Mexico City hospital, according to local news reports. The news of the novelist’s passing on Tuesday was confirmed by President Felipe Calderón via Twitter.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez on Romney: ‘Hispanics have been alienated during this campaign’ (ABC News):  In an interview with Newsweek’s Andrew Romano, Martinez criticized Romney’s approach to wooing Hispanic voters during the campaign, in part because of statements during the primary contests in which he said illegal immigrants would ”self deport” if incentives were removed to remain in the country illegally.

Why Black And Hispanic People Pay 3% More For Their Homes (Business Insider): Researchers led by Patrick Bayer at Duke University studied two million housing transactions in four metropolitan areas. They found that Black and Hispanic homebuyers paid a considerable premium: about $6,000 on a $200,000 house.

Latino Voter Apathy In A Border Town (Fronteras):  In the 2010 midterm elections, the downtown precinct, basically, Nogales itself, reported a 29 percent voter turnout. That’s compared to the national turnout rate, 38 percent. Both bad, but Nogales, significantly worse.

Republicans on Immigration: The Pot Calling the Kettle Black (Huffington Post): The newest “talking point” we’re hearing from Hispanic Republicans about immigration is that Barack Obama hasn’t fulfilled his promise to push for immigration reform during his first year in office, when Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. For good measure, they point out that the Obama administration has deported more undocumented immigrants each year than that of Republican predecessor George W. Bush.

G.O.P. Rhetoric Feeds Latinos’ Affinity for Obama (The New York Times):  Barack Obama’s story resonates with Latinos because the struggle to overcome obstacles, whether poverty, oppression or bigotry, along with an abiding belief in the transformative power of education, is central to our story. And, for the first time, a person of color sits in the Oval Office.

Shift on marriage energizes immigration activists (Associated Press): President Barack Obama’s shift to support gay marriage is energizing young Hispanic voters who have been working side-by-side with gay activists in their push for immigration reform. The alliance has been growing nationwide and helping dispel what many say is an outdated notion that Hispanics are less tolerant of gays than the general public.

4 arrested as marchers protest immigration policies (Chicago Tribune):  At least four people were arrested during a rally west of the Loop today to protest the country’s policies on illegal immigration.

Grandma or the economy? (The Washington Post):  Hispanic people of faith ask ourselves, if Romney was willing to eviscerate Perry and Gingrich for trying to find a solution to immigration that is not starvation, what will he do to us if elected? After the election we will see if Rubio was right. Will Hispanic evangelicals choose economics or their grandmothers?

How Jerry Brown’s Budget Hurts Black and Latino Kids (Politics 365):  On Monday, California Governor Jerry Brown issued his May revised budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. Facing a nearly $15.7 billion deficit, the Governor called for massive budget cuts.

‘Stop And Frisk’ Works, But It’s Problematic (NPR):  The New York City Police Department credits its controversial “Stop, Question, Frisk” program with significantly reducing violent crimes. Many civil liberties groups, though, warn that the police stops disproportionately target black and Hispanic men, and believe the searches are unconstitutional.

Blacks, Hispanics Have Higher Colon Polyp Risk Than Previously Thought (U.S. News & World Report): Black and Hispanic Americans are far more likely than whites to develop precancerous colorectal polyps, a new study finds.

This post first appeared in the textmex galleryblog.

William Anthony Nericcio, aka “Memo,” is the Director of San Diego State University’s ever-evolving MALAS program(The Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences)–a dynamic, interdisciplinary, cultural studies graduate program located near the U.S./Mexico border. Nericcio also serves on the faculties of theChicana/o Studies Department, theCenter for Latin American Studiesand the Department of English and Comparative Literature at SDSU.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has teamed up with photographic artist Robert Weingarten to have one noteworthy historical figure’s portrait uniquely immortalized in the museum.

Weingarten, who currently has a display on exhibit at the Smithsonian and has been known for creating images of famous people “using objects to tell the essence of a person as opposed to their visage”, is allowing the public to choose his next subject.

With five remarkable individuals to choose from, Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa, would be our first choice, though competition is stiff and includes Alice Paul and Frederick Douglass.  The Cuban-born legend Cruz was nominated for her impact on music and Latino culture in the United States and worldwide.

Vote here until May 26 or read more about the other candidates at the National Museum of History’s blog. Then leave us a comment telling us which is your favorite song from the Cuban chanteuse!

[Photo From the Smithsonian]

Sheriff Joe Arpaio Allegedly Not Only Harrassed Latinos But Ignored Crime (The Atlantic): Before the United States Supreme Court issues its ruling in Arizona v. United States, the justices should take a few minutes to read the Justice Department’s new civil rights complaint filed Thursday against Maricopa County and its notorious sheriff, Joe Arpaio. In fact, there ought to be a constitutional requirement that the justices do so before they finally tell us what they think about the core provisions of Arizona’s anti-immigrant statute, SB 1070.

Latino Vote Could Use Some Marketing Help (Click Z): The media has been extensively covering the importance that Latinos will play in deciding the next election. Organizations like Latism and the Ya Es Hora (“it’s about time”) coalition are helping empower Latinos to play a more active role and vote. Latinos might play a critical role in choosing the new American president, but in order for that to happen, there’s still a long way to go to increase civic engagement and participation.

Are Democrats Falling For Rubio’s Trap On The DREAM Act? (TPM): As he prepares to release his scaled-back version of the DREAM Act, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is simultaneously laying the groundwork to blame the White House for its impending failure — and Democrats appear to be falling into his trap. It’s election-year jujitsu for Rubio, who is helping the GOP court Hispanic voters and keeping the door open to the vice presidency.

In Florida, Registering Voters A Whole New Game (NPR):  In Florida this year, there are tough new restrictions on groups that conduct voter registration drives. The restrictions already appear to be having an impact on the number of people who are registering to vote.

Minority contracts fall for first time in decade (Washington Post):  U.S. government contracts to black-and Hispanic-owned small businesses fell last year for the first time in a decade, declining at a sharper rate than awards to all companies.

58 percent of voters targeted in noncitizen hunt are Hispanic. Whites, GOP least likely to face purge (The Miami Herald): Hispanic, Democratic and independent-minded voters are the most likely to be targeted in a state hunt to remove thousands of noncitizens from Florida’s voting rolls, a Miami Herald computer analysis of elections records has found.

Some Ala. farmers plant fewer crops, say immigration crackdown drove away workers to pick them (Washington Post): Some Alabama farmers say they are planting less produce rather than risk having tomatoes and other crops rot in the fields a second straight year because of labor shortages linked to the state’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Deportations an Issue in Texas Sheriff’s Race (Fox News Latino):  The federal government’s Secure Communities program, which expedites the deportation of undocumented immigrants under police custody, has become an issue in the sheriff’s race here in Travis County, Texas. According to John Sisson, a former Austin Police Department lieutenant who is challenging incumbent Sheriff Greg Hamilton in the Democratic primary, the way S-COMM is now being run has a negative impact on Hispanic immigrants.

White Supremacy on the Rise in New Mexico Jails (Fox News Latino):  New Mexico’s prisons are seeing a rise in white supremacist gang memberships as some white inmates seek protection from largely Latino gangs, state officials say. Membership in white supremacist gangs has nearly doubled in state prisons over the last 10 years, officials say, and they worry the numbers may continue to rise.

Feds Indict Latino Gang that Terrorized Undocumented Immigrants (Fox News Latino): A federal grand jury indicted almost two dozen members of a Latino gang that victimized undocumented immigrants who do their business in cash and are reluctant to go to law enforcement because of their immigration status.

Emphasize English-only learning from early age (Austin American-Statesman):  Instead of bilingual education, why not teach English as a second language or offer intensive instruction in English that emphasizes learning to read and write in English? English is the international language of commerce and the language of our schools. Some students are able to learn in two languages at once, but it is unfair to expect most children to do so.

‘Desperate Housewives’ Series Finale: 10 Latinos Who Helped Make The Show Must-See TV (Huffington Post):  The popularity of the Gaby character made it possible for other well-known Latino actors to guest star on the show, including veteran actors like Tony Plana (“Ugly Betty”), Maria Conchita Alonso and Lupe Ontiveros, as well as many others.

Not All Latino, Black Clergy Oppose Marriage Equality (Lezgetreal): GLAAD today issued a press release in which they highlighed a variety of different Latino and Black clergy who support same-sex marriage.

Will Obama’s support of same-sex marriage cost him Latino votes? (SCPR): That’s become one of the burning questions since yesterday’s announcement by President Obama that he believes same-sex couples should have the right to marry, made a day after North Carolina legislators voted to outlaw same-sex marriage in their state.

Gay marriage issue will not alienate Hispanic voters, experts say (Fox News Latino):  The historic and politically risky announcement by President Barack Obama supporting same-sex marriage comes at a time when the largely Catholic Hispanic community is also evolving its opinion on the matter, experts consulted on the subject on Thursday told Efe.

 House OKs money for jailing illegal immigrants — with caveat (Los Angeles Times): Incarcerating illegal immigrants is expensive, and local and state governments have for years insisted that the federal government help foot the bill. Congress appears poised once again to keep the money flowing.

Rubio met with Hispanic Democrats to pitch DREAM Act vision (The Daily Caller): Rising political superstar Marco Rubio courted three high profile Hispanic Democratic lawmakers last month in an attempt to gain support for his alternative DREAM Act proposal, legislation which his spokesman told The Daily Caller would include a path to permanent residency and citizenship for some illegal immigrants.

Roaring Fork Valley fights Immigration on plans to deport Basalt woman (The Denver Post): When Norma Galindo Gonzales was awakened by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at her Basalt home early May 1, a valley with a history of opposing perceived unfair immigration enforcement also was roused. People rallied against the action in Glenwood Springs three days later.

Immigrant Mothers To Be Deported Beg ICE To Let Them Stay In US With Their Children (Huffington Post): There may not be anything more painful than a mother having to say goodbye to her child. And yet that is the predicament that many mothers, including Carmen and Maria, are facing. After both women pleaded with immigration officials to be allowed to stay with their children, Maria was granted an extension but Carmen was ordered out of the country.

Mitt Romney Gets Testy After Gay Marriage, Immigration, Pot Questions (Huffington Post): Mitt Romney got a touch testy with a local Colorado reporter on Wednesday after fielding several successive questions on social issues and immigration policy.

Ted Cruz, U.S. Senate candidate from Texas, reports bounce from Sarah Palin’s endorsement (ABC News): Call it the Sarah Palin bounce: Hours after the 2008 vice presidential nominee endorsed Ted Cruz, a Republican candidate for U.S. senator from Texas, on Thursday morning, the staff at Cruz’s headquarters in Austin reported a swift and positive reaction.

Justice Department Says Alabama Immigration Law Disrupts Access to Public Education (Immigration Impact):  While eyes remain fixed on the Alabama legislature’s effort to revise their immigration enforcement law, HB 56, the U.S. Department of Justice informed state officials in a letter last week that the state’s immigration law has resulted in significantly higher absence rates among Latino students.

Alabama senator’s move to kill immigration law fails and most commenters cheer (al.com): Alabama senators killed Wednesday a move to repeal the state’s immigration law. Sen. Billy Beasley, D-Clayton asked senators to bring up his bill to repeal the 2011 law in place of legislation that would merely rewrite the law, Birmingham News writer Kim Chandler reports.

Census: Foreign-Born Population Reaches Record High (Education Week):  The U.S. Census Bureau reports today that the population of foreign-born people living in the United States has reached 40 million, an all-time high. That figure—from the 2010 American Community Survey—comprises about 13 percent of the total population in the U.S., which is roughly 312 million people.

When Teachers Overcompensate for Racial Prejudice (The Atlantic): A new study suggests that educators are wary of critiquing minority students — and in the process, actually undermining children’s self-esteem.

Programs needed to encourage Latino males (San Antonio Express-News):  (The) choice between immediate gain and action with more long-term benefit is one of the key reasons that Latino males are lagging in economic and academic achievement.

Best Latino Actor at 2012 MTV Movie Awards (ONDT): Zoë Saldaña, Diego Luna, Demian Bichir, Penélope Cruz and Harmony Santanaare the nominees for Best Latino Actor at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards, which will be held June 3, the MTV, Musica y Mas television channel announced Monday.