During the last century and the early part of this century, immigrants to the United States were faced with many problems. The educational system of the time was designed basically to socialize immigrants, insisting that they learn the English language and American ways. The system was designed to perpetuate the status quo, and also to enable immigrants to improve their position and the position of their children through hard work (Olneck, 1995, n.p.).
However, during the latter part of the 20th century, the situation changed. The economic system is vastly different, with most jobs requiring higher education (U.S. Dept. Of Labor, 1991, n.p.). A college education has become almost a prerequisite for success in the United States. At the same time, higher education was designed for a certain clientele, and despite the influx of foreign students, minorities, and immigrants, issues of access and equity remain (Harklau, 1998, p. 640).
Olneck (1995, n.p.) noted that newcomer access to higher education has become essential in order to avoid the creation of two distinct economic environments in the country, with a permanent underclass. Numbers are currently increasing, but support systems are not necessarily available.
The demographic picture in the United States has also changed radically in recent years, with the minority population growing at a faster rate than the population as a whole. The population of white Americans is expected to increase 2.6 percent from 1996 to 2000 while the increase of black Americans during that period is projected at 5.4 percent and the increase of Hispanic Americans is forecast at 12.8 percent. Ethnic minorities comprise one-third of the total population, with Hispanics soon to supplant African-Americans as the largest minority, and minorities as a whole expected to become the majority population by the end of the next century (U.S. Bureau of Census, 1996, p. 1).
The Hispanic and ...