It's News To Me:
Being from a small town, I have never been aware of the severity of the Latino and African American drop out rates.  I live in a town were it is the whites who are leaving school.  I guess that I needed to see a community that had much larger populations of African Americans and Latinos.  This class is the Best thing that could have happened to me.  I graduated after taking this class and am currently substitute teaching in Tulelake CA.  This is a town that consists of nearly 50% Latino's.  The issues that came up during the process of this class are now directly related to me.  I am doing everything that I can to promote the these students that I teach to stay in school.  I am very excited about the attitude of these students in this district.

Water Shortage Causing Students To Leave School:
During this class we discussed many causes of students leaving or dropping out of school.  Because of the irrigation water shortage, many farmers in southern Oregon and northern California are not going to get water for their fields.  Most of the farm workers in the Tulelake area are Latino and are depending on the water for work.  The children of these workers are leaving school because all their families are moving away to find work.  I have seen the concern that this issue is causing first hand.  The children are terrified that they are going to be forced to move away and leave their friends and school.

Class Experience:
This is the most worth while class I have ever taken.  I recomend this course to every student at OSU.  The days may be long but it is definitely worth the time.  I took more form this class then any other I have taken here at OSU.  All students need to be informed on the issues and the process that this course introduces.

LINKS TO OHTER ETHNIC STUDIES WEB SITES:

• Dropout Rates Linked To School Transfer
• Boulder Valley School District Strategic Plan