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<TD style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: #1f4858; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" align=left width="99%"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: #1f4858; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" face=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif color=#1f4858 size=4>The Gastón Institute Releases New Report
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #d78519; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #d78519; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" face=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif color=#d78519 size=2><B><FONT color=#660000 size=3>
<DIV> </DIV>The Status of Latino Education in Massachusetts</FONT></B></FONT></DIV></FONT></TD></TR>
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<TD style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #748b84; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" align=left><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #748b84; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" face=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif color=#748b84 size=2><FONT color=#333333>Co-authored by Nicole Lavan, researcher at the Gastón Institute, and Miren Uriarte, Director of the Institute, the report, titled 'The Status of Latino Education in Massachusetts', uses data from the Massachusetts Department of Education to report on key outcome indicators, including the trends in the results for Latino students in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assesment System (MCAS) from 2001-2006. </FONT>
<DIV><FONT color=#333333> </FONT></DIV><FONT color=#333333>It finds that, although some gains have been made in achievement, the engagement of Latino students is tenuous, at best, and is characterized by low attendance rates, high dropout rates, and the lowest graduation rate of any group in the state. This state-level report is the third in a series of reports published by the </FONT><A href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001b9sh9EnGyo8yk0zTMWchIVy2e37NoU0GG80RI_LDuijOAwIu7pPc1S0WMxj8Cui8fGmtAV8WBT31249Xr82_99vLRbWn4NQmOv9PhqXADRY5kQAvWUtR0PtazOHO6HZ4X5NNmj_KBy3ZREr9Vw4PUiTb4EN0vRSZG_Jpw6Q4bhWgLeJwc_ufjw==" target=_blank><FONT color=#ff0000>Gastón Institute </FONT></A><FONT color=#333333>on Latino educational outcomes in Massachusetts. </FONT>
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<DIV><FONT color=#333333>'Though the results are still very depressing when compared to those of other groups, there have been slight improvements in MCAS results and even a light narrowing of the achievement gap between Latino and other students,' said Dr. Miren Uriarte. 'The more intractable problem seems to be the failure of engaging Latino students in the educational enterprise, as is shown by their high dropout rates and low graduation rates for Latino students in Massachusetts.'</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV>..if you have come...to help me, you're wasting your time... But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.. Aboriginal activists, Queensland, Australia 1970's</DIV><FONT face="Lucida Handwriting" color=#000066 size=1>
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<DIV><FONT face="Garamond, Times, Serif" size=5><STRONG>Eduardo Suárez</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face="Garamond, Times, Serif" color=#003399 size=3>P. O. Box 3462</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Garamond, Times, Serif" color=#003399 size=3>Amherst, MA 01004-3462</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Garamond, Times, Serif" color=#003399 size=3>413-253-0297</FONT></DIV>
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