In America, Latinos face many difficulties that hinder their chances of living the American dream. One of the biggest challenges Latino youth face is dropping out of school due to the circumstances they face, such as pregnancy, gangs and poverty. Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic minority in the United States today. The number of Hispanic students in the country's public schools has nearly doubled since 1990. The high school dropout rate for Hispanic youth ages 16 to 19 has reached an all-time high in the past two years. One-third of Hispanic students perform below grade level, while more than 50 percent of Hispanic dropouts have less than a 10th grade education. Latinos today are underrepresented in key indicators of educational outcomes, such as high school and college graduation rates, standardized tests, and college entrance exams. Young Latinos today are too focused on following trends, forgetting that education is something necessary in life not only to improve yourself, but to create a better living environment for yourself. Education can be the key to success that will open many doors in your life. Without an education you will not be able to get a good job and you will be stuck at the bottom of the social class without being able to change your situation. A major cause of Latino dropout stems from a lack of parental involvement and awareness, a lack of professional skills among teachers to work with young boys of color, and the pressing challenges of adhering to high-stakes testing. The issues facing Latino males are unique as they range from language proficiency, immigration, and cultural differences where there is greater pressure to contribute to the family budget…middle of paper…merica. But something we can do to try to solve this problem is to educate our young people about the importance of education by showing them the benefits of going to school and getting a college degree. Give young people an understanding of education and what it offers. Education provides us with knowledge about the world. It paves the way for a good career. Helps build character. It leads to enlightenment. Lay the foundations of a stronger nation. Education makes a man complete. Education is a tool that you could use throughout your life, for the progress of a nation, for the enrichment of Latino communities in general, education is important. Each of you has something you are good at. Each of us has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to find out what that is. This is the opportunity that education can offer.