Hispanic Catholics in Catholic Schools. Hosffman Ospino, PhD
rises to 75%.
Cultural Competency
Only 17% percent of responding principals participated in training related to Hispanic ministry and theology while 83% have not. Such training for this small group most commonly occurred through arch/diocesan workshops (78%) or non-credit courses (56%).
A larger percent (23%) of respondents received training related to cultural competency and Hispanic Catholics. Over half (51%) reported participating in professional development activities, such as workshops, conferences, or seminars. The arch/diocese was cited as the host for these opportunities by 23% of respondents. Topics for training included diversity, Hispanic/Latino culture, recruitment and retention of Hispanic families, and Hispanic spirituality. University classes focused on cultural competency were completed by 21% of respondents as part of degree programs or as standalone courses. Further, 9% of leaders mentioned specific programs such as Notre Dame’s Latino Enrollment Institute or Boston College’s TWIN-CS Academy (information regarding TWIN-CS is on page 19). A few principals reported expanding cultural competency through on-the-job learning, personal study, and travel to Hispanic countries.
Relationship Between Principal Demographics & School Culture and Environment
The survey included a series of questions asking principals about their school’s efforts to integrate Spanish language and/or Hispanic culture into school signage, symbols, rituals, and programming. Overall responses are reported in Section II. Students and Their Families and demonstrate that less than one-third of respondents intentionally integrate the signs, symbols, prayers, or liturgies representing Hispanic language and culture.
• 21% display prominent school signage in Spanish and English.
• 25% report prominent school symbols are intentionally culturally diverse and inclusive.
• 35% share school prayers in Spanish and English.
• 36% report school liturgies include Spanish language components.
However, the percentage of schools engaging in these activities varied based on leaders’ self-reported cultural competency and language fluency. Specifically, prin-cipals who reported prior cultural competency training or Spanish language fluency were substantially more likely to have schools that included one or more of the characteristics above.
The Hispanic Principal
Overall, 14% percent of surveyed principals self-identify as Hispanic or Latino(a). Principals in the West (24%) and South (15%) were more likely to identify as Hispanic/Latino(a) than those in the Northeast (8%) and Midwest (5%). The most common age range for this group is 35-44 (32%) and the majority are women (80%) and were born in the U.S. (77%). There are few differences when Hispanic principals are compared to non-Hispanic principals. Two differences of note are that a larger percentage of Hispanic principals have lived abroad (37% compared to 24%) and a greater percentage have received cultural competency training in Hispanic ministry and theology (23% to 16%).
The chart below demonstrates the differences among principals who are Hispanic and those who are not.
TABLE 2
A PROFILE OF HISPANIC & NON-HISPANIC PRINCIPALS
| NON-HISPANIC PRINCIPALS 557 RESPONDENTS | HISPANIC PRINCIPALS 94 RESPONDENTS | |
| DEMOGRAPHICS | ||
| MOST COMMON AGE RANGE | 55-64 (INCLUDES 40% OF NON-HISPANIC PRINCIPLES) | 35-44 (INCLUDES 32% OF HISPANIC PRINCIPLES) |
| BORN IN THE U.S. | 93% | 77% |
| FLUENT IN SPANISH | 8% | 75% |
| MALE | 31.5% | 20% |
| FEMALE | 68.5% | 80% |
| EDUCATION AND TRAINING | ||
| EXPERIENCE LIVING INTERNATIONALLY | 24% | 37% |
| HOLDS A GRADUATE-LEVEL DEGREE | 93% | 92.5% |
| RECEIVED TRAINING ON HISPANIC MINISTRY AND THEOLOGY | 16% | 23% |
| RECEIVED TRAINING ON CULTURAL COMPETENCY RELATED TO HISPANIC CATHOLICS | 23% | 22% |
| PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE | ||
| MEDIAN YEARS AS PRINCIPAL OF CURRENT SCHOOL | 4 | 2 |
| WORKED IN MINISTRY AT PARISH LEVEL | 47% | 48% |
| WORKED IN MINISTRY AT ARCH/DIOCESAN LEVEL | 11% | 6% |
The Principal’s Team
Teaching Staff
Teachers are the front line of the school and key to the success of each student, as they form the curriculum and instructional teams. As expected, the size of a school’s teaching staff varied with enrollment counts. The largest schools employ over 85 full-time teachers while some of the smallest schools retain less then five full-time teachers. Overall, the reported average is 20 teachers (17 fulltime and 3 parttime) and 4 instructional assistants.
Hispanic/Latino Identity
Among surveyed schools, the highest percentage of teachers who identify as Hispanic is in the West and the lowest percentage is in the Midwest. See listing below:
TABLE 3
PERCENTAGES OF TEACHING STAFF WHO ARE HISPANIC/LATINO(A)
Targeted Recruitment of Staff
Respondents recognize the need to hire Hispanic teachers staff, and preferably those who are bilingual (English/Spanish). Seventeen percent of schools