A college education opens the doors to success and opportunity. As an admission officer, these are the words that I often shared with various audiences during outreach events for parents and students. But while inspiring those who were already on track for college was rewarding, I never forgot about those students who were in danger of dropping out or who might be a few credits short of graduating.

The reasons why Hispanic students drop out of school, cited in many national studies, include poor academic preparation, boredom, language acquisition, length of time in the United States, income levels, life situations (pregnancy, family emergencies) and gender crises, as males tend to drop out at higher rates than females. Unfortunately, the dropout rate for all Latino students is very alarming, and steps must be taken to remedy the current situation.

The parent dealing with a child who has dropped out, or the student who should have graduated this June but didn’t, experience, rightly so, a feeling of lost opportunity. . But parents do not have to stand by helplessly. In fact, you can help your children immeasurably by taking the following steps:

• Learn more about reenrollment options available in your school district.

• Once your child has reenrolled, make sure that he or she signs up for after-school programs and summer activities to help build skills and connect with others.

• Motivate your child to complete high school or return to high school if he or she has dropped out.

• If your child is older or reenrollment is not an option, encourage him or her get a GED or to take Adult Education Classes.

• Help your child map out a path to enter a community college or vocational school after obtaining a GED.

If ...