Hispanics trail in higher education.

Despite their rapid educational progress during the 1980s, Hispanics continue to be plagued by low rates of high school completion, college participation, and degree attainment, a study by the American Council on Education (ACE) shows. This is particularly significant in light of the fact that, by the year 2020, Latinos are expected to constitute the nation's largest minority group, as well as a major part of the U.S. workforce.

The report suggests that such low achievement levels are due to the fact that a large proportion of Hispanic students do not follow the "traditional" college track. Students who enter a four-year institution full time in the fall after they graduate from high school are most likely to remain in college and earn a degree, research shows. A Department of Education study found that 16% of Latinos followed the traditional path, compared with 44% of Asian-Americans, 30% of whites, and 27% of African-Americans.

Most Latinos fail to complete college for other than academic reasons. The most often cited explanations for...