Ninety-one percent of first-generation Hispanics say they speak Spanish “very well”/”pretty well.” Among second-generation Hispanics Spanish proficiency falls to 82%. By the third-generation of U.S.-born Hispanics, less than half (47%) claim they can speak Spanish fluently (Taylor et al., 2012). When identifying the primary language spoken by Hispanics, research indicates a similar trend with successive generations. Among first-generation Hispanics, 61% say Spanish is dominant with 24% English dominant. By the third-generation, only 2% identify Spanish as their primary language with 69% saying English is dominant (Taylor et al., 2012). Integration of the English language among Hispanics has been aided by federal and state legal obligations for public schools to provide equal opportunities (Martin, 2005). The passage of the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 help promote the expansion of programs such as English as a second language (ESL). Other laws that supported educational opportunities for English learners include; the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974, and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Martin, …show more content…
The information gathered clearly demonstrated that for CRR programs to be successful, they must identify and address vulnerable populations. The Hispanic population has caused fire departments from all over the United States to adapt their strategies for providing both emergency response and CRR programs. Studying Hispanic culture has illuminated areas where traditional fire safety and prevention programs fall short in reaching the Hispanic community. When those school programs do reach Hispanic children, they may not be understood and retained. In addition, understanding the cultural nuances of familismo, machismo, marianismo, and fatalismo, will greatly assist in formulating