If you turn the spigot and a trickle comes out, you might have a pipeline problem.

We have leaky pipes when it comes to Latino males and their college-going and graduation rates.

Along the way from preschool to high school graduation, the institutions that serve as the pipeline to college degrees somehow spring leaks for Latino males. They fare worse than Latinas.

This leakage will be the topic at the Latino Male Symposium at the University of Texas at Austin on Friday. If you’re in a position to help, please consider going.

Yes, you should care about failure rates for all groups — rates for black males are particularly troubling. But here’s why the trend for Latino males demands some additional focus.

Latinos accounted for only 16.3 percent of the U.S. population in 2010, but nearly 1 in 4 of those were younger than 18 — 1 in 2 in Texas.

It simply can’t be said too often. The state’s changing demography, and how we deal with it, is the defining challenge for Texas in the 21st century.

Latinos can be ready to compete. Or not. Texas’ future hinges on the outcome. How Latino males in particular are faring is worrisome.

Read the full story at the San Antonio Express