California has joined New Mexico as the only states where Latino residents make up the largest racial or ethnic group. In some towns like Fresno, Latinos make up 80 percent of the population. However, a new report from Fox News finds that despite the dramatic rise in population, Latino students are still far below their white peers when it comes to education. California may be a model for the future in the rest of the US: if so, improvements in the nation's education system are in dire need.
Latinos in California make up 52 percent of students across the state. Yet their education levels are worrying. According to Fox News, "just 33 percent of Hispanic students are proficient in reading in third grade, compared with 64 percent of white students. By high school, one in four Hispanic 10th graders in California cannot pass the high school math exit exam, compared with 1 out of 10 white students." The statistics are indicative of a nationwide trend in which underprivileged students are missing out on an education.
The reasons behind the slump in Latino education results are varied yet endemic: many hispanic children grew up in households where their parents did not complete highschool before arriving in the US and as such cannot provide adequate academic support or encouragement. Moreover, state laws allow communities to increase taxes for local schools, thus wealthier communities have better funded schools. Such issues are prevalent across the United States: if Latinos are to get the national recognition they deserve, improvements in public education at a national level are vital.
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