Chairman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX 20) released the following statement regarding the new report from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). According the latest data, minority students have less access to challenging high school curricula and are more often taught by lower-paid and less experienced teachers.
The new data, which covers a range of issues including college and career readiness, discipline, school finance, and student retention, was collected in a national survey of more than 72,000 schools serving 85% of the nation’s students.
Chairman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX 20) said, “The Hispanic community has a very young population and by 2050, Latinos will make up to 30% of the total U.S. population. In the interest of our economy and the future of all Americans, it is vital that Latino students have access to the educational resources they need. We must do all we can to close the achievement gap and that starts with recognizing the inequities we have in education.”
“Hispanic students need the same access to quality education we guarantee the rest of the country, and this data suggests that in many important ways, they’re not getting it,” said Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, the chair of the CHC Education Task Force.“Schools with high Hispanic enrollment should pay teachers the same rates, offer the same classes, and treat students the same way as any other school. It’s a basic issue of fairness and justice, and these numbers tell us we still have a long way to go.”
Among the key findings are:
Less than a third of high schools serving the most Hispanic and African-American students offer calculus and only 40% offer physics.
Teachers in elementary schools serving the most Hispanic and African-American students are paid, on average, $2250 less per year than their colleagues in the same district working at schools serving the fewest Hispanic and African-American students.
· Students learning English (ELL) were 6% of the CRDC high school enrollment, but made up 12% of students retained.
· Over 70% of students school-related arrests or referred to law enforcement are Hispanic or African-American.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, «The power of the data is not only in the numbers themselves, but in the impact it can have when married with the courage and the will to change. The undeniable truth is that the everyday educational experience for many students of color violates the principle of equity at the heart of the American promise. It is our collective duty to change that.”
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali said, “These new data categories are a powerful tool to aid schools and districts in crafting policy, and can unleash the power of research to advance reform in schools.”
The data from both phases of the 2009-10 CRDC are available on OCR’s website for the CRDC, http://ocrdata.ed.gov. For further information about OCR, please visit, www.ed.gov/ocr. For further information on the 2009-10 CRDC, visit http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/whatsnew.html.
