America’s Challenge

Academic year 2014-15 marked the first year that public school enrollment (preK-12) became majority nonwhite. By then, the Hispanic/Latino had emerged as the largest ethnic/racial group. Today, significant population shifts have continued in the same direction, with Latinos now representing nearly one-third of all preK-12 students.

Meanwhile, schools are in trouble, with international achievement at new lows and with progress for nearly two-thirds of all 4th and 8th graders frozen below proficiency levels. Starkly, Latinos and African Americans continue to rank rock-bottom among them.

According to the author of American History, Abdin Noboa-Rios and board member of NCFCS, this couples with the fact that demography has massively shifted. The future of the country is now greatly dependent on the academic success of students of color. Different from the past, these populations cannot be ignored, nor will they disappear. As they are now the majority student, the future is different.

This new reality presses hard as the story unfolds. So does America’s challenge, as its future is reliant on education. We must ensure Black and Latino students excel at all costs or the country is imperiled. This assertion holds the key to success. …for more information.