According to a census poll released this week, Latino children are the fastest growing demographic in the nation, and according to experts, they are the demographic that should most be invested in.
The poll conducted by Pew Hispanic Center concludes that by 2060, Latinos will make up one in every three Americans. The children of Latino immigrants already make up almost half of all school children from K-12.
“How Hispanic youth come of age and what types of education and jobs they get will have implications for how the country will be in 2060,” says Mark Hugo Lopez, Associate Director of the Pew Hispanic Center.
Julian Vasquez Heilig, Associate Professor of Educational Policy and Planning at the University of Texas, believes that the focus should be on how Latino children perform on the ACT and SATs. He also points out that the high school graduation rate among Latino children is low, and this is where the focus should be.
States such as California and Texas have recently cut their education budgets. California is currently investing 10% of their budget on jails and less than 8% on higher education. Meanwhile, Texas has cut 5.4 billion dollars from their education budget.
”We have been talking about politics and immigration, but education needs to be our number one priority. I think the mindset of politicians has not shifted to match the focus of where the demographics are going,” says Dr. Stella Rouse an Associate Professor in the Department of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland.
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