Latino Educational Opportunity Report 2007

California’s Latino Opportunity Gap

Latinos are the fastest growing segment of California’s population. Today, one of every three people in California is Latino; by 2042, the proportion will likely increase to one of every two. The more than three million Latino young people in California’s public schools represent 48% of all K-12 students and 42% of those in the state’s high schools. These percentages will also increase dramatically. The huge numbers of Latino students in California schools make clear that, both today and in the future, Latinos’ educational opportunities and attainment are vital to the state’s economy and to the quality of public life for all Californians.

Notably, many of California’s Latino students come from homes where Spanish is the primary language and many of these students come to school without proficiency in English. Although most of the state’s English Learners are in the elementary grades, in 2007 more than a quarter million high school students in California were designated English Learners (14.8%), and 83% of these students were Spanish-speaking students. To succeed in school, these students require specialized resources and support.

This report traces the progress of Latino high school students (Class of 2006) through high school and into college, using California’s publicly available state data. We relate that progress to the educational resources and opportunities that California high schools provide to Latino students and to Spanish-speaking English Learners. Specifically, we report two types of analyses: the first compares Latino high school students’ experiences to those of white and Asian students; the second examines the opportunities provided in schools with large concentrations of Spanish-speaking Latino students who are still learning English. This second analysis focuses on a subset of 90 California public high schools that enroll high concentrations of English Learners who speak Spanish as a first language.

Some of california’s Latino students achieve the highest levels of academic success. As a group Latino students lag far behind white and Asian students on every indicator of school success—achievement, high school graduation, and college preparation. The result is that Latinos are dramatically underrepresented in California’s public institutions of higher education, in high-paying jobs, and in middle-class lives.

California’s Latino students also have limited access (both in absolute terms and in comparison to white and Asian students) to the resources and opportunities they need to graduate from high school prepared to succeed in higher education and careers, and to be ready for significant participation in public life. English Learners are at a particular disadvantage. Schools with high concentrations of English Learners require additional and specialized resources (teacher training, professional development, instructional materials, etc.) than other California schools. Yet, California’s high schools serving the highest proportion of English Learners are less likely than other California schools to have quality learning conditions in place.

Together, our analyses answer a number of important questions:

Which High Schools do California’s Latino Students Attend?

California’s 743,654 Latino high school students are distributed across the state’s high schools and make up 42% of all public high school enrollments.
Although 99% of California high schools (1078 out of 1089) enroll Latino students, 89% of all Latino high school students are enrolled in just 16 counties out of 58.
51% percent of California Latino high school students attend high-poverty schools.

Do Gaps in School Resources and Opportunities Mirror California’s Racial Gaps in School Success?

Almost 260,000 Latino students (or 35%) attend overcrowded high schools, which is more than twice the proportion of white students attending these schools.
Latino high school students are two and one-half times more likely than white students and more than three times more likely than Asian students to experience serious shortages of qualified teachers.
65% of Latino students attend high schools with too few college preparatory courses for all students to enroll in a college preparatory curriculum.

Are California’s Latino Students Able to Reach their Educational Goals?

9 of 10 California public school students enter high school with plans to graduate and enroll in college. Yet, for every 100 Latino 9th graders in 2002, 54 graduated high school four years later and only 15 graduated having completed the required college preparatory coursework.

We conclude that closing the Latino “achievement gap” in California will require the state to close the Latino “opportunity gap.”
However, closing these disparities should not be considered an effort made on behalf of a “minority” group in California.
Given the demography of California, the condition of Latino education is the condition of California education, generally. Closing the gaps in achievement and opportunity for Latino students will go a long way toward closing the gaps between California and most other states. All Californians stand to benefit.

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