Monday, January 11, 2010
(photo: Arizona State University)
As the South goes with its public schools so goes the rest of the nation, and that could lead to significant challenges for the U.S. economy. More than half of all public school students in the South are poor and members of a minority group—the first time this has happened in any region of the country. Four states—Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas—now have a majority of both low-income and minority pupils—while every other Southern state (except Virginia) is experiencing one these conditions.
This development has been brought on by an influx of Latinos and other ethnicities, the return of blacks to the South and higher birth rates among black and Latino families, according to a new report by the Southern Education Foundation.
The nonprofit group says what’s happening to public schools in the South is likely to take place throughout the United States in another ten years. Minority students are expected to exceed 50% of public school enrollment by 2020, while the number of students poor enough to qualify for free or reduced-price lunches is rising in every state.
Unless the quality of education improves, as the number of poor and minority students rise regionally and nationally, it could make it difficult to field a well-educated work force that can attract economic development. Studies show poor and minority students tend to have lower achievement rates and higher dropout percentages than Caucasians and middle- and upper-class students.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Southern Schools Mark Two Majorities (by Shaila Dewan, New York Times)
A New Diverse Majority (Southern Education Foundation) (pdf)
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