Analysis: Latino CA’ns dissatisfied with local gov’t schools

In the California Policy Center, Edward Ring breaks down the latest data on Latino families’ attrition from public K-12 school districts. More and more Latino parents are opting to homeschool or place their children in local charters, which reflects existing findings that school choice is supported by a variety of diverse voters.

More than half of California’s public school students are Latino — nearly 3.2 million students. But sadly, California is not prioritizing Latino students. Only 21% of Latino students meet state math standards and just 36% of Latino students meet grade-level English standards. This is despite California paying around $23,000 per pupil in our public schools. California must do better in providing a quality education to Latino students.

Unfortunately, many of California’s school districts and school boards are controlled by the state’s powerful teachers’ unions that put politics ahead of children. Bringing change to our public schools will take time: time that many families don’t have when it comes to getting a good education for their children. 

A new survey shows that 64.6% of Latino parents said they’ve considered changing their child’s school. This week, January 22-28, is National School Choice Week, a great time for families to learn more about their education options….

A growing movement of Latino families are exercising their right to choose the best educational environment for their kids. Tens of thousands of Latino students have left district schools for better education options. Many of these families are choosing public charter schools that are free public schools open to everyone, but most are not controlled by the teachers’ unions. Today, more than half of the students in California’s public charter schools are Latino. 

Latino families are also choosing options like homeschooling and virtual schooling that allow families more control over the values taught to their children or the ability to leave schools where they don’t feel their children are safe. 

This article originally appeared in the California Policy Center. Read the whole thing here.

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