Currently 63 percent of these migrants are male. But as families begin to form, experts predict serious implications for the education system.
The Hispanic school-age population in the South grew by 322 percent between 1990 and 2000. In 1990 the number of Spanish-speaking children in the region with limited proficiency in English was 18,000. By 2000 that number had increased to 64,000.
“They are typically from families that are poor and their parents have relatively low levels of educational attainment,” says Tafoya. “The needs of these students are much greater than the needs of a population you might find growing at the same rate that was English speaking.”
— By Michelle Nealy
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
