WASHINGTON, March 5, 2009
Minority Kids Could Be Majority By 2023
Quarter Of Kindergarteners In U.S. Now Hispanic, Reflecting Rapidly Changing Demographics
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Students in Connie Levin's kindergarten class raise their hands to answer questions during story time, Feb. 4, 2009 at Daniel Warren Elementary School in Mamaronek, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
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Census data released Thursday also show that Hispanics make up about one-fifth of all K-12 pupils, those in kindergarten through 12th grade. Schools in most U.S. states have 12 grades. Hispanics' growth and changes in the youth population are certain to influence political debate for years about jobs, immigration and education.
The ethnic shifts in school enrollment are most evident in the American West. States such as Arizona, California and Nevada are seeing an influx of Hispanics due to both immigration and higher birth rates than other ethnic groups.
Minority students in that region exceed non-Hispanic whites at the pre-college grade levels, with about 37 percent of the students Hispanic. Hispanics comprise 54 percent of students in New Mexico, 47 percent in California, 44 percent in Texas and 40 percent in Arizona.
In 2007, more than 40 percent of all students in K-12 were minorities - Hispanics, blacks, Asian-Americans and others. That is double the percentage of three decades ago.
In colleges, Hispanics constitute 12 percent of full-time undergraduate and graduate students, 2 percent more than in 2006. Still, that is short of Hispanics' 15 percent representation in the total U.S. population.
"The future of our education system depends on how we can advance Hispanics through the ranks," said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "In many cases it's going to be a challenge, because they are the children of immigrants, and their English is not as strong. Many have parents without a high school or college education."
Minorities are projected to become the majority of the overall U.S. population by 2042. For minority children, that shift is seen coming in 2023, seven years earlier than was estimated as recently as 2004. The accelerated timetable is due to immigration among Hispanics and Asians, and declining birth rates among non-Hispanic whites.
Hispanics account for more than 23 percent of kindergartners in private and public schools, according to 2007 data. That is more than triple Hispanics' percentage in the 1970s, the height of white baby boom enrollment in elementary and high school.
More Hispanic kindergartners in 2007 were U.S.-born than foreign-born, assuring them of citizenship that will make them eligible to vote by 2020.
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The changing demographics offer opportunity and political risks for President Obama, the nation's first African-American leader, and emerging Republicans such as 37-year-old Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the first Indian-American elected to statewide office.
The future of our education system depends on how we can advance Hispanics through the ranks.
William Frey, Brookings InstitutionMr. Obama, who took two-thirds of the Hispanic vote, is channeling billions of federal dollars to improve schools, reduce the dropout rate and make college more affordable by increasing the maximum Pell Grant, a federal subsidy for low-income students, to $5,550.
Yet his administration has been sketchy when it comes to improving classroom performance and overhauling the former Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act. It sets goals for schools that are supposed to have every student reading and doing math at grade level by 2014.
The education law has major implications for both black and Hispanic students, including those who speak English as a second language, because they tend to lag behind whites in reading and math scores.
Obama has been largely quiet on immigration reform, which could pave the way for citizenship for nearly 12 million illegal immigrants.
Richard Fry, a senior researcher at the Pew Hispanic Center, said Hispanic growth cannot be ignored in policy debates for too long. While in recent elections Hispanics have cast only 6 percent of the total ballots, "Latinos' electoral power and participation levels clearly are going to grow," Fry said.
Other findings from the data:
The census data were based on the Current Population Survey. Data on U.S. regions and states came from the 2007 American Community Survey, the government's annual survey of about 3 million households.
© MMIX The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Add a Comment See all 55 Comments
- This is horrible. Something must be done to stop this. A multi-faceted effort must be embarked upon to halt this horrible demographic shift. Otherwise, it is a repeat of the great crash of mighty Egypt and the terrible collapse of the Roman Empire all over again. The GOP has abandoned it's core, and the Democrats are in bed with the Republicans. It's time to support the American National Party.
- Reply to this comment
- Join the American National Party. It's not too late.
- Reply to this comment
- meaning in 2023..there would be more welfare cases than people actually paying taxes
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- If you're poor & can barely afford to take care of yourself, why are you having kids?
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- After the last non-Hispanic whites disappear of natural cause, the Powerful Demand for Narcotic Drugs in America will disappear. Therefore, Drug Cartels will disappear from Mexico and Latin America..
Posted by lovegetpeace at 3:24 PM : Mar 5, 2009
Now that is just as much of a bigot statement as some people on here are making about hispanics. You're no better than them. - Reply to this comment
- "Minority Kids Could Be Majority By 2023"
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Like SS, medicare and savings for a rainy day, we'll worry about that tomorrow. - Reply to this comment
- Does your local priest/nun/the Pope offer a babysitting service?
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- Neither blacks nor whites can match the birth rate of Hispanics/Latinos in USA. Never in a trillion years. Unless every black/white mother was like the "Octomom." If it wasn't for Hispanics/Latinos, the birth rate in the USA would be very low.
How many kids would Hispanics/Latinos have if they WEREN'T Catholic? - Reply to this comment
- american_11-2009 , you are so full of BS...
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- Posted by american_11-2009 at 11:38 AM : Mar 5, 2009
Assuming you are an Anglo-Saxon White, Crime, Corruption, Poverty and Misery in Mexico will disappear once you stop buying Narcotic Drugs. - Reply to this comment
- After the last non-Hispanic whites disappear of natural cause, the Powerful Demand for Narcotic Drugs in America will disappear. Therefore, Drug Cartels will disappear from Mexico and Latin America..
- Reply to this comment
- so by 2023 I can medicaid?
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- Some of my best friends and neighbors are Hispanic. Half my town is now populated by bi-lingual Americans....better get used to the idea of a Hispanic America (or please leave).
Posted by dragonwagon5
Same here but the law abiding, tax paying ones are the minority. Gov't. and big business are to blame for our now lax immigration and tax laws that perpetuate the double standards in our country.
Las personas son trastornadas de las inmigraciones ilegales masivas que nuestro gobierno ha permitido. - Reply to this comment
- Here's one for you Dragonwagon5
¿Por qué me apuñaló usted? ¡Yo le di mi cartera!
Not knowing where you live, I can only assume you do not have direct contact with our neighbors to the south.................the morals in Hollywood pale in comparison to those of our southern neighbors!! It goes downhill from there as I know very well. - Reply to this comment
- Um...signtwo....do you mean the Indians who live in a desert , bathe in a river, crap in a hole in the floor and revere cows? That superior race? LMAO
- Reply to this comment
- I'm buying stock in tortillas as we speak.
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- I say we teach these rice rats a lesson and nuke mexico.
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- The massive unrelenting flow of illegals across the Mexican border insures that the US will indeed have a majority of hispanics within twenty years. Furthermore, they are not interested in assimilation into the American culture. Their goal is to transform America into Northern Mexico.
Judging by the success that the Mexicans have had in running (ruining) their own country, we can look forward to the USA becoming a true third world nation when they take over. - Reply to this comment
- and this is news because...
do not worry the octomom has cranked out enough...now you do the same here... - Reply to this comment
- Seriously all kidding aside,
if this projected Demogfraphic shift is true,
you can start preparing the next generation right now by making them more aware of it,
educationwise and offering bilingual classes to them, not just spanish, but Chinese, French etc and having them pick it starting with kindergarden.
the world of the one language culture is rapidly dwindling,
almost 90% of the people i deal with are dual language Citizens,
wether Pakistany, Chinese, Mexican, Bolician etc. - Reply to this comment
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