Number of Hispanic students soaring locally

The number of Hispanic students in the U.S. has nearly doubled since 1990, and the trend is even more pronounced in Colorado and El Paso County schools.

One in five students, or 10 million Hispanic students, attend the nation's public schools, says a study released Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization. The study covers 1990 through 2006.

The report said the growth in Hispanic enrollment will continue for decades, and by 2050 there likely will be more Hispanic students than non-Hispanic white students. The Hispanic school-age population is expected to increase by 166 percent by 2050 to 28 million students. The non-Hispanic school-age population is expected to increase by 4 percent to 45 million, the study says.

The Pew study used statistics from the Census Bureau's 2006 American Community Survey. Here are some of the other highlights:

• Most Hispanic students - 84 percent - were born in the U.S.

• Two-thirds of Hispanic students are of Mexican heritage.

• More than 52 percent are being educated in Texas and California.

• More than a quarter of the Hispanic students live in poverty.

• About 70 percent speak a language other than English at home, and 18 percent speak English with difficulty.

• Colorado has a strong historical base of Hispanics, but is not one of the socalled "emerging Hispanic states" attracting the new wave of immigrants, the Pew report says.

Those new Hispanic states are Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia and Washington.

Even so, Colorado has seen a significant influx of non-English speakers, notes Barbara Medina, an assistant commissioner with the Colorado Department of Education. She said Colorado for decades had a Hispanic population congregated in the San Luis Valley area and the Denver metro area.

The state's Hispanic student population has increased from about 94,000 students in 1990 to 224,250 in 2007. (In 1990 the state's total student population was about 574,000, and 794,026 in 2006.)

With the increase in Hispanic students has come a host of challenges for schools: budget issues; providing language classes to new arrivals; high dropout rates among Hispanic males; discipline issues; an academic achievement gap; and finding quality teachers to teach diverse students.

"We are one of 12 states that have experienced high growth in English language
learners." Medina said. "Many schools are embracing the challenge in unique and creative ways. Others are struggling more. It's hit or miss across the state."

She mentioned Harrison School District 2 as having some of the more innovative programs.

"Harrison hasn't arrived yet, but it is embracing the issues and preparing the teaching force and heading in the right direction," Medina said.

In El Paso County, Colorado Springs School District 11 has the most Hispanic students- with 6,476 students in 2006. Harrison School District 2 has the largest percentage of Hispanic students - 40 percent.

Mike Miles, superintendant at Harrison, said having a 40 percent Hispanic student population is challenging. First of all, it's hard on the budget. Those needing special English classes increased 30 percent in three years to 1,000 last year. It normally costs about $7,000 a year to educate a student. But for those needing the English lessons, that cost rises to $8,500. The extra $1.5 million is not paid for by the state, but comes from the district's general fund.

High poverty rates exacerbate the problem. The district's free and reduced lunch numbers have risen from 62 percent to 71 percent during the past two years.

"Many school districts ask parents to pay for things like athletic fees. But our folks can't pay them," Miles said.

"A lot of schools save money by asking students to print out their homework online. Our kids don't have computers. Most schools are having parents pay for the new graphing calculators. We have to buy those for students."

Miles notes "the good news about all this, is that we do have a diverse population and we like that. Our students learn to celebrate diversity."

The district has instituted some strong programs to teach English, concentrating not only on speaking, but also on writing, reading and listening, said Jean Koch, principal of Harrison Adult and Family Education. Those who don't have English proficiency have their own classrooms. When they become more proficient, they are integrated into regular classes.

They also have programs for students under 21 who aren't enrolled in regular high school, and a program for older adults or relatives who have children in school.

One of the unusual aspects of the program is that the entire family learns English together. While parents are in class, their children come to school, too, and get extra help with homework and literacy.

Angelina Sanchez is learning English along with her four children in the Harrison district. The two oldest children speak well and are in regular classrooms. Another is in a program where more support is given, and the fourth is in a Head Start program.

She said through an interpreter she's thankful for the classes. Her own are enjoyable, but frustrating at times. She hopes to learn English to not only help her with her restaurant job, but also help her children with homework. She hopes they will have better career opportunities than she had, she added. Her daughter already wants to be a doctor, and her son, an accountant.

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Contact the writer: 636-0371 or carol.mcgraw@gazette.com