American Indian and Alaska Native Students and U.S. High SchoolsFact Sheets (PDF)
September 20, 2007

There are an estimated 4.4 million American Indian and Alaska Native people living in the continental United States, representing 1.5 percent of the total population. They are citizens of the United States, and many are also citizens of the respective tribal nations to which they belong. Unfortunately, many American Indian and Alaska Native students do not receive the support they deserve from their respective learning communities. The nation must commit to ensuring the well-being of these students and the quality of the education they receive, particularly given the clear evidence of striking disparities in their educational achievement and attainment levels.

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Asian Pacific Islander American Students and U.S. High SchoolsFact Sheets (PDF)
September 20, 2007

Because Asian American students as a group score higher than any other race on proficiency tests, many observers assume that there is no need to be concerned about their collective academic progress. Asian American students are often stereotyped as the “model minority,” and it is assumed that most of them do extremely well academically, especially in math and science. Because of the lack of disaggregated data, the Asian American statistics primarily reflect East Asians’ overall academic successes and obscure the scholastic struggles of groups such as Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders. It is clear that many Asian Pacific Islander American students are not being adequately served by the nation’s public schools. Changes in the way they are educated must be made if America is to meet the goal of preparing all K–12 students for college, work, and life.

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A Plan for Success: Communities of Color Define Policy Priorities for High School Reform(PDF)
June 19, 2007

While 70 percent of all U.S. high schoolers graduate on time with a regular diploma, only about half of African American, Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaska Native students do so. In addition—and contrary to the model minority myth—many Asian American students also face barriers in education, especially those of Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander backgrounds. This report discusses the high school crisis as it relates to communities of color and outlines the six main policy priorities of the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE)—a coalition of nine national civil rights organizations and the Alliance founded with the mission of ensuring that all students, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, graduate from high school prepared for college, work, and success in life. The Alliance is the convener of the CHSE.

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African-American Students and U.S. High SchoolsFact Sheets (PDF)
April 1, 2007

By 2050, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that about 50 percent of the U.S. population will be African- American, Hispanic, or Asian. Given these steep demographic shifts, the performance of students of color and the characteristics of the schools they attend are important factors that must concern all Americans. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, African-American students made up 16 percent of the public school population in 2004. These students, disproportionately concentrated in high-poverty, low-performing schools, are vulnerable to poor educational outcomes that undermine their chances for success in life.

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Latino Students and U.S. High SchoolsFact Sheets (PDF)
April 1, 2007

The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by the year 2050, about 50 percent of the U.S. population will be African American, Hispanic, or Asian. These relatively youthful minority populations—Hispanics in particular—will drive future demographic growth and diversification well into the 21st century. Nearly 5 million Latino students were enrolled in America’s public schools in 1993–94. By the 2007–08 school year, that number will grow to about 9 million, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Over the past two decades, the percentage of Latino students in U.S. elementary and secondary schools has grown significantly, while the percentage of white students declined and that of African-American students held steady.

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Urgent but Overlooked: The Literacy Crisis Among Adolescent English Language LearnersIssue Briefs (PDF)
February 1, 2007

America’s secondary schools enroll roughly two million English language learners (ELLs), students whose proficiency in spoken and/or written English is not yet strong enough to permit them to succeed in an English-language classroom setting without extra support. These students comprise the fastest-growing segment of the middle and high school population, with enrollments soaring in almost every part of the country. However, while ELLs may be growing in numbers, in other respects they are being left behind—as a group, they are among the country’s lowest-performing students, scoring far below the national average on the reading portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. This Issue Brief reviews the existing research on literacy instruction for adolescent ELLs and describes a number of challenges and priorities for policymakers to consider.

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Demography as Destiny: How America Can Build a Better FutureIssue Briefs (PDF)
October 17, 2006

The education gap that exists between white and minority students in the United States is a byproduct of both economic disparity and inequity. Lack of resources and fewer qualified teachers are just two factors that contribute to the problem. Currently, only about 70 percent of all American high school students graduate in the expected four years, but the figures are even bleaker for minority populations. As minority populations become larger as a percentage of the population, and if their low graduation rates remain the same, the national graduation rate will soon begin to fall as a growing number of minority students are left behind.

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