The good news is that most English-proficient Latino students do, in fact, perform above grade level in both subject matters. But they are a minority.
One may conclude by these tragic statistics that the problem is the child. They would be wrong. The problem is the system and the inequities that exist within it that preclude any attempt to close the academic achievement gap.
In 1967, a class-action lawsuit challenged the treatment of students in San Diego's low-performing inner city schools, and the court found that 23 schools were racially isolated and ordered the school district to integrate them and address the academic achievement gap that prevailed at these schools. Yet, 33 years later, 15 of the original 23 schools are still racially isolated and underperforming.
