Kindergartens see more Hispanic, Asian students

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/cen ... 7_ST_N.htm

Interesting statistics. Look at the graph.

A USA TODAY analysis of the most recent government surveys shows:

• About 25% of 5-year-olds are Hispanic, a big jump from 19% in 2000. Hispanics of that age outnumber blacks almost 2 to 1.

• The percentage of white 5-year-olds fell from 59% in 2000 to about 53% today and the share of blacks from 15% to 13%.

"This is not just a big-city phenomenon," Johnson says. "The percentage of minority children is growing faster in the suburbs and in rural areas."

In Lake County, Ind., a Chicago suburb, the under-20 population went from 51.8% white in 2000 to 47.1% in 2008, Johnson's research shows. In rural Nebraska's Colfax and Dakota counties, the share of Hispanic youths is rising while young whites are down from 60% to about 45% in the same period.

• Schools face linguistic challenges. The share of 5-year-olds who speak English at home slipped from 81% in 2000 to about 78%. The share of Spanish speakers grew from 14% to 16%.


So on that last one. Since the number of 5 year olds who can speak English is dropping and the number of those who speak Spanish is rising, do we need to start teaching all courses in both languages or teach all kids English first.

It proves we really are a melting pot.

I'm sure the number of whites would be higher if all those census protesters had bothered to fill out their census forms.

Oh, I get it now, we ran outta hatefull things to say about muslims and now we are hating on children...

Ummm yep - we have an ever growing minority population in Colorado. Something that's been a fact in a lot of other states for decades, especially the midwest.

Who knows - by now, Gunnison may have more than just their one token asian family by now - perhaps even some black families, croation families, mexican families. And about time too. Just because your ethnicity is different doesn't mean you can't live in and appreciate the mountains. Personally, I'd love to go see the mountains in Japan - they look beautiful.

The Viking wrote:
So on that last one. Since the number of 5 year olds who can speak English is dropping and the number of those who speak Spanish is rising, do we need to start teaching all courses in both languages or teach all kids English first.

I guess it depends on whether you want them to learn English, succeed and maybe compete with the white kids for jobs, or if you want to keep them unemployable except at minimum wage job.

Just a point - my son got to attend an Edison Project school - http://www.edisonlearning.com/
and much as I dislike wikipedia, they get the details sometimes - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Schools

Their idea was the school is part of the community, and the community is part of the school. As part of that, they start in second grade teaching the other predominant language in the area - if the school is in a Korean neighborhood, Korean is taught. Where we lived, Spanish was the other predominant language.

So they started learning it as another aspect of their day - along with every other thing elementary kids learn - and when they got to junior high and high school, they were actually academically ahead of their peers in pretty much everything, but especially languages, which are still required to go on to college.

It's a model I'm in favor of, and I'm also in favor of the teachers who volunteer their time to teach the parents english. It's not hurting our community, it is only helping.

But then I'm of the attitude that most learning is only to the benefit of people. (yes, I did say most - learning about sex in a first hand way at age 5 doesn't benefit anyone)

Since they are 5 years old they were obviously born under Bush's watch and therfore his fault. :Whistle

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Seriously though, at that age in public school you teach English first. I am not sure I would agree with you Wayne on the Census issue. I think the number of whites that did not fill out their forms could be offset by the number of minorities that did not/could not fill them out.

Of the 25% of 5 year olds that are hispanic, it would be interesting to know what percentage of that group come from homes that speak only spanish compared to those that speak english or mixed.

Interesting numbers. Thanks Viking.

Good point, Photofish - the number of mixed or spanish only homes would be a nice stat to have.

However, it has been found that kids adapt and learn language better if they start at the beginning of their schooling - unlike our model of waiting until puberty to start them on a new language.

Other countries start teaching english as a second language when the kids start school - but then, a lot of other countries are ahead of us educationally all around.

So they can't see the others.

Well I'm blind today - he did give us this stat -

• Schools face linguistic challenges. The share of 5-year-olds who speak English at home slipped from 81% in 2000 to about 78%. The share of Spanish speakers grew from 14% to 16%.

Sorry Viking.

It;s not a huge amount, but enough, IMO, to teach both at the same time.