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Latinos – The growth in the Latino student population indicates that by 2023, Hispanic students will account for nearly 30% of total enrollment, from early childhood through 12th grade, according to an UnidosUS 2015 Policy Brief, “Latinos in New Spaces: Emerging Trends & Implications for Federal Education Policy.” Currently, Hispanics comprise 19% of Sarasota’s total student population, showing a steady increase since 2011. The UnidosUS report notes that, despite improvements in educational attainment in recent years, there continue to be persistent disparities in performance between Latinos and other students. For example, Latinos have higher dropout rates, as evidenced locally in the SCOPE report card, and lower postsecondary degree attainment, compared to other racial/ethnic groups. The UnidosUS brief cites recent polling data that show Latinos place an overwhelming value on higher education: “87% of Hispanic respondents said that college education was extremely important, significantly higher than the national average of 78%.” This is important to note, because, while most of Hispanic families might not have the tools or experience to help their children advance to higher education, they most certainly recognize the value of it in ending the cycle of poverty, and have the willingness/desire, if not always the ability, to support their children in their efforts.
African-Americans – According to National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), African-Americans received just 7.6 percent of all STEM bachelor’s degrees and 4.5 percent of doctorates in STEM. In 2011, 11 percent of the workforce was black, while 6 percent of STEM workers were black, up from 2 percent in 1970. Despite educational progress over the past seven years, including climbing graduation rates and shrinking dropout rates, too many African-American students still lack access to the educational resources that offer a fair shot at success. Less than one-third of public high schools serving predominantly African-American students offer calculus. Only about 40 percent of public high schools serving predominantly African-American students offer physics. This lack of access to foundational STEM skills puts African-American students at a significant disadvantage in preparing for advanced STEM courses and careers. According to U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (2014), African-American students represent 16 percent of all high school students, but only 9 percent among students enrolled in an AP course. Moreover, of those African-American students enrolled in an AP course, only 4 percent received AP test scores that are qualified for college credit. No African-American students took the AP computer science exam in nine states.
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