(Guest Post by Matthew Ladner)
So how did my English to Spanish translator website do? I studied French while a student, which has come in handy about three times in my life, and may never do so again.
But I digress. The chart here ranks states by the percentage of low-income Hispanic students scoring “Below Basic” on the 4th grade NAEP reading exam in 2011.
Like any of these reincarnation charts, there are any number of factors to bear in mind. Some states have more ELL students than others, generational effects are important, and Hispanics are far from monolithic.
Nevertheless, isn’t it interesting that Oregon yet again makes an appearance in the hall of shame. Last time I visited, Oregon was way up in the Pacific Northwest and far from the southern border.
Now that the mandatory Oregon mocking is complete, let’s talk serious business: California is a disaster. The sheer size and low scores of the California Hispanic population ought to be a national concern. While it is fun to poke at Oregon for a being even worse than California, California’s Hispanic population is a sea to Oregon’s pond.
Matters are far better in Texas, the home of the second vast Hispanic population in America, but still very much in need of improvement.
California and Texas educate more than half the nation’s Hispanics, almost 5.5 million students. We need California to wake up, and for Texas to step up.
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