A new Pew Hispanic Center study finds California is one of two states educating the majority of Latino students in the U.S. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
The report shows Latino school kids now make-up almost half of the student population in California public schools. And experts predict they'll be the majority in just a few more years.
Texas is the only other state with such large numbers.
Researcher Richard Fry says the rest of the country will look to these two states in figuring out the best way to teach Hispanic students.
He says while most speak English, they don't speak it very well.
Fry:
A significant number, one in five (Hispanic students), is struggling to learn English. They're the growing group. And so there is going to continue to be a need for a growing number of resources and more teachers devoted to helping students master English.
Fry says income also plays a factor as more Latino students come from poor families. He says schools also need to understand Latino students come from a wide variety of Spanish speaking countries and cultures.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
