Ideas Emerging

Over at Facing South, Chris Kromm writes about a new study from the National Center for Education Statistics.

The report charts trends in public schools from 1972 to 2005, when the latest data is available.

Here are some highlights on the changing racial trends in schools:

* Nationally, 42% of public school students were considered part of a racial or ethnic minority group in 2005, an increase from 22% of students in 1972. The growth of Latino students has been the biggest factor in this increase.

* 47% of the South’s K-12 public school students are now “ethnic/racial minorities,” up from 30% (mostly African-American) in 1972. The West is the only more diverse region, with 54% students of color.

* While the West has the highest number of students identified as “Hispanic” (37%), the South has seen the fastest growth: the proportion of Latino students has more than tripled in the South from 1972 to 2005, from 5% to over 18%.

As Kromm notes, the study doesn’t look at demographics from private schools — which skews things a bit — but no matter how you look at that overall data, it’s pretty clear that the implications are going to be big. For me, the most interesting changes will come in politics and culture. How will these kids vote when they come of age? What will they think about education and immigration? How will they feel about taxes and religion? In what ways will they be different from their parents? I’m convinced that the answers to those questions will have a lot to do with the future direction of our region.

– mc