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This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by editorial page staff and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Cash Alone Can't Fix Latino Education Crisis



      If there's one constant when there's a crisis, it's that someone wants to throw money — usually your money — at it in the name of a fix. The latest is the “education crisis” — make that “catastrophe” — facing New Mexico's Hispanic students.
       There's no question those students are being underserved and undereducated when compared to their Anglo counterparts. According to the state, just 50.2 percent of Hispanic students in the class of 2008 graduated within four years, compared to 64.1 percent of Anglo students. In Albuquerque Public Schools, only 39 percent of Hispanic students graduated on time compared to 58.8 percent of Anglo students.
       Unfortunately, the No. 1 recommendation from the Latino/Hispano Education Improvement Taskforce to address the achievement gap is to plug holes with money via federal stimulus cash. This, in a state that already spends $2.4 billion a year on education — more than two-fifths of the state's main budget account. This, in a state that has schools like APS' Rio Grande High, with a 91 percent Hispanic student body, nearly $1 million a year in extra funding and a 36.4 percent graduation rate.
       The task force's No. 3 proposal should have been its top priority, but it is nowhere as easy as allocating cash. That reform calls for getting the Latino community to re-engage with schools and take ownership of its children's education. That's sound advice for all ethnicities.
       And it should be heeded, as should replicating success stories from small districts such as Questa Independent Schools, with a 91 percent Hispanic student population and an 83 percent graduation rate.
       Unfortunately, the achievement gap is nothing new. Neither is throwing money at a problem. But all of New Mexico's taxpayers, parents and students deserve a new, real recommendation for a solution.
       

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