Four Bay Area counties show the largest achievement gaps between Latino and white students on the most recent math assessments, according to a new study by The Education Trust-West.
The report, “The Majority Report: Supporting the Educational Success of Latino Students in California,” looked at this year’s state test scores to determine the achievement gap between Latino students and white students across California.
The Bay Area counties with the largest achievement gaps in math include: San Francisco (46 percentage points), Marin (44 percentage points), San Mateo (43 percentage points) and Santa Clara (43 percentage points). Researchers say the gaps in English language arts are comparable.
Researchers found the majority of public school students in California are Latino. Across Bay Area counties about one in three people under age 25 is Latino. Yet, the study uncovered there’s not a single county in the state where the majority of Latino students are proficient in math or English language arts.
A press release for the study says it “also highlights bright spots throughout the state where promising practices are helping Latino students advance academically, dispelling the myth that these gaps cannot be closed and reiterating the need for more action and urgency from state leaders.
The report concludes with a series of recommendations, recognizing that failing to offer a high-quality education to our Latino students means failing to prepare the future leaders who will fuel our state’s economy, strengthen our communities and maintain our state’s cultures, traditions and values.”
Below is a link to an interactive map created by The Education Trust-West that shows the achievement gap between Latino and white students in English language arts and math for all California counties.
