Article in the local Radio:
The Changing Face of Texas
Educators are learning to deal with the demographic shift.
By KTRH’s John Labus
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
There are some reports around the state that Hispanic children now outnumber whites in first grade. But State Demographer Dr. Karl Eschbach says that’s old news. “A few years ago, Texas became a state that has… no numerical majority. Anglos are about 48 percent of the population now; Hispanics about 36 percent.”
The changing face of the Texas classroom is leading to changes in the curriculum. Debbie Ratcliffe at the TEA says they’re evaluating their students’ needs. “It’s true that two-plus-two is still four, but we do find that we have to… offer more bilingual classes and more English as a Second Language class, because we have so many students that speak different languages.”
And don’t kid yourself into believing it’s just Spanish. “There’s a language called Urdu - which is a Pakistani language - that’s the third most prevalent in the state. I bet most people have never heard of it.”
Ratcliffe says there are more than 120 languages spoken in Texas schools. She says the growing Hispanic population is not a result of illegal immigration, general growth in the state.
Source: NewsRadio 740 - KTRH