Transcript Slide 1

Multicultural Education:
The demographics
•
250 to 1,000 Native American languages existed in
North America before colonization; 155 survived in
the US after colonization; only 20 are currently
spoken in the US.
•
Vision of US founders: a country with a unified
history, with unified traditions, and with a common
language—strong assimilationist idea symbolized by
the “melting pot.”
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The demographics
•
1700’s to the 1880’s (19th century) : Defensive
pluralism. Maintenance of ancestral ways of life while
participating in the civil life of the nation.
•
Second half of the 19th century: instruction in
other languages than English. 600,000 children, 4%
of the elementary school population, were receiving
instruction in German. Other languages: Spanish,
Czech, French.
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The demographics
• 90% of the immigrant population during the 19th
and earlier 20th centuries was European
• Naturalization Act of 1906: Knowledge of
English became required for naturalization
• First half of the 20th century: high sense of
homogeneity resulting in Americanization of
classes
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The demographics
• 1908 survey
Inequality in education resulted in:
– Boston: 70% of White students reached high
school; 38% of the students whose home
language was not English reached high school;
– Chicago: 42% for English speakers and 18% for
non-English,
– New York 32% for English speakers and 13%
for non-English.
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The demographics
• 1911 survey:
– 28% of American-born students and 27% of
foreign-born English speakers were behind
grade level;
– 43% of foreign-born non-English speakers
were behind grade level.
5
The demographics
• The 1965 Immigration Act opened the door to
Asian immigrants
• Lau v. Nichols (1974): lead to the Equal
Educational Opportunities Act in August 1974
• Castañeda v. Pickard (1981): school district in
Raymondville, TX was charged with violating the
civil rights of minorities
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The demographics
• By 1988, nearly 95% of the population in US
spoke English, and 85% were native speakers
• 1991-1998: 7.6 million immigrants entered the
country, 75% were legal
– 74.7% from nations in Latin America (Mexico
and countries in the Caribbean)
– 30.9% from nations in Asia (China, the
Philippines, India, and Korea )
– 14.9% from nations in Europe
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The demographics
• 2000 census
– 1990-2000 population increase of 13.2% from
248, 709,873 to 281,421,906;
– 29% of the total population was comprised of
people of color (non-white)
– 50.3% population increase due to net
immigration
– Texas data of 2000 census:
http://www.txsdc.utsa.edu/download/pdf/txcensus/c2kprof00tx.pdf
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The demographics
• 2000 census
– Growth of Hispanic population (high rate of
immigration and high birth rate):
• 22.4 million in 1990 to 35.3 million in 2000
• Hispanics became the largest minority
group in the country
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The demographics: student
population
• The percentage of white students is gradually
decreasing while the population of students of
color is increasing:
– 1982, Whites made up about 73% of the
nation’s student population
– 1998, Whites made up about 63% of the
nation’s student population
– 2020, it is projected that Whites will make up
about 54.5% of the nation’s student population
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Texas Student Profile
Grades PK-12
1,894,108
1,676,987
616,050
127,092
13,791
Hispanic (44%)
White (39%)
African American (14%)
Asian (2.9%)
Native American (0.3%)
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Texas State Data Center and
Office of the State Demographer
(Dr. Steve Murdock)
The center functions as a focal point for the distribution of
census information for Texas. The Center also disseminates
population estimates and projections for Texas, as well as
other information from the federal government, state
government, and other sources.
Link to pages containing demographic data for Texas and at
the National level
http://www.txsdc.utsa.edu/
Demographic Projections
Census projections:
–Ethnic minorities –including African
Americans, American Indians and Alaska
Natives, Asian and Pacific Islanders will
surpass the White population
–The number of children in poverty is growing
in the US and it expected to continue to grow
in the future.
Demographic Projections
Census projections:
–2020, persons of Hispanic origin are
expected to make up 38% of the US
population
–2025, it is projected that Hispanics will make
up 47% of the total population in the US
http://www.txsdc.utsa.edu/presentations/