percent) before 2030 (Lara-Alecio, Irby, & Ebener, 1997, p. 27). National demographic data place 40 percent of all Hispanic children at the poverty level (Lara-Alecio, Irby, & Ebener, 1997, p. 27). The economic data alone on Hispanics as a group would put their children to be at risk educationally.
Economically disadvantaged families have fewer resources to devote to their children's education. This translates into fewer trips to places of general and cultural interest. In schools with economically advantaged children, the parents have exposed their children to museums and libraries; most Hispanic parents do not avail themselves of these types of resources even when they are available without cost (Baldauf, 1997, p. 2). The Hispanic parents love their children and want them to succeed but the parents have not been exposed and taught to share these places and experiences with their own children. Most parents of middle- and upper-class children read to their children often and encourage an interest in books. Libraries are a part of normal life experiences. As Anglo parents take their children on daily trips, even to the market, they parents tend to interact verbally with their children. This encourages language development. Many Hispanic children stay primarily in the home until they begin school. Many Hispanic children enter kindergarten seriously lacking in language development in any language (Lara-Alecio, Irby, & Ebener, 1997, p. 27).
In 1997, 20 percent of all students were classified as limited English proficient (LEP) or came from households where a language other than English was spoken as a first language (Lara-Alecio, Irby, and Ebener, 1997, 27). Nationally more than 40 percent of all LEP students are immigrants to the United States. In Hispanic immigrant households, Spanish is almost always the primary language and the Hispanic culture predominates. The Hispanic culture with it's emphasis on the group v...