A California classroom
Ventura County Star
February 7, 2007
letters can be sent to: letters@VenturaCountyStar.com 

In his annual State of Education address Tuesday, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell described an imaginary fourth-grade classroom that statistically reflects the population and performance of all California schoolchildren.

Of the 32 children
-- 16 are Latino
-- 9 are white
-- 3 are Asian
-- 3 are black
-- 1 is Filipino
-- 16 come from homes classified as "low-income" by federal guidelines.
-- 13 come from homes in which the primary language spoken is not English.
-- 3 have special education needs, such as developmental or physical disabilities.
Of the 16 Latino children
-- Only about 1 in 3 will be academically successful, scoring at "proficient" or above on statewide assessment tests.
-- 6 will not graduate high school.
Of the 9 white children
-- About 2 in 3 will be academically successful.
-- 2 will not graduate high school.