Lavinia Floca

Multicultural Education
2
nd
Year
New Mexico
Population
- according to the United States Census Bureau, 1.5 o! the "o"ulation is
Multiracial#Mi$ed-%ace&
- in 2''( )e* Me$ico had the highest "ercentage +,5- o! .is"anics +o! an/ race- o!
an/ state, *ith (0 o! this native-1orn and 12 !oreign-1orn&
- the 3a4orit/ o! .is"anics in )e* Me$ico clai3 a S"anish ancestr/, es"eciall/ in the
northern "art o! the state& these "eo"le are the descendants o! S"anish colonists *ho
arrived during the 15th, 12th, and 1(th centuries& the state also has a large )ative
63erican "o"ulation, second in "ercentage 1ehind that o! 6las7a&
- according to the United States Census Bureau8s 2''592''( 63erican Co33unit/
Surve/ 0-Year Esti3ate, )e* Me$ico8s "o"ulation *as 1,:52,225;
- the nu31er o! )e* Me$icans o! di!!erent single races *as< =hite, 1,025,00, +2'.1-&
Blac7, ,0,:01 +2.2-& 63erican >ndian or 6las7an )ative, 1(2,105 +:.0-& 6sian,
25,252 +1.,-, )ative .a*aiian or ?aci!ic >slander, (5, +'.1-, and 220,22( +1,.'- o!
so3e other race.
- according to the 2''' United States Census,5 the 3ost co33onl/ clai3ed ancestr/
grou"s in )e* Me$ico *ere< S"anish +1(.2-, Me$ican +15.0-, 63erican >ndian
+1'.0-, and @er3an +:.(-
Languages
- according the 2''' U.S. Census, 2(.25 o! the "o"ulation aged 5 and older s"ea7
S"anish at ho3e, *hile ,.'2 s"ea7 )ava4o. S"ea7ers o! )e* Me$ican S"anish dialect
are 3ainl/ descendants o! S"anish colonists *ho arrived in )e* Me$ico in the 15th, 12th
and 1(th centuries.
1
- the original state constitution o! 1:12 "rovided !or a 1ilingual govern3ent *ith la*s
1eing "u1lished in 1oth English and S"anish& this reAuire3ent *as rene*ed t*ice, in
1:01 and 1:,0& nonetheless, the constitution does not declare an/ language as Bo!!icialB&
*hile S"anish *as "er3itted in the legislature until 1:05, all state o!!icials are reAuired to
have a good 7no*ledge o! English& there!ore so3e argue that )e* Me$ico cannot 1e
considered a 1ilingual state as not all la*s are "u1lished in 1oth languages&
- others clai3 that the state *as o!!iciall/ 1ilingual until 1:50& in either case, .a*aii is
the onl/ state that re3ains o!!iciall/ 1ilingual in the 21st centur/.

-*ith regards to the 4udiciar/, *itnesses have the right to testi!/ in either o! the t*o
languages, and 3onolingual s"ea7ers o! S"anish have the sa3e right to 1e considered !or
4ur/-dut/ as do s"ea7ers o! English& in "u1lic education, the state has the constitutional
o1ligation to "rovide !or 1ilingual education and S"anish-s"ea7ing instructors in school
districts *here the 3a4orit/ o! students are his"ano"hone&
Education
-according to Che )e* Me$ico >nde"endent ne*s"a"er, schools in )e* Me$ico are large
and there!ore education is not "ro"erl/ "rovided to children&
-the @overnor;s o!!ice has not 1een su""ortive regarding education re!or3s that actuall/
*or7& 5' o! the children !ail to graduate&
- Bill Curner, director o! an educational !oundation in )e* Me$ico, suggests drasticall/
reduce ad3inistrative sta!!, i3"le3ent vocational education !or students not destined !or
college, i3"le3ent "a/ !or "er!or3ance, introduce co3"etition a3ong schools&
- one essential re!or3 is to 3a7e )e* Me$ico;s "u1lic schools s3aller& decades o!
inde"endent research have sho*n that s3aller schools have signi!icantl/ higher
graduation rates and i3"rove the acade3ic "er!or3ance o! students !ro3 the 3ost
disadvantaged 1ac7grounds& this should co3e as no sur"rise, since s3aller schools
"rovide 3ore "ersonaliDed educational environ3ents, *here students are 7no*n 1/
teachers and 1/ one another, and *here it is 3uch 3ore di!!icult !or students to !all
through the crac7s& +s3aller schools are also 3uch sa!er, *ith !ar !e*er violent incidents
"er ca"ita-& /et des"ite the research sho*ing that high schools should 1e no larger than
a1out :'' students, t*o-thirds o! )e* Me$ico;s ninth graders currentl/ enter high
schools *ith 3ore than 1,''' students&
2
-along *ith their acade3ic 1ene!its, the research sho*s that s3aller schools are no 3ore
e$"ensive to 1uild or o"erate on a "er-student 1asis& i! one loo7s at the construction cost
o! schools 1uilt in )e* Me$ico over the "ast several /ears, one !inds that there is no
correlation *ith school siDe 9 in other *ords, it cost no 3ore "er student to 1uild the
s3allest schools than it did to 1uild the largest schools& o"erationall/, s3aller schools
save 3one/ 1ecause the/ have lo*er ad3inistrative, trans"ortation, and securit/ costs& in
this ti3e *hen 1oth the educational s/ste3 and the econo3/ are in crisis, s3aller schools
are a re!or3 that can i3"rove student outco3es *ithout increasing costs&
- in 2''(, a )e* Me$ico senator s"onsored a 1ill to do 4ust that, *hich "assed the Senate
2(-11 1e!ore running out o! ti3e in the .ouse&
-)e* Me$ico;s school districts have alread/ 1egun to ta7e s3all ste"s to*ard increasing
access to s3aller schools, such as through the develo"3ent o! the ne* Earl/ College
.igh School in Las Cruces and the )e$gen 6cade3/ in 6l1uAuerAue, 1oth ca""ed at
!e*er than 5'' students&
0