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Podcasts Take Two
Minority students are the new majority in America's public schools
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Jun 10, 2016
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Minority students are the new majority in America's public schools
In 2014, public school students of color outnumbered non-Hispanic white students for the first time. Public school teachers, though, are still 80 percent white.
Kindergarteners sing a song to learn parts of the body in Spanish. The school was founded by principal Marcos Aguilar, a former Chicano activist and public school teacher.
Kindergarteners sing a song to learn parts of the body in Spanish. The school was founded by principal Marcos Aguilar, a former Chicano activist and public school teacher.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)

In 2014, public school students of color outnumbered non-Hispanic white students for the first time. Public school teachers, though, are still 80 percent white.

There's a new majority in America's public schools.

In 2014, students of color outnumbered non-Hispanic white students for the first time in public school classrooms.

It's a demographic shift that's outpaced changes taking place in the general U.S. population. And it stands in stark contrast to the demographic makeup of the teacher workforce, which is 80 percent white.

So how to bridge the gap?

A new collaboration from Slate and The Teacher Project at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism is examining the impact of this new majority-minority makeup of public schools.

It's a series called "Tomorrow's Test: Race in America's Schools" that focuses on stories from 11 cities, including Los Angeles.

Joining Take Two to discuss: