State investigators also found that the district violated students' Fourth Amendment rights and the rights of students with disabilities. The district agreed to five years of state monitoring.
Hispanic Serving colleges may be eligible for extra federal funds. But just as important, backers say, the Hispanic designation gives colleges a recruiting tool at a time when 51 percent of California high school graduates are Hispanic and their enrollments in higher education are increasing rapidly.
The high school graduation and college attendance rates for black, Latino, Native American and Pacific Islander young men is well below that of whites and Asians. A new study by the Education Trust-West urges barriers be lifted and more support offered for those minority male students.
Parents said they were most concerned about funding, racism and teacher quality affecting black and Latino students. Meanwhile, 89 percent of black parents and 81 percent of Latinos wanted their children to be challenged more in school.
