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Demographic change regularly gets discussed as one of those big, inevitable, structural currents reshaping American life. It鈥檚 been clear for some years that the United States is becoming more diverse 鈥� driven particularly by growth in America鈥檚 Latino population. 

Some sift through these data and conclude that the U.S鈥檚 growing diversity is sure to deliver an 鈥溾�� for progressive politicians. At the same time, fret that these trends are fated to generate anxious, 鈥� even ethno-nationalist 鈥� political backlash from blue-collar, white (generally non-Latino) Americans. 

But comparatively few have approached the demographic facts as an opportunity to be engaged, or as a situation to be managed. After all, if these trends are as certain as the tides, what is left to be done? This is a mistake 鈥� and an abdication of our obligation as citizens in a self-governing democracy. This growing diversity presents schools with a major opportunity to rectify long-standing inequities and reform themselves to help Latino students build on the strengths that they bring to campus.聽

suggest that U.S. schools now enroll more than twice as many Latino students as they did in 1995. Indeed, the data suggest that, by 2030, Latinos will make up roughly 30% of all public school enrollment. This should spur schools and policymakers to action, since research suggests that these students bring and 鈥� 鈥� some of the country鈥檚 .

As , 鈥淲ith the ability to navigate across and between cultural and linguistic differences, Latino students bring a multitude of talents and assets that make our schools 鈥� and our country 鈥� stronger.鈥� However, U.S. schools have a checkered history of recognizing and valuing that potential. 

American public schools have historically Latino students from of other racial or ethnic backgrounds through a variety of overt and covert methods. This isn鈥檛 just a problem from the distant past. English learners, who are disproportionately likely to be Latino, are currently the student group most likely to attend . And, as the UnidosUS report makes clear, schools have particularly struggled to adequately support children of these backgrounds throughout the pandemic. This echoes a of finding English learners and were often left out of schools鈥� pandemic learning efforts.

In sum, it is far from clear that American public schools are prepared to provide all Latino students with high-quality learning opportunities in this era of new and growing student diversity. These trends have been building for years, and Latinos have faced inequities in American public education for generations. They will face versions of these injustices next fall. They will almost assuredly still be facing them in 2030 (and beyond). 

This will necessarily be a complex project, as American Latinos are profoundly diverse. Latinos in Chicago are , while Latinos in D.C. are . Latinos in Miami are more likely to have ancestry, though many in the community . And Latinos are , encompassing groups of people who identify as ethnically Latino but also racially white, Black or some other identity. While , others speak English, both languages, Portuguese, or one of a panoply of Central American languages. 

From to to to to to to to , Latino diversity shows up in myriad ways throughout the culture of the United States. Latinos have long been at the vanguard of improving American soccer and lists of all-time great Major League Baseball players are stacked with Latino players from , the , , , and (to say nothing of Latino stars in the and ). 

As such, while policies aimed at improving English learners education in the US are necessary to helping more Latinos succeed (), neither are they sufficient for expanding opportunities to the full range of Latino students. What else can we do? 

For one, policymakers at all levels should prioritize diversifying the teaching force in their communities 鈥� and across the country. A recent Urban Institute study from Texas confirms that from having some teachers who share their identities. Specifically, that Latino students who had Latino teachers in elementary school had higher academic achievement, better behavior and better high school graduation rates. 

Meanwhile, current teacher training, credentialing and licensure systems are broadly ineffective at producing highly effective teacher candidates, but are reliable at reducing the linguistic, cultural and racial/ethnic diversity of the teaching force. Fortunately, there is that alternative certification programs such as district-driven 鈥済row-your-own鈥� programs, teacher apprenticeships and residencies, and other fellowship programs are generally effective at diversifying local teacher training pipelines.

And as policymakers commit to teacher diversity, they should pay particular attention to linguistic diversity. Research suggests that EL children 鈥� 鈥� gain from enrolling in schools that provide them with bilingual instruction. Yet, these programs are relatively rare, with nowhere near enough supply to meet demand, particularly in light of . Most communities won鈥檛 be able to grow access to bilingual 鈥� or integrated dual language immersion 鈥� programs . 

Finally, education leaders should prioritize young English-learning children as they invest in early education programs. While there is ample evidence that early education programs are universally beneficial for children and families, research indicates that . Further, show a for . 

Of course there鈥檚 more that can be done beyond these three big proposals: diversify the teaching force, ensure that Latino children have widespread access to bilingual education and prioritize enrolling these children in early education programs. But this simple agenda would go a long way towards rectifying long-standing educational inequities and preparing U.S. public schools to deliver on the newly diverse demographics already arriving at its doors.

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