Latinos must remove the current Texas political power structure for most Latino families to realize social, cultural, and economic prosperity. Texas’ poor performance in national ranking among ten major human capital investment areas has a significant effect on marginalizing, politically and socio-economically, generations of Latinos. Unless the underlying political beliefs that enable inequitable policymaking and policies are changed, Latino improvements will be inadequately slow.
Amnesty, with a human rights and cost-effective foundation, can end decades of immigrant injustice and lead to realistic immigration policy. The open borders and immigrant invasion rhetoric is a myth permeated with hate. Open immigration borders have not existed since 1920. National and Texas’s racist immigration history against Mexican Americans and Mexicans is undeniable.
NO to red-baiting private school vouchers, bigoted immigration, and anti-COVID-19 vaccination policy priorities. YES, to public school funding, teacher pay, and Medicaid Expansion.
Population, employment growth, and U.S./Mexico border business opportunities require increasing equitable capital investments in South Texas, which has a long history of policy neglect.
By Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., and Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D. • IDRA Newsletter • June – July 2023
Texas lawmakers began the legislative session with expert advice in hand from several state plans to strengthen public education by expanding student learning, addressing the teacher shortage, and improving bilingual education. Instead, lawmakers spent hours in hearings and legislating on red-meat issues, including further classroom censorship. Expert recommendations from major state plans, including the Teacher Vacancy Task Force and Emergent Bilingual Strategic Plan fell by the wayside.
Latino and Black families are being regulated to a generational and permanent underclass population status. The history of Texas’ minimalist approach to policymaking has perpetuated limited human capital investments, and unequal opportunities to achieve family bienestar1 (well- being) – real middle-class equivalency.
Latinos more than the general U.S. population believe in the American dream; however, many also believe it’s too hard to reach.1 In Texas, where less than one-half have achieved middle-class economic status, hard to reach, is an understatement – decades of political and policy barriers prove it.
Public polices matter. Laws and policies relating to taxes, education, health care, criminal justice, banking, housing and neighborhood development, environment, civic rights, etc. are a direct result of policy-making that may have positive or negative consequences. It is expected that they be fair and equitable to all. In particular, they should be responsive to human capital investment that builds social and economic opportunities and prosperity for its citizens.
The Uvalde tragedy resulted in extensive media, punditry, and political attention. Yet, has anyone asked what the children’s families and predominant Latino community want? The failed communications and understanding of their wants serve as a microcosm of what happens across Latino communities.
This study examines the relationship between school funding and access to calculus among Texas school districts. Specifically, I posit the question, does Texas school funding influence calculus enrollment?
