US: More Minority Students Enrolled In Maryland's Schools

[Harold Schiffman]

More Minority Students Enrolled In Md.'s Schools
Gigi Barnett BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
The look of Maryland schools is changing.  For the first time,non-white students now outnumber white students.  As Gigi Barnettexplains, school leaders are expecting the trend to continue. For twodecades, Nancy Fink has watched the diversity of Dumbarton MiddleSchool in Baltimore County grow from a nearly all white school tostudents of almost every race, religion and creed. "We have 48languages and children from about 40 countries," Fink said. It's thelook of Maryland schools.  For the first time, the number of non-whitestudents enrolled has outpaced the number of white students.
Statewide, black students make up 38%, Hispanic students account foreight percent and Asian-American students about six percent.  At 52%,that's more than half of enrollment. "Expect more and therefore, we aseducators expect more," Fink said. Dumbarton has English classes forstudents who need to learn the language and the language barrierhasn't affected the school's test scores. State School SuperintendentDr. Nancy Grasmick says the key is total submersion into mainstreamclassroom.
"When you practice a language, you acquire it much more quickly, sothe opportunity to be in a situation where you're speaking English issuch a reinforcement," Grasmick said. Garrett County is the onlyschool district with 99% white enrollment.
http://wjz.com/seenon/students.school.education.2.621492.html
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