Hispanics

Since the first charter school opened in the late 1980s, more than 4,000 have been established. The charter school movement is not without its critics, of course, and some argue that an approach that works in one area may bring about different results in another.

Between 1970 and 1997, Hispanics in South Los Angeles increased from 10% of the population to approximately 50%. During the same period, 300,000 manufacturing jobs were lost and replaced by low-wage positions held by immigrants. At the same time, small businesses shifted from African-Americans to Latinos and Asians. After tensions erupted in widespread violence in 1992, incidents have continued between Latinos, African-Americans and other ethnic groups.

The Hispanic population in the United States grew from 35.3 million in the 2000 Census to 46.9 million (or 15.4% of the total population) in 2008.  Of these, 62% are native born while 38% are foreign born. Historically, Hispanic participation in the census has been lower than other groups. In 2000, their return rate was 69%, compared to 79% for non-Hispanic households. This lead the Census Bureau to dedicate 20% of its ad budget on awareness campaigns aimed at Hispanics.

In an increasingly digital economy, those who keep pace with technology will have an advantage in the job market, as the 21st century workforce draws more on tools such as file-sharing, video conferencing and social networking.