Hispanics make up about 16% of the students in Texas schools, but many of them are not doing well in school. There are low test scores and high drop-out rates. Because of this, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the GI Forum filed suit against the state of Texas. They were hoping to force Texas public schools to improve education for its Hispanic students.
But on Monday, they lost that case. A federal judge ruled that Texas' bi-lingual education programs complied with federal law. This means that Texas can continue teaching Hispanics like they have been doing, and improvements in that education will not be mandated.
I wish the ruling had been different, but I do not hold that judge responsible. The federal judge was the Honorable William Wayne Justice (pictured above). Judge Justice has a long record of upholding civil rights, including the desegregation of housing and schools. He has defended immigrant rights and prisoners' rights. He has insured voting rights, and he has always upheld the Constitution. Judge Justice has always been a friend of the downtrodden and the powerless.
The judge did not say the education for Hispanics in Texas should not be improved. Anyone with half a brain can see that it needs to be improved. What he said was that the current system complies with our inadequate federal laws.
Maybe it is time to push for better laws on the federal level, so that we can truly "leave no student behind".
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