TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

The fastest growing demographic in Kern County schools -- Hispanics -- continue to lag behind their white counterparts at school, boding ill not only for themselves but economic growth generally.

The track record of one local high school shows it doesn't have to be that way. In the latest example of the achievement gap, Kern High School District Hispanics scored an average 644 on the Academic Performance Index, 38 points lower than the district average, and 69 points less than the state average for all students.

The gap's been cut in half since 2002, but it has been hovering between 37 and 45 points over the last three years.

The disparity in scores is a concern, as Hispanics make up 56 percent of students in the district (second-place whites make up 29 percent). And by 2050, Hispanics are projected to account for 58 percent of the county's total population, up from 45 percent today.

"It's tragic," George Cushman, Hispanic College Fund vice president, said of also-low degree-attainment rates for Latinos. "We're creating a vacuum; how do we replace the outgoing talent pool if the incoming one isn't getting degrees?"

Why it matters

Of the 20 jobs in the state with the greatest projected growth, only three require less than a four-year degree, according to the Postsecondary Education Commission.

One of the first things companies ask about when they consider locating in Kern is how many kids go to college, said John Emery, dean of CSUB's School of Business and Public Administration.

Kern County has been fortunate because many of the industries that have come here -- warehousing companies, for example -- don't require skilled labor or advanced degrees, said Richard Chapman, president of the Kern Economic Development Corp. "But those will decrease as automation and technology increases, and they only need skilled people," Chapman said.

The growing health care job sector grew 5 percent last year. Health care brings more jobs that require an AA, undergraduate or graduate degree, and the people who get degrees to work in health will not only move up the ladder quicker but "have much more control over their destiny," Chapman said.

Multiple variables account for the gap including an ingrained social structure and economic hardships that put work ahead of long-term education goals, said Jacqueline Hughes, chair of the teacher education department at Cal State Bakersfield.

Culture change

West High's Academic Performance Index scores show the gap can close. A decade ago Hispanics were 62 points behind the school API average. Today it's two points.

West instituted a freshman academy so high-risk students get more attention. Repeating freshman numbers dropped from 135 to 88 this year, said Principal Dean McGee.

The school attacked low-literacy rates by implementing two specialized reading programs. And every day there's a school-wide "drop everything and read for 15 minutes."

Swaying attitudes toward a culture of success is one of the most important parts of the achievement gap solution, McGee said. After getting scores up he's pushing students to think beyond "these valley walls" and go to college.

"Teachers can work to the bone, but if kids don't want to do better, it's hard to get kids to move," he said.

West will roll out a program called Viking Gold that will offer special privileges -- such as invitations to rallies and express lunch passes -- for students who score proficient on at least two sections of the state STAR tests, or show specific improvement year-to-year in class.

The key is having teachers work one-on-one with students to set specific learning goals. West added streaming media and Smartboards in every classroom to support kids who "hit the wall" in chemistry and advance algebra classes.

West's college-going strategy appears to be working.

The number of its seniors eligible to attend California's public four-year colleges doubled in four years, to 25 percent in 2008. Even more impressive was the Hispanic rate, which jumped from 10 percent to 26 percent.

Only Stockdale and Liberty high schools have a higher four-year rate for Hispanics in KHSD.

McGee expects 29 percent of this year's senior class at West to graduate eligible for the four-year colleges.

The gap among black students is not closing at West, though. Blacks represent about 7 percent of the district.