Black and Latino parents worried about funding disparities in schools, poll finds
*Why you should read this: Because it dispels the myth that Latino parents aren’t concerned with their children’s education. Because it’s been a prevailing belief for too long. VL
By Larry Gordon, EdSource (4 minute read) 
Black and Latino parents nationwide are convinced that racially based disparities in funding hurt their children’s education and want their youngsters to be more challenged academically, according to a new survey by a civil rights organization.
The national poll sponsored by the Leadership Conference Education Fund found that 90 percent of African-American parents and 57 percent of Latinos think that K-12 schools in their minority communities receive less funding than schools in white areas.
Responding to poll questions, 67 percent of black parents and caregivers and 56 percent of Latinos ranked lack of funding and limited access to resources and technology as the most important reason for racial differences in school quality. Racism was ranked as the second most important cause, although African-American parents were much more concerned than Latinos about it. Both groups ranked “lower teacher quality” as the third most important factor.
The survey, named the New Education Majority Poll, showed a strong desire for strengthened teaching and learning: 89 percent of blacks and 81 percent of Latinos wanted their children to be challenged more in school, and large majorities wanted more opportunities to take Advanced Placement courses and more classes in science, math and technology.
National Pre-K and Early Learning Evaluation Center