Why aren’t more Latinos, Blacks taking high school AP courses?

Editor s Note This article was written for Mosaic an independent journalism training project for high school students who description and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists Prospect High School in Saratoga has a large Latino population but that s not reflected in the demographics of its Advanced Placement classes Walking into Prospect a participant would see a multitude of cultural club posters stuck on walls strings full of country flags hung up during multicultural week and students of various ethnicities roaming around campus Yet there is one place devoid of this diversity AP classrooms Fiona Aman who graduated from Prospect in June stated she felt like various of her classmates would act like she shouldn t be in AP classes It s not necessarily just because I m a person of color because it s happened from other people of color but I was the only Black person in that class Aman reported According to the - Prospect school profile about of the school is Hispanic Input provided by Prospect Assistant Principal Evan Carter shows out of the students who take AP classes at Prospect only are Hispanic translating to only of AP students Black students make up of Prospect s general population and about of AP students Even with a smaller margin of difference Aman noted she struggled to feel accepted by her peers in advanced classes Source Prospect High School Credit Mosaic This might just be a matter of not knowing me I guess Aman explained But when we re in a group project I ve heard them say I don t want her in my group Prince Barfield Cruz who graduated from Prospect High School in June took four AP classes at Prospect Similar to Aman she was often the only Latino trainee in her AP classes It s people who have these like pre-beliefs and it s kind of hard to work around that Barfield Cruz declared She stated she s been petitioned what she is doing in a class and has faced remarks about being Mexican It s a joke until it s like why were you inclined to say that Barfield Cruz disclosed Barfield Cruz explained students would question when she got an answer right and she worked hard to prove to them she was at their level throughout the year Even then she wishes her peers understood how hard she works to make a good impression I m not just me Barfield Cruz mentioned I hold a cultural background and I am representing the people at this school especially Hispanic people Former Campbell Union High School District Assistant Superintendent German Cerda declared making sure every learner no matter their socioeconomic background felt accepted and supported in advanced classes was a challenge The district works to get more women low-income students and underrepresented minorities in AP classes especially for science innovation engineering and mathematics STEM courses The district started initiatives including audits on demographics and interviewing students about their experiences It even received a grant from Google to backing more initiatives Related Articles The Filipino legacy of Pinoytown in San Jose Opinion Dear Hollywood stop with the sequels already Cuts to science grants force San Jose researchers participant to scramble Making hoops affordable Don t let the duct-taped jerseys fool you Bay Area Sikhs seeking mental robustness aid battle weakness stigma We want to see representation Cerda mentioned who is now superintendent of Alum Rock Union School District If there are of students of color then there should be in those classes Cerda notes he thinks imposter syndrome and feeling that they don t belong is why students choose not to take AP classes Barfield Cruz mentioned she thinks access to materials stands in the way of more Hispanic students from taking AP It s a language barrier and cultural difference Barfield Cruz reported If it weren t for the people I hang out with I wouldn t have known to take these classes or what they have to offer She thinks having more AP tools in Spanish and reaching out to other communities within the school will encourage more students to take those classes I think it would be great for these students to realize what the school has to offer and take advantage Barfield Cruz stated Because even if they don t want to pursue higher schooling AP has so much to offer Riya Minglani was a member of the class of at Prospect High School in Saratoga