The most recent California statewide school test results show improvement can be made but, at the same time, reinforce the urgent need to make fundamental changes so that academic achievement progress across all races is truly significant.

Among the good news, the achievement gap between white and minority students is gradually shrinking. The bad news is that, if the positive trend between 2003 and 2009 continues at the same pace, we will need 105 years to close the achievement gap between Latinos and whites. In other words, progress at this pace is completely unacceptable.

The reasons behind this gap start years before children first go to school. Not all students begin at the same starting point. Research concludes that preschool, for example, is a determining factor in building a solid foundation for future learning. How sad to recognize the critical importance of preschool at the very time that cuts in the state’s budget are limiting access to this education for low-income communities.

Healthcare, nutrition and the family’s financial situation are other contribuiting factors outside of the classroom that play an important role in student success. These very factors were highlighted as having an impact on dropout rates by the Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence, Juan Sepúlveda, during a La Opinion interview.

Programs such as Head Start, Early Head Start, Migrant Head Start and Even Start Family Literacy are essential for leveling the playing field as children begin their schooling.

Once in school, students deserve the quality education recieved from small classroom size, longer sessions, qualified teachers, more parental involvement, and access to tutors and technology. Schools must assume their responsibility for the education of these young people.

The time is over for cosmetic changes and band-aid approaches to a failed system. That is why we support the expansion of charter schools and other innovations. While it is true that test results were not much better in Locke High or those schools under the mayor’s Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, we believe it is too early for any conclusions to be drawn about these cases. Schools deemed to fail need time for 180-degree turnaround.

Latino students face several challenges: many are English learners, often they are the first in their families to seek formal education, and widespread economic disparities are reflected in the quality of the schools they attend.

It is undeniable that we need to invest more in teachers, facilities and school capacities. However, without fundamental reforms to our educational system, it will take a century for Latinos to close the gap. We cannot wait 100 years!