Andrea Gabor: How Schools Can Help In Getting an Accurate Census Count in 2020
Andrea Gabor writes here about the importance of an accurate Census in apportioning Congressional representatives and federal resources. She shows that California leads the way in relying on schools to make sure there is an accurate head count of those who live in the state.
Fears are running high that the 2020 U.S. census could result in a costly undercount in a number of states and communities. Politicians and policy makers in the parts of the country with large hard-to-count immigrant and minority populations are particularly worried.
They should be. This will be the first time that the census, carried out every 10 years, is conducted online. Court battles and funding cuts have delayed the production of backup paper forms and shortened the time for testing online portals and rural surveys. Although the courts blocked the administration’s efforts to include a citizenship question, President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and orders to round up undocumented residents may discourage many from taking part in the census.
California is especially aware of these challenges. With both vast rural areas and a large immigrant population, the nation’s most populous state faces an undercount CONTINUE READING: Andrea Gabor: How Schools Can Help In Getting an Accurate Census Count in 2020 | Diane Ravitch's blog
