Cruz smiles and calls on him to answer. His large brown eyes look up, then down. Then his face turns noticeably earnest. Jesus's parents are from El Salvador, and his family speaks Spanish at home. Those are really good words for him to know.
Research shows that poverty is often an indicator of a child's academic performance.
Although the classes are not mandatory, Superintendent Robert G. Smith hopes to one day make them available to all at-risk youngsters. As school systems across the region work harder on such efforts, some parents of non-minority students have expressed concern that spending for those programs may leave less money for other educational priorities. School officials in Alexandria and Arlington said they rarely hear such complaints from parents, but when they do, they stress the long-term importance of the programs. We hope . . . It's shortsighted to do otherwise.