‘Be Californian, be counted’ in U.S. Census
Published: March 1, 2010
Since an accurate population count is essential to obtaining full funding for many government programs, local, state and federal officials hope to enlist the public school community to help get the word out: Be counted during the 2010 U.S. Census.
Local school board members, superintendents, principals, teachers and parent organizations can play an important role in conveying the message to students and their families, officials say. More than $400 billion in government funding is at stake—from Title 1, special education, college grants and loans and other education programs to public transit, transportation and community improvements that also impact schools. Representation in districts from the local level to state legislatures and Congress is also affected.
A particular problem in states with populations as diverse as California’s is getting full counts among immigrants who may fear that completing the survey form will expose them to deportation or other consequences due to their undocumented status. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that half of all California’s K–12 students have at least one parent who was born outside the United States.
For all these reasons, schools are encouraged to set aside one week by the end of March as “2010 Census in Schools Week” to help reinforce the importance of participating in the census.
Many education and outreach resources are available through state and federal Web sites. California’s “Be Californian. Be Counted” census campaign, for example, encourages community leaders to share information that can help overcome the language barriers and other obstacles that can prevent certain groups from being counted.
This year’s census features one of the shortest questionnaires in history, with 10 simple questions that take just a few minutes to answer—just names, birthdates and other limited information about each person living at a residence on April 1. Census workers will not visit homes that have returned a census survey in the mail and, by law, the details provided will not be shared with anyone—even law enforcement or other federal agencies.
Easy links: