Education

The high school graduation rate in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 83 percent in the 2014-2015 school year, President Obama announced today, marking the fifth straight record-setting year.

Achievement gaps have narrowed even as all boats have risen. Graduation rates range from 90 percent for students who identify as Asian/Pacific Islanders to 64 percent for students with disabilities.

Jack Greenberg, one of the lawyers who argued the landmark Supreme Court case that ended federal tolerance of racial segregation in schools, died Wednesday. He was 91.

Greenberg was a giant of the Civil Rights era. He argued 40 cases before the nation's highest court, fighting against segregation, employment discrimination and the death penalty.

As Thurgood Marshall began a career on the federal bench that would eventually take him to the Supreme Court, he hand-picked Greenberg to take his place as the second director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Latinos are by far the fastest growing chunk ofthe U.S. school population. A new report by the National Council of La Raza gives a fascinating snapshot of this fast-growing population.

Here are some highlights:

Demographics

• Over the last 15 years, Latino enrollment has significantly outpaced that of whites and African-Americans.
• Latinos under the age of 18 now total 18.2 million, a 47 percent jump since 2000.