Trying to bridge the grade divide in L.A. schools

The eight students walked into a room at Lincoln High School prepared to discuss an issue that many people, including some of their teachers, consider taboo.

They were blunt. Carlos Garcia, 17, an A student with a knack for math, said: "My friends, most of them say, 'You're more Asian than Hispanic.' "

"I think Carlos is Asian at heart," said Julie Loc, 17, causing Carlos to laugh good-naturedly. Asian students who get middling grades often get another response, she said.

"They say, 'Are you really Asian?' " Julie said.

"It's sad but true," said Eliseo Garcia, a 17-year-old with long rocker hair, an easy manner and good grades. "I had an Asian friend, but he didn't necessarily get that great a grades. We used to say, 'He's Mexican at heart.'

Read on to understand why Asian students generally get higher marks than Latinos.

-- Deborah Bonello in Los Angeles

Photo: Carlos Garcia, second from right, is president of the Asia Club at Lincoln High School. He is pictured here with his cabinet members during a lunch-hour meeting. Credit: Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times

Denver debates college tuition for illegal immigrants

The issue of whether illegal immigrants should receive the benefit of lower tuitions has been the subject of much debate in recent years, writes The Times' DeeDee Correll in this story. Advocates say that out-of-state rates put college out of reach for such immigrants and that children shouldn't be punished for their parents' decisions to enter the country illegally. Opponents argue that illegal immigrants should not receive the same benefits afforded legal residents.

Nowhere is that debate hotter right now than in Denver, where Mayor John Hickenlooper is making good on a pledge to pay college tuition for a group of students who've completed high school.

But the deal has soured for some students in the group: those who are illegal immigrants, writes Correll. Because they would be required by Colorado law to pay out-of-state tuition, it would cost much more to pay for their college educations.