When it comes to educational challenges, the nation's 12.1 million Hispanic schoolchildren face plenty: language, poverty, lower-than-average graduation rates for high school and college, and, more recently, a wave of laws targeting illegal immigrants that has made school seem like less of a safe haven for Hispanic students in some states. Yet, as numerous researchers and policymakers point out, the economic health of the nation is tied inextricably to the educational success of this growing population. It's a matter of demographics. Latino children are the fastest-growing of the four largest racial or ethnic groups in U.S. schools. If the United States is to meet its education goals for staying economically competitive, its schools and colleges are going to have to do better by young Hispanics. With that in mind, "Education Week's Diplomas Count 2012" takes a closer look at the state of schooling for this population of students, the challenges they face, and the lessons learned from some of the schools, districts, organizations, and communities that work closely with Latino students. This special issue of "Education Week" includes the following articles: (1) Raising Latino Achievement Seen as "Demographic Imperative" (Lesli A. Maxwell); (2) Language Learning Twice as Hard for Mayan Student (Lesli A. Maxwell); (3) Ala. Immigration Law Casts Pall Over Community's Schools (Lesli A. Maxwell); (4) Native New Yorker Finds Spanish a "Lost" Skill (Lesli A. Maxwell); (5) N.J. District's Preschool Programs Draw Latinos (Lesli A. Maxwell); (6) Student Travels 3,000 Miles to Reunite With Parents (Jaclyn Zubrzycki); (7) For Many Latino Students, College Seems Out of Reach (Caralee J. Adams); (8) Dominican-Born Student Straddles Two Cultures (Jaclyn Zubrzycki); (9) Hispanic Girls Face Special Barriers on Road to College (Katherine Leal Unmuth); (10) Cuban-Born Student Readjusts to Miami's Cuban Culture (Christina A. Samuels); (11) Advice From Miami-Dade Educators: Embrace Diversity (Christina A. Samuels); (12) Guatemalan Transplant Thrives in Cross-Cultural School (Jaclyn Zubrzycki); (13) Graduation Rate Rises, Strong Gains Among Latinos (Christopher B. Swanson); (14) 44 States Now Using the Same Grad.-Rate Formula (Sterling C. Lloyd); (15) Sources & Notes; and (16) Methodology.