Presidential commission urges raising Hispanic education levels Sergio Bustos
WASHINGTON -- A presidential commission on Hispanic education ended six years of work Monday by challenging the nation -- school officials, parents, students, the government and the private sector -- to raise the education level of every Hispanic student to that of every other U.S. student by 2010. Meeting that goal will be no easy feat, according to the commission's final report. Consider: -- Fewer than one in five Hispanic children under age 5 is enrolled in early childhood education programs. -- Hispanic students' scores on standardized tests are lower than other groups' scores. -- Hispanics tend to drop out of high school more often than whites or blacks. -- A majority of Hispanic undergraduates are enrolled in two-year institutions (53 percent). White and black undergraduates are mostly enrolled in four-year institutions, 56 percent and 51 percent, respectively. "It will take an unprecedented public will to reach this challenge," said the report released by the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, a group appointed by President Clinton in 1994 to examine the state of Hispanic education in America. "There must be a sense of urgency to resolve the educational achievement gap for Hispanics," the report said. That urgency stems from estimates that Hispanic children will make up 25 percent of the nation's school-age population by 2025. In California, Texas, Florida and New York, Hispanics already have reached that level, according to the report. The report was given to Education Secretary Richard Riley, who described it as a blueprint on "how all of us can get involved in improving education for Hispanic Americans." Riley warned that ignoring the needs of the nation's growing number of Hispanic students threatens the country's future prosperity. "If we help millions of (Hispanic) citizens to thrive, we will strengthen our economy," he said. Speaking at a news conference, Guillermo Linares, the commission chairman and a New York City Council member, called on the private sector, community groups, parents and others to work with the government to improve the quality of education from pre-school to post-graduate Hispanic students. Among the suggestions in the report: -- Increase the participation of Hispanic children in Head Start and pre-kindergarten programs. -- Call on Hispanic parents to encourage their children to finish high school and attend college. -- Require schools to have all students take college-prep courses. -- Encourage colleges and universities to expand recruitment efforts. Increase federal financial aid. -- Encourage the private sector to establish fellowships and internships for graduate students and create programs to help Hispanic students make the transition from school to work. Although the commission tried to present a mix of good and bad news about the progress of Hispanic Americans, the report was filled with grim numbers. For example, 30 percent of Hispanics ages 16-24 had not completed high school in 1998, far higher than for blacks (14 percent) or whites (8 percent). The commission praised the Clinton-Gore administration, especially for its $ 10 billion Hispanic Education Action Plan, but it said far more needs to be done. "While some important steps have been taken by the administration and others, the concerted national action necessary to raise this level of educational achievement (still) has not materialized," the report said. The report criticized "decision makers" for focusing on narrow issues in Hispanic education, such as bilingual education and the dropout rate. "While these issues are important, they do not capture the whole dynamic," the report said. That kind of criticism is sure to draw attention in Arizona, where a statewide ballot initiative to eliminate bilingual education -- Proposition 203 -- will be decided by voters on Nov. 7. Commission member Darlene Chavira Chavez, a former bilingual school teacher from Tucson, Ariz., said "there is no quick answer, no silver bullet" to improving education for Hispanic Americans. "Real progress takes time," she said. On the Web www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/Hispanic/, President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans |