Hispanics Achieving Educational Excellence

a report to the 

President of the United States, 

the Secretary of Education, 

and the Nation

by

the President’s Advisory Commission 

on Educational Excellence 

for Hispanic Americans

1

wi l l c r e a t i n g the
2

PRESIDENT’S ADV ISORY COMMISSION 

ON EDUC AT IONAL EXCEL L ENCE 

FOR HISPA NIC AMERIC A NS

By the year 2025, Hispanic children will make up 25 percent of the school-age population.

In the nation’s largest states—California, Texas, Florida, and New York—Hispanics alre a d y

have reached that level. Addressing the educational needs of the fastest growing 

community in the United States—the Hispanic community—is vital to our national interest. 

Ensuring that Hispanics achieve educational excellence is in the interest of all

Americans. As their numbers grow, Hispanics will continue to become a more significant

presence in school and college classrooms and in our workplaces. The academic success of the new wave of students entering our classrooms is vital to the nation’s economic well-being and enriches our cultural and linguistic resources as a nation. As

school improvement efforts continue to focus on increasing achievement for all our young

people, to fail this growing percentage of our students would be to undermine these

efforts to improve education as a whole.

Since 1990, both Republican and Democratic administrations demonstrated their understanding of this fact by signing executive orders focused on improving educational

excellence for Hispanics. With each executive order, a Presidential Advisory Commission

was established, supported by a White House Initiative staff housed in the U.S.

Department of Education and reporting to the White House, the Secretary of Education,

and the nation.

In 1994, President Clinton signed Executive Order 12900 and appointed the curre n t

Commission. During our tenure as commissioners, our nation has recognized that to

keep America strong, we must provide all children—including Hispanic childre n —

with a high-quality education. To do so, the Clinton administration has crafted a significant federal leadership role that extends beyond contributing federal dollars. This

administration—and we, as the Pre s i d e n t ’s Advisory Commission—have worked to

engage the general public about this need by highlighting what is re q u i red to

i m p rove the educational achievement of Hispanic youth. The commission gratefully

acknowledges the Pre s i d e n t ’s support for its work and for the freedom we were given

to pursue a powerful agenda on behalf of Hispanic children. 

In fulfilling our responsibility as a commission, we produced our first report, Our Nation

on the Faultline: Hispanic American Education. Released in 1996, the report presented

data, research findings, and a wealth of information collected in town hall meetings held

across the country. The report documented the exponential demographic growth of

Hispanics in America and described both the serious shortcomings of the education 

system in serving Hispanic Americans and the resulting educational achievement gap.

The commission issued a call to action urging local, state, and federal policy makers to

take deliberate and immediate steps to improve the educational achievement of

Hispanics and thereby pull this country back from a dangerous educational faultline. 
This report is not the last word on what 

concerns Hispanic Americans. On the contrary,

this report is just the beginning. 

—Our Nation on the Faultline: Hispanic American Education, 

President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, 1996

Four years have passed since we released our initial report, and while some important

steps have been taken by the administration and others, still the concerted national

action necessary to raise this level of educational achievement has not materialized.

What we need is people in every sector at every level addressing the needs of Hispanic

students as they work to support a quality education for all children. 

We have witnessed local activities and eff o rts, and, at the federal level, seven years of an

administration committed to addressing educational excellence for all children. People

a c ross the country — p a rents, students, educators, community activists, elected off i c i a l s ,

business leaders, foundation officers, and federal government re p re s e n t a t i v e s — h a v e

responded with action and have asked how else they can take re s p o n s i b i l i t y. Much has

been accomplished, but there is still much to do. There must be a sense of urgency to

resolve the educational achievement gap for Hispanics. Small, incremental impro v e m e n t s

will not be enough. Hispanics’ population growth and educational achievement gap

re q u i re quantum leaps rather than small improvements. Local, state, and national leaders

must fully commit themselves to the task.

The first step to closing that gap is to believe, as I do,

that high expectations are for all students. I believe

intelligence is equally distributed throughout the world,

but opportunity is not. And the same is true within our

own country.

–President William J. Clinton, White House Strategy Session 

on Improving Hispanic Student Achievement, 15 June 2000

In our own response, the commission has chosen to go beyond the multifaceted

recommendations presented in our first re p o rt and to lay out a more targeted plan

of action. To this end, the Pre s i d e n t ’s Commission on Educational Excellence for

Hispanic Americans challenges the nation to meet the following:

Raise the educational performance of all Hispanic 

students to the same level of achievement 

as other students in America by the year 2010.

What will it take for our nation to respond to this critical challenge? It will take recognition of

the problem; proven actions that will close the achievement gap; replication on a larg e r

scale of effective practices and solutions; high expectations; targeted technical assistance;

and a determination that Hispanic children deserve the very best this country has to off e r.

It will take unprecedented public will to reach this challenge.

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But how do we create the will—individual and political—to address the needs of this

g rowing population in the United States? The commission has struggled with this

question, and in our eff o rt to support and motivate partners nationwide, we have

sought to model the practices we believe must proliferate across the country. We

know the Hispanic community’s assets as well as its needs in education, and we

know what works to improve Hispanic students’ educational achievement. We are

convinced that emphasizing academic achievement and focusing on the dramatic

results achieved by students, families, schools, and communities that have high

expectations for all Hispanic students are key to reaching the challenge.

We can create the will by searching out and connecting people who take re s p o n s i b i l i t y

for this challenge; by bringing attention to Hispanic success; by supporting and

expanding those eff o rts; by re i n f o rcing people’s commitment; by acknowledging their

work; by balancing our attention on unmet needs as well as success; and by re f u s i n g

to accept failure. The challenge must be met. We have been privileged during these

past seven years to meet people who do this every day. Their numbers are gro w i n g .

This re p o rt is off e red to those who stand ready and willing to act and is intended to challenge

the reticent to act now. The commission offers a targeted plan of action that addresses early

childhood through graduate and professional education. It will take the collective commitment

and concentrated action of every sector to raise the educational achievement of all Hispanic

students to the same level of excellence as other students in America by 2010.

Accepting this challenge begins with recognizing the many talents Hispanic students

bring to the classroom. Parents, students, teachers, school administrators, elected 

officials, community activists, business leaders, foundation officials, and government 

re p resentatives, all must be active leaders in meeting this challenge. With the collaboration

of these partners, we will demand accountability by the educational system and the 

students it serves. We will provide safe and well-built schools with access to technology;

academically strong teachers who believe in the future of all their students; classwork that

p rovides students with the reading, math, and science skills that pre p a re them for higher

education and the workforce; and information on accessing and affording higher education.

We urge the public and private leadership of this nation to partner with others to bring

sharp focus to and support for the education of Hispanic youth. The future of America

relies on the development of the full potential of its people—including Hispanics. We

cannot—we must not—tolerate inaction. Our country demands it, and our children deserve it.

4

G u i l l e rmo Linare s

C H A I R

Sonia Hernandez 

V I C E - C H A I R
P R E FA C E

Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Overview: The Condition of Hispanics in Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Each Sector Can Help Students Achieve. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

EL EMEN TA RY & SECONDA RY (K-12) EDUC AT ION . . . 20

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

GRADUATE & PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION. . . . . . . . . . . 44

C O N C L U S I O N

Ten Things the Next Administration Must Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Creating the Will. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Endnotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

A P P E N D I C E S

A. Executive Order 12900. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

B. P resident’s Advisory Commission on 

Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans – 

Members and White House Initiative staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 3

C. Latinos in Education factsheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

D. Annotated Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

of White House Initiative publications

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TA BLE OF CON T EN TS
PRE FA CE

BACK GROUND

The choices and decisions we make about Hispanic

education in the U.S. today are choices we make abo u t

the future of the United States itself. 

–President William J. Clinton, White House Strategy Session 

on Improving Hispanic Student Achievement, 15 June 2000

The Hispanic experience is multinational, multicultural, and multiracial. Some Hispanic

families have been here since before the United States was a nation, and many others

arrive here daily. These key characteristics embody one of the greatest cultural and 

historical legacies on this continent. The faces of Hispanic singers and movie stars are

becoming more prominent, political candidates are actively courting the Hispanic vote

and reaching out by using the Spanish language in their campaigns, and the Hispanic

community—as well as its economic power—is growing. 

Despite the long history of Hispanics in this country, not enough decision makers fully

comprehend the educational condition of Hispanics. Too often, discussion about the

educational achievement of Hispanics focuses on bilingual education, the high school

dropout rate, or the impact of immigrant students. While these issues are important, they

do not capture the whole dynamic.

Hispanics have made significant gains in education over the last 20 years, but as a group, they

continue to lag behind their non-Hispanic peers in terms of educational achievement. Over the

last seven years, President Clinton charged the commission with working to inform the nation

about the condition of Hispanics; to highlight effective practices by those around the country

making a diff e rence; to foster partnerships among those currently working in these areas; to

motivate action; and to serve as an example for those committed to getting involved. Since 1997,

the commission and its White House Initiative staff have accomplished the following:

• Advised the administration throughout the commission’s tenure, most notably by

encouraging the administration to respond to Californ i a ’s Proposition 227 (which drastically curtailed bilingual pro g r a m s ); working with the pre s i d e n t ’s staff on the design

and implementation of the Hispanic Education Action Plan; collaborating with the first

l a d y ’s staff to bring the national spotlight on Hispanic youth; assisting Secre t a ry of

Education Richard Riley on his national address “Excelencia Para Todos: Excellence

for All—The Pro g ress of Education for Hispanics in the United States and the

Challenges of a New Century;” and working with the president’s staff in the development

of the White House Strategy Session on Improving Hispanic Student Achievement.

• Worked with 26 federal agencies to increase their awareness of the assets and

needs of Hispanics throughout the nation; to improve their outreach and programmatic activities; and to develop a reporting system to evaluate their activities and

efforts to improve education and employment for the Hispanic community.

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• C reated a national conference series, Excelencia en Educacinf: The Role of Parents in the

Education of their Children, which was hosted in six cities across the country, including 

San Antonio, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Miami, and Washington, D.C. At each

site, community-based organizations, school districts, elected officials, national 

corporations, and federal agencies worked in partnership to provide Hispanic parents critical information about their childre n ’s educational well-being. Each conference re f l e c t e d

the community’s strengths and needs, off e red re s o u rces to support a high-quality 

education, and facilitated partnerships to sustain improved educational opportunities. 

• Developed policy seminars on specific education issues to inform legislators, staff, policy

makers, and others about the condition and context of Hispanics in education. Seminar

topics included the Hispanic dropout crisis, Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), the

benefits of a multilingual workforce, early childhood education, graduate education, K-16

biliteracy education strategies, and educational standards, assessment, and accountability.

• Produced publications, such as Our Nation on the Fault Line: Hispanic American

Education; What Works for Latino Youth (first and second editions); fact sheets on the

Condition of Latinos in Education; Testing Hispanic Students in the United States:

Technical and Policy Issues; an annual list and summary data of Hispanic Serving

Institutions (HSIs); HSIs: Serving the Community, Serving the Nation information kit;

Education Standards, Assessment and Accountability: A New Civil Rights Frontier

issue brief; Latinos in Higher Education and Beyond issue brief; and federal agency

reports for FY1998 and 1999. All of these publications are on a Web site for public

access— www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/Hispanic (for a complete list see Appendix D).

• Facilitated partnerships and activities with corporations, foundations, elected off i c i a l s ,

and organizations, including Univision, Procter and Gamble, AT & T, State Farm, W. K.

Kellogg Foundation, Ford Foundation, Hazen Foundation, Educational Testing Serv i c e ,

National Association of School Boards, the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies,

New America Alliance, National Hispanic Corporate Council, the Congressional Hispanic

Caucus, and organizational members of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, to

s u p p o rt and extend their eff o rts to improve educational opportunities for Hispanics.

• Collaborated with other White House Initiatives in the administration, including the Initiatives

on Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Tribal Colleges and Universities; Asian and

Pacific Islanders; and the Race Initiative, to better serve our respective communities, re a c h

out to postsecondary institutions and, link them to the services of federal agencies. 

• Served as a resource to individual members of Congress, as well as to the

Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Senate Democratic Leadership Committee on

Hispanic Affairs, and the Republican Steering Committee on Hispanic Affairs. 

• Traveled throughout the country and addressed educational issues, in an effort to

educate and engage more people—as individuals and as communities—to take

action to raise the educational achievement of Hispanics. 

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PRE FA CE
The commission’s work has invigorated the Clinton-Gore administration’s investments and

focus on the educational attainment of Hispanic students. Since introducing the Hispanic

Education Action Plan (HEAP) in 1998, the administration has secured increased funding for

the programs in HEAP including the GEAR-UP college preparation and mentoring pro g r a m ,

migrant education, bilingual education, and support for Hispanic Serving Institutions. The

a d m i n i s t r a t i o n ’s sustained commitment to meeting the educational needs for all students is

manifest in eff o rts to expand after-school programming, enhance the quality of teaching, and

reduce the class size—all initiatives that will strengthen the learning of Hispanic students. 

IN T RODUC T ION

T h rough its work, the Pre s i d e n t ’s Advisory Commission is convinced that closing the

educational achievement gap for Hispanic students and providing excelencia para

t o d o s —excellence for all, as Secre t a ry Riley advocated in March 2000—are both

possible with national commitment. The intensity of activities, the number of people,

and the multitude of sectors that have engaged for the purpose of impro v i n g

Hispanic educational achievement are growing. This re p o rt is off e red to support

them and the army of advocates and educators who will need to step forw a rd to

make this challenge a re a l i t y. 

Eliminating the current educational

achievement gap among Hispanics and

other groups while raising academic success for all children is a profound 

challenge. Given the rapid changes in the

racial and ethnic composition of the U.S.

population, immediate action is re q u i red to

accelerate and improve the educational

achievement of Hispanics today to ensure

and strengthen the nation’s human capital

for the future. It will take coordinated and

compelling eff o rt by every sector to meet

this challenge.

This re p o rt provides data on the curre n t

educational condition of Hispanics fro m

early childhood through graduate and

p rofessional education and then off e r s

strategies for multiple sectors—pare n t s ,

schools, communities, the private sector,

and government—to improve Hispanic

educational achievement. Students

themselves must achieve, but they cannot do it alone. The strategies for pare n t s

include actions that family members can

8

PRE FA CE
adopt; strategies for schools include

activities for teachers, principals, counselors, and school district administrators;

strategies for communities target community-based organizations; strategies for

the private sector include actions that

businesses and foundations can adopt;

and strategies for government include

actions that local, state, and federal 

g o v e rnment can adopt. 

The majority of education decisions and

actions are made at the state and local

level. However, the commission also 

recognizes the federal govern m e n t ’s 

indisputable leadership role in ensuring

that all Americans are well-served with a

quality education. Education in this country

is a responsibility across all levels of 

g o v e rnment, as well as all sectors and

society at large. For this reason, the commission proposes action steps to engage

the multiple sectors that directly affect the

quality of education for Hispanic students.

The commission used the following five tenets in designing a concerted action plan to

raise Hispanic educational achievement: 

(1) All sectors—public and private—have a vested interest and responsibility to improve

the education of Hispanic youth. 

(2) Recognizing the educational assets as well as the educational needs of Hispanic

students is essential to ensuring that these children achieve educational success.

( 3 ) T h e re must be a sense of urgency to resolve the educational achievement gap

for Hispanics. Small, incremental improvements will not be enough. Hispanics’

population growth and educational achievement gap re q u i re quantum leaps

rather than small impro v e m e n t s .

(4) The nation must adopt a coordinated and intentional agenda for action to raise the

educational achievement of Hispanics to the highest level.

(5) The actions that will secure educational achievement by Hispanic students will

strengthen the educational achievement of all students. 

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PRE FA CE
OV ERV IEW: The Condition of Hispanics In Education

Today, Hispanics are the youngest population group in the United States: one-third of

Hispanics are under 18 years of age, and they represent approximately 15 percent of the

K-12 population. 1 By the year 2015, Hispanics will be the largest minority in the United

States, and it is expected that by 2050, Hispanics will represent approximately 25 

percent of the U.S. population. California, Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico serve the 

highest concentrations of Hispanic students, and in some school districts, Hispanics

already are the majority. In other states, such as Georgia, North Carolina, and

Washington, the Hispanic population is increasing rapidly.

While the Hispanic population continues to grow, its educational achievement continues

to lag behind that of the rest of the nation. For example, only about 55 percent of

Hispanics 25 years and older have completed high school or more while approximately

84 percent of whites and 76 percent of African Americans 25 years and older have done

so. Further, 11 percent of Hispanics have attained a bachelor’s degree or more, 

compared to 25 percent of whites and almost 15 percent of African Americans.2 More

detailed statistics on the educational condition of Hispanics are provided in Appendix C.

1 0

PRE FA CE
The differences in preparation between Hispanics and non-Hispanics become evident

before kindergarten and continues through high school and college. Hispanics’ high

school completion rate (62 percent)3 has not changed substantially in the past several

years, and their high school dropout rate remains unacceptably high (30 percent).4

However, recent U.S. Department of Education data show that Hispanic students are

doing well in some academic areas. For example, Hispanic high school students have

earned, on average, more credits in computer science, foreign languages, and English

than any other group. In addition, Hispanic student enrollment in college preparatory and

academic programs has increased.5

In postsecondary education, Hispanic enrollment and completion have incre a s e d

substantially over the last 20 years. Hispanics make up almost 15 percent of the 

traditional college-age population and account for 11 percent of postsecondary

education enro l l m e n t .6 Hispanics also doubled their re p resentation in graduate education,

f rom 2 percent in 1976 to 4 percent in 19967, and re p resent approximately 8 perc e n t

of first-year professional students.8 H o w e v e r, Hispanic students take longer, on

average, to graduate and do not complete college at the same rates. More o v e r,

Hispanic college students tend to be concentrated in several key states (Californ i a ,

Texas, Florida, and New York) and at a small number of institutions identified as

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). 

The educational achievement gap between Hispanic students and their peers is the

result of multiple factors. Among them are low expectations by school personnel; 

i l l - p re p a red teachers and administrators; limited coordination among schools, 

p a rents, and communities on behalf of students; poverty; tracking into nonacademic classes; limited English pro f i c i e n c y ; u n d e rre p resentation in early childhood 

education programs; and isolation in re s o u rce-poor schools. Furt h e r, the assets a

child brings into the classroom, such as a second language, are not universally 

valued; the active participation of parents in the education of their children is not

facilitated; and educational assessments, often in the form of tests, are incorre c t l y

used to make decisions that negatively impact the student. These factors continue

t h roughout the educational pipeline, from early childhood through graduate 

and professional education, and result in an educational attainment gap that is

unacceptable to the Hispanic community and the rest of the nation.9

At a time when Hispanics are the fastest growing community, the nation is also facing a

worsening teacher shortage; increased demands for accountability along with higher

s t a n d a rds and experimental approaches to education re f o rm; imbalances in education

funding; and in the information age, an urgent need to use advancing technology.

Against this backdrop, the nation’s greatest asset is human capital. Students must strive

to improve their educational achievement, and parents, educators, business leaders,

elected officials, and government representatives must help support the learning

experience of Hispanic students to achieve educational excellence.

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PRE FA CE
EACH SEC TOR CAN HELP 

HISPA NIC STUDENTS ACHIEV E

Fostering high Hispanic student educational achievement throughout the entire educational continuum requires the following elements: 

• High academic standards for Hispanic students, paired with the resources to ensure

that all children can reach them.

• A high-quality teaching force with strong skills and rich academic experience,

engaged in continuous professional development, and prepared to teach linguistically and culturally diverse students. 

• Teaching practices that recognize and make use of the diverse cultural and linguistic assets students bring to the classroom.

• Hispanic parents engaged as active partners and fulfilling their pivotal role in the

educational success of their children.

• High expectations and a culture of success for Hispanic students that encourages

high educational aspirations and achievement.

• Financial and other support services that will make postsecondary education accessible to Hispanic students.

E v e ry o n e — e v e ry person and every organization—can play a role in ensuring a high-quality

education for all students. To close the educational achievement gap for Hispanics will

re q u i re broad national commitment and active engagement at all levels. 

T h e re is no single solution for resolving inequities and gaps in educational achievement.

Just as the educational achievement gap is a result of many factors, so too is the 

solution. This re p o rt highlights some of the strategies families, educators, communitybased organizations, the private sector, and government can adopt to help raise the

educational achievement of Hispanic students to the level of other groups in the nation.

The following section presents a synopsis of the educational condition of Hispanics at

points along the education continuum—from early childhood education to graduate

and professional education—as well as specific strategies that have been shown to

significantly increase Hispanic educational achievement. 

1 2

PRE FA CE
We know that the

achievement levels can

be raised. The question

is whether we have the

will to do what we

know works. If we’re

going to set high

expectations 

of students, 

we must have high

expectations of 

ourselves to do what 

it takes to make sure

all of our students 

can make the grade. 

–PRESIDENT 

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, 

WHITE HOUSE STRATEGY

SESSION ON IMPROVING

HISPANIC STUDENT

ACHIEVEMENT, 15 JUNE 2000

1 5

E A RLY CH IL DHOOD 

EDUCAT ION

We now know that it is absolutely imperative

that we put a new, powerful and sustained

focus on the early years—birth to five—before

children even enter first grade.

–RICHARD RILEY, SECRETARY,

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF E DUCATION

outreach

INCRE A SE
1 6

E A RLY CH IL DHOOD EDUCAT ION

T HE PIC T URE TODAY

The first three years of life are critical to 

establishing the foundation for learning and

for future physical, social, emotional, and 

cognitive development. In 1998, 10 percent of

Hispanics in the United States were less than

5 years old.1 0 Early childhood programs 

prepare children for education by teaching

learning and socialization skills; they may 

provide related services to meet children’s

psychological and health needs. Hispanic

children under age 5 are less likely than nonHispanic children to be enrolled in early 

childhood education programs. In 1998, only 20

p e rcent of Hispanic 3-year-olds were enrolled in

early childhood programs, compared to 42 

p e rcent of whites and 44 percent of blacks.1 1

While the enrollment gap closes at kinderg a rt e n

(age 5),1 2 Hispanic children are less pre p a re d

than their peers for elementary school, larg e l y

because of their lower enrollment rates in early

childhood programs, such as Head Start .1 3

Although Hispanic children are overre p re s e n t e d

in families living in povert y, they are underre

p resented in Head Start programs. In 1998, the

Hispanic child poverty rate for children under 6

years of age was 36 percent. Yet in that same

y e a r, only 26 percent of children served by Head

S t a rt were Hispanic.1 4 This affects their educational experience throughout the K-12 system. 

Why are Hispanics less likely to be enrolled in early childhood education? Private programs are too expensive, few government-funded programs exist in Hispanic communities, many parents are not aware of the programs or the services they offer, and other

Hispanic parents prefer to keep their young children at home. 

T HE BOTTOM LINE

To secure educational excellence by Hispanic students and raise their achievement to

the level of other groups, our top priority for early childhood education must be to ensure

that all children enter school ready to learn by providing universal opportunities for Head

Start and quality early learning experiences in schools. Meanwhile, parents need to

encourage their children’s curiosity and creativity. They also can prepare their children

for school by familiarizing them with numbers, letters, and rhymes. 
What can each sector do to increase Hispanic participation in early

childhood education and enrich home experience so Hispanic children

start school ready to learn? 

PA REN TS CAN: 

• Recognize that they are their children’s first teachers and enhance that role by

singing to them, telling them stories, asking them open-ended questions, and, most

critically, reading to them every day, either in English or in Spanish, or both. 

• Provide a safe, enriching, and stimulating environment for their children. 

• Become partners with school personnel and community organizations as early as

possible in the educational process. 

• Use school and community resources to learn about services and to ensure that their

children are benefiting from services offered. 

SCHOOLS CAN: 

• Create school-based programs or partner with early childhood education providers

in the community serving Hispanic children to better prepare these children to learn

the skills they will need to be ready for education.

• Extend the school day and school year, provide comprehensive, community-based

parent education and family support programs, and serve as a gathering place

where parents can share common experiences. 

• Offer teacher-run training programs for parents so they, too, can learn skills to help

their children at home. 

PARENTS AS FIRST TEACHERS (Chicago, Illinois)

The Parents as First Teachers program was developed in partnership with the

Chicago Public Schools and El Va l o r, an organization dedicated to enriching 

c h i l d ren and strengthening families by providing early childhood education while

helping parents become involved. The program trains selected parents in El Va l o r’s

Head Start Program to work with families that have children between 3 and 5 years

of age. Through this home visiting model, El Valor parent-tutor mentors provide 

educational enrichment for children and support parents as their childre n ’s first

teachers. This early investment in Hispanic youth by the public school system has

resulted in the improved academic preparation of students. The school has seen

m o re active involvement by parents in their childre n ’s elementary education and an

i n c rease in their willingness to ask questions and to participate in school activities. 

1 7

E A RLY CH IL DHOOD EDUCAT ION
COMMUN I TY- BA SED ORG A NIZ AT IONS CAN: 

• P rovide more extensive and targeted outreach to the Hispanic community in an eff o rt to

expand awareness of and encourage participation in early childhood education pro g r a m s .

• Encourage service providers to offer bilingual services to facilitate the participation

of Hispanic parents whose first language is not English. 

• More closely link the home experience with the educational experience by offering

parenting education classes in community centers and home visits by early 

childhood program staff. 

• P rovide comprehensive community-based family support and parent education

p rograms for Hispanic parents and their children, beginning at birt h .

PARENT CHILD EDUCATION PROGRAM—

AVANCE (San Antonio, Texas)

This program provides a comprehensive, community-based nine-month intensive

p a rent education program serving low-income Hispanic families with children less

than 3 years of age. Parents attend weekly parenting classes in child growth and

development, toy making, field trips, and holiday celebrations and are made

a w a re of community services, such as health, nutrition, mental health, literacy, and

job training. Child care and transportation are provided. Other services include

monthly home visits to observe or videotape parent-child interactions.

C o m p a red with a control group, mothers in AVA N C E ’s program provided a 

m o re organized, stimulating, and responsive home environment; provided more

developmentally appropriate toys; interacted more positively with their children; 

initiated more social interactions with their children; used more consistent praise;

spent more time teaching their children; spoke more with their children; used more

developmentally appropriate speech with their children; and were more encouraging of their childre n ’s verbalizations. The

results suggest that as they enter school,

c h i l d ren of AVANCE participants will be

better pre p a red to succeed. A follow-up

study of AVANCE graduates re v e a l e d

that 94 percent of the children graduated

f rom high school, and 43 percent were

attending college; 60 percent of the 

p a rents re t u rned to school. AVANCE has

80 comprehensive family centers located in schools, churches, and housing

p rojects throughout Te x a s .

1 8

E A RLY CH IL DHOOD EDUCAT ION
T HE PRI VATE SECTOR CAN: 

• Provide on-site childcare in the work environment to support active parenting. 

• Offer access to information about parenting and provide pretax childcare funds as

employee benefits to encourage Hispanic employees to enroll their children in early

childhood programs. 

• Support comprehensive information centers in communities for families located in or

near a school.

• Serve as board members of community-based organizations that support families

and young children. 

GOV ERNMENT CAN: 

• Promote and expand the availability of family literacy and early childhood programs,

such as Early Head Start, Head Start, and EvenStart programs for Hispanic parents

and children from birth to age seven in Hispanic communities. 

• Fund re s e a rch, support practical applications, and promote dissemination of

e ffective practices and proven early childhood community-based models serv i n g

the Hispanic community. 

• Establish one-stop family community centers in Hispanic communities that provide

bilingual information about govern m e n t - s u p p o rted (e.g., the Departments of

Education, Health and Human Services, Labor, and Housing and Urban

Development) early childhood development and family programs. 

HUD, HHS, AND 

THE WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE

The Department of Housing and Urban Development

(HUD), the Department of Health and Human Serv i c e s

(HHS), and the White House Initiative are collaborating to

p rovide English and Spanish language materials and educational forums to parents of young children thro u g h

H U D ’s Neighborhood Networks and other communitybased programs. Parents receive information on early

brain development re s e a rch, parenting tips, how 

to access child care subsidies and tax credits, how to

choose a child care center, what Head Start has to off e r,

and other family supports. This eff o rt is being implemented in six Hispanic communities across the country.

1 9

E A RLY CH IL DHOOD EDUCAT ION

EL EMEN TA RY & SECONDA RY

(K-12) EDUCAT ION 

2 1

America’s most precious resource is our children.

What can we do to make sure that Hispanics stay in

school, study hard, and get a good education?

There is no secret recipe, only a list of

ingredients and each of us has

a part to play to make sure

Hispanic students have

hope and opportunity

in their lives to 

succeed in school. 

—GUILLERMO LINARES,

CHAIR, 

PRESIDENT’S

ADVISORY

COMMISSION

FOR A SUCCESSFUL EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

f o u n d a t i o n
2 2

EL EMEN TA RY & SECONDA RY (K -12) EDUCAT ION

T HE PIC T URE TODAY

The elementary and secondary school years are a period of profound growth and development which provides the foundation for a successful educational experience. To d a y,

Hispanics account for 15 percent of the elementary school-age population (childre n

between the ages of 5 and 13) and 13 percent of the grade 9-12 population.1 5 By the year

2025, Hispanics will account for nearly 25 percent of the K-12 school-age population. This

p rojected increase will challenge the nation’s education system, particularly given Hispanic

students’ traditionally high dropout rate and limited academic preparation for college.

Compared to 20 years ago, Hispanic students have improved their overall academic

preparation, though they still perform less well than their peers in other groups. Despite

increases in the number of upper-level courses Hispanic high school students take, they

still earn fewer credits in history, science, and mathematics than other groups. In 

addition, Hispanic students are more often than not tracked into general courses that do

not provide access to four-year colleges or to rigorous technical schools. More Hispanic

students (50 percent) are enrolled in general programs of study than either whites (39

percent) or African Americans (40 percent).16 

In other areas of achievement, Hispanic

students generally are not perf o rming at

the level of their peers. By age nine,

Hispanic students lag behind their nonHispanic peers in reading, mathematics,

and science pro f i c i e n c y. This lag continues

t h roughout K-12 education. For example, in

1996, the average scores of Hispanic students age 17 on the National Assessment

of Educational Pro g ress (NAEP) were well

below those of their white peers in math,

reading, and sciences.1 7 Hispanic students

consistently perf o rm below the national

average on the NAEP. 

Why is the academic achievement of Hispanic

students not improving? Low part i c i p a t i o n

rates in early childhood education limit the

school readiness of Hispanic students. Other

conditions that adversely affect the academic

achievement of Hispanics in K-12 education

include inadequate teacher preparation, 

s e g regation in re s o u rce-poor schools,

i n s u fficient parental involvement, lack of

alignment between standards, curr i c u l u m ,

and assessment, and instruction that is

u n responsive to language diff e re n c e s .
2 3

EL EMEN TA RY & SECON DA RY (K-12) E DUCAT ION

T EACHER QUA L I TY

A p p roximately 70 percent of teachers recently surveyed said they felt moderately or not at all

p re p a red to address the needs of students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgro u n d s ,

including students with limited English pro f i c i e n c y.

1 8 This lack of adequate preparation coupled

with lower expectations of Hispanic students by teachers and administrators is one import a n t

reason for the failure of Hispanic students to pro g ress academically. Studies have confirm e d

that one of the main factors determining students’ educational success is the quality of their

teachers. Yet data show that the least qualified teachers are usually assigned to schools with

the fewest fiscal re s o u rces and the neediest students. More often than not, this means schools

w h e re there are many Hispanic students. These inequities exist not only among school districts

but also among schools within a district and classrooms within a school.

At the same time Hispanic students make up approximately 15 percent of public school

students, only about 4 percent of public school teachers are themselves Hispanic and

fewer still have sufficient background or training in a second language to meet the needs

of English learners.19 The combined lack of preparation, low expectations, and lack of

Hispanic representation in the teaching workforce has profound implications for Hispanic

students as evidenced by their lag in educational attainment.

Te a chers are key to the success of our Hispanic 

communities; we must invest in and support teachers at

ev e ry level from the sch ool house to the White House.

Without them, our children’s future is in jeo p a r d y. 

–Sonia Hernandez, Vice-chair, President’s Advisory Commission 

on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans

RESOURCE - POOR SCHOOLS

Hispanic students now are more segregated from non-Hispanics and are more concentrated

in high-poverty schools than any other group of students. In 1998, close to 50 percent of

Hispanics in public education attended inadequately funded urban schools.2 0 F u rt h e r, the

n a t i o n ’s 10 largest central city school districts collectively enrolled close to 25 percent of all

Hispanic students, 18 percent of African-American students, and only 2 percent of white 

s t u d e n t s .2 1 Being concentrated in poor schools with larger class sizes and crumbling 

facilities makes it even less likely that critical masses of Hispanic students will receive a 

quality education. Resources make a diff e rence because they influence the quality of 

teachers, materials, and technology and thus the quality of education a school can provide. 

S TA NDA RDS AND ASSESSMEN T

To improve educational success, we must hold all students—including Hispanic students—

to high standards. However, translating standards into curricula and teaching strategies is

a major challenge that becomes even more difficult when applied to English language

l e a rners. In too many cases, state education leaders have compromised the educational
2 4

EL EMEN TA RY & SECONDA RY (K -12) EDUCAT ION

f u t u re of Hispanic students by making high-stakes decisions, such as those re g a rd i n g

retention, promotion, or high school graduation, by using tests inappropriately in their zeal

to implement high standards supported by systems of accountability. Rather than using

tests to limit students’ access to strong academic programs, test results should be used to

d i rect the support, re s o u rces, and educational practices to provide Hispanic students with

the help they need to attain high academic standards. Test results should be used to 

m e a s u re the success of school systems and hold them accountable. 

AC A DEMIC PREPA RAT ION

A rigorous high school curriculum is a better predictor of college completion than test score s

or high school grades. Yet because of the low expectations of school personnel (teachers,

counselors, principals), Hispanic students more often than not are tracked into general courses that satisfy only the basic re q u i rements rather than those that provide a path to four- y e a r

colleges or rigorous technical schools. In fact, many Hispanic students attend schools that do

not offer courses of study, such as Advanced Placement (AP), international baccalaureate or

honors courses. Only 35 percent of Hispanic students, compared to 50 percent of white 

students and 43 percent of African Americans, are enrolled in college pre p a r a t o ry or academic pro g r a m s .2 2 In addition, more than one-third (34 percent) of 15- to 17-year-old Hispanic

students were enrolled below the grade level associated with their age in 1996. Studies conf i rm that retention in one grade increases the chances of dropping out of school by 50 perc e n t ,

retention for 2 years at any grade level increases the chance of dropping out by 98 perc e n t . 2 3

The high school dropout rate for Hispanics is much

higher than for other ethnic groups. In 1998, 30 perc e n t

(1.5 million) of all Hispanic 16- through 24-year- o l d s

w e re dropouts, more than double the rate for blacks (14

p e rcent) and more than three times the rate for whites

(8 perc e n t ) .2 4 Hispanics’ dropout and high school 

completion rates have not changed substantially over

the last 10 years. High school completion rates for

white and African American students in 1998 were 90

p e rcent and 81 percent, re s p e c t i v e l y, but only 63 

p e rcent for Hispanics.2 5

N e v e rtheless, Hispanic students continue to have high

college aspirations. The percentage of high school

seniors who were Hispanic and planned to continue

their education at a four-year college more than 

doubled between 1972 and 1992, from 24 percent to

50 percent; during the same period, the perc e n t a g e

planning to enroll in a two-year program increased fro m

12 percent to 20 percent. The percentage of white high

school seniors planning to enroll in a two-year pro g r a m

remained unchanged (12 percent) from 1972 to 1992

(most recent data available).2 6
2 5

EL EMEN TA RY & SECON DA RY (K-12) EDUCAT ION

PA RENT IN VOLV EMEN T

All parents want what is best for their

c h i l d ren, and Hispanic parents are no

exception. In fact, many Hispanics

immigrate to this country because of

the opportunity to gain a better life for

themselves and their families.

Immigrant parents defer to the school

because they assume the schools

know what is best, and Hispanic 

p a rents who have been here for 

generations but whose experience

was negative cannot effectively 

navigate the system for their students.

With limited personal experience or success in the educational system, many Hispanic

parents lack the information necessary to play an active role in their children’s education.

Thus, what is often encountered at the family level is an information gap, not a value gap.

L A NGUAGE

There is no debate that all students should be proficient in English and that it is a responsibility of schools to ensure that English is learned well. In fact, Secretary of Education

Richard Riley argued that the nation should strive to improve our educational system so

that every child can speak two languages. If a child enters the system already speaking

Spanish, why not cultivate it as well as English? 

We don’t stop walking when we learn to swim. 

We shouldn’t stop speaking Spanish when we learn English.

—Julio Valella, Director of the Office of Strategic Programs, 

Educational and Productivity Solutions at Texas Instruments

Even though not all Hispanic students are Limited English Proficient (LEP) or English

Language Learners (ELL), they do represent approximately 75 percent of all students

enrolled in LEP programs, including bilingual education and English as a Second

Language (ESL) programs.27 In addition, approximately 30 percent of students served by

Title I, the largest federal program for elementary education, are LEP. Rather than 

perceiving this as an educational deficit to correct, it should be seen as an opportunity

to incorporate language into the educational achievement of Hispanic students. 

One way to build upon the second language asset a student brings to the classroom is

to promote biliteracy through dual-immersion programs. Biliteracy is a powerful 

workforce tool not only in the U.S. business environment, but also in the global economy.

It is not just for minorities or Hispanics, but for all Americans. Everyone can benefit from

being able to communicate in more than one language. 
2 6

EL EMEN TA RY & SECONDA RY (K -12) EDUCAT ION

It is high time we begin to treat language skills as the

asset they are, particularly in this global ec o n o m y.

A n ything that encourages a person to know more than

one language is positive—and should be treated as

s u ch. Perhaps we should begin to call the learning of a

s econd language what it truly is—biliteracy.

- Secretary of Education, Richard Riley, March 22, 2000

In a competitive global economy, employees fully proficient in English and Spanish have 

distinct advantages over those who speak only English. Because they bring extra skills, these

workers have a competitive edge to get hired, they can speak to a wider range of customers,

and in some industries, they receive better pay. This underscores the importance of collaboration between the business and education communities in preparing students to part i c i p a t e

in this “new” global workforce. There are many ways in which the education system is 

aligning itself with the needs of the business sector, and vice versa, to achieve the goal of a

biliterate workforce. Biliteracy programs have been instituted across the country and at all

stages of the educational continuum—in K-12 programs as well as in college and university

c u rricula—and in the workforce development eff o rts of national corporations. 

T HE BOTTOM LINE

To secure educational excellence by Hispanic students and raise their achievement to

the level of other groups, our top priority for K-12 education must be to provide Hispanic

students with a high-powered learning program that includes the supports and encouragement they need to stay in school and successfully complete the requirements for 

college. Educators, parents, and the Hispanic community should work together to ensure

that all Hispanic students master what they need to learn for success in college and later

life without losing their native language, culture, or self-confidence.

What can each sector do to help Hispanic students increase their K-12

academic achievement?

PA REN TS CA N :

• Become actively engaged in their children’s education by reading with their children,

helping them with their homework, communicating regularly with teachers, becoming

better informed about the school’s educational requirements, volunteering at the

school, and participating in school-sponsored activities. 

• Foster high expectations and educational success by promoting high school 

completion and college aspirations. 

• Foster children’s acquisition of their native language and of another language

through family activities and educational experiences. 
2 7

EL EMEN TA RY & SECON DA RY (K-12) EDUCAT ION

• Become informed about the academic programs offered to their children (i.e., 

college preparation or vocational) and the implications of test use on their children’s

academic future. 

• Understand their roles, rights, and responsibilities as parents within their school 

system, become more knowledgeable about school governance, and consider 

serving on the school board.

PARENT LEADERSHIP PROGRAM—

MEXICAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND

(MALDEF) (Los Angeles, Californ i a )

The Parent Leadership Program (PLP) began in 1989 with a goal to improve the

academic achievement of Latino students through greater parental involvement

in the schools by helping parents become effective advocates for their 

children’s education. The program is offered free of charge to schools with high

percentages of low-income students, below average test scores, and a need

for increased parental involvement. 

The training course is composed of 16 modules through which parents learn to inform

themselves, participate, and exercise their rights. These three components are the

c o re and basis of MALDEF’s leadership course. Parent participants learn about the

i m p o rtance of their participation in their childre n ’s education, parental rights in

schools, the administrative stru c t u re of schools, how to effectively solve problems in

school bureaucracies, how schools are financed, holding elected school off i c i a l s

accountable, and guiding a child towards a 4-year college education. 

P e rhaps most telling about the program is what happens to the parent part i c i p a n t s

once they have completed it. Several have decided to go back to school and earn

their GED. Others pro g ress even further and are going to college and studying

courses that before they could only speak to their children about. So while their

involvement in the parent program has made a dramatic diff e rence in the 

education of their children and their future, the parents’ desire to improve their own

situation means increased financial security and economic mobility. 

SCHOOLS CAN: 

• Require that all students take college-preparatory courses—including algebra and

geometry—and encourage all Hispanic students to take the SAT or the ACT.

• Improve communication with Hispanic parents and provide information on their 

children’s educational progress and the school’s academic programs.
2 8

EL EMEN TA RY & SECONDA RY (K-12) EDUCAT ION

• C reate clear, measurable, and rigorous school accountability provisions accompanied

by strategies adequate to build capacity, measure academic preparation, and pro v i d e

s u p p o rt for Hispanic students. 

• Support a curriculum that encourages dual-language acquisition with appropriate

funding and qualified staff. 

• P rovide teachers with continuous professional development to master content

knowledge; to make education interesting and challenging; and to have high

expectations of Hispanic students. 

• Improve and align curricula with educational expectations to improve the quality of

education all students receive and facilitate their pursuit of higher education. 

• Coordinate school-to-career opportunities for Hispanic students with local colleges,

community organizations, and employers.

HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

INITIATIVE—

J. STERLING MORTON 

HIGH SCHOOL

(Cicero, Illinois)

M o rton High School’s Hispanic dropout rate

has consistently ranged from 10 to 12 perc e n t

over the last 10 years. In accordance with the

findings and recommendations of No More

Excuses: The Final Report of the Hispanic

D ropout Pro j e c t , school officials decided the

low attendance rate should be the first are a

a d d ressed as part of an eff o rt to decrease the

high Hispanic dropout rate. The school 

created an Attendance Initiative for the 

purpose of improving student attendance,

reducing the dropout rate, and improving the

graduation rate. School re p resentatives called

p a rents re g a rding all absences and sent 

mailers to parents; and teachers and school administrators intervened to monitor

students. In the first 30 months, average daily attendance improved to 90.5 

p e rcent; the number of students with 3 months’ perfect attendance increased fro m

259 to 600; and the dropout rate decreased from 10.8 percent to 5.3 percent. 
2 9

EL EMEN TA RY & SECON DA RY (K-12) EDUCAT ION

DUAL IMMERSION PROGRAM—RIVER GLEN ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL (San Jose Unified School District, California)

River Glen has a K-8 Tw o - Way Spanish Immersion Program where all students

l e a rn in both English and Spanish. The Tw o - Way Language Immersion pro g r a m

p rovides an immersion model for English-speaking students and a maintenance

bilingual model for Spanish-speaking students.

Two-Way Language Immersion is an academically based program in which the

target language (Spanish) is used as the vehicle of instruction, not the focus.

Monthly thematic units integrate the curriculum, make the target language more

meaningful to the student, and provide the student with enough exposure to

practice, use, and extend his or her vocabulary.

All units are introduced through literature. Teachers use an approach that

allows students to actively participate in their second language growth. Other

teaching techniques include cooperative learning and activity-based small

group instruction. Positive evaluations of the two-way immersion program in

San Jose after five years of implementation also have been reported.

COMMUN I TY- BA SED 

ORG A NIZ AT IONS CAN: 

• P a rtner with schools to encourage

i n c reased outreach and communication

with Hispanic parents and the Hispanic

c o m m u n i t y. 

• P rovide after-school and summer educational opportunities for Hispanic students. 

• F o rm mentoring and tutoring pro g r a m s

to guide and support Hispanic students

and share information with them to 

facilitate their education and raise their

e x p e c t a t i o n s .

• D e v e l o p c o m m u n i t y - s p o n s o re d

scholarships as well as cere m o n i e s

and recognition programs to re w a rd

Hispanic students’ achievements.
3 0

EL EMEN TA RY & SECONDA RY (K -12) EDUCAT ION

ACADEMIA DEL PUEBLO/HISPANIC PRE-COLLEGE PROJECT 

(St. Paul, Minnesota)

Academia del Pueblo/Hispanic Pre-College Project is a community-based youth

enrichment program created to increase retention among Hispanic students in the

first through fifth grades and to direct students toward a future where college is 

possible. The program uses such teaching methods as a language experience

a p p roach, workstations, and small group and hands-on activities. The project feeds

into the Project Success program, which provides students in the sixth thro u g h

eighth grades with career and cultural awareness, academic enrichment activities,

homework assistance, personal development, motivation, and skills to succeed in

school. The Hispanic Pre-College Project also has a parent component: Parents as

P a rtners. This educational program recognizes that parents are their childre n ’s first

teachers and is designed to provide training and support to Hispanic pare n t s .

T h rough bilingual monthly workshops, the program concentrates on teaching eff e ctive parenting skills and re i n f o rcement techniques that will help parents stre n g t h e n

their role as active partners in their childre n ’s education by creating a home 

e n v i ronment that supports learning. Child care and transportation are available.

INDUSTRIAL AREAS FOUNDATION’S ALLIANCE SCHOOLS

Begun in Texas in 1986, the Alliance Schools are dedicated to developing a

constituency of parents, community leaders, and educators working together to

improve student achievement in low-income communities. There are now over

120 Alliance Schools in Texas, and a similar network is being created in

Arizona, New Mexico, and California working with community organizations

affiliated with the Industrial Areas Foundation, religious congregations, and

public schools in poor and working class communities.

The following examples are all Texas schools with almost an exclusively Hispanic

population that have been cited by the state for outstanding academic improvement: 

• Sam Houston Elementary School in McAllen, named an “exemplary” 

campus since 1998, used community organizing strategies in its approach

to curriculum development bringing Latino parents into the discussions

about academic standards and assessments. 

• Ysleta Elementary School in Ysleta has improved from a low-achieving

school in the early 1990s, to a “recognized” campus with high levels of

parental engagement.

• Zavala Elementary School in Austin was the lowest-ranked elementary school

in Austin when it joined the Alliance School network in the early 1990s. By

combining high levels of parental engagement with the full-service school

concept, it now outpaces state and district gains in academic achievement
3 1

EL EMEN TA RY & SECONDA RY (K-12) EDUCAT ION

T HE PRI VATE SECTOR CAN: 

• Foster career-specific mentoring programs among schools, businesses, and civic

organizations in the community that reinforce the value of a high-quality education. 

• Partner with schools and local community-based organizations to create biliterate

educational programs for all students.

• Provide employees with flexible work schedules to facilitate their participation in

school events.

• Guarantee college scholarships for academically successful Hispanic students. 

TU FUTURO DEPENDE DE TI...¡EDÚCATE! 

(YOUR FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS...GET AN EDUCATION!) 

–UNIVISION (Nationwide)

In August 1999, Univision, the nation’s leading Spanish-language television

network, announced its education initiative, Tu futuro depende de ti...¡Edúcate!

(Your Future is in Your Hands...Get an Education!).This extensive, multi-year

campaign encourages Hispanic students’ to excel educationally through

national and local public service announcements, half-hour specials, community outreach activities, and program integration. The objective is to deliver the

message that a quality education for all students is critical to preparing the

United States to compete in the world marketplace. 

The U.S. Department of Education partnered with Univision in this effort by 

providing materials through its toll-free number (1-877-433-7827) with bilingual

operators available to answer calls and developed special broadcasts on

p a rental engagement

and student financial

a i d . Wo r k i n g w i t h 

the Univision network 

a ff i l i a t e s t a t i o n s , t h e

campaign and re l a t e d

activities aim to provide

Hispanic parents the

kind of information they

require to become more

s a v v y u s e r s o f t h e

education system and

b e t t e r a d v o c a t e s f o r

their children.
CENTER FOR COMMUNITY EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

(C2E2)— NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA (NCLR) (Nationwide)

NCLR, with support from foundations and the U.S. Department of

Education, is building a professional development academy to pro v i d e ,

training, technical assistance and support services targeted to educators

and organizations serving Hispanic students and communities. The 

academy seeks to tailor services to meet the needs of constituents and

o ffers professional development activities along three tracks: early 

childhood education (targeting day care and Head Start providers), 

community-based education (targeting enrichment, supplemental, and

adult basic education) and elementary and secondary education (targ e ting alternative and charter schools). C2E2 has a special focus on 

community-based educators—many of whom are not certified teachers—

who could benefit from training in teaching methods.

GOV ERNMENT CAN: 

• Develop and disseminate re s e a rch on best practices for improving Hispanic students’

educational achievement and offer technical assistance to interested communities. 

• Financially support Hispanic college students considering the teaching pro f e s s i o n

and those teaching in geographic areas of need and institute student loan forg i v e n e s s

for teachers who choose to work in low-income communities or areas serving high

concentrations of Hispanic students.

3 2

EL EMEN TA RY & SECONDA RY (K -12) EDUCAT ION
• Support programs nationally that increase Hispanic students’ awareness of the many

educational and career opportunities available and expand outreach efforts to

ensure that federal programs aid the Hispanic population. 

• Use the bully pulpit to highlight the value of and need for a multilingual workforce and

the educational benefits of viewing fluency in more than one language as an asset. 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DoE) (Idaho)

DoE’s Idaho Hispanic Youth Symposium is an annual event designed to

encourage Hispanic teens to seek brighter futures for themselves and their

families by staying in school. Using a bilingual format, the symposium has three

primary goals: mentoring, dropout prevention, and dual language and cultural

understanding. The symposium brings together Hispanic high school students

from throughout Idaho to listen to motivational speakers and to participate in

interactive workshops to enhance self-esteem, leadership and problem-solving

skills, as well as science and engineering career awareness. The students

compete in speech, talent, athletics, and interactive skill contests for awards

and scholarships. 

The symposium grew out of a 1988 brainstorming session on ways to curb the

alarming 60+ percent high school dropout rate of Hispanic teens in Idaho. In

1990, approximately 100 students attended, and a single $1,000 scholarship

was awarded. Since then, nearly 2,800 students from throughout Idaho have

attended. Each April, more than 300 students convene in Sun Valley, where

scholarships and prizes totaling more than $900,000 are awarded. 

NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA) 

(Eight locations nationwide)

Proyecto Access is an eight-week, summer, mathematics-based, academic

enrichment program for middle and high school students interested in 

pursuing science and engineering careers as practitioners or teachers. The

program seeks to develop students’ skills in the areas of abstract reasoning

and problem-solving—skills essential for success in science and engineering

as well as technological fields. The program is conducted on the campuses of

eight Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) located in the following cities: Bronx,

New York; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; Jersey City, New Jersey; 

Las Cruces, New Mexico; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; and Tucson,

Arizona. NASA provides $1 million in funding for this program.

3 3

EL EMEN TA RY & SECON DA RY (K-12) E DUCAT ION

3 5

Hispanics can become a powerful economic 

engine for this country but only if we’re highly

trained and well educated; if not, the educational

gap will become an economic gulf.

–JULIET GARCIA, COMMISSIONER, 

PRESIDENT’S ADVISORY COMMISSION

ON EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

FOR HISPANIC AMERICANS

UNDERGRA DUAT E

EDUCAT ION

CLOSING the gap
3 6

UN DERGRA DUATE EDUCAT ION

T HE PIC T URE TODAY

I n c reasing numbers of Hispanic students are pursuing postsecondary education. Yet too

often, Hispanics’ successes in undergraduate education are eclipsed by their high school

d ropout rate. The rate is unacceptable, but those Hispanic students who do complete

high school face further challenges in undergraduate education. 

Hispanics currently make up 14.5 percent (3.6 million) of the total traditional college-age

population (students between 18 and 24 years of age). By the year 2025, Hispanics will

make up 22 percent of the total traditional college-age population.28 As the population of

Hispanics continues to increase, the representation of Hispanics in higher education is

also increasing. Hispanics’ enrollment in undergraduate education increased by nearly

50 percent in just six years—from approximately 782,000 in 1990 to 1.3 million in 1996.29

Today, of the 14.5 million students in higher education in the United States, more than 9

percent are Hispanic. However, while Hispanic college enrollment and degree attainment

are increasing, they are not equivalent to Hispanics’ representation in the population. 

Community colleges enroll approximately half of Hispanic students in undergraduate

education because of their location in the community, low cost, and flexibility in offering

courses. However, inadequate transfer policies between two- and four-year institutions of

higher education limit the educational attainment of many Hispanic college students. 

A recent Educational Testing Service (ETS) study C rossing the Great Divide shows that by

the year 2015, one million more Hispanics will be academically pre p a red to attend college.3 0

In 2006, Hispanic undergraduates will outnumber African American undergraduates for the

first time; they will be the nation’s largest college-going minority, accounting for appro x imately one in six undergraduates on campus. Institutions in California, Texas, Florida, New

York, and Arizona will enroll 1.4 million more students over the next 20 years. Hispanics will

account for almost half of this growth. However, even if all the Hispanic students who are

ready to go to college do so, the gap between Hispanic access to college and all other

American youths’ access will actually grow because the pro p o rtion of Hispanics in the 

18- to 24-year-old population will increase even more rapidly than the pro p o rtion of Hispanic

youth who are academically pre p a red to go to college. 

Why is the educational attainment gap in higher education not closing? In addition to the

population growth, the gap is not closing because most Hispanic college students are

first-generation, low-income students, and many are less academically well prepared

than their non-Hispanic peers. 

Just over 50 percent of all Hispanics enrolled in higher education are in two states:

California and Texas. Almost 75 percent of Hispanics enrolled in higher education are in

just five states: California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois.31 This enrollment pattern

is even more telling when changes in three of these five states’ affirmative action admission policies are considered. In California, Texas, and Florida, the public university systems have eliminated the use of race/ethnicity as a factor in admissions decisions;

instead, each has adopted “percentage plans” in an attempt to maintain a level of diver-
3 7

UNDERGRA DUATE E DUCAT ION

sity on campus. Studies are being conducted to determine the overall impact of these

plans on Hispanic students. 

T HE BOTTOM LINE

To secure Hispanic students’ educational excellence and to raise their achievement to the

level of other groups, our top priority for higher education must be to ensure that Hispanic

students can succeed in college. Parents, educators, and the Hispanic community need to

e n s u re that Hispanic students have a clear pathway to colleges and universities (two- and

f o u r- y e a r, public and private). This should include necessary information and assurances of

financial support from the public and private sectors and a commitment by colleges to do

m o re to build supportive academic communities for Hispanic students.

What can each sector do to help Hispanic students raise their college

and university educational achievement? 

PA REN TS CAN: 

• I n t roduce the idea of college education early on and re i n f o rce it throughout their

c h i l d re n ’s K-12 education. 

• Become informed about available financial support and take the time necessary to

complete financial aid applications.

• Show interest in their children’s college experience by visiting campus and talking

about their children’s classes. 

• R e i n f o rce the climate of success by asking children what they will do when they graduate. 

COLLEGES AND UNI V ERSI T IES CAN: 

• O ffer Hispanic freshmen training in study skills and academic pro c e d u res and evaluate

and improve existing support services to support the needs of Hispanic students.

• Expand college admissions re c ruitment into high schools with large Hispanic enro l l m e n t s

and sponsor trips to campuses for Hispanic elementary and middle school students to

i n c rease their interest in higher education.

• P rovide information to parents of Hispanic middle school students about the import a n c e

of college, the need for students to take the right courses to pre p a re for college, and the

need to perf o rm well academically, and organize seminars for Hispanic parents on paying

for college and how to fill out college application and financial aid form s .

• Communicate more with Hispanic parents and provide college admissions materials

in Spanish to facilitate family discussions about college. 
3 8

UN DERGRA DUATE EDUCAT ION

• Analyze why Hispanic students drop out of college and develop institution-specific

solutions to redress this problem.

• Work to maintain a diverse faculty and support faculty working as mentors of

Hispanic students. 

• Improve transition between two- and four-year institutions of higher education to facilitate the further education of Hispanic students enrolled at community colleges.

PUENTE PROJECT, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 

(Oakland, California)

This project increases the number of Hispanic students attending four-year colleges,

e a rning degrees, and re t u rning to the community as leaders. The main components

of the program involve counseling, mentoring, and English language skills. Students

begin in the ninth and tenth grades with activities involving school guidance 

counselors and mentors. All students participate in the pro g r a m ’s statewide writing

p o rtfolio assessment as well. In 1998, Puente students attended four-year colleges

at almost twice the rate of comparable non-Puente students (43 vs. 24 percent). 

An additional 41 percent of Puente students attended California community colleges. Puente students took the SAT at a higher rate than non-Puente students 

(68 vs. 54 percent) and took the ACT at almost three times the rate (32 vs. 13 

p e rcent) of non-Puente students. 
3 9

UNDERGRA DUATE EDUCAT ION

EMERGING SCHOLARS PROGRAM (ESP), 

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN (Austin, Texas)

ESP is an honors-type calculus program that targets students historically

underrepresented in the mathematics-based disciplines. The central themes of

ESP are working on challenging mathematics and forming social groups based

on common academic interests. Students spend six hours per week in an intensive ESP section. Since the work is challenging, it drives student collaboration.

This collaboration, in turn, facilitates forming friendships and breaking down

stereotypes about who can do mathematics.

COMMUNI TY- BA SED ORG A NIZ AT IONS CA N :

• Advocate college-going and college graduation to ensure that Hispanics have

access to a quality higher education. 

• Facilitate mentorships, internships, and fellowship opportunities for Hispanic students. 

• Organize local SAT/ACT preparation courses for Hispanic students.

• F o rm support networks and “Adopt a College Student” programs for Hispanic college

students away from home.

• O rganize annual recognition events for Hispanic students who complete a year of college.

• P rovide after-school programs to encourage and academically pre p a re Hispanic

students to attend college.

HISPANIC ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

(HACU) INTERNSHIP PROGRAM (Washington, DC)

The HACU National Internship Program (HNIP) works with Hispanic Serv i n g

Institutions (HSIs), federal agencies, and corporations to re c ruit well-qualified

and motivated students. Those selected for the program include underg r a d u a t e

and graduate students who have a minimum 3.0 GPA and are active in 

community and campus activities. HNIP began in 1992 and has placed 

thousands of students in federal and corporate internships across the nation.

The HACU National Internship Program exposes talented college students to a 

challenging set of professional and educational experiences in many diff e rent fields.

It is a comprehensive program that provides travel expenses and a weekly stipend. 

P a rticipating agencies and corporations hope to increase diversity in their work

f o rce by providing internship opportunities to high-achieving Hispanic students.

This creates a pipeline of future employees who have had positive, meaningful

work experience.
4 0

UN DERGRA DUATE EDUCAT ION

T HE PRI VATE SECTOR CAN: 

• Work with local colleges—and local Hispanic Serving Institutions, in particular (where

they exist)—to establish cooperative career-based programs as well as research and

internship opportunities.

• Create scholarships, fellowships, and partnerships to help Hispanic students access

and attain a higher education. 

• Encourage Hispanic employees to complete postsecondary education and lifelong

learning and support them as they do so. 

• Actively recruit Hispanic college students for both regular and summer positions.

HISPANIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) is the largest Hispanic scholarshipgranting organization in the nation. HSF’s mission is to double the college 

retention rate by supporting current college students and providing incentive

for Latino high school graduates and community college associates to enroll at

four-year institutions.

HSF recognizes and re w a rds outstanding Hispanic American students in higher

education throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Founded in 1975, HSF

has awarded more than 40,000 scholarships totaling more than $48 million.

Recipient students re p resent every segment of the Hispanic community, 

h u n d reds of institutions of higher learning—including the most pre s t i g i o u s —

and come from all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Successful candidates are chosen

on the basis of academic achievement, personal strengths, leadership, and

financial need. Basic program re q u i rements include full time enrollment at an

a c c redited college in the United States or Puerto Rico, completion of 15 cre d i t s

of college work, and a minimum 2.7 GPA. 

In July 1999, the Lily Endowment Inc. awarded HSF a $50 million grant—the

single largest amount given to promote Hispanics in higher education and the

largest amount ever pledged to a Hispanic organization in the United States.

Two months later, HSF was selected as one of three organizations included in

the newly formed Gates Millennium Scholars Program, by the Bill and Melinda

Gates Foundation. This program includes a 20-year plan to provide financial

assistance to high-achieving minority students in need of financial aid with an

annual investment of $50 million, and offers financial assistance to 1,000 new

students each year. The Millennium Scholars Program also includes the United

Negro College Fund and the American Indian College Fund. 
4 1

UNDERGRA DUATE EDUCAT ION

ENLACE

(ENGAGING 

LATINO

COMMUNITIES 

FOR EDUCATION)

INITIATIVE–W.K.

KELLOGG

FOUNDATION

(Nationwide)

ENLACE is derived fro m

t h e S p a n i s h w o r d

“enlazar”, which means to

link or to weave together.

ENLACE is a new initiative

focused on assisting communities to strengthen the

educational pipeline for

Hispanic youth. Thro u g h

ENLACE, participating

colleges and universities

will form partnerships with

communities, K-12 public

and private schools, and

businesses. These partnerships will give Hispanic

students the support they

need to succeed from

k i n d e rg a rten through high

school and beyond. 

The three key components of ENLACE are: a common vision of a brighter future

for Latino youth; collaborative work in coalitions; and a focus on strengthening

public school-university-community partnerships.

Planning grants were awarded to 18 colleges and universities to continue their

work to improve higher education opportunities for Hispanic youth under Phase

I of the Kellogg Foundation’s six-year, $28.7 million ENLACE initiative. Under

Phase II, 8-10 partnerships will be selected for multi-year funding with priority

given to coalitions that bring together diverse organizations who pool their

resources to design long-term community and institutional structures to impact

system change. The last phase of the initiative will focus on disseminating the

impact of the efforts, as well as institutionalization and sustainability of the 

vehicles of success.
GOV ERNMENT CAN: 

• Significantly increase the level of financial aid (i.e., grants, scholarships) to help

Hispanic students access and attain a higher education. 

• Disseminate and promote wider use of proven strategies and develop better

strategies for helping Hispanic students achieve at high academic levels. 

• Encourage communities, school districts, and local institutions of higher education to

develop strong, collaborative K-16 educational strategies to improve Hispanic

achievement throughout the educational pipeline.

4 2

UNDE RGRA DUATE EDUCAT ION
LOUIS STAKES’ ALLIANCES FOR MINORITY PARTICIPATION

(LSAMP)— NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (Nationwide)

LSAMP aim to encourage the production of baccalaureate degrees earned by

u n d e rre p resented students in science, mathematics, engineering and technology

(SMET) by utilizing the knowledge, re s o u rces, and capabilities of a broad range of

o rganizations from academic, federal, industrial, and private sectors. Appro x i m a t e l y

180,000 students are currently enrolled in LSAMP activities and results clearly

demonstrate the effectiveness of strategies being pursued. In academic year 1998,

Hispanic student enrollment in LSAMP-participating institutions for studies in SMET

fields was 92,421 (50 percent of total enrollment), and there were 9,323 Hispanic

SMET graduates from LSAMP institutions in 1998 (46 percent of total graduates). 

LSAMP projects focusing heavily on Hispanic students include: The University of

Texas System Alliance in cooperation with ten regional community colleges fro m

a round the U.S.-Mexico border region; California Alliances for Minority Part i c i p a t i o n

which involve ten campuses of the University System, and 50 public and private

institutions; the Puerto Rico Alliance, which brings together national laboratories,

local industries and 14 post-secondary institutions; and the New Mexico Alliance

involving 27 statewide public institutions for re c ruitment/bridge programs, 

mentoring, distance learning opportunities, and professional conferences. 

NSF provided $26.37 million to support 28 continuing projects in FY 1999.

DEVELOPING HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS (HSI)

PROGRAM –U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (Nationwide)

The Developing HSIs Program helps eligible institutions of higher education

expand their capacity to serve Hispanic and low-income students. Under this

program, Hispanic Serving Institutions are defined as accredited and degreegranting public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education with: at least

25 percent or more total undergraduate Hispanic full-time equivalent student

enrollment; a high enrollment of needy students; low educational and general

expenditures; and, where 50 percent of Hispanic students are low-income. 

Five-year development grants and one-year planning grants are awarded. Grant

activities include faculty development, funds and administrative management,

development and improvement of academic programs, acquisition of equipment to

s t rengthen funds management and academic programs, pro c u rement of scientific

or laboratory equipment for educational purposes, the renovation of instru c t i o n a l

facilities, academic tutoring, counseling programs, and student support serv i c e s .

The HSI program was first funded in 1995 at $12 million and in FY2000, there

were 108 HSI grantees with funding of $42.5 million.

4 3

UNDERGRA DUATE E DUCAT ION

4 5

Steer them toward learning about science, and we

will find the environmentalists, biologists, and 

meteorologists who will help our planet. Coax them

toward economics and we will get the minds that

will write the prescriptions for prosperity in this 

hemisphere and around the world. Believe in these

young people and give them a chance to

learn and to grow, and they’ll 

contribute on the world stage.

-CAROLYN CURIEL, 

AMBASSADOR TO BELIZE, 

IN “HISPANICS AND THE

FUTURE OF THE AMERICAS” 

SPEECH, 13 JUNE 2000. 

GRA DUATE & PROFESS ION A L

EDUCAT ION

INFLUENCING the future
4 6

GRA DUATE & PROFESSIONAL EDUCAT ION
4 7

GRA DUATE & PROFESSIONAL EDUCAT ION

T HE PIC T URE TODAY

N o w, more than ever, graduate education is critical for achieving economic success

and positions of leadership. While Hispanics have doubled their percentage 

e n rollment in graduate education in the last 20 years, they remain less well 

re p resented than other groups. In 1996, Hispanics re p resented 4 percent of 

graduate students, whereas whites re p resented 73 percent and African Americans

6 perc e n t .3 2 These numbers are even more troubling when one looks at part i c u l a r

fields, such as engineering, mathematics, and computer and physical science,

w h e re Hispanic participation in graduate education is even less re p resentative of

the population. In 1995-96, 7 percent of all first-professionals were Hispanic, 6 

p e rcent were African American, and 76 percent were white.3 3 Beyond enro l l m e n t ,

completion is also important. In 1996, Hispanics earned approximately 4 percent of

all master’s degrees and 2 percent of all doctoral degrees awarded in the 

United States.3 4

The most disturbing consequence of low rates of Hispanic participation in graduate

education is that relatively few Hispanics qualify to occupy faculty and administrative positions in the nation’s colleges and universities. Participation in graduate 

education has other implications beyond professional study. Graduate education is

also the pipeline for higher education faculty. In 1992, Hispanics re p resented less

than 3 percent of full-time instructional faculty and staff in higher education.3 5 W h i l e

t h e re are indications that the percentage has increased slightly since 1992, it had

not changed substantially by 1998. Too few Hispanics are attaining graduate

d e g rees and entering their fields of study as academic faculty. This has serious

implications given that faculty and staff are influential mentors and role models and

that they can enrich the educational experience of all students. The lack of Hispanic

re p resentation in graduate education is even more severe than in K-12 education

and must be re d ressed. 

Why are so few Hispanics in graduate education? Among the primary reasons are

their relatively low levels of baccalaureate achievement, inadequate financial 

s u p p o rt, relatively low levels of mentoring and counseling by college instructors and

other academic staff, and the continuing low expectations of Hispanics attaining

graduate education. 

T HE BOTTOM LINE

To secure educational excellence by Hispanic students and raise their achievement

to the level of other groups, our top priority for graduate and professional education

must be to make the undergraduate experiences of Latino students more successful

and provide more financial assistance and support for their education. 
4 8

GRA DUATE & PROFESSIONAL EDUCAT ION

What can each sector do to help Hispanic students raise their graduate

and professional educational achievement? 

PA REN TS CAN: 

• Learn about the benefits of graduate and professional education and encourage

their children from an early age to continue their education to rewarding careers that

typically require graduate education, such as university teaching, scientific research,

business, law, and medicine. 

• S u p p o rt children pursuing graduate education and recognize that graduate and professional education, though typically lengthy and expensive, yields long-term benefits.

COLLEGES AND UNI V ERSI T IES CAN: 

• Work to increase the number of Hispanics completing undergraduate education with

high academic achievement who aspire to graduate education. 

• Develop strong academic support programs for Hispanic undergraduates that also

encourage graduate enrollment. 

• Develop combined baccalaureate and master’s degree programs and encourage

interested advanced Hispanic undergraduates to take graduate courses. 

• Conduct targeted outreach to Hispanic students to increase the number of Hispanic

applicants to graduate programs and target institutional support (financial and student

s e rvices) to Hispanic students to help retain them in graduate education. 

• Foster a diverse campus climate that promotes educational equity and success for

all students. 

• Develop a faculty development program that targets Hispanics and hire Hispanic faculty

and academic staff and facilitate their interest in serving as mentors and role models.

COMMUN I TY- BA SED ORG A NIZ AT IONS CAN: 

• Sponsor leadership training for Hispanic graduate students.

• Include graduate and professional education in their organizational agendas. 

• Seek out and develop partnerships with graduate students and their professors for

fellowships and participation in community activities. 
4 9

GRA DUATE & PROFESSIONAL EDUCAT ION

T HE PR I VATE 

SECTOR CAN: 

• Establish fellowships and internships for graduate students.

• Encourage Hispanic employees to

o b t a i n g r a d u a t e d e g re e s and 

p rovide financial assistance in

order to support them in doing so. 

• Work with institutions to help facilitate the transition from education

to work and inform institutions of

the workforce demands they need

to meet in order to be competitive. 

• Fund endowed positions dedicated

to minority faculty in graduate 

p ro g r a m s .

THE PH.D. PROJECT

The Ph.D. Project is a partnership among America’s leading companies,

universities, and academic organizations. The project works to increase 

the ranks of minority business school professors by encouraging more

minorities to earn a business Ph.D., the entry ticket to professorship. These

new professors can then serve as role models—encouraging more minority

students who otherwise might not have considered business as a career to

do so; be mentors, for tomorro w ’s minority students, guiding them into 

corporate careers; and better pre p a re all students for the new, diverse, 

corporate landscape of the twenty-first century. Largely due to the Ph.D.

P roject, the current enrollment of business doctoral students alre a d y

exceeds the total number of minority professors teaching in business

schools. As doctoral students and teaching assistants, those enrolled are

inspiring, motivating, and assisting a new generation of business students.

To date, 189 Hispanic students and faculty have participated in the project. 

The project offers a networking and support system for every African American,

Hispanic American and Native American business doctoral student in the

United States through the Ph.D. Project Doctoral Students Associations. These

associations help minority doctoral students complete the business Ph.D. program. With more than 300 current doctoral students in the Ph.D. Project

Doctoral Students Associations in the year 2000, the dropout rate is below 5

percent (the dropout rate in this discipline can exceed 25 percent).
GOV ERNMENT CA N :

• Fund graduate fellowships for Hispanic students and programs that have a proven

track record of increasing minority participation in graduate education.

• Increase outreach and information dissemination efforts in Hispanic communities to

highlight the increased value of graduate degrees. 

• Facilitate re s e a rch opportunities for Hispanic students in federal agencies or in

g o v e rn m e n t - s u p p o rted and collaborative programs. 

• Publicize the availability of government jobs for graduates with advanced degrees.

THE CENTER FOR LATINO INITIATIVES—

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION (Washington, DC)

The Center for Latino Initiatives sponsors the Inter-University Program Latino

Graduate Training Seminar I n t e r p reting Latino Cultures: Research and Museums.

Hispanic graduate students attend the seminar to explore issues of re p re s e n t a t i o n

and interpretation of cultural materials and traditions in museums; the seminar is

followed by five ten-week fellowships and one ten-week internship. Fourt e e n

Hispanic students participated in the program in 1999. 

The Latino Studies Fellowship Program offers awards to Latino pre d o c t o r a l

students and postdoctoral or senior scholars to pursue re s e a rch related to

Latino history, art, and culture using Smithsonian re s o u rces, as well as thro u g h

extended field work. Through this program, 11 fellowships have been awarded

to outstanding students and scholars.

CENTERS OF RESEARCH EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY (CREST) –NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

(Nationwide)

Each Center of Research Excellence serves as a hub for conducting competitive

re s e a rch at the most productive minority institutions, including those that pro d u c e

well-trained doctoral students in science, mathematics, engineering and 

technology (SMET) fields. Centers also serve as models for the integration of

education and re s e a rch and engage in interd i s c i p l i n a ry activities. There are thre e

l a rge-scale center projects focusing on Hispanic students: The Materials

R e s e a rch Center of Excellence at the University of Texas, El Paso, to establish a

nationally competitive re s e a rch center in materials science and increase the

number of minority re s e a rchers available to the nation; the Distributed

Computing: Theory, Development and Application Center, managed jointly by

Florida A&M University and Florida International University, which seeks to 

significantly increase minority participation in SMET disciplines and pro m o t e

minority participation in quality re s e a rch activities (Florida Intern a t i o n a l ’s student

e n rollment is 60 percent Hispanic), and the Center for the Study of Light Matter

Interaction in Photonic Materials at New Mexico Highlands University. NSF 

p rovided $8.81 million in FY1999 to support eight centers.

5 0

GRA DUATE & PROFESSIONAL EDUCAT ION
5 1

CONCLUS ION

...Because despite the progress made, 

we know that too many young Hispanics 

are still dropping out of school and 

not enough are getting the Head Start they need. 

And far too many are born into poverty 

and never have a fighting chance at the future

all children deserve. These are not somebody 

else’s children. They are all our children.

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, 

WHITE HOUSE CONVENING ON HISPANIC CHILDREN AND YOUTH,

AUGUST 2, 1999
5 2

CONCLUS ION

T EN THINGS THE NEXT ADMINIS T RAT ION MUST DO

Over the past seven years, President Clinton and Vice President Gore have taken a leadership

role and important steps to improve education for Hispanic students. The Clinton-Gore 

administration created the Hispanic Education Action Plan (HEAP) in 1998, to invest more in

p rograms that work for Hispanic students. Funding for HEAP has increased each year, and the

a d m i n i s t r a t i o n ’s FY 2001 proposal calls for nearly $10.7 billion–a one-year increase of more

than $800 million. The administration expanded Head Start access, strengthened services for

English Language Learners, created the GEAR-UP college preparation and mentoring 

p rogram, and increased support for Hispanic Serving Institutions. The administration has also

actively pursued its commitment to excellence for all students by insisting that states set high

s t a n d a rds for all students, ensuring accountability for results and investing in proven strategies

such as smaller classes, extended learning time, and high-quality teachers. Most re c e n t l y

(June, 2000), the president hosted a White House Strategy Session on Improving Hispanic

Student Achievement, which brought together stakeholders from all sectors to focus on 

this issue. At the Strategy Session, the president announced five goals to help focus eff o rts 

to close educational achievement gaps for Hispanic students within the next 10 years. More

i n f o rmation about this event, the national goals, and strategies to reach these goals may be

found in the re p o rt on the White House Strategy Session on Improving Hispanic Student

Achievement. For a copy of this re p o rt, please call 1-877-4ED-PUBS.

This administration has also worked to create a government that represents all of

America. For example, the Office of Personnel Management developed a Nine-Point Plan

to increase the representation of Hispanics in federal employment, and the Department

of Health and Human Services created an agency-wide response to meeting the needs

of people with limited English proficiency.

The Pre s i d e n t ’s Advisory Commission developed mechanisms working with partners in

g o v e rnment and other sectors over the last seven years to address the educational

achievement of Hispanics. The next administration must take up the challenge and 

continue to serve as a catalyst in the eff o rt to involve all sectors in raising Hispanic 

educational achievement. To that end, the commission has identified ten things the next

administration must do. These things are not to the exclusion of individual, local, state, and

national eff o rts, but can leverage the federal govern m e n t ’s ability to highlight what is

i m p o rtant, motivate a nation, and lead by example.

The next president must continue to lead this nation by supporting

states in fulfilling the responsibility to educate all our children and

highlight the importance of ensuring educational excellence for the Hispanic community. As part of this effort, the next president must deploy federal resources to provide opportunities for all children to succeed. 

The Secre t a ry and Department of Education must continue to take

c h a rge in establishing and highlighting the educational excellence of

Hispanics as a national priority. This leadership re q u i res commitment to a

strategic plan grounded in current and confirmed re s e a rch and promising practices

that will activate all facets of government to improve Hispanic academic achievement.

1

2
5 3

CONCLUSION

The next administration must continue to support America’s

leadership in a global economy by cultivating biliteracy and pro f i c i e n c y

in two languages for all Americans. 

The next administration must continue to increase the re p re s e n t a t i o n

of Hispanics in federal employment in both career and political appointments

and in program, policy, and leadership positions. Greater re p resentation of Hispanics,

in turn, will expand the federal govern m e n t ’s capacity to effectively work with and

a d d ress the concerns of the Hispanic community.

The next administration must continue to implement concerted and

targeted outreach to Hispanic communities and provide complementary

guidance and technical assistance to those communities to ensure their competitiveness and access to federal programs.

The next president must establish another executive order that

addresses educational excellence for Hispanics throughout the entire education

continuum and includes responsibility from all federal agencies. 

The next administration must work to further align the responsibility of

federal agencies to respond to the executive ord e r with the budget pro c e s s ,

their annual perf o rmance re p o rts on the executive ord e r, and the Office of Management

and Budget oversight. This alignment includes improving accountability mechanisms by

refining data collection pertaining to Hispanic participation in federal programs and maintaining the Inter- D e p a rtmental Council for Hispanic Educational Improvement to foster

i n c reased awareness and engagement by agency staff. 

The next executive order must continue to strengthen the commission’s authority to facilitate public and private partnerships addressing

educational excellence for Hispanics. These partnerships include leaders of the

Hispanic community, members of Congress, national advocacy organizations, and

business and foundation leaders. 

The next administration must provide an adequate number of White

House Initiative staff to implement the charge of the executive order covering

key areas such as federal agencies, community outreach, Hispanic Serv i n g

Institutions (HSIs) and policy.

The next administration must align the oversight of executive orders

to facilitate effective implementation among federal agencies so that the needs of

Hispanics are addressed. By doing so, the administration will alleviate the dynamic

of competing agendas.

7

8

9

1 0

3

4

5

6
CREAT ING THE WIL L

The challenge is to:

Raise the educational performance of all Hispanic students to the same

level of achievement as other students in America by the year 2010.

Meeting the educational needs of Hispanic Americans is good for this country. Not only does

it strengthen the analytical and intellectual skills of the fastest-growing segment of American

s o c i e t y, but it also fortifies our country ’s most precious re s o u rce: its human capital. In this time

of enormous prosperity and sustained tranquility we can make real the promise of a quality

education for all our young people by deploying proven strategies where they are needed and

securing the re s o u rces this country has to off e r. So why do we hesitate? 

The President’s Advisory Commission believes it is a question of will. There is sufficient

empirical evidence on interventions that help Hispanic students succeed—from early

childhood through graduate and professional education. This report offers strategies for

each sector to implement. However, creating the will to achieve educational excellence

begins with the belief that our young people are precious and deserve a quality education and requires a commitment to reject failure and to strive for success. 

To reach this goal requires that parents, educators, community activists, elected officials,

business leaders, and government representatives take responsibility to form multiple

alliances to harness the collective political will of those who commit to work together for

change. They must raise the nation’s awareness of the strengths and talents of the

Hispanic community; acknowledge the community’s educational needs; and refuse to

accept anything less than success in attaining the goal. 

MASSACHUSETTS EDUCATION INITIATIVE 

FOR LATINO STUDENTS (MEILS) (Massachusetts)

The Massachusetts Education Initiative for Latino Students (MEILS) was formed

in 1999 in response to President Clinton’s Executive Order for Educational

Excellence for Hispanic Americans. MEILS seeks to develop a statewide Latino

education agenda to ensure high-level educational achievements for Latino

students, from preschoolers to lifelong learners. MEILS will also inform the 

public in New England on educational challenges facing Latinos. It is the first

statewide education initiative for Hispanics in the nation.

S p e a rheaded by United Methodist Urban Services, Inc. (UMUS), MEILS has

c reated numerous working coalitions in cities and towns across Massachusetts

having at least 10 percent Latino student population. It is guided by committees

that include re p resentatives from government, business, and community 

o rganizations, as well as educators, religious leaders, and parents. 

5 4

CONCLUS ION
It is time; it is our imperative as a nation to provide 

a framework for action and model the behavior need ed

to make a concert ed difference in the ed u c a t i o n a l

a ch i evement of Latinos. 

–Guillermo Linares, Chair, President’s Advisory Commission 

on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans

In modeling the behavior necessary to create the will, the President’s Advisory

Commission used its convening authority to bring together many interested parties from

the key sectors. In the national conference series Excelencia en Educaciio: The Role of

Parents in the Education of their Children, parents, educators, community advocates,

business leaders, elected officials, and government representatives worked together to

discuss a common goal: educational excellence for Hispanic students. While each 

partner provided different services and varied resources, all used this conference as a

means to work together to achieve their common goal. As a result, 

• Federal agencies learned how to more effectively and directly reach out to 

the Hispanic community, and their responsibility to be held accountable to this 

community was reinforced. 

• P a rents received information, were put in contact with re s o u rces, and were empowere d

to speak with those who contribute to their childre n ’s education. 

• Schools received support from other local and federal entities to improve their outre a c h

to Hispanic parents and participated in activities that connected them with the Hispanic

community and advocates. 

• Community-based organizations were linked more directly to schools and federal

agencies to improve service to the Hispanic community; and corporations were able

to see “firsthand” effective programs in their communities and learned how to more

effectively reach out to the Hispanic community.

America is in transition in many ways. As Hispanic students quickly become the majority in

school districts across the nation, critical masses of them are educationally and technologically

u n p re p a red. All sectors must address their responsibility to educate all children. The future of

America relies on the development of the full potential of its people—including Hispanics. All

members of society have a role to play in building upon these and many other eff o rts and in

continuing the work necessary to help Hispanic students raise their educational achievement

to that of other groups in this nation. 

This commission has been privileged to serve these past seven years with an administration

that has worked hard, accomplished a great deal, and stayed focused on tomorro w. The work

is not finished; it must continue for the next administration... and the next generation. 

5 5

CONCLUSION
ENDNOT ES

OVERVIEW 

1 . B u reau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, CPS Report, No. P25-1130, 1996.

2. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, CPS Report, Educational

Attainment in the United States: March 1998 (update), No. P20-513, 1998.

3. National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of Education,

Dropout Rates in the United States, 1998.

4. NCES, U.S. Department of Education, “The Educational Progress of Hispanic

Students,” The Condition of Education, 1995.

5 . B u reau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, CPS Report, No. P20-516, 1997.

6 . NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 207.

7 . NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 207. 

8 . NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 207. 

9. Four important sources highlighting these factors include: No More Excuses: The

Final Report of the Hispanic Dropout Project (1995; Commissioners Santiago and

Muthe Hispanic Dropout Projecto); Latino High School Graduation: Defying the Odds

(1996; H. D. Romo); Lessons from High-Performing Hispanic Schools (1999; P.

Reyes, J.D. Scribner, A.P. Scribner); and Testing Hispanic Students in the U.S.:

Technical and Policy Issues (2000, President’s Advisory Commission on Educational

Excellence for Hispanic Americans).

EARLY CHILDHOOD

1 0 . B u reau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, CPS Report, No. P25-1130, 1996.

1 1 . B u reau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, CPS Report, No. P20-521, Table 2.

1 2 . B u reau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, CPS Report, No. P20-521, Table 2. 

13. Head Start is a federal program (HHS) that provides comprehensive developmental

services designed to remedy the effect of poverty on educational achievement for

low-income, pre-school children ages three to five and social services for their 

families. Approximately 1,400 community-based non-profit organizations and school

systems around the country serve as providers to meet early childhood needs.

14. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and

Families, 1999 Head Start Fact Sheet.

ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY (K-12)

1 5 . B u reau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerc e , CPS Report, No. P25-1130, 1996.

16. NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Trends Among High School Seniors, NELS:88,

1972-1992, 1995.

5 6

CONCLUS ION
1 7 . NCES, U.S. Department of Education,The Condition of Education, 1999, Indicator 1, 2, 4–6.

1 8 . NCES, U.S. Department of Education, The Condition of Education, 1999, Indicator 23.

19. NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 68.

2 0 . The Civil Rights Project, Harv a rd University, R e s e g regation in American Schools, 1999.

21. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, CPS Report, P20-521, 1998.

22. NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Trends Among High School Seniors, NELS:88,

1972-1992, 1995.

23. NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Trends Among High School Seniors, NELS:88,

1972-1992, 1995.

24. NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Dropout Rates in the United States: 1998.

25. NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Dropout Rates in the United States: 1998.

26. NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Trends Among High School Seniors, NELS-88,

Second Follow-up, 1992.

27. Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Elementary and Secondary

School Civil Rights Compliance Report, 1988-1994. 

UNDERGRADUATE

2 8 . B u reau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerc e , CPS Report, No. P20-516, 1997.

2 9 . NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 207.

30. Carnevale, A. and Fry, Richard, Crossing the Great Divide: Can We Achieve Equity

When Generation Y Goes to College?, Educational Testing Service, 2000.

31. NCES, U.S. Department of Education,IPEDS, 1997 Fall Enrollment; Higher Education

Amendments of 1965, as amended, 1998.

GRADUATE

3 2 . NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 207.

33. NCES, U.S. Department of Education, “Graduate and First-Professional Students,”

National Postsecondary Education Student Aid Study, 1996.

3 4 . NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 268.

35. NCES, U.S. Department of Education, Instructional Faculty and Staff in Higher

Education Institutions: Fall 1987 and Fall 1992, 1997.

5 7

CONCLUS ION
5 8

CONCLUS ION

The President’s Ad v i s o ry Commission 

a p p r eciates the following colleagues who worked 

so diligently to rev i ew drafts of the report :

M a rgarita Benitez, Director, Institutional Development and Undergraduate Education Services, 

Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education

A rthur L. Coleman, Esquire, Nixon Peabody LLP

Raymund Paredes, Associate Vice Chancellor University of California at Los Angeles

Carlos Rodriguez, Senior Research Analyst, American Institutes for Research

In addition, we express special appreciation for the hard work and commitment of 

Deborah A. Santiago , Deputy Director of the White House Initiative, and Sarita E. Brown ,

Executive Director, for informing and shaping the report on behalf of the Commission. 
5 9

A PPENDICES
6 0

A PPEN DIX - A

PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDER 12900

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United

States of America, and in order to advance the development of human potential, 

to strengthen the Nation’s capacity to provide high-quality education, and to incre a s e

o p p o rtunities for Hispanic Americans to participate in and benefit from Federal education

p rograms, it is hereby ord e red as follows: 

Section 1. T h e re shall be established in the Department of Education the

P re s i d e n t ’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans

(Commission). The Commission shall consist of not more than 25 members, who shall

be appointed by the President and shall re p o rt to the Secre t a ry of Education

( S e c re t a ry). The Commission shall comprise re p resentatives who: (a) have a history

of involvement with the Hispanic community; (b) are from the education, civil rights,

and business communities; or c) are from civic associations re p resenting the 

diversity within the Hispanic community. In addition, the President may appoint other

re p resentatives as he deems appropriate. 

Section 2. The Commission shall provide advice to the President and the

S e c re t a ry on: (a) the pro g ress of Hispanic Americans toward achievement of 

the National Education Goals and other standards of educational accomplishment; 

(b) the development, monitoring, and coordination of Federal eff o rts to pro m o t e

high-quality education for Hispanic Americans; c) ways to increase State, private

s e c t o r, and community involvement in improving education; and (d) ways to expand

and complement Federal education initiatives. The Commission shall pro v i d e

advice to the President through the Secre t a ry. 

Section 3. T h e re shall be established in the Department of Education the White

House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans (Initiative). The

Initiative shall be an interagency working group coordinated by the Department of

Education and shall be headed by a Dire c t o r, who shall be a senior level Federal 

o fficial. It shall provide the staff, re s o u rces, and assistance for the Commission and

shall serve the Secre t a ry in carrying out his or her responsibilities under this ord e r. The

Initiative is authorized to utilize the services, personnel, information, and facilities 

of other Federal, State and local agencies with their consent and with or without 

reimbursement, consistent with applicable law. To the extent permitted by law and 

regulations, each Federal agency shall cooperate in providing re s o u rces, including

personnel detailed to the Initiative, to meet the objectives of this ord e r. The Initiative

shall include both career civil service and appointed staff with expertise in the area 

of education, and shall provide advice to the Secre t a ry on the implementation and

c o o rdination of education and related programs across Executive agencies. 
Section 4. Each Executive department and each agency designated by the

S e c re t a ry shall appoint a senior official, who is a full-time officer of the Federal

G o v e rnment and responsible for the management or program administration, to re p o rt

d i rectly to the agency head on activity under this Executive order and to serve as a 

liaison to the Commission and the Initiative. To the extent permitted by law and to the

extent practicable, each Executive department and designated agency shall pro v i d e

any appropriate information requested by the Commission or the staff of the Initiative,

including data relating to the eligibility for and participation by Hispanic Americans in

Federal education programs and the pro g ress of Hispanic Americans in relation to the

National Education Goals. Where adequate data is not available, the Commission shall

suggest the means for collecting the data. 

Section 5. The Secre t a ry, in consultation with the Commission, shall submit to the

P resident an Annual Federal Plan to Promote Hispanic American Educational

Excellence (Annual Federal Plan, or Plan). All actions described in the Plan shall be

designed to help Hispanic Americans attain the educational improvement targets set

f o rth in the National Education Goals and any standards established by the National

Education Standards and Improvement Council. The Plan shall include data on eligibility for, and participation by, Hispanic Americans, in Federal education pro g r a m s ,

and such other aspects of the educational status of Hispanic Americans, as 

the Secre t a ry considers appropriate. This Plan also shall include, as an appendix, the

text of the agency plans described in section 6 of this ord e r. The Secre t a ry, in 

consultation with the Commission and with the assistance of the Initiative staff, shall

e n s u re that superintendents of Hispanic-serving institutions of higher education,

d i rectors of educational programs for Hispanic Americans, and other appropriate 

individuals are given the opportunity to comment on the proposed Annual Federal

Plan. For the purpose of this ord e r, a “Hispanic-serving” school district or institution of

higher education is any local education agency or institution of higher education,

re s p e c t i v e l y, whose student population is more than 25 percent Hispanic.

Section 6. As part of the development of the Annual Federal Plan, each Executive

d e p a rtment and each designated agency (hereinafter in this section re f e rred to 

collectively as “agency”) shall pre p a re a plan for, and shall document, both that

a g e n c y ’s eff o rt to increase Hispanic American participation in Federal education 

p rograms where Hispanic Americans currently are under served, and that agency’s

e ff o rt to improve educational outcomes for Hispanic Americans participating in

Federal education programs. This plan shall address, among other relevant issues:

(a) the elimination of unintended re g u l a t o ry barriers to Hispanic American part i c i p a t i o n

in Federal education programs; (b) the adequacy of announcements of pro g r a m

o p p o rtunities of interest to Hispanic-serving school districts, institutions of higher

education, and agencies; and c) ways of eliminating educational inequalities and

disadvantages faced by Hispanic Americans. It also shall emphasize the facilitation

of technical, planning, and development advice to Hispanic-serving school districts

and institutions of higher education. Each agency’s plan shall provide appro p r i a t e

measurable objectives for proposed actions aimed at increasing Hispanic American

6 1

A PPEND IX - A
p a rticipation in Federal education programs where Hispanic Americans currently are

u n d e r s e rved. After the first year, each agency’s plans also shall assess that agency’s

p e rf o rmance on the goals set in the previous year’s annual plan. These plans shall

be submitted by a date and time to be established by the Secre t a ry.

Section 7. The Director of the Office of Personnel Management, in consultation with

the Secre t a ry of Education and the Secre t a ry of Labor, to the extent permitted by the

l a w, shall develop a program to promote re c ruitment of Hispanic students for part - t i m e ,

s u m m e r, and permanent positions in the Federal Govern m e n t .

Section 8. I have determined that the Commission shall be established in compliance

with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2).

Notwithstanding any other Executive ord e r, the responsibilities of the President under

the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, shall be perf o rmed by the Secre t a ry,

in accordance with the guidelines and pro c e d u res established by the Administrator of

General Services. 

Section 9. Administration. (a) Members of the Commission shall serve without

compensation, but shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of

subsistence, as authorized by law for persons serving intermittently in the

G o v e rnment service (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707). (b) The Commission and the Initiative

shall obtain funding for their activities from the Department of Education. c) The

D e p a rtment of Education shall provide such administrative services for the

Commission as may be re q u i red. 

Section 10. Executive order No.12729 is revoked.

6 2

A PPENDIX - A
6 3

A PPEND IX - B

Guillermo Linares (Chair)

New York, New York

Sonia Hernández (Vice-chair)

Sacramento, California

Erlinda Paiz Archuleta

Denver, Colorado

Cecilia Preciado Burciaga

Seaside, California

George Castr o

San Jose, California

Darlene Chavira Chávez

Tuscon, Arizona

David J. Cortiella

Boston, Massachusetts

Miriam Cruz

Washington, D.C.

Juliet Villareal García

Brownsville, Texas

José González

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Cipriano Muñoz

San Antonio, Texas

Harry P. Pachón

Claremont, California

Eduardo J. Padrón

Miami, Florida

Janice Petrovich

New York, New York

Gloria Rodríguez

San Antonio, Texas

Waldemar Rojas

Dallas, Texas

Isaura Santiago-Santiago

New York, New York

John Phillip Santos

New York, New York

Samuel Vigil

Las Vegas, New Mexico

Diana Wasserman

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Rubén Zacarías

Los Angeles, California

Sarita E. Brown

Executive Director

Deborah A. Santiago

Deputy Director 

Richard Toscano

Special Assistant 

for Interagency Affairs

Julie Laurel

Policy Analyst

Deborah M. Montoya

Assistant to 

the Executive Director

Danielle Gonzales

Policy Intern

PRESIDENT’S ADVISORY COMMISSION

ON EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE FOR HISPANIC AMERICANS

W HITE HOUSE INI T I ATIVE ON 

EDUC AT IONAL EXCEL L ENCE FOR HISPA NIC AMERIC A NS STA FF
L AT INOS IN EA RLY CHIL DHOOD EDUC AT ION

Early childhood education, or preschool, encompasses education programs for children

up to 5 years of age, and may provide related services to meet children’s psychological

and health needs. Preschool prepares children for a solid education by teaching 

learning and socialization skills. Given the importance of these efforts and services, both

the federal government and the states make significant investments in early childhood

programs, totaling about $10 billion annually.

POPUL AT ION

• The Hispanic population in the United States is very young. To d a y, 10% of Hispanics are

under age 5 and make up over 15% of their age group in the U.S. population. By the year

2030, they will make up 25% of the total school-age population. The projected increase in

the number of Hispanic children in preschool brings with it critical strengths and challenges

to the nation’s education system. [Bureau of the Census, CPS Report, No. P25-1130, 1996]

ENROL L MEN T

• Hispanic children under age 5 are less likely to be enrolled in early childhood education

p rograms. In 1998, only 20% of Hispanic 3-year-olds were enrolled in early childhood

p rograms, compared to 42% of whites and 44% of blacks. Of 4-year-olds, less than 60%

of Hispanics were enrolled in early childhood programs, compared to 67% of whites and

73% of blacks. [Bureau of the Census, CPS Report, No. P20-521, Ta b l e - 2 ]

• In 1998, differences in the enrollment of 5-year-olds largely disappeared between

Hispanics (90%), whites (94%) and blacks (95%). However, while the enrollment gap

closes at kindergarten, Latino children still remain less prepared for school because

of lower enrollment rates at the younger ages. [Bureau of the Census, CPS Report,

No. P20-521, Table-2]

• In 1998, the early childhood education enrollment rate for Hispanics was similar in

both urban (48%) and suburban (42%) locations. By comparison, the enrollment rate

for blacks was higher in urban areas (55%) than in suburban areas (32%), while the

rate for whites was much higher in suburban areas (62%) than in urban areas (19%).

[Bureau of the Census, CPS Report, No. P20-521, Table-5]

• As parents’ educational attainment increases, so does the early childhood enrollment

rate of their children. However, in 1997, fewer Hispanics age 25 and older had completed high school than their black and white counterparts—55% of Hispanics, 75%

of blacks, and 86% of whites had completed high school. [NCES, Digest of Education

Statistics, 1998, Table 8]

6 4

A PPENDIX - C
INCOME AND ENROL L MEN T

• In 1998, the median family income for Hispanics was about $28,000 while the overall

median income was $39,000. Research shows that families with higher incomes are

more likely to enroll their 3- and 4-year-olds in early childhood education than those

with lower incomes. [NCES, The Condition of Education, 1999, Indicator 44] [Bureau

of the Census, CPS Report, No. P60-206, 1998]

• While Latino children are overre p resented in families living in povert y, they are

u n d e rre p resented in Head Start programs designed to remedy the effect of

p o v e rty on educational achievement. In 1998, the child poverty rate for childre n

under 6 years of age was 36% for Hispanics, 40% for blacks and 15% for whites.

In Fiscal Year 1998, Head Start served 822,316 children. Of these, 36% were

black, 32% white, 26% Hispanic and 3% American Indian and Asian. [1999 Head

S t a rt Fact Sheet, Administration for Children, Youth and Families]

SCHOOL REA DINESS

• Hispanics are more likely to tell their child a story than read to them. Three-to 5-yearolds may start school better prepared to learn if they are read to or told a story once

a week. In 1996, of 3- to 5-year olds, 80% of Hispanics were told a story—consistent

with blacks (77%) and whites (84%). Hispanic children were less likely to be read to—

65% of Hispanics were read to, compared to about 75% of blacks and nearly 90% of

whites. [NCES, The Condition of Education, 1999, Indicator 34]

• Approximately 70% of teachers said they felt only moderately, somewhat, or not at all

prepared to address the needs of students with limited English proficiency or from

diverse cultural backgrounds. This lack of preparation has profound implications for

the large population of Hispanic students in early childhood today. [NCES, The

Condition of Education, 1999, Indicator 23]

6 5

A PPEND IX - C
L AT INOS IN EL EMEN TA RY EDUC AT ION (K-8)

The elementary school years are a period of significant development for the child in all

areas of learning, providing the foundation for a successful high school experience.

Elementary education generally includes kindergarten through grade eight, referred to in

various grade groupings as primary, elementary, and middle school. 

POPUL AT ION

• Today, Hispanics comprise 15% of the elementary school-age population (5-13). By

the year 2025, Latinos in this age group will make up nearly 25% of the elementary

school-age population. [Bureau of the Census, CPS Report, No. P25-1130, 1996]

ENROL L MEN T

• Between 1978 and 1998, the enrollment of Hispanics in public elementary schools

increased 157% compared to 20% for black students and 10% for white students.

[Bureau of the Census, CPS Report, Table A-1, 1999]

URBA NICI TY AND POV ER TY

• Latino students now experience more isolation from whites and more concentration in

high-poverty schools than any other group of students. In 1998, close to 50% of

Hispanics in public education attended urban schools. In comparison, just over 50%

of blacks and only 18% of whites in public schools were enrolled in urban schools.

Further, the nation’s 10 largest central city school districts enrolled close to 25% of

Latino students, 18% of black students and only 2% of white students. [Bureau of the

Census, CPS Report, P20-521, 1998] [Resegregation in American Schools, The Civil

Rights Project, Harvard University, 1999]

• In 1996, about one out of every four students who lived in a central city and who

attended public schools was Hispanic, up from about one out of every 10 students in

1972. [NCES, The Condition of Education, 1999, Indicator 46]

• Latino students, on average, attend schools with more than twice as many poor classmates

as in those attended by white students (46% vs. 19%). In addition, just over one-third of

Hispanics (34%) and blacks (37%) under age 14 lived in povert y, compared to 14% of

whites. [Bureau of the Census, CPS Report, P60-206, 1998] [R e s e g regation in American

S c h o o l s, The Civil Rights Project, Harv a rd University, 1999]

6 6

A PPEN DIX - C
EDUC AT IONAL ACHIEV EMEN T

• Overall, Hispanic students consistently perform below the national average in the

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Disparities begin as early as

kindergarten and remain through age 17. By age nine, Hispanic students lag behind

their non-Hispanic peers in reading, mathematics and science proficiency. [NCES,

The Condition of Education, 1999, Indicator 1, 2, 4 – 6] 

• While not all Hispanic students are limited english proficient (LEP), Hispanics constitute

about 75% of all students enrolled in LEP programs, including bilingual education and

English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. [E l e m e n t a ry and Secondary School

Civil Rights Compliance Report, 1988-1994]

• Computers have become an essential tool in our society and early exposure to computers

can help pre p a re students for future success in the workplace. However, Hispanic students

a re less likely than their white peers to use a computer at school or at home. In 1997, 68%

of Hispanic children used a computer at school, compared to 70% of blacks and 84% of

whites. Furt h e r, only 18% of Hispanic students used a computer at home, compared to 19%

of black students and 52% of white students. [NCES, The Condition of Education, 1999,

Indicator 18]

T EACHERS

• The number of Hispanic teachers lags far behind the number of Hispanic students.

While Hispanic students comprise about 15% of public school students, only about

4% of public school teachers are Hispanic. [NCES, Digest of Education Statistics,

1998, Table 68]

6 7

A PPEND IX - C
L AT INOS IN SECONDA RY EDUC AT ION (9-12)

S e c o n d a ry education is a critical means of achieving upward mobility and helps

individuals negotiate the path to achievement and economic success. Secondary

education, or high school, generally includes grades nine through twelve. 

POPUL AT ION

• Hispanic students in secondary education re p resent 13% of the current school population

in grades 9-12. By the year 2030, Latinos in grades 9-12 will make up 23% of the school

population for these grades. [Bureau of the Census, CPS Report, No. P25-1130, 1996]

ENROL L MEN T

• Among 15-17 year olds, 34% of Hispanic students were enrolled below grade level.

E n rollment below grade level is a significant variable because it is the highest 

p redictor of school dropout rates. [Bureau of the Census, CPS Report, Number P20-

513, Table A-2, 1998]

EDUC AT IONAL ACHIEV EMEN T

• The dropout rate for Hispanics is much higher than for other ethnic groups. In 1998,

30% of all Latino 16- through 24-year-olds were dropouts (1.5 million), more than

double the dropout rate for blacks (14%) and more than three times the rate for

whites (8%). [NCES, D ropout Rates in the United States: 1998]

• High Hispanic dropout rates are partly attributable to the relatively greater dropout

rates among Hispanic immigrants. The dropout rate for Hispanic 16- to 24-year-olds

born outside the United States (44%) was double the rate for those born in the United

States. (21%). [NCES, Dropout Rates in the United States: 1998]

• In 1996, the average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores of

Hispanic students age 17 were well below those of their white peers in math, reading

and science. [NCES, The Condition of Education 1998, Indicator 16]

• Hispanic students have earned more credits in computer science, foreign languages

and English than other groups. Despite increases in upper-level course selection

among Hispanic high school students, Hispanic students still earn fewer credits than

other groups in history, science and mathematics. [NCES, The Educational Progress

of Hispanic Students, The Condition of Education, 1995]

6 8

A PPEN DIX - C
EDUC AT IONAL ATTA INMEN T

• The low high school completion rate for Latinos has not changed substantially in

several years. High school completion rates for white and black students in 1998

w e re 90% and 81%, re s p e c t i v e l y. However, the high school completion rate for

Hispanics was only 63%. [NCES, D ropout Rates in the United States: 1998]

• While Latino parents are increasing their educational attainment rates, these rates

a re still below those of other ethnic groups. Higher levels of parental educational

attainment are generally associated with positive educational outcomes and experiences, such as high school completion, for their children. The percentage of

Hispanic parents earning a high school diploma has improved, from 23% in 1972 to

45% in 1997. By comparison, in 1997, over 90% of white parents had earned a high

school diploma. [NCES, The Condition of Education 1998, Supplemental Table 44-4]

COL L EGE PREPA RAT ION

• Hispanic students are more often than not tracked into general courses that satisfy

only the basic re q u i rements and not those that provide access to four-year colleges

or to rigorous technical schools. More Hispanic students (50%) are enrolled in 

general programs of study than either whites (39%) or blacks (40%). Only 35% of

Latino students are enrolled in college pre p a r a t o ry or academic programs, 

c o m p a red to 50% of whites and 43% of blacks. [NCES, Trends Among High School

Seniors, NELS:88, 1972-1992, 1995]

• In 1997, Hispanics were at least three times as likely to take a foreign language

Advanced Placement (AP) examination as whites. Hispanic students were also five

times as likely as whites to be eligible for college credit from these tests (with a grade

3 or higher). White students were more likely than blacks or Hispanics to take AP

examinations in all other subject areas. [NCES, The Condition of Education, 1999,

Indicator 14]

• The percentage of Hispanic seniors who planned to continue their education at a

f o u r-year college doubled from 24% in 1972, to 50% in 1992. The percentage who

planned to attend a two-year program increased from 12% to 20%. [NCES, Tre n d s

Among High School Seniors, NELS-88, Second Follow-up, 1992]

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L AT INOS IN UNDERGRA DUATE EDUC AT ION

U n d e rgraduate education is considered today to be an important path to ensuring a better

f u t u re in our economy. Undergraduate education is study beyond secondary school at an

institution offering programs terminating in an associate’s or bachelor’s degre e .

POPUL AT ION

• Hispanics currently re p resent 14.5% (3.6 million) of the total traditional college-age

population (18-24 years). By the year 2025, Hispanics will comprise 22% of that

population. [Bureau of the Census, CPS Report, No. P20-516, 1997]

E N R O L L M E N T

• The representation of Hispanics in higher education continues to grow. In 1996,

Hispanic students represented almost 10% of the total student enrollment in higher

education. [NCES, Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 207]

• Between 1976 and 1996, the number of Hispanics enrolled in undergraduate education

i n c reased 202%, compared with only 13% for whites and 44% for blacks. In one year

alone (1995-96), Hispanic enrollment increased 5%, the largest one-year increase of

any ethnic group. [NCES, Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 207]

• Hispanic students enroll in college immediately upon graduation from high school

at a rate similar to that of other groups—66%, compared to 68% for whites and

about 60% for blacks. However, Hispanic 18-to 24-year old high school completers

e n roll in college at lower rates (36%) than whites (46%) and blacks (40%). [NCES,

The Condition of Education, 1999, Indicators 53 and 54]

• The majority of Hispanic undergraduates are enrolled in two-year institutions (53%).

In comparison, the majority of white and black undergraduates are enrolled in fouryear institutions (56% and 51%, respectively). [NCES, IPEDS, 1997 Fall Enro l l m e n t ]

• Latino enrollment in undergraduate education is concentrated in a small number of

institutions. About 40% of Hispanic undergraduate students are enrolled in fewer than

200 institutions of higher education known as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).

HSIs are accredited degree-granting public or private nonprofit institutions of higher

education with at least 25 percent total undergraduate Hispanic full-time equivalent

student enrollment. [NCES, IPEDS, 1997 Fall Enrollment] [Higher Education

Amendments of 1965, as amended, 1998]

• Latino undergraduate students are concentrated in several key states. Just over 50%

of all Hispanics enrolled in higher education are in two states: California and Texas.

Almost 75% of Latinos enrolled in higher education are in five states: California, Texas,

New York, Florida, and Illinois. [NCES, IPEDS, 1997 Fall Enrollment]

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A PPEN DIX - C
• A higher percentage of Hispanic students (45%) are enrolled part time than either

white or black students (39% and 40%, respectively). Hispanics (35%) are also more

likely than white or black students (25% and 32%, respectively) to take more than six

years to receive a bachelor’s degree. [NCES, IPEDS, 1997 Fall Enrollment] [NCES,

The Condition of Education, 1996, Supplemental Table 11-1]

FIN A NCIAL AID

• Hispanic students tend to borrow less to pay for their education. As first-year students,

close to 50% of Hispanics received grants while less than 30% received loans to pay

for their education. In comparison, close to 60% of blacks received grants and 42%

received loans, and 46% of whites received grants and 31% received loans. [NCES,

Descriptive Summary of 1989-90 Beginning Postsecondary Students, 5 Years Later,

Table 15.1, May 1996]

EDUC AT IONAL ATTA INMEN T

• Hispanics have increased their undergraduate degree attainment. In 1996, Hispanic

students earned 7% of all associate’s and 5% of all bachelor’s degrees. In total,

Hispanics doubled their undergraduate degree attainment from 1976. [NCES, Digest

of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 262]

• The top three disciplines for bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanic students in

1996 were business, social sciences and education. The top three disciplines for

a s s o c i a t e ’s degrees awarded to Hispanics were liberal arts, business and the health

p rofessions. [NCES, Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 265]

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L AT INOS IN GRA DUATE EDUC AT ION

Graduate education provides the opportunity to rise to the professional level of a

discipline and to become an expert in a field of study. A graduate education 

p rogram generally re q u i res study beyond the bachelor’s degree, resulting in a 

m a s t e r’s, first-professional or doctoral degree. 

ENROL L MEN T

• While Hispanics have increased their enrollment in graduate education, they are still

less represented than other groups. In 1996, Hispanics represented 4% of graduate

students, while whites represented 73%, and blacks represented 6%. In 1976,

Hispanics represented only 2% of graduate students. [NCES, Digest of Education

Statistics 1998, Table 207]

• In the past 20 years, Hispanic women have surpassed Hispanic men in graduate

enrollment. In 1976, 45% of Hispanics enrolled were women compared to 55% of

men. In 1996, 60% of Latinos enrolled in graduate education were women compared

to 40% of men. [NCES, Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 207]

• Although their enrollment rates are small, Hispanics in graduate education are more

likely to enroll full time than either white or black students. Of Hispanics in graduate

education, 42% are enrolled full time, compared with 37% of whites and 39% of

blacks. [NCES, Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 208]

• In 1995-96, 7% of all first-professionals were Hispanic, 6% were black, and 76% were

white. Although the percentage of whites in law programs is higher (75%) than for any

other race-ethnic group, Hispanics enroll at a higher rate (11%) in law programs than

any other minority group. [NCES, Graduate and First-Professional Students, National

Postsecondary Education Student Aid Study, 1996]

FIN A NCIAL AID

• Hispanics studying for master’s degrees receive less grant aid and work more than

either white or black students. In 1995-96, only about 20% of Hispanic students

received grants, compared to over 30% of both white and black students. In tandem,

20% of Hispanics received assistantships, compared to 10% for blacks and 9% for

whites. Among full-time master’s students, Hispanics received even less aid. Only

65% of Hispanic students received any aid, compared to 76% of whites and 90% of

blacks. [NCES, Student Financing of Graduate and First-Professional Education,

1995-96, May, 1998 Table 2.3a]

• Hispanic full-time master’s and first-professional degree students receive less aid than

any other ethnic group. The average aid for Hispanic master’s degree students is only

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7 3

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$8,729, compared to $13,875 for blacks and $12,566 for whites. For first-pro f e s s i o n a l

d e g ree students, the average aid for Hispanics is only $16,766, compared to $21,440

for blacks, $18,182 for whites, and $18,416 for Asian/Pacific Islanders. [NCES, S t u d e n t

Financing of Graduate and First-Professional Education, 1995-96, May, 1998 Table 2.4]

• Of first-professional degree students, a higher percentage of Hispanics borrow or

work than either blacks or whites. In 1995-96, 73% of Hispanics had loans and 6%

p a rticipated in work-study. In comparison, 70% of whites had loans and 5% were

in work-study, and 71% of blacks had loans and 4% were in work-study. [NCES,

Student Financing of Graduate and First-Professional Education, 1995-96, May,

1998. Table 2.3a]

EDUC AT IONAL ATTA INMEN T

• In 1996, Latinos earned about 4% of all master’s degrees. The four disciplines in

which the most master’s degrees were earned by Hispanics were education, business, public administration and the health professions. [NCES, Digest of Education

Statistics, 1998, Table 268]

• Latinos earned 2% of all doctoral degrees in 1996. The four disciplines in which the

most doctoral degrees were earned by Hispanics were education, psychology, biological/life sciences and social sciences/history. [NCES, Digest of Education

Statistics, 1998, Table 268]

FACULTY

• In 1992, Latinos represented less than 3 percent of full-time instructional faculty and

staff in higher education. [NCES, Instructional Faculty and Staff in Higher Education

Institution, Fall 1987 and Fall 1992, 1997]
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W HITE HOUSE INI T I ATIVE ON EDUC AT ION A L

EXCEL L ENCE FOR HISPA NIC AMERIC A NS 

P u b l i c a t i o n s

1996

• Our Nation on the Faultline: Hispanic American Education

(first edition) compiles research, analysis, and testimony from town hall meetings held

across the country about the educational condition of Hispanic Americans. The report

includes a call to action by the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational

Excellence for Hispanic Americans urging local, state, and federal policy makers to

take steps to improve the educational attainment of Hispanics. 

1998

• Our Nation on the Faultline: Hispanic American Education

(second edition) includes a chart comparing the commission’s recommendations and

the educational needs addressed by the administration’s 1998 Hispanic Education

Action Plan.

1999

• HSIs: Serving the Community, Serving the Nation

includes a 12-minute video and other information about the almost 200 post secondary

institutions throughout the United States and Puerto Rico designated as Hispanic

S e rving Institutions, 

• What Works for Latino Yo u t h (first edition)

offers contact information and program descriptions for over 60 programs which

address the educational needs of Hispanic youth and serves as a tool for foundations,

businesses, policy makers, community-based organizations, schools, universities,

and other interested organizations seeking to support of Latino youth.

• FY1998 Annual Performance Report on 

Implementing Executive Order 12900

profiles the activities of 27 federal agencies’ education programs, outreach to

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), strategies to recruit Latinos for federal employment, and future investments for improving and expanding education and employment opportunities for Latinos. A federal point of contact is also provided to answer

questions pertaining to specific programs and activities
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A PPEND IX - D

2000

• Latinos in Education

offers a statistical snapshot of the current educational condition of Latinos at different

points on the educational continuum, including early childhood, grades K-8, grades

9-12, undergraduate education, and graduate and professional education.

• Testing Hispanic Students in the United States: 

Technical and Policy Issues

a d d resses the impact on Hispanic students, particularly English language learners, of educational standards and assessment policies and practices at the state and national levels. 

• Educational Standards, Assessment, and Accountability: 

A New Civil Rights Frontier 

summarizes the 1999 four-part policy seminar series on assessment practices and the

impact on Latino learners. Topics addressed include: the role of educators in developing appropriate testing practices for all students, including Latinos; the issue of language and testing; and how state and local policy makers currently implement appropriate assessment practices to meet the learning needs of the Hispanic students.

• What Works for Latino Youth (second edition) 

expands the number of programs listed from the first edition and offers some program

characteristics common to effective programs in the Latino community.

• FY1999/2000 Annual Performance Report

on Implementing Executive Order 12900

highlights the work of 26 agencies’ education programs, outreach to Hispanic Serving

Institutions (HSIs), strategies to recruit Latinos for federal employment, and future

investments for improving and expanding education and employment opportunities

for Latinos. A federal point of contact is also provided to answer questions pertaining

to specific programs and activities.

• Excelencia para todos: Excellence for All – The Progress of Hispanic

Americans in Education and the Challenges of a New Century

offers the text of Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley’s speech on March 15, 2000,

at Bell Multicultural High School in Washington, D.C.

• Excelencia en Educación: The Role of Parents in 

the Education of Their Children, Community Organizers’ Tool Kit

provides community-based organizations, schools, and advocacy organizations with

a step-by-step guide to stage a community conference to support Latino parents

efforts to secure a quality education for their children. The kit includes: a directory of

education resources from the federal government and selected educational and

advocacy organizations; tip sheets for Latino parents; and other informational tools

developed during previous conferences held in San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago,

New York, Miami and Washington, D.C.