The Honorable Richard W. Riley
Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Dear President Clinton and Secretary Riley:
As the Chairperson of the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, I am honored to forward our report, Our Nation on The Fault Line: Hispanic American Education.
Our report responds to Executive Order 12900, Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, specifically, "To advance the development of human potential, to strengthen the Nation's capacity to provide high-quality education, and to increase opportunities for Hispanic Americans to participate in and benefit from Federal education programs." In order to accomplish this charge, we conducted independent research, including a comprehensive inventory of Hispanic participation in Federal agencies and Federal agency-sponsored projects. We also held public hearings throughout the nation and convened expert panels. Thus, the report reflects input from a diverse segment of constituents and stakeholders.
The Commission has taken seriously our mandate to inventory Federal services and programs. That inventory informs our approach and our commentary throughout this document in terms of both hard data and analysis, as we have incorporated what the inventory has revealed into our findings and recommendations. The inventory database itself will soon be made available both in hard copy and electronically. A summary of the Federal agency inventories is appended to this report.
Our work includes an analysis of the current status of Hispanic American educational attainment, which is not optimistic, but, in fact, devastating to both Hispanics and the nation. Hispanic American progress toward achievement of the National Education Goals and other standards of educational accomplishment is constrained by the persistent gap in educational attainment between Hispanic Americans and other Americans, which is already intolerable.
Serious work needs to be done regarding the development, monitoring, and coordination of Federal efforts to promote high-quality education for Hispanic Americans, if Hispanics are to move away from the "fault line" of insidious failure. While Federal agency efforts promote achieving higher goals and standards, few measurable outcomes have been specified and are not, therefore, available to gauge any significant growth in Hispanic support initiatives. In fact, most agencies lack adequate planning and accountability procedures to measure the participation of Hispanic Americans in their own work-force programs (e.g., recruitment, staffing, promotion), let alone to benchmark progress in sponsored projects. It should be noted, however, that as a direct result of the inventory process, some agencies have begun to take action. Specifically, both The Departments of Health and Human Services and Energy have developed Hispanic outreach programs; the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce and Transportaion have developed partnership programs with Hispanic Serving Institutions and are launching internship programs for Hispanic undergraduate and graduate students; and, the Department of the Treasury is developing a data monitoring system for future inventories of Hispanic participation.
There also are some "success stories" and model programs that appear to slightly ameliorate the deep-rooted legacies of inequity. Latinos are overcoming educational barriers through the work of the U.S. Department of Education, and through community-based organizations. State, private sector, and community involvement to improve education and to expand and complement Federal education initiatives is occurring. However, the educational progress of Hispanic Americans still remains unacceptably poor, compared to almost every other group. It is for that reason we set forth a series of recommendations in this report to ignite a vigorous national commitment to a specific course of action for Hispanic educational attainment.
We know that you regard education as the cornerstone of U.S. competitiveness in global markets. The challenging transformation of the American demographic landscape, therefore, embeds the educational attainment of Hispanic Americans deep within the very fabric of change, itself. Put in simple terms, the bridge to the 21st century for this country will not be built without equity in education for Hispanic Americans — that is, without "leveling the playing field" for all who are a part of the educational system.
Hispanic Americans have a central and indispensable role to play in shaping a prosperous future for the United States. The extent to which Federal and state educational leadership, policy, and resources are devoted to the empowerment of Hispanic Americans to enhance the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the challenges of today and the future will directly influence the quality of that contribution. By not utilizing all of the human capital available to it, the nation is not benefiting from (is indeed, ignoring) the full intellectual, moral, and spiritual strengths of a major segment of the American population. Conversely, by ensuring the successful and full participation of Hispanic Americans in education, the nation strengthens its destiny as a democracy that is still predicated on the belief that all persons are, indeed, worthy and created equal.
The Commission is committed to supporting your goal of significantly improving educational excellence for all Americans and to enhancing the future of our nation through inclusive educational policy and practice. We seek your continued support and leadership to accomplish the recommendations identified in this report in order to overcome barriers and to build bridges of opportunity for Hispanic Americans.
Sincerely,
Ana Margarita "Cha" Guzmán
Chair
President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans
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President's Advisory Commission...