No Child Left Behind Act, Supplemental Educational Services (SES), School Choice and Low-Income Hispanics

Filed in archive Latin Culture , Latin Issues on June 30, 2007

While we are in the Education subject:

Hispanic CREO (Hispanic Council for Reform & Educational Options): Our Shared Outrage

What happens when much of America's Hispanic student population lacks equal access to quality educational opportunities? The answer is that more than 40% of Hispanic students drop out of high school.

What happens when Congress enacts a law that provides the first opportunity for low-income minority parents to access educational services such as tutoring that can directly improve their children's academic success, but school districts fail to adequately inform parents about their rights under the federal law? The answer is that only 17% of America's eligible minority children receive these urgently needed services. (...)

The Supplemental Educational Services (SES) and school choice provisions under the No Child Left Behind Act for children enrolled in schools that are either persistently dangerous or in need of improvement represent a critical opportunity for families who otherwise do not have equal access to quality educational resources. (...)

Latino parents who experience injustice feel trapped. The bureaucracy in the educational system leaves them without a say in their children's education and future. (...)

It's time for Hispanic parents, advocates and civil rights leaders to take a stand and tell our legislators that we are the ones who will decide our children's future and that we demand an excellent education for each of our children. (...)

Now, this is something we should worry about: to help the lowest achieving children from low-income families. Not because of their race, but because these children are the ones who most need help to overcome the difficulties, obstacles, disadvantages and limitations they face in their lives.

Read the full article: Hispanic CREO: Our Shared Outrage

Choice and Supplemental Educational Services Frequently Asked Questions