Latino Education Achievement Program

Thank you, Ricardo Sanchez, for those kind words, And to all of you for putting forward such an innovative program as LEAP (Latino Educational Achievement project).  Anything we can do to bring motivated young Latino men and Latina women into the world of learning is positive.  I want to recognize Senator Patty Murray for her commitment to issues that are important to our state and especially the Hispanic community.   I also want to thank Principal Peri Poff for hosting us here at Capital High School—a dynamic center of learning and creativity in the heart of the State’s capital.  Things have changed dramatically since I was born nearly 54 years ago.  They have changed for the better in America and we as a nation are better of for it.  Back in the fifties when Richie Valenzuela wanted to record “La Bamba” he was told that it would not sell because it was in Spanish.  He recorded it anyway and it today is one of the most recognized songs within the first few notes you hear.  Richie Valenzuela did change his name though to Richie Valens.  But that was also a time when Dr. Sanchez from my staff was strictly disciplined for speaking Spanish at school as was our Governor Gary Locke for speaking Chinese.  Unfortunately he now knows very little of the Chinese language.  It is high time we begin to treat language skills as the asset they are, particularly in this global economy. Anything that encourages a person to know more than one language is positive-and should be treated as such.  Unfortunately, some have viewed those who use a foreign language with suspicion and their language itself as a barrier to success.   In some places, even the idea of "bilingual education" is controversial. It shouldn't be. Good, solid bilingual programs can make a difference in helping students learn English and achieve academically. Proficiency in English and one other language is something that we need to encourage among all young people. The world around us has changed dramatically in the last few decades, but the foundation of international relations has stayed the same.  It’s built one relationship at a time on trust, understanding and communication between people.  Faxes, emails and teleconferencing are important tools in today’s economy, but they cannot replace the sincerity of a handshake or the warmth of a smile, or most importantly speaking to them in their own language.  That is why I am delighted to see that the LEAP is highlighting the growth and promise of dual-language bilingual programs.  Fortunately, for the most part as a society we are more accepting and for many even impressed by those speaking more than just English.  Even though many things have changed for the better in America, the Hispanic community has not yet taken full advantage of the opportunity that is there to mold the future of Latino Americans and America and Washington State in general.  When we were contacted about speaking to you this evening one suggestion was for me to speak to you about what the State of Washington is planning for Hispanics in Washington State.  That is the wrong question.  The right question is what should we be doing for Hispanics in Washington state and why aren’t we?  You should be defining what those goals are or should be.  You should be working in unity across the state for an agenda to deal with the issues facing Hispanics and you should be organizing to become the major political force that you could be in our, in your state.  Clearly the Hispanic community is beginning to move forward and move forward effectively.  Consul Madrazo is working very hard to see that all rights and opportunities are known and made available to Mexican Nationals in our state and in doing so he is bringing much deserved recognition to the incredible numbers of working, contributing Mexicans and other Latinos living here.  This conference is one of the excellent ways to begin making the improvements for the Latino community and Ricardo Sanchez and the founders are to be highly commended for the initiative and the vision of putting it together and organizing the whole Latino Education Achievement project. They clearly understand that when we talk about Hispanic-Americans in our state we are speaking about more than a half a million individuals from 22 different Spanish nations each with their own unique dialects, cultures, and varying tastes in food and music.  Some are recent immigrants others have families who have lived here longer than Washington has been a part of the United States.   And by the way, when I said the Hispanic community has not taken full advantage of the opportunity to mold the future of Latinos, specifically, I mean to take that 500,000, soon to be 1,000,000, get them registered, get them voting and get more of them elected to public office. You have differences, but where there should never be differences is in the desire to insure a productive and prosperous future for our young people.  Regardless of these differences, there is one major unifying factor for Hispanics, the need for education.  Education is the primary and shared source of hope, opportunity and success. It is our duty as a state to ensure that the Hispanic community has every opportunity to achieve a quality education and the success that can accompany it—just as we have done for generations of Americans before them. This is why, together, we need to promote state and private programs that:  Increase the numbers of bi-lingual teachers

 

·       Increase Latino graduation rates,

·       Increase Hispanic college admissions

·       Increase Latino student achievement

But in order to achieve these goals we also have to address these other issues critical to young Hispanics

·       Reduce teenage pregnancy,       

·       Reduce violence and drugs

·       Insure that young Hispanics value language and culture

·      Eliminate the insane rhetoric that I hear from too many misinformed
people about low expectations of these brilliant and talented young people.

 If our Latino kids have low expectations of themselves then we have to cure that disease right away and work extra hard to make them realize, to understand that they are just as capable, just as talented and just as valued as any other person in our society. If you think this is just going to happen because it is a good idea let me assure you that IT IS NOT going to just happen.  It will take a huge community effort and commitment to work together, shoulder to shoulder, with a plan of unity.  I am confident that we can address this challenge with innovation, that we can shed misperceptions and stereotypes, eliminate low expectations, and strongly embrace the unique strengths that Latinos bring to education and our state.  We can do it with unity and organization and recognition of your untapped strength.  And speaking of that strength; an extraordinarily significant demographic trend is the growth of the Hispanic-American population.

 

·       Hispanics are the largest minority in our state and by 2020 is will be nearly one million. 

·       Even more significantly, the greatest growth will come among young people.

·       One in three members of the Latino population is under age 15—a number that only highlights the importance of education in the coming century.  You are part of this new revolution.

In the past 10 years Latino students have grown over 193% which gives us another challenge we must meet; a demand for teachers and new ways of teaching. Over the next 10 years we face a demand for many more teachers, with acute needs in fields like math and science, special education, and bilingual education. The changing demographics and the advent of new learning technologies and ways of teaching will require a more diverse and more adaptable teaching force.  We need teachers who not only know more than one language but also have the background and training to maximize the learning potential of students with diverse backgrounds. We need teachers who, when they see a Latino child—or any minority student—have high expectations and visualize great achievements for that child.  Right now LEAP program data indicate that one out of every three Hispanic students in Washington drops out of school. WASL scores show that Hispanic students are lagging behind most other groups of students.  When a young person feels that they are failing or not as good as the other students we start seeing loss of self esteem and loss of initiative and of they drop out.  That has to change.  We have to get teachers in the classroom that understand these kinds and can work with them. There are issues facing the legislature right now forwarded by LEAP that would help young people go to college and become bilingually qualified teachers.  When efforts like this arise I should look out my office window at the capital and see friends from the Hispanic community there every day working those efforts through the legislature.  You are fortunate to have articulate and knowledgeable people working for you doing their best in Olympia.  But, I am sure that they would tell you they could always use more help.  Many schools are doing much of what has to be done to raise achievement levels, but there is still a lot to do.   I have to ask, if Hispanic students have the highest drop out rate why do we not have a targeted effort to address such a clear and disturbing issue?  I expect to work with Antonio Ginetti and others to see to it that we do address that unacceptable fact in the next session of the legislature.  In school is only one place for kids to learn.  They must also have a supportive community and family and if not immediate family then family of community of people who care. In addition, increasing the literacy of Hispanic parents and guaranteeing high-quality educational assistance to these parents are critical to raising the achievement levels of Hispanic children. That is why we strongly support family literacy and learning centers and after-school programs. The Hispanic community, like all communities, wants its children to achieve to high standards and its schools to be held accountable for that achievement. We are making progress. But we need to increase the pace of that progress. In closing, I want you to know that you have the power to influence the world education gives your this power. It is time for us to empower Hispanic youth by giving them educational opportunities, teaching them to succeed, and holding schools and communities accountable for their success. We must forge solutions and create opportunities for Hispanic Americans for the new century, just as we have done for so many other groups pursuing the American Dream throughout our history.  In order to do this the Hispanic community has got to build on the great base being built through the Latino Education Achievement program, continue to identify goals, organize the community to insure those goals are met and get the community politically involved. When we achieve this, when we transcend stereotypes and overcome the tyranny of low expectations, then we will be able to guarantee everyone the key civil right for the 21st century—a quality education a prosperous and meaningful future. 

 

SI SE PUEDE!!!