Monthly Archives: November 2013

NCLR Celebrates American Education Week

Posted on by

By Peggy McLeod, Deputy Vice President, Education and Workforce Development, NCLR

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAmerican Education Week puts a spotlight on the role of educators and families—two groups who are essential in helping our nation’s children gain vital skills for future success.  The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Education Team thought this would be a great time to give you an overview of our work in this field.

I started as NCLR’s Deputy Vice President of Education and Workforce Development in August 2013, and I have the privilege of working with a fantastic team.  While the scope of our work is broad, it is focused completely on improving the education of Latinos from preschool to graduate school and beyond.  Continue reading →

Habla Educationese?

Posted on by

By Feliza Ortiz-Licon, Ed.D., Senior Director of K–16 Education, NCLR

Dia de los Ninos 3Every U.S. educator is bilingual.

Some of them are fortunate enough to speak English and a foreign language, but at a minimum they all speak “Educationese,” the term commonly associated with the broad field of education.  Between buzz phrases like “cradle through college,” “college and career readiness,” and all the “gaps” (achievement gap, opportunity gap, gender gap) and an assortment of ever-evolving acronyms such as EL (English learner), SpEd (special education), NCLB (No Child Left Behind), and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), the conversations tend to be limited to a narrow pool of educators.

Despite speaking a common language, educators still have a hard time communicating across the K–16 educational pipeline.  The experiences and challenges that shape each transitional point along the pipeline have created an incoherent understanding of the needs of students along their educational journey.  Continue reading →

Advocates Fasting for Families Embody the Strength and Determination of the Immigration Reform Movement

Posted on by

By Janet Murguía, President and CEO, NCLR

Over the past year, the calls for action on immigration reform have been loud and unwavering.  Activists have been arrested for staging sit-ins at their congressional representatives’ offices, DREAMers and their families have risked deportation to bring attention to the cause, and thousands have marched on Washington demanding that Congress do something to fix our broken immigration system.  But sometimes the quietest acts of political protest can be the most powerful.

This week I visited the National Mall, just a stone’s throw away from the capitol, and walked into a tent with a sign that said “Day 9 of Fasting.”  Inside sat a group of advocates who have been fasting to draw attention to the impact of our broken immigration system on families across the country.  As one of the fasters said, the group looks like America.  The fasters are from different backgrounds, different ages, and different parts of the country, but they are all committed to a common cause: the fight for families to stay together.  And they have been joined by leaders and advocates from across the nation, including members of Congress and faith leaders, who are fasting for a day in solidarity.


As I looked at my friend Eliseo Medina (pictured with me at right), a longtime advocate with the Service Employees International Union, it struck me—despite the hunger he must have been feeling after nine days without food, the only thing I could see in his eyes was resolve and determination. The personal sacrifice that Eliseo and all those participating in the Fast for Families have made exemplifies the strength and spirit of the immigration reform movement.  Whether they are hungry or tired, these advocates persist, sending a clear message that this movement will not give up regardless of the obstacles thrown in front of us.  The fasters told me that they have gained strength from the community leaders they’ve met and the stories they’ve heard.  Continue reading →

Answering the Call for Improving Educational Opportunities for Latinos

Posted on by

By Leticia Bustillos, Ph.D, Associate Director, Education Policy Project, NCLR

GraduationFrom the White House to the hallways of our schools, we’ve all heard the call.  Now, with the release of The State of Latinos in Higher Education in California by The Campaign for College Opportunity, we can see it materialize in Technicolor.  And the message is clear: Improving access to college and ensuring that our Latino students finish with a degree cannot just be a dream—it must become our reality today.

The data contained in this report are not new and certainly not earth-shattering for those of us in the field.  But what the report provides is an accurate and startling portrait of not only the Latino educational experience in California, but also the national Latino experience.

  • Forty-two percent of Latino adults 25 years or older are without a high school diploma, while only 11 percenthave a bachelor’s degree or higher.
  • Among our high school graduates, less than 30 percent  took the minimum requirements to be considered college-ready.
  • Nearly 69 percent of freshmen are enrolled in community colleges, yet only four out of every 10 students complete college in six years.
  • The picture is slightly better in the University of California system, where 74 percent of Latinos graduate within six years, yet less than 5 percent of first-time freshmen enrolled in the fall 2012 semester are Latino.

This is a reality that cannot be ignored.  Continue reading →

This Week in Immigration Reform — Week Ending November 15

Posted on by

Immigration_reform_Updates_blue

Week Ending November 15

This week in immigration reform: despite reports that immigration reform is dead, lawmakers and advocates continue to push House leadership to act on reform; Latino groups deliver thousands of postcards to Congress and remind lawmakers why veterans need immigration reform; and NCLR, its Affiliates, and partner organizations continue fighting for reform by driving calls into to the offices of House leadership, meeting with members of Congress, and marching for reform.  NCLR staff kept the community informed as always this week, with staff quoted in stories in Univision, La Opinión, Governing Magazine, and Las Américas Newspaper.

—Immigration reform alive and well, as House members and advocates refuse to cease pushing for reform.  Despite reports in the media that immigration reform is dead, members of Congress and immigration advocates continued fighting for reform this week, refusing to accept any excuses from House leadership for further delay on reform that will reinvigorate the economy, keep families together, and that business, faith, labor, and a majority of the American public strongly support.  Continue reading →

How to Improve Participation in Federal Child Nutrition Programs

Posted on by

fruits and veggies

Getting more children to participate in federal child nutrition programs—the School Breakfast Program, the National School Lunch Program, the Summer Food Service Program, and afternoon snacks and meals provided through the Child and Adult Care Food Program—can help support our collective goal of encouraging healthier nutrition practices and physical activity among children.

With implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), there are new opportunities to meet these goals and improve health outcomes for children, particularly through the newly established Prevention and Public Health Fund.  The Fund is the nation’s first mandatory funding stream dedicated to improving our nation’s public health.  It is offering grants through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support early child care and education obesity prevention programs.  Continue reading →