The Early Years:
Closing the Latino Achievement Gap
Janet Murguía     [Photo]

Researchers, analysts and activists from all points of the political and ideological spectrum recognize that increasing the educational achievement of Hispanic students is the single most important thing we can do to improve the socioeconomic status of Hispanics.

Opinion polls of Latinos confirm that the community itself believes that education is the key to opening the doors of opportunity.

This is a deeply personal issue for me. My parents came to this country speaking little English and with only a modest education, but they instilled in their children an unshakeable belief in the power of education. There is no doubt in my mind that my own educational experiences have given me opportunities that were unheard of in my parents’ generation.

I believe that those of us fortunate enough to have received a sound education have an obligation to do everything in our power to ensure similar opportunities for future generations.

I cannot think of a better place to begin than making sure that every Latino and Latina child starts school with a solid foundation in reading.

Research shows that literacy is a fundamental building block for educational success. Most of those who cannot read early in life never catch up. Because many Hispanic children come from backgrounds that result in little or no exposure to the written English word, Latinos more than any other group stand to benefit from early reading programs.

Unfortunately, our community still lacks sufficient access to early childhood education programs, and many such programs do not effectively teach reading to our children. This is in part because insufficient attention has been given to developing instructional approaches and materials tailored to the educational needs of young Latino learners.

That is why the National Council of La Raza focuses so much attention on the issue of early childhood education. Every day we work to bring together national and community leaders to address the under-enrollment of Latino children in high-quality early childhood education programs.

It’s a growing crisis that must be tackled if we are to close the achievement gap for Latino students. Currently Hispanic youth represent almost 20 percent of persons in this country who are under the age of 18, a significant number that will continue to grow.

The challenge is to communicate to society that the goals of our community are the goals of the nation. In essence, what enriches Latinos will also benefit the United States as a whole.

We will continue to focus on how community leaders, policy-makers, and corporate executives can work together to promote awareness of the value of early learning programs such as Head Start and the Federal Family Literacy MODELS.

We have an obligation to support access to books and libraries for Latino children and families. We all need to work together so that all of this nation’s children, including today’s young Latinos and every generation that follows, start school not only with a willingness to learn, but with the solid foundation in literacy that will enable them to learn and succeed.

(Janet Murguía is president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, based in Washington, D,C. She may be contacted by e-mail at jmurguia@nclr.org)

© 2005, Hispanic Link News Service
08/28/05
END