OPINION:
As the nation celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona launched his back-to-school bus tour. The timing of this tour could have been an opportunity to highlight and address the pressing educational concerns of Hispanic Americans. Instead, it highlighted the disconnect between the Department of Education’s priorities and those of many Americans, particularly Hispanic Americans.
As we honor the contributions of Hispanic Americans to this country, one issue remains paramount to many families: access to high-quality education through school choice. Unfortunately, Mr. Cardona’s tour failed to address this critical need, further sidelining a policy that could offer Hispanic students a better shot at the American dream.
A poll conducted this past May found that 71% of Hispanic voters support school choice. This overwhelming majority shows our community’s desire to access educational options that best serve our children’s needs. In contrast, Mr. Cardona’s bus tour is a thinly veiled campaign against school choice, dismissing the desires of the communities the Department of Education purports to serve.
The Department of Education isn’t just ignoring data by opposing school choice. It’s disregarding the voices of millions of Hispanic American parents and students.
Why does school choice resonate so strongly with Hispanic Americans? For many, it represents a chance to break educational inequality cycles by disrupting the education system as assigned by ZIP code. Further, it empowers parents to choose schools aligned with their family’s cultural heritage, values and academic aspirations.
At a bus tour stop in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Mr. Cardona said, “I knew I only had what the local public school provided, and thankfully it provided me not only with the skills I needed to continue to grow to be a teacher, a school principal, all the way up to secretary, but it also gave me the confidence that I needed to see myself as somebody with value.”
I’m happy that Mr. Cardona’s public school provided him with a good education, but that isn’t the reality for far too many children today. In 2022, only 21% of Hispanic fourth graders were proficient in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Just 15% were proficient in math.
The importance of school choice for Hispanic American students can’t be overstated. Academic outcomes are critical, but there’s more to this story. For many families, educational freedom is also about preserving cultural identity, cultivating community connections and tailoring education to individual needs and potential.
Mr. Cardona had an opportunity to engage with the educational priorities of Hispanic Americans, but he missed it. He could have planned a tour that fostered dialogue about expanding educational opportunities and respecting parental choice.
Instead, he showcased a one-size-fits-all approach to education that fails millions of American children every year.
Recognizing that educational freedom is a top priority for millions of Hispanic families is vital. I’m calling on the Department of Education to celebrate the month by realigning its policies with the preferences expressed by the communities it serves. This means acknowledging the strong support for school choice among Hispanic Americans and working to expand, not limit, educational options.
The back-to-school bus tour should be more than a megaphone for policies predetermined by politicians and bureaucrats. It should be a listening tour that seeks to hear and respond to the diverse voices of America’s students and families.
Mr. Cardona and the Department of Education must reconsider their stance. Educational policies should serve all communities in a large and diverse country, respecting their values and aspirations. Clearly, the bus tour is headed in the wrong direction — away from the educational freedom so many Hispanic American families desire and deserve.
• Valeria Gurr is a senior fellow at the American Federation for Children. She is a passionate advocate of educational choice, particularly for underserved families. For more information, visit federationforchildren.org/staff/valeria-gurr.
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