Margarito J Garcia Ph D

Aicragjm1205@aol.com

September 2015

25 Years of Fulfilling America's Future

[This week] the nation begins its annual observation of Hispanic Heritage Month. Through Oct.
15, Americans will reflect on the many contributions Hispanics have made to enrich the tapestry
of our country in a wide variety of areas.This occasion affords us an opportunity to recognize
the vital and increasingly important role that Hispanics play in the nations education system
and the tremendous progress they have made in education. - Statement from U.S. Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan

The Initiative kicked off this year's Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 October 15, with the release of the Fulfilling America's Future: Latinas in the
U.S., 2015 report and the Bright Spots in Hispanic Education online national
catalog.
________________________

Bright Spots in Hispanic Education

This year the Initiative recognizes the efforts of Bright Spots in
Hispanic Education over 230 of them helping Latinos make
tremendous progress in education. Bright Spots are programs,
models, organizations, or initiatives that invest in key education
priorities for Hispanics and are helping close the achievement gap
from cradle to career. The Initiative seeks to leverage these
Bright Spots to encourage collaboration between stakeholders focused on similar issues in
sharing data-driven approaches, promising practices, peer advice, and effective partnerships,
ultimately resulting in increased support for the educational attainment of the Hispanic
community.

Latinas in the U.S., 2015

Today one in five women in the U.S. is a Latina and one in four
female students in public schools across the nation is a
Latina. Projections are that by 2060, Latinas will form nearly a
third of the female population of the nation. Thus, the future of
the nation is very much tied to the future of these women and
girls.
The Latinas in the U.S. report highlights the condition of Hispanic girls and women in the
country and their participation in areas such as: education, health, labor, housing and politics.
The report can inform key programmatic, policy and advocacy efforts at the local, state and
national levels seeking to better increase the educational attainment and life outcomes of
Latinas.

ed.gov/HispanicInitiative

Cities Answer Call for

Commitments to Action
Houstons Private, Public Sector Leaders
Commitment to Action

National Hispanic
Heritage Month
2015

"Hispanics contribute to our

Nation's success in
extraordinary ways -- they
serve in the military and
government, attend schools
across America, and
strengthen the economy.
They are the father who works
two jobs to give his children a
better life, and the mother
who ventures out to take a
risk and start a business.
They are the student -- often
the first in their family to go to
college -- who pursues their
greatest aspirations through
higher education. They are
the lawful permanent resident
Leaders from Houstons public and private sector answered the who seeks to naturalize and
Initiative's call to action by announcing an investment of nearly become a citizen, and the
$11 million to further support and advance the educational
business leader whose loved
attainment of Hispanics from cradle-to-career. Commitments
ones have lived in the United
included:
States for generations. Each
day, we see the tremendous
The National Hispanic Professional
impact they have on our
Organization committed $4.2 million to encourage
communities, and they reflect
Hispanic students to STEM fields.
an enduring truth at the heart
The University of Houston, Downtown committed
of our Nation: no matter

over $1.5 million focused on STEM education by

preparing 200 bilingual aspiring educators to teach
scientific investigation skills to minority elementary
school children.
The University of Houston (UH) committed $950,000,
focused on creating transfer pathways, providing
resources and support to students as they seek a
postsecondary education.
Tejano Center for Community Concerns-Raul Yzaguirre
School for Success committed over $450,000 to target
K-12 education with a focus on increasing high school
graduation and college access.
American Latino Center for Research, Education &
Justice committed $1.2 million to hold education
summits for 10,000 students and 10,000 educators to
promote collaboration, share best practices, and to
help Latino students increase graduation rates and
develop a stronger workforce.
See the full list of commitments.

$12.4 Million Committed for Undocumented

Youth in Memphis

investment.

Christian Brothers
University in collaboration
with Latino Memphis-an
organization assisting
Latinos in the Greater
Memphis area with health,
education, and justice
issues- made a Commitment
to Action to invest in the
educational success of
Latinos. Their commitment,
totaling $12.4 million, will
provide scholarships to help
undocumented youth
allowing them to pursue
their college dreams. More
than 100 undocumented
Latino students will benefit
from this important

where you come from or

where your roots are, with
hard work and perseverance
you can make it in
America." President Obama
Proclamation on Hispanic
Heritage Month 2015

Webinar on
Hispanic Education
Progress
"Investing in the Latino
community is not just the right
thing to do for the Latino
community, but it is the right
thing to do for our country."
Said Secretary Arne Duncan
during our September 16th
webinar on Hispanic Education
Progress under the Obama
Administration.
Presenter

Roberto Rodrguez, Deputy

Assistant to the President
for Education, The White
House
Brief Remarks by

Latino Progress in Early Learning

Arne Duncan, Secretary,
U.S. Department of

Education
In Case You Missed It: The
Initiative hosts monthly
webinars on various education
topics and you can access the
webinar slides, audio and
transcript on its website.

Initiative Honored
at the Hispanic
Heritage Awards

Accepting Applications for

Winter/Spring Internships
The Initiative and U.S.
Department of Education
(ED) is accepting
applications for
Winter/Spring internships
through October 1, 2015.

The Hispanic Heritage

Foundation recognized the
Initiative with the Education
An internship is one of
award at the 2015 Hispanic
the best ways students
can learn about education Heritage Awards and will be
policy and working in the broadcast on Oct. 9 on
PBS. Legendary Actress,
civil service. In addition
Singer and previous Hispanic
to our office of
Heritage Award recipient Rita
communications and
Moreno hosted the program.
outreach, interns can explore fields like education policy,
Other awardees included:
education law, business and finance, research and analysis,
intergovernmental relations and public affairs, all while
Director Robert
learning about the role federal government plays in
Rodriguez for Vision
education.
Musician Arturo
Sandoval for Arts
Learn how to apply for an ED internship.
Healthcare
Learn how to apply for an Initiative internship.
Provider Maria

Latino Progress in High School

Graduation

Gomez for Healthcare

Singer Ana
Gabriel for Legend
Scientist Dr. Vladamir
Alvarado for STEM
(Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math)
Hall of Fame

Pitcher Pedro

Martinez for Sports

And Singer Becky

G received the Inspira
Award as a special
recognition for serving
as a role model for
youth in the public
eye.

Second Chance Pell

Pilot Program

New Tools to Help Students

Make Higher Education
Decisions
President Obama announced the launch of a new College
Scorecard, meant to help students and parents identify which
schools provide the biggest bang for their buck. Designed with
input from those who will use it most, the Scorecard offers
reliable data on factors important to prospective students, such
as how much graduates earn, and how much debt they have
when they graduate.
The fact sheet also includes new, comprehensive and updated
data on higher education institutions. This data is also
available for various sub-groups, like first-generation and Pell
students. [More]
The Administration has also made it easier to apply for
financial aid: Students can now apply to colleges and for
financial aid in tandem. Beginning in 2016, FAFSA applicants
will be able to complete the form on October 1st for the
following academic year. [More]

Back-to-School Bus Tour

#ReadyforSuccess

As part of the Obama

Administration's commitment
to create a fairer, more
effective criminal justice
system, reduce recidivism, and
combat the impact of mass
incarceration on communities,
the U.S. Department of
Education (ED) announced the

Second Chance Pell Pilot

program to test new models
to allow incarcerated
Americans to receive Pell
Grants and pursue the
postsecondary education with
the goal of helping them get
jobs, support their families,
and turn their lives
around. [Fact Sheet] [Blog]

Facts and Features

The Census Bureaus latest
Facts for Features edition
presents Back to School data,
and ED's National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES)
provides Back to School
statistics.

Free ParentCamp

This week Secretary

Duncan and senior ED
officials visited 10 cities in
seven states across the
American Midwest as part
of the agencys sixth
annual Back to School bus
tour. The stops on the
tour celebrated how states
and local communities are
working to increase access and opportunity from early learning
to K-12 education to higher education.

The ParentCamp experience is

an opportunity for parents and
teachers to come together and
model the four core beliefs
highlighted in Beyond the
President Obama joined Secretary Duncan on the bus tour at
Bakesale. The experience
North High School in Des Moines, Iowa. The President and
levels the playing field, putting
Secretary Duncan hosted a town hall with high school students all stakeholders in a circle for
and their parents to discuss college access and affordability.
actual, face-to-face discussion
[More]
about what is best for kids.

Free Access to Federal Lands and

Water
Under the Presidents Every
Kid in a Park initiative, fourthgrade students nationwide
may visit a web site to obtain
a pass for free access to all
federal lands and waters. The
pass is valid for the 2015-16
school year and grants entry
for the student and three
accompanying adults -- or an
entire car for drive-in parks -at more than 2,000 national
parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and marine sanctuaries. The
web site also offers educators and parents activities, trip
planning books, safety and packing tips, and other helpful
information.

By State, Two-Year Colleges

Where Students Earn Higher
Salaries
Many two-year community colleges can offer students valuable
opportunities to excel in their careers. Depending on the
programs that the school offers and excels in, the career

Sessions are geared toward

elementary, middle and/or
high school parents.
Register today to participate in
the ED's first ParentCamp on
October 26.

ED Launches Effort
to Better Help
Defrauded
Students
Today, in a Federal Register
notice, ED outlined
the negotiated rulemaking
process starting in September.
During this process, ED will
seek not only to clarify how
Direct loan borrowers who
believe they were defrauded
by their institution can seek
relief, but also to strengthen
provisions to hold colleges
accountable for their
wrongdoing that results in
loan discharges. [More]

ambitions of its students, and the skills that students gain

while in school, two-year degrees can provide a great value to
students. Find 45 two-year public colleges across the U.S. at
which earnings exceed those of the typical two-year college.

"Stand Stronger" Citizenship

Awareness Campaign
The White House Task
Force on New
Americans launched the
Stand Stronger
Citizenship Awareness
Campaign. The goal of
the Campaign is to raise
awareness about the
rights, responsibilities,
and importance of U.S. citizenship and to provide more
information on the naturalization process, along with new tools
and resources to prepare for it. The Task Force believes that
local communities play a critical role in creating welcoming
environments and advancing immigrant integration efforts.
Thats why the Task Force is calling on all local communities
big cities and small towns to join the Building Welcoming
Communities Campaign and commit to making their
hometowns a place that welcomes all residents can thrive.
[More]
https://committocitizenship.org/

To learn how you can become an intern with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence
for Hispanics, go here. To become an intern with the U.S. Department of Education, go here.
Comments/Questions? Please send an email [Subject: "Nuestra Iniciativa"] to Initiative Senior
Advisor Jaqueline Cortez Wang at jaqueline.cortezwang@ed.gov.
Nuestra Iniciativa contains links to other websites and news articles. These links represent just a few
examples of the numerous reference materials currently available to the public. The opinions
expressed in any articles or web pages do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the U.S.
Department of Education or the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. The
inclusion of resources should not be construed or interpreted as an endorsement by the U.S.
Department of Education or the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics of any
private organization or business listed herein.

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