CHCI Launches Partnerships for Latino Education Success in Los Angeles

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Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute

Apr 08, 2011, 08:30 ET

Education Forum Addresses Challenges, Best Practices for Improving Latino Education

LOS ANGELES, April 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the nation's premier Latino youth leadership development and educational services organization, today launched its Partnerships for Latino Education success with a series of forums that gathered leading education experts, advocates, local and national elected officials, and practitioners at California State University, Dominguez Hills. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan provided a recorded welcome message for the nearly 150 people in attendance.

Today, Hispanics represent one in three entrants into the U.S. labor force and are expected to be half of all new workers by 2025. With the high school dropout rate for Hispanics at nearly 20 percent – more than three times the comparable rate for non-Hispanic whites -- the forums worked to examine the unique education challenges facing young Latinos, define the barriers to higher education attainment, and identify best practices for addressing these to help reach President Obama's national goal of 60 percent college attainment rate by 2025.

"Over the last two decades, the global economy has changed dramatically," said Rep. Laura Richardson (CA-37). "It now demands a college educated workforce with the skills to succeed in the Information Age. Our economic future relies on increased college completion within the Hispanic community."

The Partnerships for Latino Education Success initiative is in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; California State University, Dominguez Hills; Excelencia in Education; the Lumina Foundation; NALEO; and Univision. Future forums, to be held in Washington, D.C., during CHCI's 2011 Public Policy Conference, and in New York in the fall, will expand the conversation beyond the education community and discuss the roles of other important stakeholders that will be critical in achieving this goal, such as philanthropic foundations, corporate America, small businesses, and media and entertainment, among others.

"From leading non-profits to the federal government, to think tanks and school boards, to teachers and parents, to employers large and small in all sectors - everyone must be invested and not only grasp the urgency of this issue, but take bold actions today to stall if not avert the future collapse of the U.S. workforce and our global competitiveness," said Esther Aguilera, CHCI President & CEO. "Success means that each and every one of us understands the imperative and invests in the country's future."

CHCI's Continuing the Conversation post-forum reception was sponsored by Fox Deportes/Fox Group.

About CHCI

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), a nonprofit and nonpartisan 501(c) (3) organization, provides leadership development programs and educational services to students and young emerging leaders. The CHCI Board of Directors is comprised of Hispanic Members of Congress, nonprofit, union and corporate leaders. For more information call CHCI at (202) 543-1771, visit www.chci.org, or join us on Facebook, Twitter (chci) and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute