Edwards Campaign Press Release - Edwards Introduces Opportunity Agenda For Latino Americans

Plan will strengthen schools so that every child can live the American Dream

Miami, Florida – Senator John Edwards introduced a new set of proposals today to make sure our nation's schools serve Latino students and give every child the opportunity to live the American Dream.

"The road to building One America starts with our schools," said Edwards. "But more than fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, America still has two school systems, separate and unequal. And when our schools leave behind Latino students, so does our economy."

Forty-seven percent of Latino students don't receive a high school diploma. By the senior year in high school, the average Latino student has math and English skills similar to those of an average white middle school student. The inequality starts early on, as too few Latino students have the opportunity to go to preschool programs. And it continues after high school graduation: neither the college enrollment nor completion rates of Latinos have increased over the last 20 years.

Edwards' proposals will strengthen our schools from preschool through college so that every child develops the skills and knowledge he or she needs to succeed in college and the workplace. To do this, Edwards will expand access to preschool, invest in teachers for English language classes, end the dropout crisis and initiate a College for Everyone program.

These proposals build on the rest of Edwards' agenda to include all Latinos in the American Dream by providing universal health care, ending poverty, expanding the middle class and implementing comprehensive immigration reform.

"I believe that everyone in America – regardless of the family you were born into, the color of your skin or the country your family came from – should have an equal chance to build a better life," said Edwards.

Edwards has also won the support of a key figure within the Latino community. "Senator Edwards best represents the interests of working families and middle America," said Frank Herrera Jr., the former chair of MALDEF, the nation's largest civil rights group on behalf of Latinos. "He understands the issues because he has lived the issues. I know that Senator Edwards will respond to the needs of our community, which have historically been undeserved in the areas of economics, education and health care."

A detailed fact sheet outlining Edwards' opportunity agenda for Latino Americans is below.

Building One America: Edwards' Opportunity Agenda for Latino Americans

"I believe that everyone in America – regardless of the family you were born into, the color of your skin or the country your family came from – should have an equal chance to build a better life." – John Edwards

There are still Two Americas. For the last 20 years, 40 percent of America's economic growth has gone to the top 1 percent. While they are not defined by family heritage, the Two Americas have a disproportionate impact on Latinos. For example, their median per capita income is only about half of that for non-Latino whites. [EPI, 2006; Census Bureau, 2007]

The road to building One America starts with our schools. But more than fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, America still has two school systems, separate and unequal. Forty-seven percent of Latino students don't receive a high school diploma. By the senior year in high school, the average Latino student has math and English skills similar to those of an average white middle school student. The inequality starts early on, as too few Latino students have the opportunity to go to preschool programs. And it continues after high school graduation: neither the college enrollment nor completion rates of Latinos have increased over the last 20 years. When our schools leave behind Latino students, so does our economy. [NAEP, 2005; Ed Trust, 2007]

Edwards' Agenda For Latino Education

Today, Edwards announced his plan to make sure our nation's schools serve Latino students, so that every child can live the American Dream. As president, Edwards will strengthen our schools from preschool through college so that every child develops the skills and knowledge he or she needs to succeed in college and the workplace.

Expand Access to Preschools: Building one American education system begins by expanding access to preschools. Just 43 percent of Latino children participate in preschool programs in America, compared to 59 percent of white children. Among Latino children ages three to five who are living in poverty, just 36 percent are enrolled in early childhood care and education programs. Edwards will expand funding for Head Start and increase preschool enrollment so that more students – including Latino students – start school ready to learn. He will also improve the quality and diversity of our preschool teachers by providing scholarships for early childhood educators to obtain college credit and additional training in English language instruction. [NCES, 2006]

Invest in Teachers for English Language Learners: Nearly half of all Latino public school students are English Language Learners (ELLs), but just 29 percent of eighth-grade ELLs meet basic achievement levels in reading compared to 75 percent of non-ELLs. Edwards will provide additional compensation and scholarships to teachers specializing in ELL education where there are shortages and those working in high-poverty schools serving large populations of Latino students. And he will invest in developing smarter tests, including native-language and simplified English tests for ELLs. Edwards will also boost funding for migrant education programs. [NAEP, 2005]

End the Dropout Crisis: At nearly 2,000 high schools nationwide – called "dropout factories" – more than 40 percent of students won't graduate. Many of these schools have large populations of Latino students. High school dropouts earn nearly 50 percent less than workers with a diploma or G.E.D., and are only three-quarters as likely to be employed as high school graduates. Edwards will create second chance schools and other paths to graduation to help former dropouts return to school and earn their diploma with flexible class times and locations and connections to youth development services. Edwards will also make sure schools identify likely dropout candidates early on and provide students at risk with alternatives such as academically rigorous smaller schools and classes, flexible and accelerated schedules, academic and support services, career academies and engaging coursework.

College for Everyone: College graduates can expect to earn $1 million more over their lifetimes than high school graduates, and their children are almost twice as likely to attend college. An estimated 200,000 college-qualified graduates fail to go to college each year. About half of Latino young people enroll in college, but few finish, and the white-Latino gap in higher education enrollment increased from 16 percent in 1974 to 26 percent in 2003. As president, Edwards will pass a College for Everyone program – based on the successful model he helped start in North Carolina – to pay for one year of public-college tuition, fees and books for more than 2 million students. In return, students will be required to work part-time, take a college-prep curriculum in high school and stay out of trouble. Edwards will also simplify student aid applications and provide additional college counselors for schools serving low-income students. [NCES, 2005]

Edwards' Opportunity Agenda for Latino Americans

Today's proposals build on the rest of Edwards' agenda to include all Latinos in the American Dream by providing universal health care, ending poverty, expanding the middle class and implementing comprehensive immigration reform. To make sure everyone has the same chances that America has given to him, as president, Edwards supports:

Universal Health Care: Forty-seven million Americans don't have health care and families and businesses are struggling to pay skyrocketing premiums. One out of every three Latinos lack health insurance, twice as many as other Americans. Edwards is the only major candidate who has proposed a specific plan for truly universal health care that will take on the insurance and drug companies, cover every man, woman and child in America and provide better care at a lower cost. [Census Bureau, 2007]

Ending Poverty and Expanding the Middle Class: Every day, nearly 37 million Americans – including more than one out five Latinos – wake up in poverty. Edwards has outlined an ambitious agenda to eliminate poverty within a generation by creating and rewarding work, strengthening families, helping workers save and get ahead, encouraging economically integrated neighborhoods, cracking down on predatory lending, reaching overlooked rural areas and expecting people to help themselves by working whenever they are able. Edwards will raise the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2012, expand the earned income tax credit and strengthen labor laws to make easier for workers to join a union. [Census Bureau, 2007]

Fight Abusive Debt and Help Families Save: Latino borrowers are substantially more likely to receive subprime loans than white borrowers even when they have similar credit scores, and Latino households have less than a dime of wealth for every dollar owned by whites. Edwards will crack down on abusive credit card companies, predatory mortgage lenders, and payday loan shops that take advantage of working families. To help families save, he will provide matched savings accounts for low-wage workers. [CRL, 2006; Pew, 2004]

Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Our immigration system needs a fundamental overhaul. Our economy is harmed by an underground economy that features a large and unprotected labor force. And our values are violated by a system that keeps families apart and forces people to live in the shadows, vulnerable to abuse. The first step is to control our borders and stop illegal trafficking. At the same time, it is unrealistic to think that we can deport more than 12 million people. Edwards believes we need to give people here the opportunity to pay a fine and learn English to earn American citizenship.

Edwards will end the backlog of background checks for people who are already in this country and are applying to become lawful permanent residents and, eventually, citizens. Our immigration policies should bring families together, not keep them apart. Edwards believes family reunification is an important value that should be preserved in our immigration laws.