More Resources Secretary's Remarks

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings distributed the first informational tool kits for Hispanic families today during her visit with U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson to Chaparral Elementary School in Albuquerque. Families, teachers, administrators and community leaders gathered at the school to be among the first to receive the U.S. Department of Education's Tool Kit for Hispanic Families—Resources to Help Children Succeed in School and just in time for the new school year.

More Hispanic family tool kits will be distributed throughout September, with valuable information in English and Spanish on everything from No Child Left Behind benefits and services to tips for helping children be successful students. Tool kits can be downloaded immediately at (http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/toolkit/).

Secretary Spellings told the families that the tool kit was created to help them be more involved in their children's education and have the best education information at their fingertips.

"This tool kit will show you what to expect from your schools, your teachers and your child, at all ages and grade levels," said Spellings. "It will tell you how to help your child through school, what resources are available, and what you, your family and your community can do to help your child learn."

"Federal funding for education has nearly doubled since 1998," said Rep. Wilson, known in New Mexico for her passion for education. "But the success of our schools is also up to us, as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Parents are a child's first and most important teachers. They are the ones who tell children that a good education is a ticket to a dream, whatever that dream may be."

Today, school children enjoy new benefits and high expectations under the No Child Left Behind Act, the U.S. law for K–12 education. These include a quality education, regardless of one's country of origin or language spoken at home. Under this law, standards are higher, and all schools are held accountable for meeting them. Just as important, parents are given information about their children's progress and their school's performance. And, when possible, this information must be provided in Spanish or through a translator.

"With President Bush's new high school initiatives, we are working to bring No Child Left Behind and accountability to the high schools to put a stop to the inexcusable high drop-out rate among Hispanic students and other minority children, including those who are limited English proficient," added Spellings.

The kit is a collection of materials designed for families with children in preschool through high school. Different publications within the kit explain the services and information now available to families under the No Child Left Behind Act and offer tips about school-related subjects from homework to preparing for college.

The kit contains nine Department of Education publications, including:

• Questions Parents Ask About Schools, with answers to commonly asked questions on topics such as getting ready for school, monitoring homework and helping with reading;

• A Guide for Reading, containing essential tips for parents to help their children become ready to read and ready to learn;

• Extra Help for Student Success, an explanation of the free tutoring and other academic enrichment services available under the No Child Left Behind Act;

• Choosing a School for Your Child, with help for families navigating the variety of public school choices available today; and

• Helping Your Child Succeed in School, containing many pages of activities parents can use to help their children develop the skills that are critical to school success.

Joining the secretary at today's event was Adam Chavarria, executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.

"No one cares more about your child's education than you, the family. As parents, you are your child's first teacher and you play an important role in shaping your child's education," said Chavarria. "Other members of la familia -- brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and grandparents -- can also play a supportive role by creating an environment in which academic learning is expected and enabled. Share this information with other members of your family and your friends and neighbors. Help us spread the word about how we can improve education for all our children."

"We want to help parents become involved in education—it's good for students, good for their schools and good for America," added Spellings. Use this tool kit often to make sure your child gets the best education possible—one of the keys to getting the very best out of life."

To order the Tool Kit for Hispanic Families and other publications, please contact the Department's publications center at 1-877-4ED-PUBS (1-877-433-7827) or visit www.edpubs.org. For other U.S. Department of Education resources in Spanish, please visit
www.ed.gov/espanol/bienvenidos/es/.

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