More Resources Ten Key Benefits for Parents of English Language Learners

The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans and the U.S. Department of Education, along with fellow members of the Partners in Hispanic Education, a public-private partnership dedicated to improving education for Hispanics in the United States, will kick-off a nationwide effort today in San Diego. The partnership is sponsoring the first in a series of educational fairs across the country designed to empower Hispanic American families to become stronger advocates for their children's education.

The program will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. PST at the KPBS Copley Telecommunications Center on the campus of San Diego State University. Select portions will also be broadcast live by the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans (AAMA) to the MAAC Charter School in Chula Vista, Calif. The event is free, but pre-registration is required and space is limited.

The daylong "Feria de Educación" highlights the options and opportunities afforded to parents and families under the No Child Left Behind Act, such as: the right to receive information regarding the child's performance on academic tests, the right to know if the child has been identified and recommended for placement in an English language acquisition program, and the right to a quality education and a quality teacher for the child.

"We all have a stake in the education of our children—parents, families, businesses, entire communities," said Adam Chavarria, associate director of the White House Initiative. "No Child Left Behind provides the platform that enables us to work together to ensure that all Latino children receive the high quality education they deserve."

The event's agenda, organized by the local steering committee including San Diego MANA; Girl Scouts, San Diego-Imperial Council, Inc.; San Diego Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and KPBS, will feature several notable speakers from the San Diego education community, national organizations and the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, bilingual presentations, workshops and panel discussions aimed at closing the academic achievement gap for Hispanic Americans, our nation's largest minority group, will be available on the following topics:

Parents

• Parents' rights and responsibilities under the No Child Left Behind Act.
• How to be a parent advocate for your child.

Educators and Community Members

• How the community can support students in school.
• Programs in the community to support student achievement.

Students in grades 8-12

• Learn techniques for developing your leadership skills.
• Making college a reality and learning about financial options.

"Whether it is at the local, state, or national level, we need to ensure that we are providing support to Hispanic families in order to lead young Latinos to educational success, " stated Alma Morales Riojas, President and CEO of MANA, A National Latina Organization. MANA and the Girl Scouts of the USA, serve as lead national partners for the San Diego event.

Partnership participants have committed to hosting a total of seven programs over the next several months. Each will involve a series of events including town hall meetings; educational workshops for parents, students, educators and business and community leaders; and a seminar on student financial aid and scholarships. Additional pilot cities include Miami, El Paso, Texas/Las Cruces, N.M.; Tucson, Ariz., Detroit, the Bronx, N.Y., and Albuquerque, N.M.

The Partners in Hispanic Education members include the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans; United States Department of Education; United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USHCCF); MANA, A National Latina Organization; Girl Scouts of the USA; Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU); National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP); State Farm; United States Army, and the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP).

Media interested in attending should contact Nancy Worlie, KPBS, 619-594-1746 or, on the day of event Adela Garcia, 619-341-4767. For more general information on the San Diego "Feria de Educación" please contact Bea Fernandez, chair of the local host committee, 619-293-4410.

To learn more about No Child Left Behind, visit the U.S. Department of Education web site at http://www.ed.gov/nclb and the Web site for the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans located at http://www.yesican.gov.

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