U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today issued the following statement on the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans' final report, "From Risk to Opportunity":

"Not long after he took office, President Bush created a Presidential Advisory Commission to take a close look at the situation Hispanic children face in our nation's schools. The commission was asked to identify any barriers preventing Hispanic children from achieving their highest potential and to develop an education action plan to help close the achievement gap.

"In Town Hall meetings all across America, the commission listened as more than 1,600 parents, students, educators and business and community leaders poured their hearts out.

"Many of the parents spoke only Spanish. In testimony that was direct and passionate, Hispanic moms and dad cried as they talked of their hopes of a better life for their children. And children talked about their dreams of college and careers beyond what their parents had achieved.

"Unfortunately, the commission found that dream is elusive for too many Hispanic students. Despite the fact that Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the nation: One of every three Hispanic students fails to complete high school, and only 10 percent graduate from four-year colleges and universities.

"The commission found that, while many Hispanic American families have high expectations for their children, they are not always sure how to help them achieve those high goals.

"Compounding the problem, they found, is what President Bush calls 'the soft bigotry of low expectations' -- schools that expect too little of some children because they equate indigence with ignorance.

"There's no room for that attitude in the schools this Administration is working to create.

"The president and I believe every child can learn and with the reforms of No Child Left Behind, every child will learn. We're not letting any more Hispanic kids slip through the cracks. It's a disgrace. And it's going to stop.

"And the report the commission gave to the president last week provides thoughtful ideas about how we can further expand our efforts in this area.

"The president's goal and our goal at the Department of Education is for every child -- no matter their ethnic background or their family income -- to achieve their bright potential and to live up to the high hopes their parents have for them.

"This report is another important tool to help us in that mission."

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