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Posted on Tue, Jul. 19, 2005


EDUCATION
Clinton commits to Hispanics
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton promised to help Hispanics achieve the American dream by improving their educational opportunities.
BY EUNICE MOSCOSO
Cox News Service

PHILADELPHIA - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., pledged Monday to help reduce high school drop-out rates among Hispanics, make it easier for children of illegal immigrants to go to college and improve healthcare for the nation's fastest growing minority group.

In a speech to an influential Hispanic group, Clinton, who some expect to run for president in 2008, said the government is not doing enough to help Hispanics reach their goals.

The audience at the National Council of La Raza's annual convention embraced the senator with loud applause and several standing ovations. The council is a civil rights organization with 300 affiliated groups nationwide.

`AMERICAN DREAM'

''Since our country's founding, Hispanic Americans -- from missionaries to admirals to Nobel laureates and astronauts -- have not only been seeking the American dream for themselves, but helping to preserve it and expand it for others,'' Clinton said.

She also touched on several education issues, including her support of legislation known as the Dream Act, which would allow illegal-immigrant children who finish high school in the United States to avoid deportation, earn a path to citizenship and possibly receive in-state college tuition rates.

''We want to make it possible for the 65,000 undocumented young people who graduate from our high schools each year to receive in-state tuition rates and pursue their own dreams,'' she said. ``I hope, with your help, we will make that Dream Act a reality this year.''

SPELLINGS SPEAKS

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings also addressed the convention Monday, touting the ''No Child Left Behind Act,'' a major Bush administration initiative to boost the performance of poor and minority children and punish schools that don't show positive results.

Spellings said that a national assessment of test scores released last week was ''very encouraging'' and proved that the program is working.

SCORES IMPROVE

It showed that reading scores for 9-year-olds across the nation have improved more over the past 5 years than they had from 1971 to 1999. Among Hispanics, the scores increased by 12 points over the past five years, she said.

In addition, she said the average Hispanic 9-year-old math score increased 17 points over the past five years.

Spellings and Clinton both said more needs to be done to address the high school drop-out rate among Hispanics, which is four times higher than the drop-out rate for white students.

Thomas Mann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said Clinton is the clear front-runner for the Democratic nomination and is increasingly framing a national agenda.