Phoenix, AZ – Hispanic CREO is busy planning a luncheon at the Arizona State Capitol slated for 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 10. Keynote speaker is our own Maite Arce along with the President of our affiliate the National Coalition of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders (CONLAMIC).

CONLAMIC is the largest Latino Christian advocacy organization in the nation, operating in 32 states. Legislators, supporters, and opponents are invited to hear how they can help the children of Arizona achieve through equal and quality education.

We’re anything but quiet in Arizona as Hispanic CREO parent organizers report attendance is swelling at weekly workshops covering topics such as parent involvement, local school choice issues, and the importance of choosing the right school for your child.

Parents are also calling, writing, and e-mailing their Legislators as the session progresses urging them to support school choice.

Denver, CO – Headway is being made in Colorado as local media reports lawmakers are moving towards an education overhaul. In a February 27th Denver Post article by Reporter Jennifer Brown, she writes that a core agenda is taking shape with lawmakers to look at:

• House Bill 1048 which sets up a system to better track schools’ progress
• Senate Bill 53 sets a commission to smooth transitions from preschool to college
• Senate Bill 140 which helps create a teacher tracking system to match the best teachers with the most disadvantaged kids.

But, we and she saved the best for last as Brown reports at the end of her article “...school choice, an idea once monopolized by the GOP, is winning support from some urban Democrats, who say traditional schools are failing minority and low-income kids.”

Please see entire article

Miami, FL – Hispanic CREO and its Florida business and faith-based allies are keeping a close eye on Florida as we’ve seen Florida’s Opportunity Scholarship Program knocked down by the Florida Supreme Court last year.

Hispanic CREO, Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the National Coalition of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders (CONLAMIC) will support Step Up For Students’ rally in Tallahassee on April 12th in efforts to protect current school choice programs.  

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP aka “The Nation’s Report Card”) shows strong progress in Florida public schools. Hispanic 4th grade NAEP reading scores have shown nearly twice the national gain from 1998, and African American 4th grade students’ improvement is more than twice the national gain since 1998.

School choice works!

Thousands Converge on the Texas Capitol

Austin, TX – On February 7, more than five thousand parents, school children, and educators from across the state converged upon the Texas Capitol to reinforce a message to Texas Legislators that all students should have access to a broader range of public and private schools.

Buses from across the state dropped off children from both public and private schools for the rally. It was truly a phenomenal sight as thousands gathered on the State Capitol lawn in red, white and blue shirts, wearing CREO buttons and holding rally signs – all to root for school choice.

Throughout the day, participants visited directly with Legislators about the need for school choice in Texas. An impressive line up of speakers including leaders of different faiths, a parent, and a national school choice ally joined Hispanic CREO President Rebeca Nieves Huffman in addressing the crowd. Special guest, Stossel spoke on “Stupid in America” a close and revealing look at the nation’s failing public school system.

The education rally was organized by Texans for School Choice, Hispanic CREO, Agudath Israel, the Black Alliance for Educational Options, CONLAMIC and the Texas Catholic Conference, as well as other organizations.

New Study is Released

Austin, TX – On February 12, Hispanic CREO, along with the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) and the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation released a new study that showed the 2007 class of high school dropouts in Texas will cost state taxpayers $377 million this year and every year after, over the course of their lifetime.

The study concludes that the state spends about as much every year on dropouts after they leave school as it does in state aid to schools when they are in school. The complete study can be found at http://www.friedmanfoundation.org/txfiscal.pdf

The results of the study were presented at a press conference in the State Capitol. 

Local media crowded the room to hear study results presented by Texans for School Choice partners: Dr. Rod Paige, Former U.S. Secretary of Education; Dr. Robert Mcteer, NCPA Distinguished Fellow; Former Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, and Former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; Rebeca Nieves Huffman, President & CEO, Hispanic CREO; and Robert Enlow, Executive Director, The Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation.

The study has been the topic of editorial board meetings in Dallas and San Antonio during the month of March with the press conference covered by media outlets across the state resulting in approximately 7 million media impressions.

School Choice Bill is Filed in the Texas Senate

Austin, TX – In March, Senator Kyle Janek of Houston filed Senate Bill 1506. If successful this bill will create a pilot program to allow a limited number of income-qualified parents in certain school districts the right to use their tax dollars to send their child to the public or private school they feel best serves the interests, abilities, and needs of the child. Stay tuned as we watch the progression of SB 1506 in Texas.

Rio Grande Valley, TX – Hispanic CREO is running full-page print ads in Spanish - and English-language newspapers this month and the public is taking notice. These school choice ads appeal to Valley parents to call to make a difference in the future of their children. Here’s a look.

Every hour that passes in America, more Hispanics are signing El Grito to guarantee that all parents have the freedom to choose the best school for their children. Please visit www.justicebychoice.org
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