Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, December 23, 2011

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Jose Rico named to lead White House initiative

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Jose Rico named to lead White House initiative:

Jose Rico named to lead White House initiative

José Rico has been appointed as the new director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. The Initiative is in charge of expanding academic excellence and improving educational opportunities for Hispanics.

Hispanics are the largest minority group in the public education system, comprising more than 1 in 5 students in the nation's elementary, middle and high schools, according to a report by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. The report shows that Hispanics will drive the growth of the labor force over the next several decades, accounting for 60 percent of the nation's growth between 2005 and 2050.

“Hispanic students have graduated at lower rates than others for a long time,