Obama Hosts Town Hall On Hispanic Education

A number of media outlets reported on President Obama's Hispanic education town hall meeting in Washington Monday, with much of the coverage focused on education issues facing Latino families, and on the political implications for a demographic both parties are courting heavily. The Hill (3/29, Miller) reports that President Obama was scheduled to meet on Monday with a group of Hispanic students and parents in Washington, DC, for a forum on education in the Hispanic community, to be broadcast on Univision. "Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Juan Sepulveda, the director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, held a conference call with reporters on Friday to preview the event." The Hill presents the forum as part of Democrats' efforts to prevent the GOP from exploiting "an opening on the issue of education through its support of school choice programs."

 

Hispanically Speaking News (3/29) reports on the implications of the President's town hall, featuring an interview with Jose Rico, Deputy Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. "Rico sees one of the goals of the town hall as a 'way for the White House to communicate what we are trying to do in terms of educational reform, also making sure the Latino community knows what resources are there for them.'" The piece notes that Rico "was emphatic that there are many resources and programs available to the communities that are not being accessed," meaning better communication is needed. He predicted that "the parents and students in attendance as well as the general public will see the President's sincere commitment to Latino education."

 

Meanwhile, FOX News (3/29, Fernández) reports runs a partial transcript of an interview with "Juan Sepúlveda, head of the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics, about bad schools, good teachers, and the issues confronting our community." Sepúlveda stresses the Administration's commitment to improving education in the Hispanic community, challenges Hispanic students face, and examples of schools that are successful in teaching Hispanic students.