LULAC Education Leaders Share Their Vision With Education Secretary Cardona

Nation’s Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Welcomes a New Approach to Advance Learning in America

Washington, DC - Education leaders of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) today issued a combined statement highlighting their objectives and goals which they are forwarding to newly confirmed Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona.

Caroline Sanchez Crozier - LULAC National Education Chair
“On behalf of the LULAC National Education Committee, we extend our sincere felicidades on his appointment as Education Secretary. We live in an amazing time of change and opportunity, and we take great pride in your leadership and look forward to advancing with you the equitable success of all Latino students. Dr. Miguel Cardona represents an opportunity to rewrite the history of English-language learners’ underachievement as one of systemic oversights and failures inaugurating a fresh vision together with fundamental changes that his appointment will bring to vulnerable and marginalized communities across the country.

Also, there is the promise of a new narrative of success for native language students and the encouragement of preserving their foundational language and culture that should be valued in a country of multilingual and multicultural populations. With this appointment, LULAC sees an opportunity to address and work on persistent challenges that have plagued our educational systems and students. The National Education Committee stands with Commissioner Dr. Cardona in moving forward an agenda of equity, leadership, and innovation for Latinos.”

Dr. Angela Valenzuela - LULAC Higher Education Task Force Co-Chair
“This is an opportunity to reinstate the Title VII Graduate Fellowship program to prepare masters and doctoral students’ preparation for careers in bilingual and dual language education programs and the profession. As importantly, we must affirm the need for Ethnic Studies by providing support and funding to LEAs and IHEs for both the development of curriculum, undergraduate and graduate teacher preparation and teacher professional development. My final ask of Secretary Cardona as a major priority is to incentivize the establishment of Grow-Your-Own Latina/o educator pathways into the teaching profession.”

Dr. Theresa Montaño - LULAC Higher Education Task Force Co-Chair
“We look forward to working with Secretary Cardona on important education-related initiatives. These include safe, sane and healthy reopening of schools, colleges, and universities. Latinx students, teachers, and faculty should be assured socially distanced classrooms and offices, access to vaccines and continued technological support.

Also, we call for reducing and/or eradicating student debt, freezing tuition hikes, securing affordable housing, and ending student food insecurity as core components of a quality higher educational experience for Latinos. Equally vital and long overdue is increased funding for Hispanic Serving Institutions, particularly for Latinx faculty hiring, retention, and salary equity. Finally, we urge Secretary Cardona to place a moratorium on high-stakes testing for Latinx students PK-university and instead, substitute this with authentic, performance-based models for assessing student learning. This is a far more culturally-equitable approach that treats Latinx students fairly and affirms their life experiences.”

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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.