Secretary of Education Lauro F. Cavazos鈥� mission here last week was to gather new ideas for improving the schooling of Hispanic youths and to begin building bridges between the federal government and Hispanic educators.
Instead, his own views stole the spotlight and provoked some of the strongest criticism of the Secretary to date from fellow Hispanic leaders.
The outcry came after Mr. Cavazos said in a press conference that 鈥淗ispanics have always valued education ... but somewhere along the line we鈥檝e lost that. I really believe that, today, there is not that emphasis.鈥�
The remarks echo a theme he has expounded many times before, in reference both to Hispanics and to parents in general. But they were seized on here by the media and dominated much of the coverage of the first in a series of five regional hearings Mr. Cavazos has scheduled on Hispanic educational problems.
The New York Times, for example, ran a front-page story under the headline: 鈥淓ducation Secretary Criticizes the Values of Hispanic Parents.鈥� The San Antonio Light鈥檚 headline read: 鈥淐avazos Says Attitude Hurts Hispanics.鈥�
The stories provoked an angry response from local Hispanic leaders, who were not present at the press conference and did not hear the remarks first-hand.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a disastrous statement for the Secretary to make,鈥� said Jose A. Cardenas, executive director of the Intercultural Development Research Association, a Hispanic research and advocacy group based here.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a simple case of the victim being blamed for the crime,鈥� he added.
Norma Cantu, director of education programs for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said Mr. Cavazos 鈥渉urt himself as far as Texas Hispanics are concerned.鈥�
鈥淭his is the second example of his views being out of touch鈥� with local Hispanics, she said, referring to criticism of the Secretary鈥檚 remarks before the Texas legislature in March, when he was widely quoted as having said that 鈥渕oney is clearly not the answer to [the state鈥檚] education deficit.鈥�
Education Department officials said the Secretary鈥檚 remarks were misconstrued by the press.
鈥淭he comments were accurate but the headlines were off base,鈥� said Etta Fielik, the Secretary鈥檚 new press spokesman. 鈥淲hat he鈥檚 saying is that the emphasis on education is lacking, that the leadership is lacking. He鈥檚 saying that until parents get more involved, we may see the same high dropout rates among Hispanics.鈥�
The remarks also should not be construed as a criticism specific to Hispanic parents, she said. 鈥淭hat was the issue at this forum, but he鈥檚 looking for parental involvement across the board.鈥�
The controversy, she said, should not damage the Secretary鈥檚 credibility among Hispanics, and may in fact prove beneficial if it 鈥渆ncourages discussion and gets people thinking about the issues.鈥�
Some Hispanic leaders agreed that the debate could prove helpful, but predicted that it would end up disproving the Secretary鈥檚 assertion.
鈥淗opefully, it will rattle the rafters and start people talking about education,鈥� said Roy Mendoza, principal of Lanier High School here.
鈥淚n some cases,鈥� he said, 鈥淗ispanic parents do throw their hands up in the air and say to their kid, 鈥楧o whatever you want.鈥濃��
Elena Pell, director of program development for ASPIRA, a national organization that works to prepare future Hispanic leaders, said, 鈥淚 find it hard to believe that he meant any harm. The positive side is that there will be a dialogue now about what really is going on in Hispanic families vis-a-vis education.鈥�
鈥淥ur experience,鈥� she added, 鈥渃ertainly does not match up to the assertion that Hispanic families don鈥檛 care about education.鈥�
A national survey conducted last year by ASPIRA found that more than half of Hispanic parents expected their children to pursue education beyond a high-school diploma. More than half also said they asked their children about school every day.
Solutions 鈥榃ithin the Hispanic鈥�
Mr. Cavazos deliberately avoided airing his opinions at the onset of the hearing, saying 鈥淚 have purposely refrained from putting my own views on the table, in order to keep the focus of this hearing on your ideas for improving the education of Hispanics.鈥�
In a speech, the Secretary seemed to fault the schools for Hispanic educational problems. 鈥淲e know that the educational system is failing much of our Hispanic population,鈥� he said.
But when asked at the press conference what his own ideas for solving the problem were, the Secretary said 鈥淭he solution itself must start in the home.鈥�
Noting that Spaniards had founded seven universities in the New World before Harvard opened its doors, the Secretary lamented the lack of emphasis today on education among Hispanics. Hispanic parents, he said, need an 鈥渁ttitudinal change.鈥�
鈥淲e must have a commitment from Hispanics, from Hispanic parents especially, that their children will be educated. ... In part, we Hispanics have not acknowledged that problem,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e start by caring,鈥� the Secretary added. 鈥淲e really have not cared that youngsters have dropped out of school. We don鈥檛 care, either teachers, parents, the business community, or elected officials. We must raise expectations and say, 鈥榊es, you can succeed.鈥濃��
鈥淣o one really has the answer why,鈥� Hispanic educational performance is so low, he said at another point. 鈥淚t may be that the solution itself is within the Hispanic person, that they will finally acknowledge that we must educate ourselves.鈥�
The Secretary has espoused similar views many times since assuming his post, and did so even before he came to Washington.
鈥淲e have, among Hispanics, a8great number of families that are impoverished economically, socially, and idealistically,鈥� he said in a 1985 speech while he was still president of Texas Tech University. 鈥淎ll of them want a piece of the American dream, but unlike so many of the earlier immigrants, too many of these undervalue education as a route to achieving their dream.鈥�
The bitter response to the Secretary鈥檚 remarks may have been dictated by the fact that local Hispanic leaders remain incensed over his de-emphasis of money as a solution to Texas鈥檚 education problems in last month鈥檚 speech to the legislature.
Mr. Cavazos insisted at the press conference here that those remarks had been taken out of context, and said he believes that 鈥渟ome districts undoubtedly need extra money.鈥�
Both remarks 鈥渟peak to an insensitivity and ignorance that cannot be overlooked,鈥� said James R. Vasquez, superintendent of San Antonio鈥檚 Edgewood school district, which brought a successful school-finance suit against the state.
鈥淲e have done empirical studies in our district, which is 98 percent Hispanic, and we find fantastic support for education,鈥� he added. 鈥淏ut when people are hungry, when people have no clothes for their children, when their children must leave school in order to help the family, they say, 鈥榃e must take care of the necessities at the present moment and worry about the absence of education when we can get to it.鈥濃��
鈥淭he terrible thing is,鈥� Mr. Vasquez said, 鈥渢hat he鈥檚 denying what鈥檚 happened to Mexican Americans in the history of this state, how we鈥檝e been discriminated against in every way. It proves he continues to be very far removed from the community.鈥�
鈥淲e all deal with the media, and occasionally we get misquoted,鈥� the superintendent added, 鈥渂ut he鈥檚 running out of alibis.鈥�
鈥淓ffective parenting does not come naturally to anybody,鈥� said Gloria G. Rodriguez, executive director of the avance Family Support and Education Program, which has been cited as a national model by First Lady Barbara Bush, among others.
鈥淲e need to make sure that families are supported and know how to help their children,鈥� she said, 鈥渘ot blame them for the problems.鈥�
