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Saturday, April 7, 2007

Hispanic Kids Need Early Help

By Jim Ludwick
Journal Staff Writer
    Early education is "critical" for improving the success of Hispanic youngsters, the head of a national task force said Friday in Albuquerque.
    Eugene Garcia of Arizona State University, at a news conference with Mayor Martin Chávez and school officials, said Hispanic children are starting kindergarten well behind Anglo children in their reading and math skills.
    They gain some ground in elementary school, but they still are behind at the end of fifth grade. It sets the stage for continuing problems and must be addressed, said Garcia, chairman of the National Task Force on Early Childhood Education for Hispanics.
    Garcia called for efforts to increase Hispanic children's access to infant and toddler programs, pre-kindergarten programs and summer opportunities during early elementary years.
    He said it's vital to increase the number of Spanish-speaking teachers to better communicate with the youngsters and their parents.
    Garcia said Hispanic families will send young children to preschool if it's affordable. But he said educators need to focus on both the children and their families— creating a preschool environment, using Spanish, that gets parents involved.
    He said schools across the nation need personnel who can handle that challenge, and "they're not there."
    Chávez said early-childhood education is "extraordinarily important" and the city will continue to help support such programs.
    Elizabeth Everitt, superintendent of Albuquerque Public Schools, said efforts to help Hispanic children must include increasing the number of Spanish-speaking teachers graduating from universities.
    "We know that the achievement gap is critical, and for Albuquerque Public Schools it is a primary focus. We need early intervention," she said.