Poll Shows Illinois Latinos Support School-Choice Programs (from Extra News)

This trend among Latinos is also mirrored by the Black community in the U.S. What the article doesn't say is that most families of color that support school choice are also low-income and are served by substandard school systems, so of course they would be in favor of alternatives to their failing schools. This research also creates a slippery slope where right-leaning pro-choice advocates take this information and co-opt it for their own political interests. This logic takes us down the road towards privatization. What we should be doing is finding ways to learn from successful public schools and invest in infrastructure to ensure that successful programs, policies, and practices thrive for low-income children of color. --Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
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Extra News Posted on 01-04-2008
Poll Shows Illinois Latinos Support School-Choice Programs
(HISPANIC PR WIRE) — Late last month, the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options gathered with other national school choice allies to host a roundtable discussion on the results of a statewide poll school choice, which was released Tuesday. The poll showed that many Latino parents in Illinois support expanding educational options in the state.
“This poll proves that Hispanics in Illinois are not satisfied with the status quo,” said Rebeca Nieves-Huffman, president of Hispanic CREO. “They want the most opportunities to provide their children with the best education possible. These parents need more educational options for their children.”
The poll revealed that 52 percent of Hispanics were in favor of parents using public funds to send their children to private school. The poll also revealed that 53 percent of participants would be in favor of instituting corporate tax-credit scholarships, which would use corporate donations to provide students with scholarships to attend private school.
In 2006, only 54 percent of Hispanic students in Illinois graduated from high school, compared with 85 percent of white students, according to the Alliance for Excellent Education, which tracks high school graduation rates across the country.
Hispanic CREO’s previous research has shown that Latino parents are widely in favor of school choice. A recent national poll conducted in collaboration with the Alliance for School Choice demonstrated that 75 percent of Latino parents would be interested in using vouchers to send their children to private school. The poll also revealed that 82 percent of Hispanic voters considered education to be a top priority for the 2008 presidential elections.
Hispanic CREO is the only organization in the United States committed to improving the educational outcomes of Latino children by empowering parents through school choice.