Thousands of Latino Parents & Leaders are demanding school choice.

Parents and Latino leaders across the nation are calling on education and political leaders to give Hispanic children greater choice in education. The American Hispanic Manifesto, a document released by the group last week, has already garnered thousands of signatures. “This national ‘grito’ (shout) is about harnessing the power of hundreds of thousands of American Latinos into one voice on one issue: education,” said Rebeca Nieves Huffman, Hispanic CREO President.

The events of the last month have shown the powerful voice of the Hispanic community as millions gathered across the nation to express their views on the immigration issue. According to Robert Aguirre, Chairman of the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options, the goal of the American Hispanic Manifesto is to create a social and political movement. “This manifesto will unite a huge mass of Latinos in a single voice for the common cause of social justice by education reform,” he added. Over 3,500 people have already signed the document.

In the United States, one out of seven Americans is Hispanic. Latinos are now the largest, fastest growing, and youngest ethnic group in the U.S. “Nevertheless,” says Huffman, “Latino children are often not well served by the typical public school system. Many Latino children are stuck in low performing public schools and parents need other options. Those options might include other public schools, charter schools, or private schools through tax credits or vouchers.”

According to the latest statistics, 56 percent of Hispanic fourth graders read at below the “Basic” level as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The term “Basic” describes the ability to read English material at grade level. Research shows that children who fail to master literacy by the fourth grade will likely fall farther and farther behind each year. Unable to read their own textbooks and with no hope of attending college, many of these children drop out before graduating from high school. Revealingly, the Hispanic high school drop-out rate is 48 percent while the national drop-out rate for Black students is 44 percent and only 22 percent for White students.

“Decades of poor results and minority gaps have proven a one-size-fit-all approach to schools is not good for students,” Huffman said. “Parents know their children best and they need the power to decide what school atmosphere is best for their family.”

The Manifesto includes the following statement: “By our collective action, led by Hispanic Americans, we call on everyone to support the empowerment of families by school choice so as to enable all children to access a quality education and reach their full potential.” The document also contains details of how the current educational system fails to provide a basic education to Latino children.