Some Hispanic activists give president a failing grade
Lack of progress seen in education employment
By Wayne Washington, Globe Staff | May 5, 2004

WASHINGTON -- President Bush will make another appeal to Hispanics today with a speech on the Mexican-American holiday of Cinco de Mayo, but on an issue of critical importance to the nation's largest minority group -- its sky-high school dropout rate -- the president has asked Congress for none of the $125 million his No Child Left Behind education bill authorized to address the problem.

John F. Kerry pledges to increase number of high school graduates by 1 million. A6

Bush's own White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans issued a report in March of 2003 noting that 1 in 3 Hispanic students do not complete high school and calling for the "full implementation and full enforcement of No Child Left Behind."

Instead, the Bush administration has sought to deal with the dropout problem by substantially increasing funding states can direct to areas the administration believes can help lower the high dropout rate, English-language programs and migrant education programs.

The $125 million authorized in No Child Left Behind would have specifically identified youngsters at risk of dropping out, and tailored programs to keep them in school.

"There's been substantial funding for dropout programs in the past, but they haven't shown results," said Adam Chavarria, executive director of the White House's Hispanic education initiative. "This administration hasn't been about funding programs just for the sake of funding programs."

But some Hispanic leaders say Bush's approach to education is similar to the way he deals with other issues of importance to their community: high-profile promises followed by inaction.