EDUCATION | HISPANIC INITIATIVE

Obama taps Miami Dade College president

The president of Miami Dade College was chosen to lead an initiative aimed at boosting Hispanic achievement.

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BY LESLEY CLARK

LCLARK@MIAMIHERALD.COM

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama Tuesday named Miami Dade College president Eduardo Padrón chairman of a presidential advisory commission on Hispanic education.

Standing in the East Room at the White House to renew a major initiative aimed at boosting academic achievement among Hispanic students, Obama called Padrón a ``leader'' in the administration's efforts to strengthen community colleges.

``And because that's not enough, in addition to running a community college, he also agreed to serve as chair,'' Obama said.

The commission -- a group of 30 Latino leaders -- Obama said, is ``going to make sure that when it comes to our children's education, my administration hears the voices of the Latino community loud and clear.''

The initiative -- formally known as the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics -- was launched in 1990 under then-President George H.W. Bush. Obama noted that 20 years later, Hispanics are more likely to attend the lowest-performing schools and are more likely to drop out.

``Change takes time,'' he said. ``Fixing what is broken in our education system will not be easy. We won't see results overnight. It may take years, even decades, for all these changes to pay off. But that's no reason not to get started. That's no reason not to strive for these changes. That's a reason for us, in fact, to start making them right now.''

The administration made several changes to the executive order, Obama said, aimed at engaging Hispanic communities.

The White House says the changes make it easier for the initiative to ``take action and forge partnerships between the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in local communities nationwide.''

Padrón's commission also will work with the initiative ``to bring the voice of the American people into the policy making process,'' the White House said.

Also in attendance at the event: Miami-Dade schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.

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