STAND UP
Sean Walsh, 1-866-303-7457
standup@gmmb.com
www.standup.org
NCLR
Delia Pompa, (202) 785-1670
dpompa@nclr.org

Apr 13, 2006

NCLR joins national effort to engage all Americans in high school crisis

Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today announced that it will be participating in a national campaign to address America’s education crisis. STAND UP is a community-based coalition of more than 50 organizations, districts, and schools around the country calling on all Americans to demand excellent high schools that prepare every student for college, work, and citizenship.

“Providing a good education to all our children is vital to the future of the United States,” stated Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. “Unfortunately, the current education system is failing many young people, including millions of Latino children. That is why we are proud to join with the distinguished members and supporters of STAND UP in urging action now to fix our nation’s high schools.”

STAND UP is designed to mobilize parents, teachers, principals, community leaders, concerned citizens, business leaders, policy-makers, and philanthropists to become part of the solution. The STAND UP website (www.standup.org) provides valuable information and resources to help make sure that high schools are serving all students well.

A new Time/The Oprah Winfrey Show poll reveals that Americans are increasingly troubled by the state of the nation’s high schools. Nine in ten adults in the survey called the dropout rate a serious problem. This is a particularly acute problem for Latino students, 47% of whom do not complete high school. Latinos currently number nearly ten million in American public schools – the second-largest segment of the U.S. school population after Whites – and are 17% of all secondary public school students. Those who do graduate need more education than their grandparents just to maintain the same standard of living, yet only one in three ninth-graders actually leave high school in four years ready for the rigors of college and the working world.

NCLR is committed to improving high schools around the country so all students are prepared for success in college and work. Targeting the unique needs of Latino and English language learner (ELL) students, NCLR works through a network of community-based charter schools and Early College High Schools. Through this network, NCLR is developing and implementing culturally- and linguistically-appropriate practices and policies for ELLs, such as rigorous curricula and improved testing and accountability systems. In addition, NCLR’s advocacy at the federal level seeks to improve accountability for Latino and ELL students to ensure that all students have access to rigorous coursework and highly-qualified teachers. By doing this, NCLR expects to see an increase in the Latino high school graduation rate of ten percentage points over the next 20 years.

STAND UP builds on the growing momentum around high school reform. The STAND UP website provides information about the state of the nation’s high schools and offers specific ways for people to become a part of the solution. Visitors to the website can:

• Send an email urging governors to support high schools that serve all students well
• Download a parent tool kit, which provides information and tips about how to make a difference in a teenager’s education
• Download a community action tool kit, which provides information and guidance on how to mobilize a community for change
• Purchase a unique, wearable STAND UP medallion to show support for the hopes and dreams of the nation’s young people. (Proceeds from the sales of the medallion will go to a new fund, the STAND UP Scholarship Fund.)

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STAND UP is a national, multiyear community-based campaign for excellent high schools that prepare all students for future success. Comprising more than 50 organizations throughout the country, the effort is committed to enlisting the support of the American people in tackling America’s education crisis. The multipronged effort will include print and television advertising, a website with resources for parents and concerned citizens to become engaged in education improvement efforts, and local campaign events around the country. STAND UP is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other national organizations, with creative work and direction from the nonprofit Public Interest and others.