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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
September 17, 2012 Camila Gallardo
(305) 573-7329
cgallardo@nclr.org
Interactive town hall to discuss current education initiatives; challenges and opportunities in providing high-quality educational experiences for Latino students
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR (National Council of La Raza) will join U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Tuesday, September 18, 6–7 p.m. to host an education town hall at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, Mo. The town hall is part of the Education Drives America bus tour, a series of forums focusing on a range of issues including early childhood education, school reform, and the challenges of preparing students for an ever-evolving job market.
This town hall will place particular emphasis on Latino students, who make up 22 percent of the nation’s pre-K–12 students and face slow progress in educational attainment, continuing to lag behind other ethnic groups. Only about two-thirds (63 percent) of Latino students earn their high school diplomas on time, and only 13 percent of Latinos have obtained a bachelor’s degree. The Kansas City town hall will provide an opportunity to discuss current initiatives and future proposals to improve these statistics.
The town hall will engage an interactive format where participants will have the chance to ask questions and exchange ideas and impressions with the panel. Several hundred community members, community leaders, teachers, and elected officials including Mayor Sylvester “Sly” James of Kansas City, Mo., and U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D–Mo., are expected to be in attendance.
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT: Town Hall on Education and the Hispanic Community
WHO: Introductory Remarks
Dr. Joe Seabrooks, President, Metropolitan Community College–Penn Valley
The Hon. Sly James, Mayor of Kansas City, Mo.
The Hon. Emanuel Cleaver, U.S. House of Representatives
Featured Speakers
The Hon. Arne Duncan, Secretary, U.S. Department of Education
Janet Murguía, President and CEO, NCLR
WHEN: Tuesday, September 18, 6–7 p.m.
WHERE: Metropolitan Community College
Penn Valley Campus
3201 Southwest Traffic Way
Kansas City, MO 64111
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org/ or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
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