HOPE responds to State Senator Wright’s comments regarding SB 381
Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) strongly believes that all students should be prepared to be successful in college and/or a career when they graduate from high school. Aligning graduation requirements with college admission standards ensures that students will be eligible for secondary education and better prepared to enter the job market.
As a Latina serving organization, HOPE supports the Multiple Pathways approach that integrates a college prep curriculum with career technical education to expose students to both the rigor and relevance of the subject matter. This approach helps to keep student interest by providing real world examples but also holds students to high standards.
Latinas make up a quarter, 1.5 million, of public school students in California. According to the California Department of Education, in the 2006-07 school year, only twenty-nine percent of Latina graduates completed the required courses for admission to a CSU or UC, there by limiting their choices to a community college or entry level work.
Legislation like SB 381 co- authored by Sen. Rod Wright (D-Los Angeles) and Sen. Mark Wyland (R-Carlsbad) would create two tracks of study in high school and for too long minority and low-income students have been steered away from college. In these difficult economic times and changing job market, we must give our students as many options to success as possible.
