Education is the main weapon that Hispanics or Latinos have to develop in the United Statesand occupy leadership positions, which is why more should be invested in that area, considered the Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona.
On the occasion of Hispanic Heritage Month, the secretary gave an interview where he highlights the policies and programs promoted by President Joe Biden’s government, but also the challenges faced in Congress and the need for populations to take advantage of the opportunities offered.
“It’s all of us working together to raise expectations and services for Latinos,” Cardona said. “President [Biden] and the vice president [Kamala Harris] They are also focused on giving more support to help Latinosbecause we are growing here in this country and the future of this country also depends on how we can support our Latinos, because we know that they will also serve as leaders in the future.”
Cardona does not sugarcoat his words when he recognizes that the expectations of Latinos must be “raised” through education, which is why the Biden Administration seeks to offer greater options to a population that continues to grow in the United States.
“We are growing in number and we have the intelligence, the ability to move forward, The system is not always there to provide opportunities for everyone.”, he acknowledged. “As Secretary of Education, it is important to me to have funds so that students can continue.”
He highlighted that the Biden Administration has increased the amount of some scholarships, to about $8,000 annually for qualifying students, in addition to reducing the payment amount of student loans, to prevent them from being a burden month after month.
“We are lowering the cost of schools and the loans that one has to pay, reducing by half in many cases, the loans, what one owes [pagar] monthly; “We want to invest in universities that serve Hispanic students,” she said.
He added that more than $11 billion dollars have been allocated to universities that serve Latino populations.
“We know that the future includes Latinos and we have to invest in education for the education of Latinos in this country,” he expressed.
Bilingual education is key
On several occasions, including previous interviews with this journalist, Secretary Cardona has highlighted that Bilingual education is essential for Latinos to have better development in United States.
“Kids who come into school who know Spanish, but don’t understand English yet, are made to feel like they […] They are missing something, like they have a problem. I say being bilingual is a super power and for me, I want all students in the United States to learn another language,” she highlighted.
He added that for those who migrate from another country to the United States and speak Spanish, learning English does not mean moving away from their roots.
“Latinos who come to this country from another country already know another language, they already know Spanish, they have to learn English, but not forget Spanish or their culture,” he said. “For me, I was born in Connecticut, I grew up here, but my parents taught me the Puerto Rican culture, the Latin culture and for me I think that is part of the reason I am here today, as secretary […]. For me, being bicultural helped me a lot, understanding the values of my culture helped me [a] be sure of myself, to move forward.”
The Pew Research Center published on October 3, 2023 that Latinos born in the United States have more formal education than Hispanic immigrants, which is possible with a bilingual profile.
An estimated 56% of U.S.-born Hispanics ages 25 and older have at least some college experience, compared to just 31% of those born in another country and living in the U.S.
It also highlights that despite progress in the educational level among the Latino population, it is still far from the national average.
In 2021, for example, nearly 2.5 million Latinos held advanced degrees, such as master’s degrees or doctorates—that’s 8% of all advanced degree holders in the U.S., less than half of the 19% among the general population. .
Republicans against
Secretary Cardona regretted that Republicans, from different fronts, including Congress, challenge President Biden’s educational programs, such as student debt forgiveness, and increased funding for education.
The debt cancellation plan for millions of Americansincluding almost half of Latinos, was suspended by the Supreme Court, after a judicial process led by six states governed by Republicans: Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina.
According to the Education Data Initiative, nearly 7 in 10 (67%) Latino student borrowers have educational debt, which has affected their finances, as 33 percent said they have postponed marriage and 37 percent have postponed having children.
“The plan that the president put forward last year was going to cancel the debt of half of the Latinos in this country, imagine that, half of the Latinos were going to have their student debt canceled 100 percent,” Cardona recalled. “Many times Latinos have student debt and they have household debt, they don’t have it, many of them, not all, but many of them don’t have it.” […] the family that has a lot of money for generations, many of the Latinos here are the first person in their family who can attend college like me.”
He added that this problem was going to be faced with the forgiveness of student debt, but it did not make progress, in addition to the fact that university costs also increase.
“The problem is that the costs of college are rising, we want to help with the debt, but also ensure that college is not something where prices continue to rise and students graduate without having the income to be able to pay the debt, we are working on that too,” Cardona acknowledged.
Republicans also seek to impact other educational programs with the budget reduction, described as the most extreme since President Hebert Hoover’s administration, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) warned, noting that the cuts would affect K-12 programs.
“Unfortunately, the Republican Party [en la Cámara] would not you agree, [los republicanos] They don’t take care of themselves, they don’t take care of themselves, and now we are waiting for them to have an agreement to be able to give the money that is required for schools, medical health, the services that our military needs,” Cardona said.
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