Press Release

For Immediate Release Contact: June 19, 2007 Doua Thor, SEARAC, 202/667-4690, doua@searac.org

SEARAC Joins National Civil Rights Leaders in Ensuring High School Equity for All

Washington, DC—Today, ten leading national organizations announced their partnership in unveiling the Campaign for High School Equity to prepare every student for graduation, college, work and life. Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) is proud to be a partner in this coalition formed to address high school inequities in communities of color.

Contrary to the "model minority" myth, many Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) communities face serious educational needs and disparities that are often overlooked. Southeast Asian American communities, in particular, are largely affected by educational disparities because of the lack of available disaggregated data to show the needs of diverse APIA communities. For example, according to the 2000 Census, only 47% of Cambodian, 51% of Laotian, 40% of Hmong and 62% of Vietnamese Americans held high school degrees compared to 80% of the overall U.S. population.

Doua Thor, Executive Director of SEARAC states, "We are excited and look forward to uniting with other communities of color to address ways in which we can work toward ensuring the educational success of all students. This is a historic moment."

This national initiative was launched on Capitol Hill today with all principals of organizations signing a congressional call to action urging congress to address educational disparities and expand their commitment to early education and higher education by including middle and high school grades. In addition, the coalition introduced A Plan for Success, a document highlighting policy priorities for high school reform.

The Campaign for High School Equity is a collaboration among diverse organizations such as: the Alliance for Excellent Education, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, the National Council of La Raza, the National Indian Education Association, the National Urban League, and the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center.

Information about the Campaign for High School Equity and its member organizations can be found at www.highschoolequity.org.