McCain's School Choice Opportunity [Hispanic voters]

The Wall Street Journal: Opinion ^ | July 15, 2008 | Clint Bolick

[Uncle Ralph]

Education is slipping in priority among many voters but not among Hispanics, many of whom see school choice as a deciding factor in whom to vote for this fall. This has implications for the presidential election.

A new poll shows that 82% of Hispanics consider education as one of three most important issues facing this country. The survey also shows that, even while Hispanics trust Democrats over Republicans on education by more than a two-to-one margin, that ratio could change if Republicans heavily promote school choice while Democrats oppose it.

The poll was conducted last year among more than 800 registered Hispanic voters ... but never publicly released. ...

This survey found that although Hispanic voters generally consider public schools to be effective, they also favor, by a wide margin, school choice ...

Fifty-two percent of Hispanic voters have a favorable view of school choice, according to the poll, while only 7% had an unfavorable view. When asked about vouchers specifically, 32% expressed a favorable opinion compared to 13% unfavorable.

But where the poll really gets interesting is on school choice as an electoral issue: 65% of those surveyed reported that they would be more likely to support a candidate for office who supports school choice, including 35% who said they would be "much more likely." ...

Sen. Obama will count heavily on teachers' unions for support. The unions, though, have nowhere else to go. Hispanics do. If Mr. Obama opposes school choice, he will cede to his opponent a huge opportunity to make inroads among Hispanic voters -- if Sen. McCain seizes it. ...

Hispanics voting on school choice could tip the balance of the election. ...

It could alter the electoral landscape -- not merely for this election, but permanently.

[bajabaja]

The Hispanic drop out rate in Los Angeles is around 50%.

I don’t know about other cities, but that fact does not accord with the supposed priority of education — I wish it were otherwise, and the dropout rates were lower.

But facts are facts.

Source for the 50% figure here:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7288144/

[hershey]

An article on FR some months ago quoted Hispanic dropout rates all over the country at fifty per-cent. Kids were polled and gave three main reasons for leaving school: Peer pressure, no money/jobs at home, and something else which I can’t recall, maybe social mores/culture. (it wasn’t that English only classes were too difficult.) The thrust of the article was a discussion of bilingual education, Hispanic dropout rates, and cost.