Obama appoints Cal State Dominguez Hills president to hispanic education commission

President Barack Obama has appointed Cal State Dominguez Hills university president Mildred Garcia to a new commission tasked with improving the educational performance of Latinos in this country.

As a new member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, Garcia says the first thing she wants people to understand is that Latinos encompass more than one culture.

"Number two is understanding how we learn," says Garcia. "That we learn differently, that we love la familia, that we love to learn in groups. How do we learn and how do we make sure that our schools are paying attention to our culture as well as our learning styles. And ensure that our students are learning multiple learning styles."

She’s seen Latinos achieve in public schools near her South Bay campus – and she’s witnessed the more typical scenario, with high dropout rates and low test scores.

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President Obama said low achievement, and the growing number of Latinos – now one in five of the nation’s public school students – are reason enough to assist this sector of the population.