Nation IN BRIEF : TEXAS : Latinos Criticize Remarks by Cavazos

Leading Latinos criticized U.S. Education Secretary Lauro F. Cavazos for saying Latino parents deserve much of the blame for a high dropout rate among their children. Cruz Chavira, chief of staff for the San Antonio-based League of United Latin American Citizens, which claims to be the largest Latino group in the United States, said he was upset by Cavazos’ remarks and that scores of educators had been calling LULAC to voice their anger. Cavazos, who is Latino, told a San Antonio news conference Tuesday that although Latinos have traditionally valued education, “somewhere along the line we’ve lost that. I really believe today there is not that emphasis.”