We are facing an educational crisis that has put our state and nation at risk of losing our competitive edge over other developed countries.  Our traditional educational system is not producing the positive results necessary to prepare students with the skills, knowledge and values necessary to keep America competitive.  In California, this is especially true for Hispanics which is the fastest growing segment of our society. Hispanics in California have an alarming dropout rate of over 50 percent, and only 25 percent of those graduating high school go on to college. Moreover, only 10 percent of those Hispanic students entering college will complete a four-year degree.