[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 41 (Monday, October 15, 2001)]
[Pages 1468-1470]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Executive Order 13230--President's Advisory Commission on Educational 
Excellence for Hispanic Americans

October 12, 2001

     By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and 
the laws of the United States of America, and in order to advance the 
development of human potential, strengthen the Nation's capacity to 
provide high-quality education, and increase opportunities for Hispanic 
Americans to participate in and benefit from Federal education programs, 
it is hereby ordered as follows:
    Section 1. There is established, in the Department of Education, the 
President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic 
Americans (Commission). The Commission shall consist of not more than 25 
members. Twenty-one of the members shall be appointed by the President. 
Those members shall be representatives of educational, business, 
professional, and community organizations who are committed to improving 
educational attainment within the Hispanic community, as well as other 
persons deemed appropriate by the President. The President shall 
designate two of the appointed members to serve as Co-Chairs of the 
Commission. The other four members of the Commission shall be ex officio 
members, one each from the Department of Education, the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development, the Department of the Treasury, and the 
Small Business Administration. The ex officio members shall be the 
respective Secretaries of those agencies and the Administrator of the 
Small Business Administration, or their designees.
    Sec. 2. The Commission shall provide advice to the Secretary of 
Education (``Secretary'') and shall issue reports to the President, as 
described in section 7 below, concerning:
     (a) the progress of Hispanic Americans in closing the academic 
achievement gap and attaining the goals established by the President's 
``No Child Left Behind'' educational blueprint;
     (b) the development, monitoring, and coordination of Federal 
efforts to promote high-quality education for Hispanic Americans;
     (c) ways to increase parental, State and local, private sector, and 
community involvement in improving education; and
     (d) ways to maximize the effectiveness of Federal education 
initiatives within the Hispanic community.
    Sec. 3. There is established, in the Department of Education, an 
office called the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for 
Hispanic Americans (Initiative). The Initiative shall be located at, 
staffed, and supported by the Department of Education, and headed by a 
Director, who shall be a senior level executive branch official who 
reports to the Secretary. The Initiative shall provide the necessary 
staff, resources, and assistance to the Commission and shall assist and 
advise the Secretary in carrying out his responsibilities under this 
order. The staff of the Initiative shall gather and disseminate 
information relating to the educational achievement gap of Hispanic 
Americans, using a variety of means, including conducting surveys, 
conferences, field hearings, and meetings, and other appropriate 
vehicles designed to encourage the participation of organizations and 
individuals interested in such issues, including parents, community 
leaders, academicians, business leaders, teachers, employers, employees 
and public officials at the local, State, and Federal levels. To the 
extent permitted by law, executive

[[Page 1469]]

branch departments and agencies shall cooperate in providing resources, 
including personnel detailed to the Initiative, to meet the objectives 
of this order. The Initiative shall include both career civil service 
and appointed staff with expertise in the area of education.
    Sec. 4. Executive branch departments and agencies, to the extent 
permitted by law and practicable, shall provide any appropriate 
information requested by the Commission or the staff of the Initiative, 
including data relating to the eligibility for and participation by 
Hispanic Americans in Federal education programs and the progress of 
Hispanic Americans in closing the academic achievement gap and in 
achieving the goals of the President's ``No Child Left Behind'' 
education blueprint. Where adequate data are not available, the 
Commission shall suggest the means for collecting the data. In 
accordance with the accountability goals established by the President, 
executive branch departments and agencies involved in relevant programs 
shall report to the President through the Initiative by September 30, 
2002, on:
     (a) efforts to increase participation of Hispanic Americans in 
Federal education programs and services;
     (b) efforts to include Hispanic-serving school districts, Hispanic-
serving institutions, and other educational institutions for Hispanic 
Americans in Federal education programs and services;
     (c) levels of participation attained by Hispanic Americans in 
Federal education programs and services; and
     (d) the measurable impact resulting from these efforts and levels 
of participation. The Department of Education's report also shall 
describe the overall condition of Hispanic American education and such 
other aspects of the educational status of Hispanic Americans, as the 
Secretary considers appropriate.
    Sec. 5. Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 
U.S.C. App), may apply to the Commission, any functions of the President 
under that Act, except that of reporting to the Congress, shall be 
performed by the Department of Education in accordance with the 
guidelines that have been issued by the Administrator of General 
Services.
    Sec. 6. (a) Members of the Commission shall serve without 
compensation, but shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem 
in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law for persons serving 
intermittently in the Government service (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707).
     (b) To the extent permitted by law, the Department of Education 
shall provide funding and administrative support for the Commission and 
the Initiative.
    Sec. 7. The Commission shall prepare and submit an interim and final 
report to the President outlining its findings and recommendations as 
follows:
     (a) The Commission shall submit an Interim Report no later than 
September 30, 2002. The Interim Report shall describe the Commission's 
examination of:
     (i) available research and information on the effectiveness of 
current practices at the local, State, and Federal levels in closing the 
educational achievement gap for Hispanic Americans and attaining the 
goals established by the President's ``No Child Left Behind'' 
educational blueprint;
     (ii) available research and information on the effectiveness of 
current practices involving Hispanic parents in the education of their 
children; and
     (iii) the appropriate role of Federal agencies' education programs 
in helping Hispanic parents successfully prepare their children to 
graduate from high school and attend post secondary institutions.
     (b) The Commission shall issue a Final Report no later than March 
31, 2003. The Final Report shall set forth the Commission's 
recommendations regarding:
     (i) a multi-year plan, based on the data collected concerning 
identification of barriers to and successful models for closing the 
educational achievement gap for Hispanic Americans, that provides for a 
coordinated effort among parents, community leaders, business leaders, 
educators, and public officials at the local, State, and Federal levels 
to close the educational achievement gap for Hispanic Americans and 
ensure attainment of the goals established by the President's ``No Child 
Left Behind'' educational blueprint.
     (ii) the development of a monitoring system that measures and holds 
executive

[[Page 1470]]

branch departments and agencies accountable for the coordination of 
Federal efforts among the designated executive departments and agencies 
to ensure the participation of Hispanic Americans in Federal education 
programs and promote high-quality education for Hispanic Americans;
     (iii) the identification of successful methods employed throughout 
the Nation in increasing parental, State and local, private sector, and 
community involvement in improving education for Hispanic Americans;
     (iv) ways to improve on and measure the effectiveness of Federal 
agencies' education programs in ensuring that Hispanic Americans close 
the educational achievement gap and attain the goals established by the 
President's ``No Child Left Behind'' educational blueprint; and
     (v) how Federal Government education programs can best be applied 
to ensure Hispanic parents successfully prepare their children to attend 
post secondary institutions.
    Sec. 8. The Commission shall terminate 30 days after submitting its 
final report, unless extended by the President.
    Sec. 9. Executive Order 12900 of February 22, 1994, as amended, is 
revoked.
                                                George W. Bush
The White House,
October 12, 2001.

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., October 16, 
2001]

Note: This Executive order will be published in the Federal Register on 
October 17.