Although I commend his efforts in appointing Shakira, I have to express some reservations in this action. My main reason for saying this is that it has the smell of being patronizing and condescending to the Latino community. For one, it is election time, and the President is in serious trouble for promises unfulfilled to the Latino community. Although I hope this is not his motive, I really wonder if getting someone this high profile - someone without experience in education or the experience in the American educational system - is just a ploy conceived by administration to make it look like the administration is a friend to the Latino community and garner their votes. I believe that if Mr. Obama is serious about educational issues in the Latino community he could send a representative to these communitites to garner from the residents what would most impact the education of their children; or, better yet, he could speak directly with the educators working on a daily basis in these communities to get a grip on what is actually needed to help the overall success of the children. Perhaps these are too simplistic of suggestions, but I believe that they would be more effective, and have a better grounding in sencerity than appointing Shakira to any governmental position that has to deal with the education of our children.