Meet las Familias Latinas Por La Educación. These Families Won’t Be Ignored.

Throughout my 20 year career in Houston, I have fought for Latino parents and caregivers to be considered equal members of their local school systems…

Those Teachers in Idaho Destroyed Any Trust Parents Had in Their Teachers

Will the parents of my Mexican students ever look at me the same after Halloween in Middleton, Idaho? On Friday, I had an awesome day…

I’m an Education Advocate and That’s Why I Can’t (and Won’t) Sit Out the Immigration Fight

It can be tempting for education advocates to see immigration as a related, but not overlapping, issue. For folks accustomed to thinking about school funding…

College Credit in High School Is Great, But Where Are the Classes About My Latina History?

As a first-generation college student, I jumped at the opportunity to take college classes while in high school. As a result, I was able to…

I’m Proud to Be First-Gen, But There’s a Lot More to Me Than Just That

I am proud to be the first in my family to have gone to college. However, that is not all I am. I am the…

His Hometown in Mexico Had No School. Now He’s Inspiring the Next Generation of Latino Educators.

This profile of teacher Manuel Mendoza was written for Honored by Steve Padilla of the Los Angeles Times. Each month, Honored recognizes a impactful teacher…

Why Are White People So Afraid of Immigrant Kids?

Not long ago I was in Wilmington, Delaware—reporting another story—and I visited Academia Antonia Alonso, a two-way dual immersion charter school where over half the…

ICE Took My Students’ Parents Away

In my classroom there is a poster that says, “Follow your dreams, believe in yourself and never give up.” This poster is more than some…

71 Years Ago This Case Ended Segregation in California and Made Brown v. Board of Education Possible

In September 1943, Gonzalo Jr., Sylvia and Jerome Mendez went with their aunt, Soledad Vidaurri, and three cousins to enroll at the local elementary school,…

It Wasn’t Enough to Just Be Latina, My Students Needed Me to Be Culturally Competent

I am a Latina educator and I have spent most of my career working with Black and Brown students. Initially, I believed that it was…