Nuestras Historias, Nuestro Futuro: Join Us for the Houston State of Latino Education
By: Armando X. Orduña, Ed.D., Executive Director, Houston
Our Stories, Our Future. This is the theme of Houston’ State of Latino Education event taking place on Thursday, September 28th in Houston.
Over the years, our State of Latino Education event has become one of the few gatherings in Texas where educators, parents, elected officials, community and business leaders come together to celebrate the contributions Latinos make in education and discuss how we continue to advance educational equity for Latino families and educators.
Unlike past years, we want to enlarge the context of education beyond Houston to the entire state of Texas. We will first look at the proportionality of Latino students in the K-12 public school population and dive into how Texas’ education system is meeting the needs of our growing and changing Latino student population, and ensuring all Latino students have a chance to succeed in education. We will take a specific look at emergent bilinguals, low-income families, and first-generation U.S. students who we know continue to face additional barriers in accessing an equitable education.
We are incredibly excited to present (for the first time) two dynamic Latina leaders with an award for their contributions to Latino education. We don’t want to divulge too many details about this special recognition – but you won’t want to miss it.
Through our fellowship programs, we have come to meet hundreds of Latino leaders that are driving change and innovation in education. Our alums have gone on to serve as school and college board trustees as well as some of Houston’s most dynamic educational nonprofits, benefiting families from every demographic. From PTAs to school boards and leadership positions, our fellows are shaping education at all levels across Houston and Texas and while we wish we could honor all of them, you will hear some passionate stories about this year’s award recipients.
Renowned education researcher Dr. Ruth López Turley, who leads Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, will join us for a fireside chat about the state of Latino education in Texas and how we are moving forward. Raised on the U.S.-Mexico border, Dr. López Turley experienced firsthand the hardships caused by educational inequities which inspired her academic work and led her to found Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC), which brings researchers and school district leaders together to improve educational opportunities for all students.
Dr. López Turley and I will discuss educator diversity, the need for greater Latino representation at all levels of education and the inspiring work happening in Texas to prepare Latino students to lead our state toward a stronger, more equitable tomorrow. We will discuss real problems and solutions, highlighting data from surveys completed by 400 Latino parents, and educators from the Greater Houston region.
Whether you want to understand our state’s education system better, engage and network with other Latino educators and leaders, or celebrate the contributions Latinos are making in education, there is something for everyone at this year’s State of Latino Education. Join us for this empowering experience bringing Latinos from so many different sectors under one roof to collectively address the challenges and celebrate the achievements of Latino educators and families in Houston. It’s time to celebrate our collective work as we advance equity in education.
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Armando Orduña, Ed.D. is Latinos for Education’s Executive Director for Greater Houston. He has over 23 years of experience in education, with a particular expertise in the intersectionality of STEAM access for immigrant youth and families, and the role practical STEAM learning plays in foreign language acquisition. Before joining Latinos for Education, Orduña served as the Director of Outreach Programs for Children’s Museum Houston.