Education Is Being Rewritten. Latinos Must Help Write It

By Amanda Fernández, CEO and Founder, Latinos for Education

Over the past decade, I’ve had the opportunity to sit at many tables where the future of education is being debated. In recent years, those conversations have shifted dramatically. At policy tables, philanthropy tables, and education innovation tables, artificial intelligence is now at the center of the discussion.

We are talking about how learning will change, how classrooms will evolve, and how schools will prepare students for the economy ahead. These are important conversations. But as I sit in these rooms, I find myself paying attention to something else. Who gets to decide? What hasn’t changed is that Latino voices are still missing from those conversations.

I have spent enough years in this field to recognize a pattern. When new ideas and technologies emerge, the communities most affected by them are often the last to be invited into the conversation. Ten years ago, this was already true. As the education field debated standards, accountability, and reform, the perspectives of Latino educators, families, and leaders were rarely central even as Latino students became one of the fastest-growing populations in our public schools.

Today, the conversation has moved to artificial intelligence and the future of learning. But the risk remains the same. If Latinos are not part of shaping the future of education, the systems that emerge may once again fail to fully reflect the students they serve. And that would be a mistake, not just for our community, but for our country.

The future of education is inseparable from the future of the Latino community. Latinos represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. population and nearly one in three students in our schools. The students sitting in classrooms today will become tomorrow’s workforce, entrepreneurs, and leaders. If our education system does not fully invest in their potential, or if it is designed without the perspective of the Latino community, it will impact our nation’s economic future.

The United States cannot compete in a global economy while leaving the fastest-growing part of its population on the sidelines. The good news is that we are beginning to see leaders recognize both the challenge and the opportunity.

Organizations like the Latino Community Foundation are making bold investments to strengthen Latino civic leadership nationwide through initiatives like their Flourishing Future strategy, mobilizing Latino leadership and building long-term philanthropic capital to support Latino-led organizations and movements. That kind of vision matters not just for philanthropy, but for the future of education. Because if the systems of tomorrow are being designed today, Latinos must be part of designing them. At Latinos for Education, we believe this moment requires more than acknowledgement. It requires action.

We have already begun taking steps to ensure our community is part of shaping the future of learning. We launched our Catalyst AI program, in partnership with the Center for Black Educator Development, where Latino and Black education leaders are not only learning about artificial intelligence but designing and building tools themselves.They are experimenting with how these technologies can support teachers, improve student learning, and address real challenges in schools.

At the same time, our own staff are using AI tools in our daily work, testing ideas, improving how we operate, and building the capacity needed to lead in a rapidly changing environment. But using new technology is only part of the equation.

The real opportunity is ensuring Latino leaders are present where innovation is happening. That is where technologies are designed, where policies are debated, and where the next generation of learning models is developed. Because if those systems are created without the voices of the communities most affected by them, we risk building solutions that overlook the experiences and strengths of millions of students. On the other hand, when Latino leaders are part of designing the future, the possibilities expand.

Our community brings perspectives shaped by resilience, multilingualism, cultural connection, and a deep belief in education as a pathway to opportunity. Those experiences are not barriers to innovation; they are assets.

At Latinos for Education, our mission has always been to build and strengthen Latino leadership in education. But leadership development is not just about preparing individuals. It is about ensuring our community has the capacity to lead when moments of transformation arrive.

And this is clearly one of those moments. Over the coming months, we will share more about how Latinos for Education is evolving to meet this moment and the role we believe the Latino community must play in shaping the future of education.

The next chapter of education is already being written. If Latino leaders are not part of shaping it, we risk building systems that fall short of the potential of millions of students and in doing so, limit the potential of our nation’s economy. But if Latino leaders are helping design what comes next, the possibilities are far greater. The future of education should not be designed for Latino communities. It must be designed with us. We have been there before, and our nation cannot afford to be there again.

*This piece originally appeared on LinkedIn as part of Amanda’s monthly newsletter series, Rompiendo Barreras: Lessons from a Latina Leader and Social Entrepreneur.

Amanda Fernandez is the CEO and Founder of Latinos for Education, the first national organization dedicated to advancing Latino leadership in education. Under her visionary leadership, the organization has expanded from a Boston-based nonprofit to a national leader in education policy, advocacy, and leadership development. Amanda serves on the Massachusetts Governor’s Latino Empowerment Council and previously co-chaired the education committee on Governor Healey’s transition team. She has been recognized with prestigious awards like the McNulty Prize Catalyst Fund and the Innovator of Color Award by ASU GSV. Amanda holds a Master of Science in Adult Education from Fordham University.