By Jacqueline Monterroso, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Massachusetts 

For the first time in Massachusetts history, Latino leaders hold all three top statewide education positions simultaneously — Secretary of Education Dr. Stephen Zrike, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Pedro Martinez, and Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega — creating a rare and time-sensitive opening for coordinated, community-centered systems change.

As the proud Mexican-American daughter of farmworkers growing up in rural Central Florida, I never had a teacher who looked like me. I became a kindergarten teacher in hopes of providing students and families the support and educational experience I never received.  

Never did that little girl imagine that one day the key decision makers for the future of education would look like her. Education is one of society’s most important institutions, yet representative, qualified, and culturally responsive leadership remains far too rare. Massachusetts has an opportunity to make the most of this moment. 

Over the past few decades, the Latino share of public-school enrollment in Massachusetts has more than doubled. Latino students are the fastest growing population across the country and the state, with over one quarter of Massachusetts K-12 students identifying as Latino. Latino students also make up an increasing share of the state’s graduates and workforce, with the number of Latinos holding a bachelor’s degree increasing by 88% and those holding a graduate or professional degrees increasing by 111% since 2014, according to a recent study by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation and We Are ALX. 

Yet the educator workforce has not kept pace with the growing diversity of Massachusetts students. A joint report from Latinos for Education, MassINC, and BU Wheelock found minimal progress on teacher diversity, with educators of color across the Commonwealth increasing from only 7% of all teachers in 2011 to around 10% in 2022. This reality helps explain why representation at the highest levels of educational leadership matters. 

The Secretary of Education sets overall direction across early childhood, K–12, and higher education and advises the governor on budget and policy. The K–12 Commissioner oversees learning standards, assessments, accountability, educator licensure, and direct support to districts. The Higher Education Commissioner guides public colleges on funding, student success strategies, and accountability for outcomes. 

When these three work in sync, our children’s experience from preschool through college can become more connected, coherent, and responsive to the needs of all students. This alignment creates an opportunity to bridge long-standing divides between systems that too often operate in isolation. It opens the door for stronger partnerships with families, greater inclusion of Latino voices in statewide decision-making, and a more intentional approach to developing and supporting a diverse educator workforce. Most importantly, it creates the conditions for students to experience a clearer pathway to success. One where expectations, opportunities, and support are aligned across every stage of their educational journey. When leaders across early childhood, K–12, and higher education share a common vision, the impact can extend far beyond individual policies and help transform the educational experience for generations of Massachusetts students. 

But representation alone is not enough. Supporting these three Latino leaders matters as much as holding them accountable. They face high expectations, public scrutiny, and systems built long before they arrived. Your voice, your presence at meetings, your feedback on policies, and your willingness to stand with them when they take hard but necessary steps will influence what they attempt and what they sustain.  

If we want an education system that serves Latino students with skill and respect, we have to invest in the leaders who share those roots. Not only by watching what they do, but also by backing them when they take risks that align with our values and our goals for our children and by holding them accountable when needed. 

This moment is bigger than any one individual or position. Massachusetts now has an opportunity to demonstrate what is possible when Latino leaders are entrusted with shaping education at the highest levels and given the support to lead boldly. The significance of this moment is not simply that these leaders look like many of the students and families they serve, but that they bring perspectives, experiences, and commitments that can help strengthen educational outcomes for everyone. If we seize this opportunity, Massachusetts can become a national example of how representative leadership, coupled with vision, accountability, and community partnership, can help build an education system where every student has the opportunity to thrive. 

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Jacqueline Monterroso is the Massachusetts Director of Policy and Advocacy at Latinos for Education.  Jacqueline is also the first Latina ever elected in Revere, Massachusetts where she currently serves as the School Committee Vice Chair. Previously, Jacqueline served as the Accountability and Dissemination Specialist in the Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She is a former kindergarten teacher, with a bachelor’s in International Relations and Political Science and a minor in French from the University of Florida and a master’s in Education and Social Change from the University of Miami.