NCLR Latino Literacy Conference.

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) will hold a five-day Leadership Institute for Latino Literacy, which will take place July 25-30 at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. The Institute has been designed for educators committed to schoolwide literacy reform for increasing achievement of the students they serve. NCLR’s Center for Community Educational Excellence (C2E2) has invited coaches, teachers, and leaders to this special Institute where participants from approximately 11 states will learn how they can improve curriculum, instruction, and assessment as they relate to literacy for all – especially Latino and English language learners.

Participants will walk away with a school action plan for schoolwide literacy reform as well as role-specific strategies for increasing student literacy.

Overall, the Center for Community Educational Excellence works to improve the current educational status of Hispanic students and to strengthen the quality of the community-based education sector. This is the tenth in an ongoing series of Institutes, which aim to increase educational opportunities, improve achievement, and promote equity in outcomes for Latinos through strengthening the institutions that serve Latino learners by broadening the skills of educators.

NCLR has described the current state of education among Hispanic children as “a national crisis.” Surveys continue to show Hispanics lagging educationally behind their White and Black peers. Hispanic students drop out of high school at twice the rate of African American children and four times the rate of Whites. Inequitable access to key federal programs and academically challenging courses are significant barriers to improving their educational status, and many Latino students face language challenges that are not properly addressed by the public school system.

“Involving Hispanic-controlled, community-based organizations more fully and effectively in the shaping and strengthening of education is one of our key tenets,” said Anthony J. Colón, NCLR’s Vice President for Education and the driving force behind the organization’s Center for Community Educational Excellence. “The Professional Development Institutes are key vehicles for achieving this goal,” added Colón.

For more information at http://www.nclr.org