There are no other like programs in the Worcester community that address the specific issue of Latino educational achievement, and that this is a serious local issue that needs to be addressed. LEI has tested and perfected innovative programs that we know can decrease the achievement gap. We continue to be engaged in research and policy development needed to improve academic outcomes. We have expanded our model to the City of Springfield. Nevertheless, our work needs to continue as our community continues to experience unacceptable levels of low educational attainment.
2000: The creation of a university-based institute dedicated to illuminating the status of education for Latino students and taking action to improve education outcomes was a core recommended strategy of the Worcester Working Coalition for Latino Students. Through an agreement with Worcester State University in 2000, the Latino Education Institute was founded with a mission to improve the educational achievement of Latino students at the K-16 levels. WSU provided space and designated specific faculty to work on the project to establish LEI.
2001: LEI celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 23, 2001, at its new location, the former Alumni House, 135 Glendale Street, off Hunthurst Street, a block from WSU. In July 2001, Senator Birmingham and Senator Chandler strongly back a Senate proposal of $250,000 for LEI.
- WSU Professor of Education Margarita Perez, Ed.D., was appointed as the interim director of LEI. She brought the energy and passion needed to implement the programs to serve the Latino community.
2002: Dr. Maria Del Rio was hired as executive director of LEI. She received her doctorate from University of Massachusetts Amherst and has been a school psychologist in the Worcester Public Schools since 1998. She also has been a clinician at UMass/Memorial Community Healthlink.
- The first statewide conference, The Impact of MCAS on Latino Education, at WSU in May 2002 enjoyed the participation of approximately 300 individuals. It served as the launching pad for The Family Academy to fortify the skills of the parents involved in the Familias Activas en La Mision del Aprendizaje (FAMA). FAMA is an advocacy group for parents sponsored by LEI. The workshop provided parents with information about guidelines and regulations of the educational system in Massachusetts.
2003: WSU Emerita President Janelle Ashley was joined by Congressman James P. McGovern, Judge Luis Perez, and community and education leaders to announce a $1 million grant award ($1,037,600) from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in support of LEI. President Emeritus Kalyan Gosh supported the writing of the grant during his term as president along with Dr. Del Rio.
- LEI developed a media public awareness campaign called “EDUCATION is the SALSA of LIFE,” which featured a song by local artist Nardi Vega.
2008: The state Legislature ceased direct funding to institutes housed in public higher education institutions. LEI shifted from a grassroots, nonprofit model with a fiscal partnership with WSU to becoming a hybrid organization with one foot grounded in the community and the other as a full center at WSU.
- Mary Jo Marión became executive director of LEI. She continues to guide the organization today with a renewed sense of purpose.
2010-2011: LEI and Quinsigammond Community College co-chaired the Commission for Latino Educational Excellence with then-Mayor Joseph C. O’Brien, which gave a sense of urgency to focus on improving education for Latino students by collecting local data, conducting community hearings, utilizing best practice research, and facilitating open, honest dialogue with the administration of the Worcester Public Schools. The commission also identified strategies for improving educational outcomes for Latino students. The result of this commission work was a set of recommendations which were published: A Community Roadmap to Achieving Educational Excellence for Latino Students in Worcester.
2014: LEI opened an office at Springfield Technical Community College to replicate our model with a partnership with Springfield Public Schools.
2015: LEI was selected by the L.G. Balfour Foundation and The Boston Foundation to lead a statewide research initiative Pathways to Higher Education. The goal was to establish an understanding of the educational experiences of Latino young men leading up to and during postsecondary education. Project outcomes established an evidence base for future college access programming. The research led to a publication, Higher Education: Opportunities and Outcomes for Latino Young Men in Five Massachusetts Communities.
2017: LEI was selected to work on the national GradNation campaign, which aims to mobilize Americans to increase the nation’s on-time high school graduation rate to 90 percent by the class of 2020. The campaign mobilized organizations to work together to help young people succeed in school and put them on the path to adult success. LEI used the initiative to highlight the value of culture and language. The Language of Excellence conference was an afternoon of discussion and planning on the importance of valuing and leveraging our cultural and linguistic assets to build America’s next generation of leaders.
The mission of the LEI Board of Advisors is to provide advice to the executive director and Worcester State University’s president and provost/vice president for academic affairs on:
- strategic direction
- technical expertise
- support for programs, initiatives, and future fundraising activities
We also thank the Latino Education Institute board of directors, staff, and volunteers. Their tireless work and donations of time and talent enrich the lives of Worcester’s Latino youth and their families.
Honorary Members
Barry M. Maloney, President, Worcester State University
Senator Harriette Chandler
Congressman James P. McGovern
John Monfredo, Worcester School Committee Member
State Senator Michael Moore
Timothy Murray, President and CEO, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce
Kathleen Toomey, Worcester City Councilor
Sarai Rivera, Ph.D., City Councilor, Worcester Fourth District
Luis Pedraja, Ph.D., President, Quinsigamond Community College
Marco Rodrigues, Superintendent, Hudson Public Schools
Current Members
Past Chair, Miguel A. Lopez, 2009-2017, Sergeant, Worcester Police Department
Co- Chair, Gladys Rodriguez Parker, 2000-2006* 2009-2018, Constituent Services Director, Congressman James P. McGovern’s Office
Past Chair, Alex Zequeira, 2012-2017, Headmaster, St. John’s High School
Eric D. Batista, 2016-2018, Chief of Operations and Project Management Office of the City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr.
Pamela Boisvert, 2002-2017, Associate Professor, Community Development & Planning, Clark University
Nurys Camargo, 2016-2018, Founder, Chica Project, Regional Director, External Affairs, AT&T Services Inc.
Thomas Conroy, Ph.D., 2014-2018, Assistant Professor, Chairperson, Urban Studies, Worcester State University
Kirshner Donis, 2005-2017, Associate Director, International and ALANA Admissions, Worcester State University
Juan Gomez, 2009-2017, Executive Director, Centro Las Americas
Walter Jovel, 2017, MSPCC Counselor / Assistant Coordinator, Boys & Girls Club of Worcester / Hope Coalition
Roberta Kyle, Ed.D., 2013-2017, Associate Vice President for Continuing Education and Dean of Graduate Studies, Worcester State University
Esther L. Levine, 2016-2017, Retired Dean, College of Holy Cross
Leopoldo Negrón- Cruz, 2005-2017, Program Coordinator, Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center
Bertha Elena Rojas, Psy.D., 2014-2017, Consultant, Humanity Advance
Ana Sequera, 2016-2017, Youth Coordinator, Oak Hill CDC
Yachira Torres, 2016-2017, Lead teacher & Community Service Coordinator, Nativity School of Worcester
Lois Wims, Ph.D., 2015-2017, Provost, Worcester State University