Publications - Education

Education Challenges and Opportunities

Education is often viewed as the strongest route to economic well-being. For Latinos – a significant segment of America’s labor force in the 21st century – structural, economic, and social obstacles may thwart the hope of a quality education. The Institute’s dedication to improving Latino educational opportunities focuses on the examination of barriers to academic achievement as well as the identification of policies and programs that afford educational excellence. Some of the issues previously examined by the Institute include school nutrition programs in low-income minority school districts, bilingual education, educational civil rights issues, teacher preparation and recruitment, parental participation, state educational ballot initiatives, and the equitable use of advanced placement courses in college admittance. By focusing on access, equity, and excellence, the Institute elevates the quality of education for all students, especially Latino students, providing them with the tools necessary for personal and professional success.

The Center for Latino Educational Excellence

The Center for Latino Educational Excellence (CLEE) was established as a major initiative of the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute in the spring of 2002 to help improve educational attainment and achievement in Latino communities across the United States. Through its policy research, CLEE seeks to provide guidance for Latino leadership - across public, non-profit, and private sectors - on how to better the current systems of education that are, on many levels, failing Latino youth and adults.

TRPI gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Ford Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation whose financial support helps fund the Center for Latino Educational Excellence.