#LatinosTeach
The Initiative is featuring Hispanic teachers throughout Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15) to demonstrate that while they are underrepresented, there are many Hispanics who are dedicating themselves to serving their community through teaching.
 Alma Ocampo-Nuñez, Bilingual Lead Teacher in Chicago, IL
Why do you teach? I teach because I know that a teacher’s influence can be life-changing. Knowing this, I strive to be encouraging and to be part of a support system alongside the parents and my colleagues.
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 Joseph A. Almeida, Sixth Grade Mathematics & Science Teacher in New Bedford, MA
When you were a student, was there a great teacher who inspired you? I had many inspiring teachers when I was a student. One teacher stands out the most because she helped me to see that school could be just as engaging and fun as my learning experiences were at home with my mother.
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 Alexandra Fuentes, ELL Biology & Ecology High School Teacher in Alexandria, VA
What do you love about teaching? I love how challenging teaching is. I am constantly problem solving [...]. Teaching isn’t a job for just anyone. It is a profession that demands top talent akin to the kind of applicants who pursue careers in medicine and law, but even tougher.
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We invite you to join us by amplifying our messages or highlighting Latino teachers you know through social media, using #LatinosTeach.
Make sure to visit our new Hispanic Teacher Recruitment Page.
Partnership between the Initiative & CHCI
 The partnership between the Initiative and the The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute was announced on October 1, 2014 to extend and provide students, teachers, educators, and organizations with important financial aid resources and key information on internships and fellowships. Learn more about the partnership here.
MBK Community Challenge
The President recently announced the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Community Challenge,
encouraging communities to implement coherent cradle-to-college-and-career strategies aimed at
improving life outcomes for all young people -- consistent with the goals and
recommendations of the White House’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force report.
Champions of Change
#LatinosTeach
 The White House honored local "Champions of Change" who are doing extraordinary work to educate the next generation of Americans.
Amelia Castañeda, Virginia
Susana Cordova, Colorado
Patricia Cortez, California
Dr. Daniel King, Texas
Dr. Gonzalo La Cava, Georgia
Leonel Popol, Washington, D.C.
Pedro A. Rivera, Pennsylvania
Shana Runck, New Mexico
Pat Sánchez, Colorado
Anibal Soler, New York
Learn more about these teachers and their extraordinary work.
Ask Arne: The Importance of Teacher Diversity
 During a recent installment of Ask Arne, Secretary Duncan discussed the importance of teacher diversity.
Equity and Opportunity Guidance
Secretary Duncan announced
guidance, in the form of a Dear
Colleague letter, to
states, school districts and schools to ensure that all students have equal access to
educational resources such as academic and extracurricular programs, strong
teaching, technology and instructional materials, and safe school facilities,
so that they have an equal opportunity to succeed in school, careers and in
life.
Its' On Us
 An estimated one in five women has been sexually assaulted during her college years. Of those assaults, only 12% are reported. Of those reported assaults, only a fraction of the offenders are punished.
President
Obama and Vice President Biden launched “It’s On
Us” -- an awareness campaign to put an end to sexual assault on college
campuses (fact
sheet). The campaign asks everyone -- men and women -- to make a
personal commitment to step off the sidelines and be part of the solution.
 Learn more about "It's On Us" here.
First in the World
First in the World: 24 colleges and universities have been announced as the first grantees under the new “First in the World” (FITW) grant program.
Announced in May as part of the President’s ambitious agenda to increase access and completion in postsecondary education, FITW will provide grants to institutions of higher education to spur the development of innovations that improve education outcomes and make college more affordable for students and families, and to develop an evidence base of effective practices.
You can learn more about FITW by visiting the program page and by reading our press release here, and pasted further below.
Back to School Tours
 ED's Fifth Annual Back to School Bus Tour
Entitled
“Partners in Progress”, ED's bus tour took place over a span of four days where Secretary
Duncan and senior Department officials held roughly 30 events in 11 cities and
four states across the American Southeast.
Learn more about his bus tour through Our Eight Favorite Photos of this Year's Back to School Bus Tour.
Initiative's Back to School Tour
In conjunction with the Secretary's Back-to-School Tour, the
Initiative traveled to Springdale, AR and Lilburn, GA, over three days. They
held events on topics such as family engagement, early learning, college
access, and immigrant integration.
It’s
Never Too Early to Think “College”
 Even if you are still in middle school,
it's not too early to think about what kind of college you might want to
attend. The NCES College
Navigator provides a perfect way for you to check out public and
private colleges and universities to see which schools interest you.
Using the Navigator, you can search
schools by major or location. You check out what sports they offer, what
percentage of their students get financial assistance and even what kind of
SAT/ACT scores are usually needed for acceptance. Then build a list of your
faves and enroll in the kind of classes you need in high school to get there.
Know It 2 Own It
In a recent blog post, we introduced you to “Know It 2 Own
It,” a campaign to encourage Americans to learn more about the disability
rights movement and history that led to the passage of the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) in July of 1990.
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