Delta College Trustee Janet Rivera Meets with Education Taskforce in Washington D.C.

(Stockton)
San Joaquin Delta College board member Janet Rivera joined Latino public officials from across the nation at Washington D.C. on July 15-16. The leaders represent more than 13.6 million Latino students (ages 5 - 21) currently enrolled in American schools. The officials discussed how federal and state policies are affecting Latino student success in communities nationwide.

Ms. Rivera and members of the Latino Elected and Appointed Officials National Taskforce on Education met with federal education leaders in on July 15 - 16 as part of a two-day visit to the nation’s capital. The Taskforce is the only national, bipartisan education coalition of Latino leadership in the country. Members include school board members, higher education system leaders, and state legislators representing a broad cross-section of leadership in the Latino education community.

The Taskforce was established in 2009 to address federal education issues that have a significant impact on the success of our nation’s Latino students. As part of the Taskforce, Rivera met with members of the Administration, Department of Education, and Congress to address a variety of issues and concerns. Those concerns include Common Core State Standards (CCSS) implementation and strategies for assisting English Language Learners (ELL’s) in our schools.

“We had successful meetings with Congressional and Senatorial members, including Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness,” said Janet Rivera. “Further data on Hispanic serving institutions like Delta College can justify future funding.” Rivera is positive about the Taskforce visit. “I believe our conferences pushed the educational agenda forward on a national level.”

The 26 member Taskforce is led by co-chairs Monica Garcia, Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education President, and Ana Sol Gutierrez of Maryland. The Taskforce is part of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Education Leadership Initiative (NELI).

San Joaquin Delta Community College Board Members:  http://www.deltacollege.edu/div/trustees/members.html

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