Duval County Public Schools presents during College Board’s Annual Prepárate Conference
Jacksonville - Recently, Nancy Salgado-Martinez and Marisa Gonzalez of Duval County Public Schools’ (DCPS) English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Department presented during the College Board’s Annual Prepárate Conference.
At this year’s conference entitled, “Educating Latinos for the Future of America,” Nancy and Marisa presented their Empowering Latinos to Pursue a Post-Secondary Education workshop to more than 400 educators from across the country. The pair shared best practices and discussed the most pressing issues in Latino education. They also shared insights on how to increase the number of English Language Learners (ELL) students seeking a post-secondary education.
Other speakers for the event included Roberto Gonzales, assistant professor for the University of Washington’s School of Social Work; Tony Plana, award-winning actor of Ugly Betty; and author and activist Dr. Alejandra Rincón.
“Duval County Public Schools is committed to preparing our Latino ELL students to obtain a high school education that will be followed by a college degree or career,” said Brenda Trimble, ESOL supervisor. “In the last three years our district has increased the number of ELL students taking a college entrance test by 20 percent.”
The Prepárate inspired powerful thinking around the key issues that affect all Latino students. Discussions included the development of a college-going culture in schools and in homes, solving the issues facing undocumented students, and strategies for engaging all Latino students – from high need to high achieving.
In response to the ideas and interest generated during a past conference, the College Board published Young Lives on Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students. It is a call to action for a humane and comprehensive resolution to the legal barriers that prevent undocumented students from going to college and participating fully in society. Since Young Lives on Hold was released, the College Board has sponsored forums with elected officials and stakeholders across the country to create a sense of urgency to resolve the issue.
The College Board
The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Each year, the College Board serves more than seven million students and their families, from approximately 23,000 high schools and 3,800 colleges through major programs and services in college readiness, college admission, guidance, assessment, financial aid and enrollment. For further information, visit
www.collegeboard.com/preparate or
www.collegeboard.com/padres.
Duval County Public Schools operates 166 schools and serves approximately 123,000 students. The school district is committed to providing high quality educational opportunities that will inspire all students to acquire and use the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a global economy, and culturally diverse world.
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