The College of Education at Western Oregon University plans to use a $650,000 state grant to bolster efforts that will support Latinx students in the Central School District.
Courtesy of Lucy Ohsen
Latinx students and families in Oregon’s Central School District will soon be getting extra support from their local university.
The College of Education at Western Oregon University, based in Monmouth, plans to use a $650,000 state grant from the Oregon Department of Education to promote early literacy, address absenteeism and foster academic growth among Central’s Latinx students.
“It’s been a very long time coming to have this sort of support for the Latinx community in this district,” said Victor Ochoa, a social studies teacher at Central High School and Western alumnus. “I’m over the moon about this opportunity to be able to support our kids.”
The Central School District encompasses the communities of Monmouth and Independence in the Willamette Valley. Recent state reports show Central lags behind the Oregon average when it comes to on-time graduation and rates of students going on to college. Just over half of students in this district, 51%, identify as Hispanic or Latinx, according to state enrollment data.
ODE’s Latinx Student Success Grant is part of a statewide initiative focused on removing historic and systemic inequities that Latinx students and their families face.
“Education systems are not set up for students of color,” said Mandy Olsen, undergraduate teacher education program coordinator at Western Oregon University. “Schools generally follow white norms and white rules so Latinx students often enter systems that don’t necessarily benefit them.”
Olsen said many of the programs that will receive funding from the grant were developed in tandem with Central’s Latinx families.
A portion of the money will go toward programming that empowers Latinx students, including an expansion of the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán or MEChA student organization. Ochoa, who is also a co-advisor for MEChA, said these types of programs help uplift Latinx communities and open doors for students.
The grant will also have a big focus on educators themselves. Some of the funds will bolster teacher training efforts that promote equity, cultural awareness and bilingual education. The district will establish a Grow Your Own future teacher program as well
“This grant will not only provide a way for our kids to feel safe and supported but it will also allow teachers and staff the opportunity to grow as allies,” said Ochoa, who grew up in Independence and attended Central schools.
Western also hopes to establish a peer mentorship program between the district’s high school and elementary students as a way to help reduce absenteeism and encourage academic achievement. Rates of chronic absenteeism in the Central School District are higher than the state average.
Although funds from the grant are focused on supporting K-12 students in the Central School District, some of it will make its way to programming and events that would promote an education beyond high school.
Rodolfo Perez Cardenas, a Spanish teacher and MEChA co-advisor at Central High School, said many of his students have trouble navigating the process to attend a college or university and apply for scholarships or financial aid. He hopes this grant will help expand bilingual events designed to inform Latinx students and families about their higher education options.
“If we educate our parents about how universities and scholarships work, our students will feel more supported and less stressed to navigate the system on their own,” said Perez Cardenas.
All these efforts to support Central’s Latinx students could translate into increased enrollment at WOU in the future. As an emerging “Hispanic Serving Institution,” Western is working to increase its Latinx student population. The university’s overall enrollment numbers have stayed relatively flat for the past three years but have yet to rebound to pre-pandemic levels.
Still, Olsen said more Latinx students attending WOU is not the main goal behind these initiatives.
“The College of Education and Western Oregon University strongly believe in partnerships with school districts that are committed to fostering relationships that represent our own students,” said Olsen.