The Achievement Gap Problem
The Community Foundation serving Boulder County tracks the indicators of Boulder County’s social and economic health in its biennial TRENDS Report. For many years, the report has highlighted the striking differences in school achievement between Latino and Anglo students. The educational achievement gap between Latino and Anglo students in Boulder County is the largest in the state of Colorado. This gap in educational outcomes results in economic, social, and political disparities in our community.
We created ELPASO, Engaged Latino Parents Advancing Student Outcomes, as a way to raise awareness of the importance of early childhood education while at the same time emphasizing the value of Latino parent leadership in the community. A theory of change emerged: If ELPASO builds the Latino parent voice by connecting parents to resources and providing natural leaders with the skills, knowledge, and power of advocacy they need, then the leaders will build a movement helping other parents ensure all Latino children enter kindergarten at grade-level, closing the achievement gap.
We created ELPASO, Engaged Latino Parents Advancing Student Outcomes, as a way to raise awareness of the importance of early childhood education while at the same time emphasizing the value of Latino parent leadership in the community. A theory of change emerged: If ELPASO builds the Latino parent voice by connecting parents to resources and providing natural leaders with the skills, knowledge, and power of advocacy they need, then the leaders will build a movement helping other parents ensure all Latino children enter kindergarten at grade-level, closing the achievement gap.