SAN JOSE, CA – On Wednesday, September 1, 2021, the Santa Clara County Board of Education (SCCBOE) unanimously passed Resolution No. 2287-1, recognizing and honoring the National Hispanic Heritage Month and its 2021 theme - Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope.
Every year, since 1968, from September 15 to October 15, our country has celebrated Hispanic culture and the contributions Hispanic Americans have made to our community. Historically, the SCCBOE has unanimously passed the previous resolutions highlighting each year’s theme and the contributions that Hispanic Americans make within the county, state, and nation. The 2021 theme invites us to celebrate Hispanic heritage and reflect on how great our tomorrow can be if we hold onto our resilience and hope.
National Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to share the historical contributions of Hispanic Americans that have significantly impacted education. Pioneers such as Roberto Alvarez, whose groundbreaking case Roberto Alvarez v. Lemon Grove School District (CA, 1931) was the first successful school desegregation case in American history. In addition to honoring the contributions of Hispanic Americans in our history, the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) celebrates the contributions of those who serve our communities and schools every day, such as civil rights trailblazers Cesar Chavez and Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta, who recently had a middle school in Santa Clara Unified School District constructed and named in her honor, Vice President of Santa Clara University, Eva Blanco Masias, and local community hero, Marisa Rosales Gaska, who’s advocacy rallied the Silicon Valley community to provide face coverings for healthcare workers both locally and throughout the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Santa Clara County, Hispanic/Latinx students make up 38.3% of the student population and represent the largest racial/ethnic group among the state’s child population. The Santa Clara County Board of Education and the County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, remain committed to uplifting student equity and honoring the diversity within the county.
The County of Santa Clara has multiple programs designed to support Hispanic Americans, such as the New Americans Fellowship program - a leadership pipeline for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients living, working, or going to school in Santa Clara County; the East San Jose Prevention Efforts Advance Community Equity (PEACE) Partnership - a community initiative aimed at building a community free of violence and trauma; School Linked Services - a partnership between Santa Clara County and schools to bridge supports and services such as health and wellbeing; and, the Universal Access Pilot (UAP) - a collaboration of FIRST 5, County of Santa Clara agencies, Santa Clara County Office of Education, Alum Rock Unified School District, Franklin McKinley School District, and other nonprofit partners committed to cross-system coordination and integration in service to family navigation that is culturally-responsive and applies a whole child, whole family approach.
To support this student population, the SCCOE has fostered strong partnerships in the community, including working with Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF) Eastside Alliance to promote and provide training for culturally relevant math instruction leading to increased math scores for Hispanic/Latino children and the aforementioned Universal Access Pilot.
“During Hispanic Heritage Month, we honor our community’s rich Hispanic heritage and traditions and reflect on ways to continue enhancing equity and diversity for the districts we serve,” said Santa Clara County Board of Education President, Claudia Rossi. “We look forward to working to improve our ongoing partnerships that uplift Hispanic/Latino students and help prepare them for a bright, innovative future.”
In resonance with the 2021 theme of Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope, the SCCOE recognizes the significant contributions and considerable advances that Hispanic Americans have made and continue to make every day in our community, state and the world, as leaders, politicians, educators, and public servants.
The SCCOE remains dedicated to providing resources and programming for Spanish speaking communities; offers translation services and training for teachers, schools, and school districts; facilitates recruitment efforts to attract diverse educators into the teaching profession; promotes multilingual education through our Multilingual Education Services and involvement with the California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE), and continues to support safe schools and resources for undocumented students.
###
About the Santa Clara County Office of Education
Working collaboratively with school and community partners, the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is a regional service agency that provides instructional, business, and technology services to the 31 school districts of Santa Clara County. The County Office of Education directly serves students through special education programs, alternative schools, Head Start and State Preschool programs, migrant education, and Opportunity Youth Academy. The SCCOE also provides academic and fiscal oversight and monitoring to districts in addition to the 22 Santa Clara County Board of Education authorized charter schools.
For more information about the Santa Clara County Office of Education, please visit www.sccoe.org and follow us @SCCOE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.