Latino Education Institute
About the LEI

About the LEI

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Contact Latino Education Institute
537 Chandler Street,
Worcester, MA 01602
lei@worcester.edu
508-798-6507
508-798-6508
Mailing Address
486 Chandler Street,
Worcester, MA 01602

About the LEI

The Latino Education Institute (LEI) at Worcester State University (WSU) has its roots in The Worcester Working Coalition for Latino Students (WWCLS), which was born in 1999 out of a sense of urgency regarding educational achievement of Latinx students in the City of Worcester. The coalition, a grassroots organization representing community and elected leaders, concerned parents and educators, published a call to action outlining strategies to improve educational outcomes for Latinx students.

One of the central recommendations was the establishment of a university-based institute focused on shedding light on the status of education for Latinx students and taking concrete action to improve their educational outcomes. As a result, in the year 2000, the Latino Education Institute (LEI) was founded through a collaboration with Worcester State University, with a mission to enhance the educational success and well-being of Latinx students, from elementary school to college.

 

20 years, 20 stories

In celebration of its 20-year anniversary in 2020, the LEI published 20 stories of achievement by LEI students. These stories reflect only a fraction of the hundreds of families and students who have benefited from LEI programs.
Every year, the LEI impacts more than 2, 500 families and 500 youth with a wide range of programs supporting literacy, STEM, socio-emotional learning and growth, leadership, civic engagement and healthy living.  This collection  of stories highlights the positive outcomes experienced by a small group of individuals who have been assisted by LEI.

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About the LEI Team

We are here to help Latinx students succeed from elementary school to college and in their future careers.

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Our Foundation and Support

The LEI Timeline from 2000 to 2022
2022
Dr. Maria Juncos-Gautier assumed the role of executive director of the Latino Education Institute
2021
LEI commemorated its 20th anniversary with 20 Years, 20 Stories
The LEI celebrated by honoring students who have benefited from LEI programs, and featuring a performance by educator and poet Javier Avila.
2020
LEI partnered with the City of Worcester’s Division of Public Health and UMASS Memorial Health Care to deploy Health Ambassadors and community health workers, or promotores de salud in Spanish, to assist clinical staff in providing COVID-19 education and outreach to the community.
2019
Hilda Ramirez assumed the role of executive director of the Latino Education Institute.
Mary Jo Marion was promoted to Assistant Vice President of Urban Affairs at Worcester State University.
2018
LEI was chosen to participate in the national GradNation campaign, aimed at raising the high school graduation rate to 90 percent by the class of 2020.
2015
LEI led the statewide research initiative "Pathways to Higher Education" supported by the L.G. Balfour Foundation and The Boston Foundation. The initiative focused on understanding the educational experiences of young Latino men in postsecondary education.
2014
LEI established an office at Springfield Technical Community College in partnership with the Springfield Public Schools to replicate its model in the community.
2010-2011
LEI and Quinsigamond Community College co-chaired the Commission for Latino Educational Excellence with then-Mayor Joseph C. O’Brien. This commission emphasized the urgency to focus on improving education for Latinx students through local data collection, community hearings, best practice research, and open dialogue with the administration of the Worcester Public Schools.
2008
Mary Jo Marión became executive director of LEI.
Additionally, the state legislature ceased direct funding to institutes housed in public higher education institutions, leading to LEI's transformation from a grassroots, nonprofit model with a fiscal partnership with Worcester State. As a result, the institute evolved into a hybrid organization, with one foot grounded in the community and the other operating as a full center at Worcester State University.
2003
Worcester State University Emerita President Janelle Ashley is joined by Congressman James P. McGovern, Judge Luis Perez, and other community and education leaders to announce a generous grant award of $1,037,600 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in support of LEI.
2001
Dr. Maria Del Rio is hired as the executive director of LEI.
In May 2002, the organization hosted the first statewide conference, "The Impact of MCAS on Latino Education," at Worcester State University, with approximately 300 participants.This conference served as the launching pad for the Family Academy, aiming to strengthen the skills of parents involved in the “Familias Activas en La Misión del Aprendizaje (FAMA).”
2001
On April 23, 2001, LEI celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony its new location at the former Alumni House. It was located at 135 Glendale Street, off Hunthurst Street, just a block from Worcester State's main campus. In July 2001, Senators Birmingham and Chandler strongly supported a Senate proposal of $250,000 for LEI. Worcester State Professor of Education, Margarita Perez, Ed.D., is appointed as the interim director of LEI.
2000
The Worcester Working Coalition for Latino Students (WWCLS) established a university-based institute focused on assessing the status of education for Latinx students and implementing strategies for their academic and socio-emotional progress.
An agreement was reached with Worcester State University to create the Latino Education Institute (LEI) with the purpose of enhancing educational achievement for Latinx students from elementary school to college. Worcester State provided space and assigned specific faculty members to collaborate on the project, facilitating the foundation of LEI.
Viana Mercedes‘ | LEI and WSU Alum 2016
“The LEI was the first place where I felt I truly belonged after migrating to Worcester in 2005. The LEI helped me connect back to my culture, refine my identity, and have a group of people who care about me and support me.”
— Viana Mercedes‘ | LEI and WSU Alum 2016
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LEI Contact and Quick Links
lei@worcester.edu | phone: 508-798-6507 | fax: 508-798-6508 | 486 Chandler Street, Worcester, MA 01602
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Contact Latino Education Institute
537 Chandler Street,
Worcester, MA 01602
lei@worcester.edu
508-798-6507
508-798-6508
Mailing Address
486 Chandler Street,
Worcester, MA 01602