Like them, she鈥檚 part of a Latino family from East Tulsa and wanted to give back to the community she loved. She kept her word. The new charter middle school quickly performed among the best schools in Oklahoma with an A on the state report card. 

But on a recent sunny morning in May, she sat in a conference room in the former paper mill the school purchased and renovated and spoke words uttered by countless school leaders since 2020: 鈥淭hen the pandemic happened.鈥�

The school鈥檚 ranking fell. Chronic absenteeism spiked, and instead of being two or three grade levels behind academically, some students arrived as much as four years off track. Even as she worked to expand the network, Pollock that she would be able to fulfill her commitment to get kids in and through college. Students went to work to help their families during the crisis or cared for younger siblings.

鈥淭he mindset of school being a top priority had shifted,鈥� she said.

But there are signs that recovery is now underway. All 74 seniors in last year鈥檚 graduating class were accepted to at least one four-year university, and the small network鈥檚 two middle schools for growth in reading and math from a national charter school organization. 

As the network prepares to take its next major step, opening an elementary school, Tulsa Honor Academy is 鈥渂ack on an upward trajectory,鈥� Pollock said. 鈥淥ur goal was to get back to a level of excellence, both in terms of academic growth and school culture.鈥�

The new school will open as a Spanish-English dual language program. It鈥檚 something parents have wanted for a long time. Roughly half of the students Tulsa Honor Academy serves are not only first in their families to go to college, they鈥檙e also the first to graduate high school. 

That means some students鈥� 鈥渉ome language skills are not fully developed at home, and our kids also need to learn English,鈥� she said. 鈥淏y the time they get to middle school, they will be completely fluent in both languages.鈥�

Teachers at the school already use strategies that build fluency and new vocabulary among English learners. On a morning in May, sixth grade science teacher Miguel Ramirez led a lesson on the nervous system. In their matching uniform sweatshirts and khaki pants, students read aloud definitions of terms like nucleus and dendrites and turned to a partner to repeat the material.

鈥淐onstantly hearing people say the words gets them to internalize it,鈥� explained Justine McGovern, the school鈥檚 development director. 

The academy celebrates Latino culture by being the only one in Oklahoma, as far as Pollock knows, that offers full courses for elective credit in , cultural dances from Mexico. In authentic dresses that represent the regions of Mexico 鈥� white for Vera Cruz or vibrant colors for Chihuahua 鈥� the students perform all over Tulsa, and many compete nationally.

鈥楿napologetically college prep鈥� 

Inspired by her mother, an engineer who moved from Mexico to Tulsa to pursue a career,  Pollock originally planned to become an immigration lawyer. At a time when there weren鈥檛 many Latinos in Tulsa, her mother advocated for a Spanish mass at a local church and started a free GED program.

But Pollock abandoned the idea of pursuing law to join Teach for America, and developed the drive to launch her own school while working in St. Louis and Chicago. 

From the beginning, Tulsa Honor Academy has been what she calls 鈥渦napologetically college prep.鈥� College campus visits start as early as fifth grade. Juniors work on personal statements in class. They research different careers and share their insights with sophomores, and because navigating college life can be overwhelming, staff in the school鈥檚 college readiness office encourage alumni to return for one-on-one help.

鈥淚f we want more Black and brown, first-generation, low-income students to eventually become teachers, lawyers and doctors,鈥� Pollock said, 鈥渢hen we need to make sure that they’re being educated to be able to go to and graduate from college.鈥�

with hospitals, nonprofits and city agencies are another hallmark of the school鈥檚 model. After his semester interning with Reading Partners, a tutoring organization, Oscar Gutierrez was convinced that teaching wasn鈥檛 for him. 

鈥淚 don’t want to work in the education field whatsoever,鈥� said Gutierrez, who graduated this year. 

The experience still gave him a glimpse of behind-the-scenes operations like scheduling and recruiting volunteers. It eased anxiety over finding his way around an unfamiliar place and interacting with people he hasn鈥檛 met.

鈥淵ou had to talk to the kid,鈥� said Gutierrez, who plans to study accounting at Tulsa Community College and then transfer to the University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University. 鈥淚t teaches those communication skills and just being confident within yourself.鈥�

Kimberly Perez, part of the first graduating class of 2023, landed an internship at Miller-Tippins, a leading construction firm in Tulsa. She learned how to prepare bids for projects and estimate the cost of materials. Now a rising senior on a full-ride scholarship to Oklahoma State University, she鈥檚 already received job offers from companies in Dallas. 

She still remembers when Pollock visited her home in 2016, sat on the couch and promised her mother that Tulsa Honor Academy was a better option than the district middle school. She was in fifth grade at the charter at the time, but only reading at a first grade level. 

鈥淚 would come crying to my mom, like 鈥業 don’t want to be in that school,鈥� 鈥� Kim said. Her mother considered pulling her out. 鈥淏ut Elsie said, 鈥楽he just needs extra time.鈥欌��

鈥极惫别谤别虫迟别苍诲别诲鈥�

Those were the years that Pollock was still leading just one school. In 2019, the high school opened, housed in a trailer on the same property. In early 2020, just as schools shut down because of COVID, Tulsa Honor Academy of a building for the high school, an accomplishment in a sector where schools often face challenges securing facilities.

Financing for the project, however, required enrollment to grow, so Pollock and her board fast-tracked the opening of a second middle school in the fall of 2021 鈥� three years early. The expansion to three schools, in some ways, marked a temporary setback. The challenge, Pollock said, was managing a major renovation while also responding to families鈥� needs in a community by the virus.聽

鈥淒uring the critical years of growth that other schools get to methodically establish network systems and structures,鈥� she said, 鈥渨e had to pivot and start to focus on surviving the pandemic.鈥�

Student behavior worsened, turnover rates among staff increased, and the principal hired for Flores Middle quit just after the new school opened. 

Brent Bushey, CEO of Fuel OKC, a nonprofit that provides financial support to charter schools, has watched Pollock鈥檚 journey from the beginning and recognized where the network stumbled.

鈥淭hey overextended, and that came through in the academic results,鈥� he said. 

Since 2021-22, the original middle school hasn鈥檛 earned higher than a C. Flores, the second middle school, has been stuck at a D since it opened. But those are 2025鈥檚 scores, and Pollock is hopeful about where Tulsa Honor Academy is headed. Last year, Flores Middle saw the highest fall-to-spring growth in reading and the third highest in math on NWEA鈥檚 MAP assessments among the 60 schools that submitted data to , a national nonprofit formerly known as Building Excellent Schools. Tulsa Honor Academy Middle was second in both reading and math.

Overall, the high school earned a C from the state, but was graded a B for postsecondary opportunities, better than the state average 

Overcoming the pandemic hasn鈥檛 been the only crisis Pollock has had to weather. In March, a former middle school teacher following accusations he texted a 12-year-old student and inappropriately touched the child. The school fired him in January and released a of the steps taken to report the situation to police. According to Tulsa police, the investigation into whether other students were affected is ongoing.

鈥楾ipping point鈥�

As she focuses on Tulsa Honor Academy鈥檚 growth, which is expected to reach nearly 1,800 students with the new elementary school, Pollock also has a larger goal of inspiring and supporting more Latino educators to start charter schools. She helped to launch , Latino Educators Advancing Leadership, a word that also means loyal in Spanish. 

She was the first and remains the only Latino charter school leader in the state. It鈥檚 both a point of pride and what she calls a 鈥済ross disservice鈥� when the majority of students attending brick-and-mortar charter schools are Latino. She鈥檚 encouraged that another Latino leader, Robert Ruiz, will open a in Oklahoma City in 2027.

The biggest barrier, she said, is the lack of educational attainment among Latinos in Tulsa. data shows that less than 20% of Latino adults have a bachelor鈥檚 degree or higher. Pollock sees that void in her own work. Two years ago, she knew of four Latino charter school assistant principals in Oklahoma, two of them in her own schools.

鈥淭he tipping point is going to be once our scholars graduate from college and we can start hiring them back,鈥� she told 社区黑料. 鈥淢y biggest dream is for one of our scholars to eventually sit in my seat.鈥�

More than two-thirds of lower-performing students come from historically disadvantaged populations, such as English language learners. With English learners projected to make up 鈥� and 76.4% of those being Spanish speakers 鈥� it鈥檚 time to remove the barriers hindering Latino students. 

A key factor holding back Latino students academically is that educators rarely mirror the demographics of schools. When Latino students have teachers with the same background, these teachers reflect the same culture as students, creating an environment for students to have their identity affirmed. Research links exposure to minority teachers to improvements in and .

Latino students now represent across the U.S., yet only identify as such. At the same time, teacher candidates of color encounter obstacles to entering and staying in the classroom. 

Four critical areas need to be addressed to strengthen the Latino educator pipeline: financial support, strategic recruitment, professional networks and culturally responsive practices.

First, financial support must be enhanced at crucial points in educators’ careers. Competitive salaries that allow for a middle-class lifestyle 鈥� combined with loan forgiveness programs, scholarships and performance bonuses 鈥� can make teaching more attractive as a career path for Latino educators. 

Second, Latino educator recruitment requires strategic workforce development approaches similar to those used in other fields. For example, the Tulare County Office of Education in California has been administering the since 2019, preparing single-subject teachers who focus on STEM and English to meet the needs of local rural school districts. 

鈥淲e strive to mirror the student population of the schools we serve and implement grow-your-own programs for preparing local talent as educators in our communities,鈥� explained Marvin Lopez, executive director of the Tulare County Office of Education. All schools in partner districts have a higher population of socioeconomically disadvantaged, Hispanic/Latino and English learners than the state overall. On average, 68.2% of learners qualify for free/reduced lunch rates, 49.2% are Hispanic/Latino and 15% English learners. 

conducted by the Wheelock Education Policy Center on behalf of MassINC in partnership with Latinos for Education recommended a similar initiative in Massachusetts. The study found that while Massachusetts doubled the number of teachers of color hired from 2012 to 2022, students of color increased at a faster rate, leading to a larger gap in representation.

 According to the report, 鈥渁 homegrown strategy to close gaps in college access and success could have considerable impact.鈥� The researchers also noted that if new hires reflected student demographics, by the end of the decade, the percentage of teachers of color would double 鈥� from 10% today to about 23% by 2030.

Third, robust support systems and professional networks for Latino educators are essential for their success and longevity in the profession. pass the Praxis exam even after multiple attempts, while 75% of white candidates ultimately pass. Supporting test preparation for Latino teacher candidates can make a big difference in addressing this hurdle. 

A between ETS庐, Study.com and TEACH demonstrated significant improvements in exam pass rates through test prep. The study showed that, with sufficient support, teacher candidates from historically marginalized backgrounds experienced meaningful increases in pass rates. This focus on certification support represents one step toward building a more representative teacher workforce. 

Supporting professional growth is also essential. Latinos for Education’s Aspiring Latino Leaders Fellowship offers one solution, giving Latino education leaders culturally responsive professional development to envision long-term careers in education rather than temporary positions. There’s always room for more organizations to help keep these vital teachers in classrooms. 

These support systems should provide opportunities for leadership advancement, professional development and mentorship connections that understand the unique challenges Latino educators face when navigating school systems.

Fourth, promoting culturally responsive practices that reflect student communities helps retain Latino teachers and improves educational outcomes. It’s not just schools and administration that must address this challenge. Family and community support are vital to expanding the Latino educator pipeline.

One huge asset in this population’s favor: Nine out of 10 Latino parents see high-quality public schools as instrumental to their child’s success, according to a Latinos for Education survey of Houston-area parents.

The same Houston survey uncovered strong support for more teachers who can bridge language and cultural divides. A striking 80% of Latino parents said they would become more involved if more Spanish-fluent educators were present. And teachers see similar value in family support: A of 700 teachers found that 87% believe increased parent and family engagement is the most impactful way to close student learning gaps.

Schools that incorporate culturally responsive curriculum and ensure staff composition reflects student demographics create environments where Latino educators feel valued rather than isolated. These practices also benefit students directly by exposing them to varied perspectives and teaching approaches.

The declining academic scores of Latino students require urgent action. Increasing Latino teacher representation offers a powerful long-term solution. When students see educators who share their cultural background and experiences, achievement gaps begin to close.

Financial support enhancement, strategic recruitment, robust support networks and culturally responsive practices will strengthen the Latino educator pipeline. As more Latino teachers serve as “mirrors” for Latino students, academic outcomes can improve, creating better learning environments for all students.

As remote learning in the Los Angeles Unified School District ended in spring 2021, Liliana Madrid discovered her daughters were struggling with their math and science classes.

As a Spanish-speaking parent, Madrid had difficulty navigating prolonged online learning and finding the best ways to support her daughters Alexa Godoy and Itzel.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e dealing with anxiety and their own personal problems that won鈥檛 allow them to better prepare for tests,鈥� Madrid told 社区黑料.

Alexa Godoy and Itzel鈥檚 experiences are two of many LAUSD students, for whom the COVID-19 disparities for Latino families and the lack of acceptance for female students in STEM contributed to inequitable declines in state test scores, advocates believe.

In the spring of 2022, California students in grades three through eight and eleven took the , an online English Language Arts and Mathematics test designed to measure students鈥� college and career readiness.

LAUSD students who passed ELA declined from 43.93% in the 2018-19 school year to 41.67% 鈥� a 2.26 percentage point decrease. Mathematics declined from 33.5% to 28.47% 鈥� a 5.03 percentage point decrease.

The greatest decline was observed in female students 鈥� a 2.76 percentage point decrease in ELA and 6.16 percentage point decrease in mathematics; and Latino students 鈥� a 2.71 percentage point decrease in ELA and 5.4 percentage point decrease in mathematics.

Young girls studying STEM need more support, one expert said. 

鈥淥ne of the challenges all women and young girls interested in math and science face is that we鈥檙e not always given the confidence that those are spaces for us and that those are areas we can excel in,鈥� said Ana Teresa Dahan, managing director at , noting young girls had been trending ahead in STEM pre-pandemic.

Dahan said in an interview, 鈥渨hen you have an online schooling system for 18 months, you take away that competence and support.鈥� Funding STEM summer programs for female students could help close the gap.  

Dahan also said the isolating nature of online learning and the lack of in-person socialization took a toll on young girls.

鈥淚 think there’s been plenty said about what social media does to young girls. It’s the best version of ourselves and everyone curates what they want out there,鈥� Dahan said. 鈥淚f for 18 months your entire school experience was having to deal with an online world that isn’t real while feeling isolated at home and going through whatever you’re going through by yourself, that would shake anyone鈥檚 confidence.鈥�

Madrid said this was the emotional impact online learning had on her daughters.

鈥淚 see the lack of motivation, I see less socializing, and I think it has to do with these pandemic experiences,鈥� Madrid said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just studying, not just reading and not just doing math. We forget about their emotions and they need classes or programs to help them understand how to express them.鈥�

Alicia Montgomery, the chief executive officer at the , believes home visits to Latino families will help LAUSD connect with those students.

鈥淚t’s important for all educators to take individual responsibility when it comes to making sure that all families and students feel welcomed and appreciated and connected at school,鈥� Montgomery said. 鈥淚t’s very important and a great strategy for LAUSD to do because it sends the message that they care.鈥�

Madrid agreed with Montgomery, noting that language barriers often create a rift between Latino parents and their children鈥檚 school.

鈥淭here should be more programs to help Latino students because it falls back on parents that don鈥檛 understand the language and don’t always have an equal education to help them,鈥� Madrid said.

Conducted by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Maryland, the analysis of over 14,000 districts nationwide shows that in 2000, the average child from a poor family went to an elementary school where almost half of the students were defined as middle class. By 2015, that figure had fallen to 36 percent.

As the nation鈥檚 population grows, the shift 鈥� especially in the West and the South 鈥攎eans they are less likely to experience of racially and socioeconomically mixed schools, the study notes, including higher test scores, smaller racial achievement gaps and higher college enrollment rates.

The findings, according to the researchers, also carry broad implications for academic recovery efforts in the wake of the pandemic. 

A previous analysis by 社区黑料 showed disproportionate increases in chronic absenteeism among English learners, three-fourths of whom are Spanish-speakers. And data shows that Latino families were among those by COVID-related job loss and financial hardship, creating a larger challenge for schools serving high concentrations of Latino students.

鈥淒eeper forces have sustained achievement disparities in recent decades, especially this worsening isolation of the poor from middle-class students,鈥� said Bruce Fuller, a Berkeley sociology professor and lead author of the paper. 鈥淐OVID-era learning loss is but a surface symptom of deeper ills that beset public education.鈥�

鈥渟lowed desegregation efforts鈥� in districts with large Black student populations and shifted attention toward improving schools in Black and Latino communities, the authors said. 

Now among Latinos, combined with the movement of Latino families to the suburbs, have contributed to racial isolation, they wrote.

鈥溾�榃hite flight鈥� from the public school system translates into resource flight from racially isolated schools,鈥� said Feliza Oritz-Licon, chief policy and advocacy officer at Latinos for Education, a nonprofit focusing on teacher recruitment and education policy. She added that in racially isolated schools it becomes easy to 鈥渄ismiss鈥� Latino students as underperforming.

But not all districts have seen a decline in their white student populations. The chances that Latino children will interact with white peers at school are higher in the Midwest and Northeast. In fact, the researchers found 800 school districts where the white student population had not declined over that 15-year time period, even as the Latino student population grew. 

鈥楿nder one school roof鈥�

The Berkeley study builds on research by Sean Reardon at Stanford University, drew connections between racial segregation and large achievement gaps due to concentrations of Black and Latino students in high-poverty schools.

Pedro Noguera, dean of education at the University of Southern California, said rising segregation not only affects who students sit next to in class, but also broader support for public schools. 

鈥淎ll of this is troubling. We have to get better at offering the kinds of programs that will attract affluent parents,鈥� he said, noting that International Baccalaureate programs, Advanced Placement courses and other offerings 鈥渟end the signal of a high standard. That鈥檚 what Latino parents want as well.鈥�

Fuller and his co-authors wrote that without more inter-district choice programs, which would allow entree to higher-performing schools in wealthier neighborhoods, Latino students will continue to have fewer opportunities to attend integrated schools. 

A report released last year by Bellwether Education Partners explored additional obstacles to integration created by a lack of affordable housing in districts with higher performing schools; even if low-income families want to move into such school districts, housing options are scarce.

鈥淐ivic leaders and educators must expand ways of pulling the nation’s diverse children under one school roof,鈥� Fuller said.

In 2020, the Century Foundation, a left leaning think tank, identified initiatives underway in school districts and charter school networks to increase integration. Some of the programs were voluntary, while others resulted from desegregation orders.

鈥楾he country鈥檚 prosperity鈥�

But Noguera said some charter schools predominantly serve Black students or Latino students, . 

By 2060, Latinos are projected to make up over one fourth of the U.S. population, according to Census Bureau , and Latino children currently account for of public school enrollment. 

Increasing the numbers of Latino educators is one way for districts to increase achievement, researchers at the Brookings Institution wrote in last year that focused on the Clark County School District in Nevada. They cited studies showing that Latino students are more likely to be placed in gifted programs and take Advanced Placement courses when their schools have more teachers that look like them.

Recruiting more Latino educators and giving Latinos a greater role in education policy is also a priority for philanthropist McKenzie Scott, who last week donated to Latinos for Education to support the organization鈥檚 work.

Latino educators are often assigned to high-need, racially isolated schools because they reflect the cultural backgrounds of students. But turnover is high, with many leaving the profession within four years, noted Oritz-Licon of Latinos for Education.

The organization鈥檚 October featured concerns from Latino educators, such as the cost of earning a degree and requests from administrators to provide translation services without additional compensation. 

Oritz-Licon called on schools serving Latino students to use relief funds for afterschool programs, academic support and parent engagement efforts since many high-needs schools might lack those services. 

鈥淟atino students are American students,鈥� she said. 鈥淭heir educational outcomes should matter because as a growing population, their prosperity is the country鈥檚 prosperity.鈥�

鈥淲e need a seat at the table to get into the room where decisions are being made,鈥� Amanda Fernandez, president and CEO of Latinos for Education, said at the organization鈥檚 first national summit, held Wednesday and Thursday. 

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Including Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and Rhode Island Commissioner of Education Angelica Infante-Green, the event was a chance to feature leaders 鈥渨ho showed up for Latinos during the COVID-19 pandemic,鈥� said Feliza Ortiz-Licon, the group鈥檚 chief policy and advocacy officer. 鈥�We want people to see that we are not alone in our fight for educational equity.鈥�

The virtual conversations, including regional events in Massachusetts and Texas, focused on the barriers that families face in accessing quality education opportunities for their children as well as the contributions Latino educators make in their school communities. 

鈥淭eachers want to work in a place where their voice is valued,鈥� said Infante-Green, noting her state鈥檚 efforts to pay signing bonuses to bilingual teachers and to place them in schools together so they don鈥檛 feel isolated. 

The State of Latino Education event comes after a period in which Latinos 鈥渄idn鈥檛 have a voice or representation at the federal level,鈥� Fernandez said, referring to the Trump administration. In addition, the pandemic has disproportionately impacted the Latino community and pulled back 鈥渢his rug where we used to sweep all the inequities,鈥� Infante-Green added. Along with the national and state-level summits, the organization released outlining multiple obstacles facing Latino students from early childhood through the post-secondary years. The findings, based on results from focus groups, point to poor access to quality early learning for young children, limited college advising and support services for high school students and what Ortiz-Licon called the 鈥渃hronic underrepresentation of Latino educators.鈥�

More than a quarter of the nation鈥檚 public school students are Latino, but Latino teachers make up less than 10 percent of the educator workforce, according to data cited in the report. The same is true for administrators. Roughly half of the focus group participants were Latino teachers, who said they face racism and are often placed in high-needs schools without adequate support. Many are also called upon to provide translation services.

鈥淭hey are not compensated, not even acknowledged for all the roles they play,鈥� Ortiz-Licon said.

Hinojosa spoke of his district鈥檚 efforts to recruit excellent teachers and principals and pay them well 鈥� an initiative the community through tax increases. In a district where 48 percent of students are English learners, Latino students are not really a 鈥渟ubgroup,鈥� he said.

鈥淚f we don鈥檛 do well with this population we鈥檙e not doing well at all,鈥� he said, highlighting initiatives such as business-industry partnerships allowing students to earn associate degrees along with their high school diplomas. 鈥淲e just need the community to believe in us.鈥�

Others emphasized the value of programs that make students feel connected to school, such as clubs and cultural events, as well as nonacademic services to address hunger, housing and mental health. The Houston Independent School District is using federal relief funds to staff schools with resource specialists.

鈥淚t’s not just about the student; it’s about being able to support our families as well,鈥� said Superintendent Millard House.

Latino families with young children, the organization鈥檚 report said, often don鈥檛 understand the difference between child care and early education or the benefits for children. While pre-K and kindergarten overall during the pandemic, the authors note that it has declined particularly among Black and Latino children and by more than half among those from low-income families. 

But Miriam Calderon, who leads early childhood work at the U.S. Department of Education, pointed to President Joe Biden鈥檚 child care and universal pre-K proposals, which include pay increases for teachers, as a move toward treating education for young children as a 鈥減ublic good.鈥�

鈥淭he failure to see early-childhood education as essential is shifting,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat makes me hopeful.鈥�