About 100 community leaders, educators, union activists and researchers met in Albany last month to exchange ideas about improving conditions for the education of Hispanic youth.

The "Bridging the gap (¡Si se puede!) - A Hispanic education forum" conference at NYSUT headquarters was launched by the Albany-Capital District Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, sponsored by NYSUT and other concerned organizations.

NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira stressed that "we need to have a conversation about the future of our children because they are at the center of our work."

She said attendees should focus on proposals about "what we can do collectively. In our dialogue, we have many gaps to address: health and housing needs, wages and poverty, all tied into closing the achievement gap."

Guillermo Perez, Albany-area president of LCLAA, the AFL-CIO's official Latino caucus, praised NYSUT's role in bringing many voices together. "NYSUT and the AFL-CIO are clearly on the side of our families and our children," he said.

NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira talks to Guillermo Perez, right, president of the Albany-Capital District chapter of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, and Hector Ruiz Jr., UFT leader and vice president of the NYS chapter of the AFT Hispanic Caucus.

The event was filled with lively discussion among panelists and participants about how to close the achievement gap for Latino and all students.

Eddie Fergus of New York University spoke about professional development. "Schools have to be learning communities," he said. "We should treat our field like the profession it is, with ongoing methods courses."

Dwight Williams, a parent in the North Colonie district, spoke about his experience in organizing the parents of color in the Albany County district.

"It's too overwhelming to ask parents to go alone to a school board meeting," he said. "You need to build coalitions with teachers and administrators so you can chip away on issues."

Dafny Irizarry, a member of the Central Islip Teachers Association and president of the Long Island Latin Teachers Association, traveled to Albany with two colleagues to take part in the discussion.

"The variety of groups at the conference gave us the opportunity to think about effective strategies about student achievement and parental involvement," she said. "People came from different backgrounds but we all share important goals."

Union role

Hector Ruiz, a veteran SRP leader for the United Federation of Teachers in the Bronx, spoke at lunch about the strong ties the union's Latino leaders are building with students through a college scholarship program. "We want to create the next generation of leaders for our communities," he said.

Neira spoke about her many years as a classroom teacher in Manhattan. "We have to push back at systems that don't allow us to service our students," she said. "Our continued work with LCLAA and the other organizations here today will allow us to do that."

- Bernie Mulligan