051: How the White House is helping Latinos/as achieve higher levels of education w/Maribel Duran

Maribel Duran is the chief of staff at the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. In this role she works on driving the initiative's mission of increasing the Hispanic community's educational attainment and outcomes through the development of key partnerships, implementation of communication strategies, and operational and capacity-building best practices. She leads the initiative's communications, including social media outreach and engagement, early childhood education, and federal interagency working group efforts. Prior to assuming this position, she served as a special assistant to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, managing administrative operations, prioritizing day-to-day activities, internal and external communications and issues, assessing policies and research, and serving as a liaison between internal and external stakeholders.

With over 15 years of experience and expertise as an operational manager, Duran has been recognized for being pragmatic and tactful, a thoughtful partner, and a dedicated public servant. She began her career in the Chicago Public Schools, first as an administrative associate in the Office of Technology Services in 2001, and then as executive assistant to Arne Duncan, the district's CEO at the time, from 2005 to 2009.

Born and raised in Chicago, Duran is a first-generation college student currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in English language and literature at Southern New Hampshire University. She and her two children reside in Falls Church, Va.

What you'll learn

• The inspiration from her immigrant parents which instilled in her the values of hard work and education.
• Her American Dream
• How she started her career in the education sector
• Her journey that led her to work for the President of the United States as the chief of staff for the White House initiative Educational Excellence for Hispanics
• Maribel's keys to success
• Why is there an educational attainment gap in the Latino community
• How the White House is helping Latinos close the education gap
• Why it is critical to engage and educate the parents to improve the kids educational achievement
• How the White House will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the  White House initiative  on Educational Excellence for Hispanics

Resources & Links

• http://www.ed.gov/hispanicinitiative
• @hispaniced
• On Facebook
• Emails: [e-mail], [e-mail]

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