RIVERSIDE – Lawrence Hardy never sat in the classroom of an African American math teacher until he reached middle school. Daffne Pérez was in third grade when her family arrived in the United States and began working through her many insecurities and loss of culture while assimilating to her new home.
Both Lawrence and Daffne, have become professional educators who are enrolled in the Riverside County Office of Education’s Center for Administrator Preparation in pursuit of their Preliminary or Clear Administrative Services Credential program to build a pipeline of diverse and culturally responsive school administrators.
A total of 34 aspiring administrators are recipients of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s Diverse Education Leaders Pipeline Initiative (DELPI) grant of $1,020,000 to the Riverside County Office of Education. Recipients receive one-time grants of up to $30,000 to remove financial barriers to pursuing educational administrator training.
“Diversity in the leadership of our public schools is essential for the success of students from all backgrounds,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez. “This funding is expanding the opportunity to recruit, develop, mentor, and retain school leaders who reflect the rich cultures and experiences of our student populations.”
Beyond the Riverside County Office of Education’s Center for Administrator Preparation Program, partners who will provide additional professional development, coaching, and affinity group development, include the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA), and the Coalition for Educational Partnerships.
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing recently announced awards to support 367 administrator services credential candidates across the state with one-time grants of up to $30,000 per candidate. The grant is funded with $10 million allocated to the Commission in the 2023-24 state budget to train, place, and retain diverse and culturally responsive administrators in transitional kindergarten through 12th grade to improve student outcomes and meet the needs of California’s education workforce.
The DELPI grant program requires candidates to commit to a minimum of two years of service as a site-level administrator in a California school within four years of earning a preliminary administrative services credential.
About the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing is an agency in the Executive Branch of California State Government. It was created in 1970 by the Ryan Act and is the oldest of the autonomous state standards boards in the nation. The major purpose of the agency is to serve as a state standards board for educator preparation for the public schools of California, the licensing and credentialing of professional educators in the State, the enforcement of professional practices of educators, and the discipline of credential holders in the State of California.
About the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE)
RCOE is a service agency supporting the county’s 23 school districts and 500+ schools that serve nearly 430,000 students—more than the student population of 17 states. RCOE services include administrative support to districts and charter schools, programs for preschool, special education, pregnant minor, correctional, migrant, and vocational students. In addition, the organization provides professional training, support, and resources for more than 18,000 teachers, administrators, and staff, throughout the 7,000 square miles of Riverside County. Learn more at www.rcoe.us.
