Denver Educator Honored for Her Work in the Latino Community

“I think the biggest challenge then is the same challenge we have now unfortunately, and that would be the achievement gap.”

Former Denver Public Schools teacher Irene Martinez Jordan has been recognized by a national organization as being a Latino Trendsetter. Last month received the 2015 positive impact award from the Hispanicize organization.  The award recognizes outstanding individuals who do remarkable deeds for the Latino community.

Irene Martinez Jordan worked for decades as a teacher in the Denver Public School system and served on the Hispanic Education Advisory Council. Her work lead to stronger bilingual programs district wide.  She is now part of the AARP Colorado volunteer advocacy team, is focused on expanding the availability of affordable housing, preventing untested drugs from entering the market, as well as advocating for additional funding for senior services in Colorado.

Martinez Jordan says that early childhood intervention plays a huge role improving educational outcomes for all children, particularly for Latino students who are on the wrong side of the achievement gap.

(photo credit hispzpia.com)