The need to address the educational experiences of Latinos is of national urgency. As such, the following two questions will be explored through this initiative: 1) What are the barriers that Latina/o students encounter in their educational trajectories? 2) How do these barriers impact Latino students’ educational attainment, starting from preschool through college and beyond (P-20)?

The project will combine academic inquiry with outreach efforts in order to create an opportunity to not only explore educational issues but also engage with Latina/o students and experts.  As such, this initiative will have three major components: 1) A yearlong series of seminars where participants examine and discuss various research studies that are relevant to the topic; 2) Two events with one focusing on connecting participants with local Latina/o elementary school students and the second being a networking event for Latina/o undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty from across campus; and 3) A one-day campus wide conference that will feature keynote presentations by national experts who conduct research on Latinos and education.