Overview

CHE LogoThe Congress of Hispanic Educators (CHE) is a non-profit organization that was established in 1968 to address the needs of Latine, Spanish speaking, and all emerging bilingual students, teachers, and families involved in the public school system in Denver, Colorado. While CHE’s hub is Denver, its decades long accomplishments have had state and national implications. CHE advocates for education initiatives that support comprehensive educational opportunities for its constituents including opportunities to become bilingual, biliterate and bicultural. This includes English-language development, full access to subject matter curriculum, opportunities for development of biliteracy, and full implementation of current state mandates for ethnic studies in K-12 schools.

In Denver Public Schools, as well as across the state, our mission is to ensure that Latine youth receive the same level of education from schools as their non-Latine peers. The Consent Decrees of 1984, 1999, and April 2013 were legislative mandates brought through the courts by CHE that represented all emerging bilingual learners, 80% of whom are Spanish speakers, in Denver Public Schools and the state of Colorado. CHE has had a significantÌýinfluence on bilingual education in DPS. To read more about this, look in the La Raza report, p. 56-58. our mission is to ensure that Latine youth receive the same level of education from schools as their non-Latine peers

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Mission Statement:Ìý“Empowering CLD Â鶹ÒùÔº, Ensuring Accountabilityâ€

Our mission is to empower and advocate for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students in
Denver Public Schools (DPS) to achieve their full potential by monitoring DPS to ensure they fulfill
their commitments and obligations to CLD students and through connecting community
members with influential decision-makers and key stakeholders and engaging educational
experts in evaluating district policies and practices.

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Vision Statement:Ìý“Equity in Education for Allâ€

We envision a Denver community where CLD students receive equitable education and have the
opportunity to thrive. Our network of parents, allies, educators, and community members will
work together to ensure that all students have access to quality education, regardless of their
background. We strive to be a reliable resource for informants and a trusted partner for allies, and
to ultimately create a more inclusive, just and equitable education system for all CLD students in
Denver.

Uvaldo Chávez, who served as CHE’s President in 1976, spoke of the need for an organization such as CHE in his message to the community which said,

"Today the needs of our people and the mood of our country have led to the emergence of a modern American, the Hispano, determined to correct the many social, economic, and educational inequities which have resulted in misconception and a lack of understanding. CHE pledges themselves to building upon the proud legacy given to us in America by our forefathers. Within our classrooms and communities, we are united in our purposes, unwavering in our determination and to the advancement of the Hispanics and to the community [to which] we are eternally dedicated."