Digna Marte with Teach for America Connecticut Named Recipient of the 2023 ALAS Scholarship Focused on Supporting Educational Leadership

The $10,000 scholarship sponsored by Curriculum Associates will support Marte as she pursues a doctoral degree in educational leadership at University of Bridgeport

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., Oct. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) has named Digna Altagracia Marte as the recipient of the 2023–2024 ALAS Scholarship sponsored by Curriculum Associates. Marte, who serves as managing director of partnerships at Teach for America Connecticut and as a multilingual coach and consultant for TaJu Educational Solutions (TES), will receive $10,000 toward her doctoral degree in educational leadership at the University of Bridgeport.

"I am so excited and honored to be the recipient of this scholarship as I work on my research on Leading through Counter-Stories: Testimonios of the Intersectionality of Culture, Education, and Leadership of Latina Administrators in the Northeast," said Marte. "A great deal of the research we read about and that is shared with our students in our communities highlights deficits. However, we have a great number of trailblazers leading successfully from the same communities we serve. We need to learn from each other's journeys as we break barriers and create a roadmap for our students so they are inspired to continue to add to our Latino legacy in education and other fields of study."

Marte is passionate about education and building inclusive and diverse communities. She has 14 years of experience serving in Connecticut school districts, including 10 years of educational leadership in the state's large urban districts in New Haven, Bridgeport, and Hartford. Prior to her current role at Teach for America, Marte served as program director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Fairfield Public Schools in Connecticut. She has also served as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. At TES, Marte focuses on dual-language programming and the science of the bilingual reading brain. She also recently founded and serves as CEO of 3D Consultants, which provides multilingual coaching and consulting services, and she currently serves as associate minister at East End Baptist Tabernacle Church in Bridgeport. Marte additionally has 25 years of experience in community development, including 20 years working in housing and community development in New York City.

Marte is bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish, and she has earned multiple certifications in educational leadership, Spanish, world language, and teaching English to speakers of other languages.

Marte earned a dual bachelor's degree from Syracuse University in environmental design (i.e., interior architecture) and Spanish language, literature, and culture as well as a minor in business management. She has a master's degree in regional planning from the State University of New York Albany and a master's of divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York. She also has a master's of business administration and an administrator's certification from the University of Bridgeport.

"Digna Marte is an inspiring leader and a champion of equity, as evident through her decades of service in schools and the community," said Glendaliz Martinez, national director for content and implementation at Curriculum Associates. "We are proud to once again partner with ALAS on this scholarship and support Digna as she continues to make a lasting impact in education."

"ALAS' mission is to support and connect leaders of Latino-serving schools and districts, as well as those who aspire to be in those roles so that we, collectively, can improve education for Latino and other historically marginalized youth," added Dr. Maria Armstrong, ALAS executive director. "We are grateful for our partnership with Curriculum Associates so we can support deserving, aspiring leaders, such as Digna, who are doing this important work in our schools."

Marte was presented the ALAS Scholarship Award during the ALAS 20th Anniversary Education Summit on October 4–6, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. This is the ninth consecutive year that Curriculum Associates has partnered with ALAS on the scholarship.

To learn more about the ALAS Scholarship Awards, visit ALASEdu.org/Scholarship.

About ALAS
ALAS is committed to providing a perspective to all aspiring school and district administrators, including superintendents, through programs, services, advocacy, and networks rooted in Latino experiences and culture. Its vision, mission and goals are to provide leadership at the national level that assures every school in America effectively serves the educational needs of all students with an emphasis on Latino and other historically marginalized youth through continuous professional learning, policy advocacy, and networking to share practices of promise for its students and the communities it serves.

By the year 2026, Latino children will make up 30 percent of the school-age population. In the nation's largest states—California, Texas, Florida, and New York, all of whom are ALAS State Affiliates—Latinos already have reached that level. It is of vital interest to invest in the education of every child and the professional learning of all educators who serve Latino youth.

About Curriculum Associates
Founded in 1969, Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company's products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students.

SOURCE Curriculum Associates, LLC