Photo caption: From left to right: Lawrence Hardy, DELPI grant recipient, San Bernardino City Unified School District; Jessica Gutierrez, DELPI grant recipient with Ronnie Henderson, Riverside County Office of Education; Daffne Perez, DELPI grant recipient, San Jacinto Unified School District.

Hundreds of educators are going back to school in the 2024-25 academic year to pursue an administrative services credential thanks to grant funding from the Diverse Education Leaders Pipeline Initiative (DELPI).

The DELPI is part of a broader network of California initiatives aimed at addressing educational inequities by increasing diversity among school administrators to better reflect the student populations they serve.

The grant is funded with $10 million allocated to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (Commission) in the 2023-24 state budget to train, place, and retain diverse and culturally responsive administrators in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and grades 1 to 12 to improve student outcomes and meet the needs of California’s education workforce.

In May 2024, the Commission announced awards to support 367 administrator services credential candidates across the state with one-time grants of up to $30,000 per candidate.

“We have committed to a systemwide focus on anti-racism and know that a diverse pipeline of leaders will be most invested in continuing to build anti- racist school communities,” said Summer Sigler, interim associate superintendent of K12 operations, West Contra Costa County Unified School District.

“Many of our educators have already taken out student loans to finish their undergraduate or graduate degrees. The cost associated with another credential can be a barrier to seeking the credential necessary for promotion.”

In San Bernardino City Unified School District, DELPI grant recipient Lawrence Hardy, an educational services program specialist, is grateful for the opportunity to further his knowledge to become an effective equity-driven leader.

“Growing up, I often saw a lack of diversity and positive role models, which sometimes made it challenging to see my potential reflected in the curriculum and the people around me,” Hardy said.

“It was in middle school that I had my first African American math teacher. His presence alone inspired me. He was charismatic and relatable—someone who I felt understood me. In return, I want to be that educator that will inspire and motivate the next generation.”

Hardy is enrolled in the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) preliminary administrative services credential program.

“When you consider the importance of building diverse and culturally responsive leadership pipelines, the DELPI is a game-changer,” said Ronnie Henderson, director of the RCOE Center for Administrator Preparation.

“The grant funding supports essential resources necessary to recruit, develop, mentor, and retain school leaders who reflect the rich cultures and experiences of our student populations.”

Daffne Perez, an English learner instructional resource teacher in San Jacinto Unified School District also is enrolled in the RCOE program. For her, the DELPI grant is personally and professionally transformative.

Perez was in third grade when she and her family arrived in the United States. She quickly assimilated to her new culture and language, but feels it came at a cost.

“This sudden assimilation resulted in the loss of feeling proud of my culture and my first language, and was the beginning of many insecurities,” said Perez. “It was not until my first years of college that I began the journey of rediscovering my identity…. finding and embracing my culture helped me realize I wanted to be an educator that would empower students culturally and academically.”

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.

“We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to support some of our very best teachers in becoming site administrators,” said Zachary Boswell, associate superintendent for educational services, Tracy Unified School District. “Without a diverse site administrative staff, we risk losing connection with our families, which will decrease our effectiveness in partnering with families to fully support our students.”

The Commission is not currently accepting applications for the DELPI grant. To view all current grant opportunities, visit the Commission’s website.

Updated October 02, 2024