Tapping Human, Social and Economic Capital
"There is a whole population that I am meeting... A bunch of people who came to see me in person. They are Mexicans who came over to work in the fields. They are teachers from México with impeccable credentials. They can’t earn a living there as a teacher so they came here to pick fruit. These are people with sixteen years of teaching experience."
– Alianza educator

"Don’t deny the Aliancistas the opportunity. They are so hungry for anything to come their way to get back into the classroom. When they speak about education, when you ask them why they think they want to be a teacher again, their demeanor changes. It is a glow. They are speaking, and their heart is in their hands. They speak of why they want to be in the classroom, and we should find ways to help them. It’s in their heart and whole soul."
– Alianza educator

"Many of the courses were taught in English, but the professors understood that the students were not completely proficient in English and were willing to make adjustments, not to change the standards or expectations but make adjustments in the way they taught the class... The teacher was amazed at what the Aliancistas were able to achieve and very impressed with the professionalism that they showed."
– Alianza educator

"One of the assignments was to make a class presentation. It was the first time that everyone showed up dressed up in suits and ties and heels and wonderful visuals. It was obvious that the teacher was dealing with a group of professionals."
– Alianza educator

Changing "Business as Usual"
"Alianza introduced the idea of the need for intensive ESL other than just for Japanese students who want to come to the United States to learn English so they can go somewhere else... Now we are talking about intensive ESL for local populations to fill local needs."
– Alianza educator

"In some sense, institutional change is going to require that you just not say ‘business as usual.’ The institutional change is about shifting the center of power and how decisions are made."
– Alianza educator

"The institutional change comes about because there is a series of pressures; grassroots knocking on the door, and politicians."
– Alianza educator

"Institutional accommodations...are really important in Alianza... In some cases, we may not have what they need. That is our responsibility to service those students who don’t have the English level we need but they have the skills level."
– Alianza educator

"As IDRA and the universities prepared to recruit normalistas into the program, there was a concern that it would be difficult for each university to identify the normalista pool. We soon learned this concern was unfounded. There are many more normalistas living in the United States who are interested in pursuing teaching careers than we originally thought. Recruitment exceeded all expectations. Some universities did not even need to formally recruit anyone – word-of-mouth spread the news so quickly that waiting lists soon developed."
– Alianza educator

"Alianza will change the mindsets of universities and others to see the community from a ‘contributing’ perspective. This requires numerous and consistent conversations with key stakeholders. Our tendency is to see what is needed and how we might contribute. It requires a major shift to see that everyone has assets, strengths that are valuable. We are no longer ‘provider and client,’ but partners working toward a goal."
– Alianza educator

Knowledge Has No Borders
"The normalistas value learning about the U.S. education system and, of course, the opportunity to improve their English language skills. The regular students are valuing the opportunity to improve their Spanish language skills. They highlight the harmonious and open interaction that exists between the two groups and the opportunity to learn Spanish as well as other cultural traits from México."
– Alianza educator

"Teaching and understanding the bilingual student in the United States are enriched by creating binational collaboratives where teachers and universities exchange pedagogical views and ideas."
– Alianza educator

Promoting Leadership in Diversity
"[Alianza’s Leadership in Diversity work has enabled] a community, school and university committee to provide guidance to universities to design policy... This is a rich, dynamic advocacy group that both influences the university and influences the community."
– Alianza educator

"A case in point is in California where we established a new relationship with the community that wanted a connection. We are using this project as a way to enrich it, a more permanent connection, and one that facilitates students going to college and from community college to the four-year university."
– Alianza educator

"So what we are seeing is that all of a sudden, because of Alianza, we have a whole population coming to the university that would otherwise never have gone there."
– Alianza educator

Teacher for the Second Time Around, by an Aliancista
"Why did I become a teacher? As a fifth-grader I was a lucky student. My teacher had just graduated and was in an excellent position to do the job and do it right. She set the example of what a good teacher should be and motivated me to become a teacher without knowing it. Time passed, and as I pondered the question of what to do in the future, I thought, ‘What will it be like to work in a school? Help the community? How will it feel to see the children’s faces to light up once they have learned how to read, write and solve math problems?’ It was time to make a decision. So I became a teacher.

"Learning English became my first priority. Teaching had to wait. Years passed. I found the love of my life, got married, and had children. I took care of them, but teaching was still in my heart. I applied for a job as a teacher’s assistant, and I got it. What a joy! Still, there was something missing.

"In 1998, John Glen, at age 74, went into space for the second time. At that moment, while watching the shuttle go up to space, something inside of me told me that if he could go into space for a second time at age 74, I can go to school for the second time, too.
– Alianza student