Under the direction of Education Director, Dr. Magdalena Martinez

Nevada Statewide English Mastery Council

Senate Bill 504 was passed by the 2013 Nevada Legislature. The bill requires the creation of a statewide English Mastery Council in order to improve the quality of English Language Learner education for students in Nevada. The Council will make recommendations in three core areas: 1) Teaching English as a Second Language Endorsement; 2) District Policy and Planning Criteria to serve English Language Learner Student Populations; and 3) Standards and Criteria for a Curriculum for English Language Learner Student Populations. The Council is chaired by Dr. Magdalena Martinez.

The Nevada Consortium on the Teacher Pipeline

Dr. Martinez, along with education collaborative advisory board members, are actively engaged in The Nevada Consortium for the Teacher Pipeline. Dr. Martinez helps to facilitate the Consortium which includes a group of professionals from multiple agencies. The intention is to begin a conversation across a broad constituency that will lead to systematic and concrete solutions to address the ongoing teacher shortages in Nevada.

Education Adequacy Studies

The Lincy Institute at UNLV commissioned two separate education adequacy studies. Data for the cost function analysis is available to researchers for their independent analysis. Contact the Director of Education Programs for access to data.

  1. Professional Judgment Approach: Augenblick, Palaich and Associates, a consulting group, estimated the base cost per student, as well as the adjustments necessary for students with special needs; this study is unique because it provides weighted funding for English Language Learners (ELL), based on recommendations from ELL experts.
  2. Cost Function Analysis Approach: Dr. Anna Lukemeyer (UNLV) and Dr. Wen Wang, (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis), are using existing quantitative data to estimate the cost of providing students a reasonable opportunity to reach state performance indicators in Nevada. The researchers of this study hope to identify and develop a specific, policy relevant operational definition of “adequacy.”

The Lincy Institute also hosted a community forum on this topic. Resources can be found in The Lincy Institute Events Archive:

College Governance and Two Year Institutions

The Lincy Institute Education Programs remains committed to providing information and resources on community colleges in four critical areas: (1) Governance; (2) Funding; (3) Academic and Student Success; and (4) Workforce and Economic Outcomes.

The Lincy Institute has also hosted two community forums on this topic. Resources can be found in The Lincy Institute Events Archive:

Under the direction of Dr. Sonya Horsford

Coalesce Clark County

Coalesce Clark County was an emergent community-based coalition of education organizers, advocates, and activists dedicated to improving education in Southern Nevada by supporting public schools and institutions. Led by Dr. Sonya Horsford, Coalesce Clark County promoted public schools, colleges, and universities as community institutions and sought to advance educational equity and social justice in education for Southern Nevada’s diversifying student populations.

Research Study — English Language Learners in Clark County, Nevada: An Analysis of Enrollment, Educational Opportunities, and Outcomes

This research study is a three-way partnership among The Lincy Institute, Clark County School District (CCSD), and Annenberg Institute for School Reform (AISR) at Brown University. The purpose of this study is to provide the public with an easy-to understand review of the status of K–12 public education in CCSD, with a focus on English language learners (ELL). Since CCSD represents 71 percent of Nevada’s students, 82 percent of its ELL students, and has the second largest percentage of ELL students in the country, a comprehensive review of the district’s enrollment and outcomes for ELL students will support CCSD in its objective to increase both ELL achievement and student achievement overall.

  • Nevada's English Language Learner Population: A Review of Enrollment, Outcomes, and Opportunities
  • Clark County School District's English Language Learners - An Analysis of Enrollment, Educational Opportunities, and Outcomes in Nevada and CCSD

Las Vegas Promise Neighborhood Initiative

The Las Vegas Promise Neighborhood (LVPN) Initiative is a community-led effort to provide a cradle-to-college and career continuum of solutions that ensures every child residing and attending school within the Las Vegas Promise Neighborhood (historic West Las Vegas) is ready for school and ready for life.

In anticipation of the possible release of a Promise Neighborhoods federal grant competition this summer, The Lincy Institute releases its technical report, The Las Vegas Promise Neighborhood Initiative: A Community-Based Approach to Improving Educational Opportunity & Achievement. The report offers a brief overview of Promise Neighborhoods, the original LVPN planning grant application, discussion of the collaborative activity that LVPN partners have engaged in since its original submission, and the "promise" of such neighborhood-based education reform efforts in Southern Nevada.