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Supporting English Language Learners

Octavio AlvarezOctavio Alvarez is being honored as a Champion of Change for his service to education. 


I’m honored to be selected as a White House of Champion of Change as a result of increasing academic achievement amongst Southern California English Language Learners.  After starting my career as an Engineer, I was fortunate to have a life changing experience that led me to enter the field of education.

I have been teaching at Brawley Union High School, in Brawley, CA, for eight years.  My duties primarily include teaching Mathematics classes to Latino English Language Development students.  During my tenure at Brawley, I have been able to create strong bonds and positive relationships with my students.  I consider myself not only a teacher, but a friend that my students can trust and rely upon.  I always try to make myself available for my students by being both visible and approachable inside and outside of the classroom.  I promote relevance and the use of real world examples and application when it comes to mathematics instruction. 

I have had the opportunity to be involved with the facilitation of Project Sol at BUHS.  Project Sol, sponsored by the University of California at Los Angeles, is a program steeped in support structures for English Language newcomers to the country.  We have been able to offer our students greater access to both academic support via enhanced online curricular offerings and A-G college courses. We have also been able to significantly improve California High School Exit Exam passage rates and graduation rates for Brawley’s English Language Learners. 

Octavio Alvarez is a traditional and bilingual mathematics teacher at Brawley Union High School