Welcome 

The PUERTA (Preparing Underrepresented Educators to Realize their Teaching Ambitions) Project seeks to increase the number of Latinx teachers serving in K-12 public schools. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, PUERTA seeks to improve the practices and remove the barriers that prevent undergraduate Latinx students from earning a teaching credential at our institution. PUERTA has three primary goals: 1) to increase Hispanic and Latina/o student persistence and graduation rates, 2) to increase the number of Hispanic and Latino students who earn a teaching credential and 3) to increase the number of students who transfer to SSU from a two-year HSI. The activities PUERTA is implementing as the means for achieving the project goals are as follows:

1. Provide a continuum of student services to support student success among underrepresented, first-generation, and socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

2. Provide evidence-based, high-impact programming to support academic success. 

3. Provide outreach and career development support to encourage students to enter the teaching profession.

4. Work with campus-wide faculty and administrators to improve practices and obtain resources to remove barriers that prevent students from obtaining a teaching credential.

5. Provide a dedicated space where prospective teacher education students can go to receive supportive services and network with other students and experienced teaching professionals. 

Focus on research-based, high impact practices designed to support undergraduate Latinx students

• Supportive academic and student support advising via the Center for Academic Access and Student Enrichment (CAASE); 

• Engagement in high-impact programs designed to support student retention, including Summer Bridge, Freshman Year Experience, and Freshman Learning Communities;

• Supplemental Instruction (SI) in major courses that typically experience high levels of D, F and W grades;

• University-wide programming throughout the academic year that supports Latinx students aspiring to be teachers; and

• Teaching career readiness opportunities within the university and in local K-12 public school settings.

Contact Us 

If you are a student who would like more information about the PUERTA Program, please contact the PUERTA office at: 707-664-3567 or email PUERTA at puerta@sonoma.edu.

For information about the PUERTA Project, please contact the PUERTA Lead Team

PUERTA Program Office

Center for Academic Access and Student Enrichment (CAASE)
Schulz Library, First Floor, Room 1119
Sonoma State University
1801 East Cotati Avenue
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
Phone: 707-664-3567