A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR RELEASE                            Contact:  Ivette Rodriguez November 22, 1995                                  (202) 401-0262

The office, established in 1974, assists school districts in providing equal access to quality education for children whose primary language is not English.

"This is a challenging time for education, as we strive to ensure that all children gain the skills and knowledge they will need for success in a complex world," Riley said.

"Delia's extensive experience in bilingual education and issues affecting language-minority students will prove a significant asset in helping to address the diverse education needs of America's students."

Since 1992, Pompa has headed Pompa and Associates, a San Antonio consulting firm specializing in policy formulation, program development, and research on language-minority and low-income children, for a variety of clients, including education and government agencies, universities, and advocacy and non-profit organizations.

From 1990-1992 Pompa served as director of education for adolescent pregnancy prevention and youth development for the Children's Defense Fund in Washington, D.C.

As an assistant commissioner at the Texas Education Agency in Austin, from 1985 to 1990, Pompa developed and implemented policies affecting bilingual, migrant, at-risk and gifted/talented students.

She was the Houston Independent School District's executive director for bilingual programs and early childhood education, and performed Chapter I and bilingual program evaluations, from 1981 to 1985.

Pompa has also served on various advisory committees and task forces concerned with language-minority students and early childhood education, including advisory panels for the National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education and the Center on Cultural and Linguistic Diversity and Learning; the Center for Applied Linguistics, advisory committee to the Program In Immigrant Education; the Stanford Working Group on Language Minority Students; and the Quality 2000 task force on early childhood education in the United States.

A former bilingual kindergarten teacher and Title VII teacher-training project instructor, Pompa holds a master's degree in early childhood education from the University of Texas at San Antonio; a bachelor's degree in sociology and early childhood education from San Antonio's Trinity University; and has completed coursework toward a doctorate in curriculum and instruction with a specialization in early childhood education, at the University of Houston.