In 2000, Elmer Ventura was awarded a CASS scholarship to study Rural Primary Education at Santa Fe Community College in Florida.  His primary concern was the low education rate in rural El Salvador, where only 77% of the population finishes high school.

Upon returning to El Salvador, Elmer worked as an Advisor in the Pedagogy Advisory Office in the Ministry of Education. In this position, he selected, trained, and evaluated field-advisors, who in turn, supported assigned regions’ teachers and principals. Elmer supervised 21 pedagogy advisors who supported more than 5,000 teachers in 350 schools from eastern El Salvador, which encompasses more than 1,100 schools and nearly 15,000 teachers. Simultaneously, in cooperation with the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation, he participated in an initiative to increase the competence and organizational abilities of 350 school principals.

Because of his technical skills and leadership, in 2005 Elmer was named Director of the Center for the Development of Teachers in eastern El Salvador. In this role, he manages continuing teacher education (along with follow-up studies and teacher evaluations), the implementation of specialized courses for teachers and principals, and the updating of texts and other relevant materials that universities use to educate new teachers. As a direct result of Elmer’s leadership, more than 350,000 students developed better learning skills in just one year.

To continue his professional development, Elmer often participates in national and international educational workshops and conferences. Recently, he traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to study the development of teachers there.

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