Complex sentence: The incentive for founding this school was a preferential option for the poor, and it soon became apparent that institutional reform was needed, which led to assisting labor unions, forming leaders, and protecting the environment especially from the devastation wrought by the mining industry.
Split into simpler sentences: The incentive for founding this school was a preferential option for the poor. It soon became apparent that institutional reform was needed, which led to assisting labor unions, forming leaders, and protecting the environment especially from the devastation wrought by the mining industry.