Bright Spots in Hispanic Education Fulfilling America's Future
White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics

In commemoration of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics Initiative's (Initiative) 25th anniversary, the Initiative made a national call for nominations for Bright Spots in Hispanic Education with the goal of highlighting the ongoing efforts that are taking place across the country, at the local, state and federal levels, to support Latino educational attainment and excellence. Bright Spots are programs, models, organizations, or initiatives that are helping close the achievement gap.

By highlighting and uplifting the work of these Bright Spots, the Initiative seeks to spur innovation and encourage collaboration between them and stakeholders focused on similar issues in sharing data-driven approaches, promising practices, peer advice and effective partnerships, resulting in increased support for the educational attainment of the Hispanic community.

You may find Bright Spots using our searchable database, through our google map or by clicking on one of our key Hispanic education priorities:

Disclaimer of endorsement

Organization Overview State
Name:
Community Action Partnership of Madera County

URL:
www.maderacap.org

Location:
Madera, CA

Year Established:
1965
Focus Areas:
Early Learning, K-12 Education and College Access

For over 50 years Community Action Partnership of Madera County (CAPMC) has been a provider of Early Childhood Education and Care and served as a Delegate of the Central California Migrant Head Start program services to Migrant Families since 1977. In 1994 the agency expanded services to Migrant families by becoming a Delegate of the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo. Today CAPMC provides services to Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker families with 15 licensed child care centers throughout the counties of Fresno, Merced and Madera to serve over 1,200 children ages 6 weeks to 5 years.

CA
Name:
LA's Promise

URL:
www.laspromise.org

Location:
Madera, CA

Year Established:
2010
Focus Areas:
K-12 Education and College Access; STEM Education

For over 50 years Community Action Partnership of Madera County (CAPMC) has been a provider of Early Childhood Education and Care and served as a Delegate of the Central California Migrant Head Start program services to Migrant Families since 1977. In 1994 the agency expanded services to Migrant families by becoming a Delegate of the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo. Today CAPMC provides services to Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker families with 15 licensed child care centers throughout the counties of Fresno, Merced and Madera to serve over 1,200 children ages 6 weeks to 5 years.

CA
Name:
Adelante U.S. Education Leadership Fund

URL:
www.adelantefund.org

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
1997
Focus Areas:
K-12 Education and College Access; STEM Education

For over 50 years Community Action Partnership of Madera County (CAPMC) has been a provider of Early Childhood Education and Care and served as a Delegate of the Central California Migrant Head Start program services to Migrant Families since 1977. In 1994 the agency expanded services to Migrant families by becoming a Delegate of the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo. Today CAPMC provides services to Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker families with 15 licensed child care centers throughout the counties of Fresno, Merced and Madera to serve over 1,200 children ages 6 weeks to 5 years.

TX
Name:
Oregon Child Development Coalition

URL:
www.ocdc.net

Location:
Washington, DC

Year Established:
1997
Focus Areas:
Early Learning

The mission of the Oregon Child Development Coalition (OCDC) is improving the lives of children and families by providing early childhood education, care and advocacy with unique and supportive services to enhance family growth and community success. A provider of Early Childhood Education and Care since its inception in 1971 as the Migrant and Indian Coalition, OCDC is Oregon's provider of Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, serving thousands of children and families in 23 centers located in semi-urban, rural and frontier areas of Oregon that span 15 counties. OCDC provides Early Childhood Education and Care, Family Health Services, and Parent, Family and Community Engagement Services to over 3,500 Oregon Families, 92% of whom identify as Hispanic, Latino/Latina, or indigenous Central and South American.

DC
Name:
Fusing Green Energy into Manufacturing Engineering Education Project

URL:
http://goodwin.drexel.edu/et/gdm

Location:
El Paso, TX

Year Established:
2012
Focus Areas:
Early Learning, College Access, STEM

Fusing Green Energy into Manufacturing Engineering Education Project lead by The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a Hispanic Serving Institution (HIS), in collaboration with Drexel University (DU), is aimed at integrating green energy into the manufacturing engineering curriculum and to cultivate leaders in the field among minority and female engineering students. Successful completion of the project will lead to excellence in green energy and advanced engineering education. By implementing a mixed method of research design, students and faculty involved in the project will be assessed in formative and summative formats to measure the efficacy of the project.

TX
Name:
Building Tomorrow's Leaders Today

URL:
http://www.wsdk8.us

Location:
Westminster, CA

Year Established:
2013
Focus Areas:
K-12

Westminster School District's "Building Tomorrow's Leaders Today" initiatives and district vision includes the implementation of the 21st century learning inititiaves: the 1:1 Chromebooks, increasing STEM/STEAM offerings/opportunities, blended learning, digital badging program, leadership capacity building, dual language immersion, Pathways to Biliteracy, Saturday and Parent Academies.

The district, made famous for Mendez, et al v. Westminster School District of Orange County (1946), is made up of near 10,000 students about 5,000 of which are English Learners and 4,149 are Hispanic students, is now focused on bridging the linguistic and economic gaps through 21st century learning initiatives and innovations, including increasing STEM and technology access and education for their Hispanic student group. As a part of the initiative, STEM/STEAM programs/class offerings were increased. STEM buildings and programs now exist at each of the three middle schools. All students are moving towards proficiency in 21st Century learning skills including technology demonstrated in project based learning, design-based learning products and showcases.

With a majority of the student population comprised of English Learners, "Building Tomorrow's Leaders Today" led to the implementation and development of the first Vietnamese Dual Language Immersion program in California and next offering Vietnamese and Spanish dual language in preschool/transitional Kindergarten in 2016-2017. As a part of the 21st century learning initiative, Westminster School District (WSD) is also the first district in Orange County to formally adopt and implement the Pathway to Biliteracy Awards from preschool to 8th grade. As a part of the 21st century learning initiatives, a department at WSD focuses on the needs of half the district's population: the Office of Language Acquisition, a creation of a new department and leadership team.

The district has exceeded the targets for the California English Language Development Test. The latest CAASPP state assessment results show that 50% of their students have met or exceeded standards, surpassing the state average of 44% and 46% have met or exceeded Mathematics standards, surpassing the state average of 33% and outperformed the county average of 45%. This was a notable accomplishment especially considering the district has one of the highest English Learner and socio-economically disadvantaged district population.

CA
Name:
El Sol Science and Arts Academy

URL:
http://www.elsolacademy.org

Location:
Santa Ana, CA

Year Established:
2001
Focus Areas:
Early Learning, K-12 & College Access

An outstanding dual-immersion charter school, El Sol's unique curriculum teaches student s to read, write, and speak academic English and Spanish. It also runs a robust extended day program that offers supplemental academic instruction for struggling students and cultural enrichment activities in the areas of music, dance, spots, and math. The program stresses the relationship between early learning and early intervention in building a strong foundation for long-term educational success. As a result, El Sol students are bi-literate problem solvers, critical thinkers and active learners.

CA
Name:
AAMA

URL:
http://www.aama.org/

Location:
Houston, TX

Year Established:
1970
Focus Areas:
Early Learning; K-12 & College Access

AAMA's Sanchez Charter School, the first charter school in Texas, serves students from pre-kindergarten to12th grade. Equally important to the class work at Sanchez are the wraparound services they offer, including on-campus childcare for enrolled teen parents, health services, and rehabilitation and recovery programs for students and their families.

As part of AAMA's mission to inspire and empower Latinos, Sanchez Charter School educates traditionally underserved Latino youth, 86.7% of whom are identified as "at risk" of not graduating from high school. Over the past five years, Sanchez has increased the graduation rate (from 39.8% to 73%) and decreased the dropout rate (from 13.9% to 3.3%). With such success the Texas Education Agency has recently approved plans for a replication model.

TX
Name:
Abriendo Puertas, Inc.

URL:
http://ap-od.org/home

Location:
Los Angeles, CA, National

Year Established:
2007
Focus Area:
Early Learning; Family Engagement

Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors is the nation's first evidence-based comprehensive training program developed by and for Hispanic parents with children ages 0-5. It equips parents, who are the best advocates for their children, with the tools they need to ensure that their children are academically successful. Their train-the—trainer model helps local family service providers improve their outreach and interaction with families, and create a sustainable program that reaches beyond the initial training sessions.

In 2012, an independent national evaluation of Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors found that participating parents made significant gains in knowledge of early child development and parenting. These gains helped boost parents' self-confidence, parenting skills, and advocacy on behalf of their families.

CA
Name:
Academic Achievers Program—CMAS

URL:
http://www.uh.edu/class/cmas/

Location:
Houston, TX

Year Established:
1972
Focus Areas:
K-12 & College Access; Postsecondary Completion

The Academic Achievers Program (AAP)—CMAS provides students with support in the form of scholarships, academic tutoring, mentoring, time management skills sessions, workshops, speaker presentations, and leadership retreats. The goal of the AAP is to increase the low education attainment level of the Hispanic community by reducing the high school dropout rate and increasing the number of students who attend and graduate from college.

To date, 260 students have participated in the AAP at Stephen F. Austin High School and 258 have completed the program and graduated, resulting in a 99% high school graduation rate. Of these students, 245 students have enrolled in an institution of higher education such as technical school, community college, or four-year university. A total of 312 students have participated in the AAP at the University of Houston and 72% have graduated.

TX
Name:
Academic Parent Teacher Teams

URL:
http://www.wested.org/service/academic-parent-teacher-teams-aptt-family-engagement-in-education/

Location:
San Francisco, CA, National

Year Established:
2009
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; Family Engagement

The Academic Parent Teacher Teams (APTT) model of family engagement is a research and evidence-based framework and best practice that has professionalized the way schools engage families in student learning by aligning grade-level learning concepts, student performance data, and family-teacher communication and collaboration.

APTT has successfully expanded from nine classrooms in nine schools in Phoenix, Arizona to more than 250 schools and districts in 16 states in 2015, serving over 200,000 families in under-resourced communities with predominantly Hispanic students.

CA
Name:
Academy For Teacher Excellence

URL:
http://ate.utsa.edu

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
2003
Focus Areas:
Postsecondary Completion; Latino Teacher Recruitment

The Academy for Teacher Excellence (ATE) was founded at the University of Texas at San Antonio as a center for school districts, community colleges, the private sector, and UTSA to collaboratively research, design, implement, and evaluate educational programs that address emerging, statewide and local educational issues associated with a growing diverse student population. To address the educational gap, ATE's major focus is to leverage resources to better prepare teacher candidates and inservice teachers to work with a diverse student population.

ATE has increased the number of Latino and other minority students completing degrees and teacher certification in the following critical teaching shortage areas: bilingual education, mathematics, science, and special education. ATE's success is measured by the high retention rate (83%) of teachers who demonstrate the attitudes, knowledge, and skills of a culturally efficacious teacher. ATE teachers report high success with Latino students and are considered leaders within their respective school sites.

TX
Name:
ACE: A Community for Education

URL:
http://www.aceaustin.org

Location:
Austin, TX

Year Established:
1994
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 & College Access

The ACE forms a unique and necessary bridge between early learning and college access programs by providing 30-minute one-on-one tutoring sessions 5 days per week during the school year.

Nearly 80% of the children tutored by ACE every year are Hispanic. Every year over 75% of students tutored by ACE finish the school year either reading at grade level or having made significant, measurable progress toward closing their achievement gap in reading. Recent improvements to their strategies have more than tripled their tutoring capacity—from tutoring 279 K-2 children for 52,000 hours in 2009-2010 to tutoring over 2,000 children for 160,500 hours in 2014-2015. Since 2011 they have expanded their tutoring presence from 11 schools to an expected 32 schools in 2015-2016.

TX
Name:
Achieving in Research Math and Science (ARMAS)

URL:
http://armasineducation.com/

Location:
Las Vegas, NM

Year Established:
2009
Focus Area:
STEM

Achieving in Research Math and Science (ARMAS) was created to increase the number of Hispanic students earning a Bachelor's of Science degree in a STEM discipline at New Mexico Highlands University. ARMAS has implemented various proven best practices in STEM support that empower students to succeed as well as enable faculty to increase student learning and success through the use of innovative, research-based strategies in the classroom.

Students register the first time they use the ARMAS Center and sign in at each subsequent visit. They indicate their reason(s) for attending ARMAS, and this information is entered into a data tracking system. Information collected allows for a count on student use of the center based on type of service the students utilized during each visit. The Center use categories include: Supplemental Instruction; Academic Coaching; Math Tutoring; Textbook Lending Library; STEM Internship Opportunities; Computer Use; Self Study; Group Study.

NM
Name:
Adelante Hispanic Achievers

URL:
http://www.adelanteky.org

Location:
Louisville, KY

Year Established:
2004
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

Adelante was founded in 2004 and provides long-term educational guidance, programming, and resources to Hispanic students starting in grade 6 and continuing through their senior year of high school in the Louisville, KY area. They guide students as they set and meet high educational, personal, and career goals and surround each Achiever with a network of supportive and informed adults.

Adelante students' school attendance rate is 95.2%, their average GPA is 3.22, and over 50% of these students participate in Advanced Placement or Honors classes. Most importantly, Adelante participants are graduating and attending two-year colleges and four-year universities.

KY
Name:
Adults Achieving a College Education (AACE)

URL:
http://www.riosalado.edu/programs/abe/Pages/ace.aspx#

Location:
Tempe, AZ

Year Established:
2004
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

Adults Achieving a College Education (AACE) is a scholarship-based college and career readiness pathway for adults, 16 years of age or older, who are ready to commit to completing a degree, certificate, or workforce training program. A core mission is to serve minority first generation college students who have not completed high school and aspire to achieve a college education. The AACE pathway allows eligible students to concurrently enroll in High School Equivalency classes while taking developmental and 100-level college credit-based general education classes.

AACE has served a total of 813 students since its inception in the fall of 2005. 57 percent of the AACE student population has been Hispanic, and 63 percent of those students have continued their college education upon completion of AACE. The number of students starting the pathway after the first two years has generally increased.

AZ
Name:
Advanced Placement Initiative—Miami Dade

URL:
http://www.dadeschools.net

Location:
Miami, FL

Year Established:
2008
Focus Areas:
K-12 & College Access

Miami-Dade County Public Schools has expanded Advanced Placement (AP) course offerings. As evidenced by both the increase in participation and performance, this is a remarkable achievement for the students, families, communities, and district/school staff. The effort put forth validates the strategies used for increasing student participation and performance in AP.

The efforts made by Miami-Dade County Public Schools to enhance the Advanced Placement program are evidenced in the increased student participation and academic performance. Among the Hispanic subgroup, the percent of students scoring a 3 or higher has increased by 6%, from 40.8% in 2008 to 46.9% in 2014.

FL
Name:
AGUILA Youth Leadership Institute

URL:
http://www.aguilayouth.org/

Location:
Phoenix, AZ

Year Established:
2004
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access

The AGUILA Youth Leadership Institute was created to help address the achievement gap between young Latinos and their non-Latino counterparts in Arizona. The program is designed to raise college-going expectations and provide high school students with a community of mentors to support them. In addition, the Summer Leadership Symposium provides AGUILA students with a 4-day experience at Arizona State University.

Since its inception in 2004, the AGUILA Youth Leadership Institute has served more than 900 high school students. These students ultimately enrolled in 80 colleges/universities across the country, collectively receiving more than $65 million in college scholarships beyond federal financial aid packages. Nearly all AGUILA students graduate from high school and apply for college, and 85% go on to graduate from college.

AZ
Name:
AIMS²

URL:
http://www.ecs.csun.edu/aims2/

Location:
Northridge, CA

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion; STEM

Students enrolled in the 5 year, $5.5 million HSI-STEM grant AIMS² cohort program have access to special mentoring and advisement by faculty, tutoring and peer mentoring, social activities, field trips and opportunities to take part in undergraduate research projects. Students in the cohort are required to complete a minimum of 24 semester units per year and receive an annual stipend. 75% of the students are selected to participate in paid research projects.

The AIMS² program has served a total of 187 students to date, approximately 67 % Latino. This includes 100 first-time transfer students at California State University Northridge (CSUN), 45 students at GCC, and 42 students at COC. Transfer student enrollment in engineering and computer science at CSUN in 2013 exceeded the target by 122% .

CA
Name:
ALBA Program

URL:
http://www5.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/school/alba/english/

Location:
Milwaukee, WI

Year Established:
2004
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access

ALBA School was created in 2004 as part of the Latino community's vision to teach Latino children through a rigorous curriculum infused with the arts and English instruction in a bilingual setting. The school program aims to create a learning environment that fosters a Hispanic cultural identity and appreciates strong parental support and community involvement. Students are conditioned to be successful bilingual and bicultural problem-solving leaders in a global society.

Math achievement scores at ALBA are near or above the state average and the student growth rate for reading exceeds the state as English Language Learners increase their language proficiency.

WI
Name:
American Dream Academy

URL:
https://eoss.asu.edu/ada

Location:
Phoenix, AZ

Year Established:
2006
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access; Family Engagement

The American Dream Academy was created to help address the disproportionately low educational attainment of Hispanic students in Maricopa County. The academy provides training to parents of school-age children in underserved areas, approximately 80% Hispanic, to enable the parents to become effective partners and advocates for their children's education, with the ultimate goal of increasing retention and graduation rates for this high-risk population.

The American Dream Academy has graduated more than 20,000 parents, making a positive impact on the educational advancement of approximately 50,000-plus students in 325 local elementary, middle, and high schools. Research evaluations of American Dream Academy curriculum show that parents completing classes made impressive gains in their skills and knowledge about how to support their children's education.

AZ
Name:
Amistades

URL:
http://amistadesinc.org/

Location:
Tucson, AZ

Year Established:
2006
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; Hispanic Boys and Young Men

Amistades was created in 2006 to address the critical education and health disparities that Latino youth and families face. The organization's four focus areas include substance abuse prevention services for high-risk youth and families, family support services for low-income populations, training for health and human services providers, and cultural enrichment initiatives.

Through Niños Sanos, Hombres Fuertes, a cultural competence training series for education and health providers who serve Latinos, Amistades is working throughout southern Arizona to train on the professional, intercultural competencies needed to support young Latino men through the educational pipeline.

AZ
Name:
Ana G. Méndez University

URL:
http://www.suagm.edu/bilingual/

Location:
Orlando, FL

Year Established:
1941
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion

The Ana G. Méndez University System is composed of four accredited universities and a TV station associated with PBS, and an enrollment of over 46,000 students. The Ana G. Méndez University System, Continental U.S. Branch Campuses bring an opportunity to Hispanic adults in the U.S. to earn an Associate's, a Bachelor's or Master's degree while developing their English as well as their Spanish language skills.

Since the opening of the first Ana G. Méndez University System, Continental U.S. Branch and the first implementation of the Discipline Based Dual Language Immersion Model enrollment has increased over 1,200% in 12 years, from 222 students at the first campus in Orlando, FL, in 2003 to just over 3,000 students on 6 campuses in 3 states (FL, MD, TX) and the District of Columbia in 2015. To date, the program has served over 2,000 Latino adults who have completed their undergraduate and graduate degrees and are now bilingual professionals.

FL
Name:
Art of Stepping (AOS)

URL:
http://www.ArtofStepping.com

Location:
New York, NY

Year Established:
2006
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; STEM

The Art of Stepping®(AOS), is the 1st and only organization in the U.S. to build a nationwide curriculum-based program that teaches stepping based on mathematical formulas. Its goal is to ensure individuals of all ages have access to artistic programs, especially those in underserved communities, that encourage & promote both education and healthy lifestyles. The curriculum is taught in both English and Spanish, in the hopes of bridging the educational gap in inner city and underprivileged communities.

Each year AOS has grown over 50% in its clients and staffers. In 2012, AOS grew to 7 different states offering services to over 1,200+ individuals nationwide. In 2015, AOS has grown into 23 schools and over 15 staffers. In 2010, AOS was the proud recipient of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Award for its mission in aiding the fight against childhood obesity and other related diseases.

NY
Name:
ASPIRE Family Literacy Program

URL:
http://www.ciscentraltexas.org/what-we-do/aspire-family-literacy/

Location:
Austin, TX

Year Established:
1995
Focus Area:
Early Learning, Family Engagement

The ASPIRE (Achieving Success through Parental Involvement, Reading, and Education) Family Literacy Program is the signature dual-generation family literacy program in Austin. ASPIRE serves low-income families with children 0-7 years old, and parents in need of ESL and/or GED classes. Since 1995, ASPIRE has provided adult, early childhood, and parenting education programs to thousands of families with low education levels.

Since 1995, ASPIRE has served more than 1,500 families. ASPIRE operates at full capacity serving around 110 families per year in Southeast Austin. Independent evaluations indicate that ASPIRE's comprehensive family literacy services advance the academic achievement of children and adults while increasing parents' ability and confidence in supporting their children's learning needs at home and in school. ASPIRE helps parents gain or improve employment and teaches parents to nurture their children's intellectual, emotional and physical development. More importantly, school district performance data indicate that ASPIRE children academically outperform their peers even years after having left the program.

TX
Name:
Austin Partners in Education (APIE)

URL:
http://www.austinpartners.org

Location:
Austin, TX

Year Established:
1983
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

Austin Partners in Education (APIE) was created in 1983 as a joint project of the Austin Independent School District (ISD) and the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. Focusing on Austin ISD's Title I schools in under-resourced communities, APIE delivers best-practice, scalable, and results-driven learning models in math, reading, and college readiness to a student population that is 82% Hispanic and low income. APIE's 1,500 volunteers work with students at pivotal junctures in their education, providing a vital extension of academic and social/emotional support to students.

Since 2004, APIE has demonstrated the organizational capacity and the ability to successfully recruit volunteers and obtain funding to establish, sustain, and grow its programs. For example, since their inception in 2006 and 2007 respectively, the 2nd grade reading program has expanded from four elementary schools to 11, and the math program has grown from one middle school to five. At the same time, APIE introduced the College Readiness program. APIE currently serves 26 Austin ISD schools, and in 2014-15, approximately 1,500 APIE-trained volunteers served 3,100 students.

TX
Name:
AVANCE

URL:
http://www.avance.org/

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
1973
Focus Area:
Early Learning, Family Engagement

AVANCE has been strengthening families by combining early childhood development with parent engagement to address the needs of children and their parents. Using a simultaneous and integrated approach, it works to ensure equity and access to parents of children who are migrant, economically disadvantaged, disabled, and who have limited English proficiency and diverse ethnic backgrounds.

AVANCE's Parent-Child curriculum has been nationally recognized as one of the best two-generation parent and childhood education support programs . Children who graduate from the AVANCE PCEP have consistently outperformed their peers in communities where the program has been established long enough to track students entering and matriculating through the public school system. AVANCE graduates in Dallas have a 91% passing rate on the state-mandated reading test and a 71% passing rate for math, compared to a district rate of 69% and state-wide rate of 81% for reading and a district rate of 56% and state- wide rate of 70% for math. In addition, AVANCE children have a 97.7% attendance rate, compared to a district rate of 95.2% and statewide rate of 95.7%.

TX
Name:
AVID

URL:
http://www.avid.org

Location:
San Diego, CA

Year Established:
1980
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access, Postsecondary Completion

AVID was created when the founder recognized the need for underrepresented students to be provided an opportunity to access and achieve equally in higher education. AVID's educational strategies are based on strong, well-vetted, real-world data that show how these, as well as metacognitive skills developed through their implementation in classrooms, ensure academic and professional success in college, career, and life.

AVID serves nearly 500,000 Hispanic students K-16. Hispanic AVID graduates complete college entrance requirements at a rate more than twice that of Hispanic students nationally. The proportion of Latinos taking AP® exams is almost five times higher among AVID students than among U.S. students overall. Hispanic students who enroll in AVID on a continuous basis attempt and complete more advanced or college-level courses and enroll in college at a greater rate than students who discontinued AVID or students with no AVID background. 65% of 2010 Hispanic AVID graduates enrolled in college (47% 4-yr; 18% 2-yr) following their high school graduation compared to 60% of Hispanic graduates nationwide (32% 4-yr;28% 2-yr). 90% of Hispanic AVID students persist into their second year of college; 81% of Hispanic AVID students persist into their third year.

CA
Name:
Barrio Logan College Institute (BLCI)

URL:
http://www.blci.org/

Location:
San Diego, CA

Year Established:
2007
Focus Area:
Early Learning; Postsecondary Completion

Barrio Logan College Institute (BLCI) is a nonprofit working with disadvantaged families to prepare their children for college enrollment and success. With a high density of Latino residents, the median household income is less than $20,000 per year for an average family of four, and only about a third of adults in Barrio Logan have a high school diploma. BLCI's programs all encompass the ABCs of College Success: Academic Support, Behavioral Development, and College Knowledge. The programs run from 3rd grade through college completion.

BLCI currently supports more than 200 students from third grade to college and provides educational workshops for their families. To date, 100% of graduates have enrolled in colleges throughout the nation; 81% have enrolled directly in four-year universities. Since the inception of the College Success Program in 2007, 88% of students who have gone through this program persist in college and are on their way to graduation, compared to only 11% of first generation college students who graduate from college.

CA
Name:
Be a Leader Foundation (BALF)

URL:
http://www.bealeaderfoundation.org

Location:
Phoenix, AZ

Year Established:
2002
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

The Be A Leader Foundation (BALF) provides students and parents with a clearly defined college-going pathway and helps identify the resources required to navigate postsecondary education. Phoenix Union School District's partnership with BALF is directly aligned with the district's mission of "Preparing Every Student for College, Career and Life." For the past 13 years, the organization has focused on providing families with the tools, resources and mentoring needed to pursue higher education.

In 2014, more than 3,200 Latino students and parents participated in Be A Leader Foundation programs in Phoenix, Arizona, approximately 81% of these students being Latino and 83% being first-generation. 89% of participants in Be A Leader Foundation's Senior Boot camp Program in Phoenix, Arizona completed a FAFSA application, 92% took the ACT or SAT, and 91% transitioned to a postsecondary institution. In addition, in the California program 91% of participants completed a FAFSA application, 92% took the ACT or SAT, and 92% went on to postsecondary education.

AZ
Name:
Bilingual Education Program at Texas A&M University

URL:
http://ldn.tamu.edu/

Location:
College Station, TX

Year Established:
1990
Focus Area:
Latino Teacher Recruitment

The Bilingual Education Program at Texas A&M University (TAMU) addresses educational achievement gaps for Hispanic students via active research, grant activities, recruitment of Hispanic/Latino degree-seeking candidates, and professional development of all in-service bilingual teachers across Texas. This Bilingual Education Program ensures that there is a great multiplier effect in which students who graduate go out and impact positively the lives of Hispanic/Latino students and their families.

In the process conducting formal research in different educational settings across public schools in Texas, we have been able to conduct the most sophisticated research using Randomized Trial Controlled. The program is designed to recruit Hispanic/Latino pre-service teachers to become bilingual/bicultural educators. To date, the Bilingual Education Program has helped graduate and certify more than 100 Latino teachers per year.

TX
Name:
South Mountain Community Collge's Bilingual Nursing Fellows Program

URL:
http://www.southmountaincc.edu/healthcare/program/bilingual-nursing-program/

Location:
Phoenix, AZ
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completeion

The South Mountain Community Collge's Bilingual Nursing Fellows Program was developed to increase the number of Registered Nurses who read, write, and speak fluently in both Spanish and English. In addition, this program was created to increase the graduation of professional bilingual nurses and to meet the critical shortage of Spanish-speaking nurses in Arizona. The BNFP is a three-year nursing cohort program and all BNFP students are tracked and monitored twice every semester; they are provided with extensive academic support via tutoring and retention meetings, receive job search skills and assistance with employment opportunities.

The program has graduated over 100 Registered Nurses (RN), over 100 Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), and over 100 Certified Nurse Assistants (CAN). We have 100% LPN NCLEX pass rate, and 95-100% RN NCLEX pass rate. The BNFP program participants are required to complete a Medical Spanish for RNs program that is designed for these students. The program is expanding to offer entrance to cohorts twice per year. To date we have 226 completed Associates in Applied Sciences and currently in progress we have 108 students.

AZ
Name:
Bilingual Undergraduate Studies for Collegiate Advancement (BUSCA)

URL:
http://www.lasalle.edu/busca/

Location:
Philadelphia, PA

Year Established:
1993
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion

The Bilingual Undergraduate Studies for College Advancement (BUSCA) Program at La Salle University was established to provide a college education for Spanish-speakers in the Philadelphia region. It has transitioned into a five-semester associate's degree program designed to help Spanish-dominant students who are not ready for mainstream college classes learn the cognitive and language skills they need to be successful. Finally, the program is evaluated separately during an external program review every five years as well as being part of the University's Middle States accreditation process on a five-year cycle.

Since it's establishment in 1993, 888 students have participated in the BUSCA Program. The program has grown from having 10 students to approximately 60 in each cohort. In addition, more than 50% of BUSCA graduates have successfully completed their studies, and 100 of these students have earned their bachelor's degrees at La Salle.

PA
Name:
Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) Latino Outreach

URL:
http://bluegrass.kctcs.edu/Multiculturalism_and_Inclusion/Latino_Hispanic_Outreach.aspx

Location:
Lexington, KY

Year Established:
2005
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion

Created to meet the educational needs of Kentucky's rapidly growing Latino population, Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) Latino Outreach has worked to increase educational access opportunities for Latino students and to cultivate student success as defined by college completion and placement into meaningful leadership and career development.

Engaging student leaders to create, improve and lead programmatic efforts and services, Latino Outreach directs and facilitates creative, interactive programs designed to increase student/family awareness of college opportunities, cultivate student leadership and self-awareness, and build community and peer to peer mentoring.

KY
Name:
Bright Prospect

URL:
http://www.brightprospect.org/

Location:
Pomona, CA

Year Established:
2002
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; Postsecondary Completion

The Pomona Unified School District serves an 85% Hispanic student population with 81% in poverty. Bright Prospect has been pivotal in creating opportunities for college success by engaging families in summer workshops to acquaint them with college options and financial aid, then moving on to build high school "crews" of 5 to 6 students who are responsible for supporting one another while a trained CREW leader reports to staff on the status of each member.

In 13 years, Bright Prospect has grown from 12 students to 1,952. Since 2009-10, the number of Hispanic graduates with UC/CSU required courses has risen from 29.9% to 33.0%, and the Hispanic graduation rate has soared from 70.1% to 82.6%. 94% of Bright Prospect high school students matriculate to college; 91% of Bright Prospect college students graduate with a Bachelor's degree; 25% of Bright Prospect college graduates continue on to an advanced degree.

CA
Name:
Briya Public Charter School

URL:
http://www.briya.org/

Location:
Washington, DC

Year Established:
1989
Focus Area:
Early Learning; Family Engagement

Starting from the critical years of infancy, Briya combats generational cycles of under-education and poverty through a two-generation model that enriches children with high-quality early childhood education, empowers parents to foster their children's language and literacy skills from birth, and simultaneously equips parents with the critical literacy and job skills needed to obtain employment. The family literacy model includes infant and toddler care, pre-kindergarten, and adult education with wraparound comprehensive health and social services.

Briya PCS consistently meets 100% of targets for both early childhood and adult education. In the 2013 School Performance Report, Briya met 4 of 4 early childhood targets and 5 of 5 adult education targets. In 2014, the Public Charter School Board (PCSB launched a new Performance Management Report. Briya met or exceeded the allowable score range for 100% of early childhood and 100% of adult education measures.

DC
Name:
C.R.E.C.E.R. Program

URL:
http://www.raritanval.edu/oma/index.html

Location:
Branchburg, NJ

Year Established:
1996
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; Postsecondary Completion

By connecting Latino college students with Latino high school students, C.R.E.C.E.R. seeks to educate students about college access and facilitate participation. Since 1996, the Orgullo Latino Club (OLC) promotes college education among Latinos in our two counties—Hunterdon and Somerset Counties in New Jersey. OLC students took charge of the C.R.E.C.E.R. Program and have run with it for 19 years.

Since 1996 roughly 90% of those who attend C.R.E.C.E.R. have either come to Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) or another college. In May 2015 we had eleven (11) former C.R.E.C.E.R. students who were also involved in Orgullo Latino Club. Some are at NJIT, Rutgers Business, Kean University, William Paterson University and Temple University.

NJ
Name:
Cafécollege

URL:
http://www.cafecollege.org

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; Postsecondary Completion

Cafécollege is a one-stop clearinghouse of information, resources, and experts offering free guidance to clients to assist in preparing for, applying to and enrolling in postsecondary studies, and earning a postsecondary credential. The goal of cafécollege is two-fold: increase the attainment of college degrees by San Antonio residents which simultaneously will create a more educated workforce. These goals are accomplished by offering an accessible and centrally-located center, which provides an array of support services to achieve the goal of more San Antonians attaining college degrees.

The presence of Cafécollege, the services by San Antonio Education Partnership at the center, and the center's tagline that "You Can Do College, San Antonio," have significantly increased the capacity of the entire San Antonio community to establish a college-going culture by providing the opportunity to ensure all students have the guidance and mentoring to enroll, persist, and earn a postsecondary credential.

TX
Name:
Camino Nuevo Charter Academy

URL:
http://www.caminonuevo.org/

Location:
Los Angeles, CA

Year Established:
2002
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access

Camino Nuevo Charter Academy was founded by Pueblo Nuevo Development, whose purpose is to create ladders out of poverty for children and families.

Camino Nuevo Charter Academy's first school served 346 students, 95% of whom were Hispanic. Over the past 15 years, the school has achieved excellent academic outcomes for its students, as measured by the State of California's Academic Performance Index (API). Since opening, the Burlington campus has nearly doubled its API, growing from 453 in 2002 to 821 in 2013, far surpassing neighborhood schools that serve similar students from similar backgrounds. U.S. News ranks Camino Nuevo Charter Academy's high school among the top 500 high schools in the country. In the graduating class of 2015, 100% completed the coursework required for admission to the California public university system and 82% were accepted to a four-year university.

CA
Name:
Career and College Clubs

URL:
http://careerandcollegeclubs.org/

Location:
CA; TX; CO; VA; DC

Year Established:
2008
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

Career & College Clubs have conduct outreach to at-risk middle school youth including Hispanic teens, and have an effective student-driven peer-to-peer learning methodology, in which students guide each other through the curriculum of collaborative activities and projects, tapping into the intrinsic drive and motivation of young teens as they explore, develop, and share information about college and career topics with their peers. Career and College Clubs have 91% of participants from racial/ethnic minorities, 71% Hispanic.

Since its inception with only 18 pilot schools, the Career & College Clubs program has been adopted by over 250 schools and has reached more than 50,000 students overall, and thus has evolved and scaled accordingly to best serve the needs and interests of schools nationwide, providing a more comprehensive curriculum content, alignment with CCSS and ASCA standards, customized content mapping, professional development training for site coaches, and a more extensive online Support Center.

CA, TX, CO, VA, DC
Name:
Carlos Rosario School

URL:
http://www.carlosrosario.org/

Location:
Washington, DC

Year Established:
1998
Focus Area:
Adult Education

The Carlos Rosario School began as a grassroots nonprofit to address the lack of education and support system access for the influx of Latin American immigrants in the DC area. The Carlos Rosario School has transformed the lives of more than sixty thousand immigrants, predominantly Latinos, by investing in and supporting their journeys to achieve the American Dream. Their education model combines adult education with life skills programs and support services. English as a Second Language instruction is embedded in life and technology skills, health education, parenting, civics, and workforce training.

First recognized as a national adult education model in 1988, the Carlos Rosario School, in its current incarnation as a DC Public Charter School continues to perform in an exemplary manner on a variety of student performance measures as well as other non-academic metrics.

Thanks to the school's programs, tens of thousands of adult immigrant learners have obtained high school diplomas; become U.S. citizens; gained the English skills necessary to advocate for their children; obtained college degrees and workforce certifications; and entered into careers and climbed career ladders.

DC
Name:
CASA

URL:
http://www.wearecasa.org

Location:
Hyattsville, MD; PA; VA

Year Established:
1985
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access, Family Engagement, Adult Education

CASA was established to serve the growing immigrant—many of Latino descent—community in the DC metropolitan region. In an aging, and growing immigrant community, many members had children, or welcomed children here who needed additional resources to achieve academically. CASA's educational initiatives include, but are not limited to, Learning Together (a robust parent engagement program), Mi Espacio (an afterschool program serving Hispanic high school youth), ESOL (adult education for workforce development and life skills), as well as the opening of two public high schools for English Language Learners in Prince George's County, Maryland.

CASA's evaluation efforts for Learning Together are a multifaceted approach which encompasses program evaluation, implementation evaluation and statistical analyses. During the 2014-2015 school year, of the teachers that completed both the pre- and post-test, over 70% showed an increase in their communication with parents, knowledge of their students' background and seeing parents as partners in educating their students. Many of the teachers involved in the TPC Institute used their experience to create systemic change at their elementary schools.

PA; MD; VA
Name:
CentroNía

URL:
http://www.centronia.org

Location:
Washington, DC; Takoma Park, MD

Year Established:
1986
Focus Area:
Early Learning; Family Engagement

CentroNía offers programs addressing the various needs of the Latino immigrant community in the Colombia Heights area, from early learning for children birth to five, before and after care for school-aged children, and support services for families and community members through financial and professional development. CentroNía's flagship program, early childhood education, fosters lifelong learning for children 0-5 years old in an environment that embraces multiculturalism and fosters language development in both English and Spanish. Because families are integral to the success of children, CentroNía also provides comprehensive support services to parents and also offers many opportunities for parents to learn alongside their children.

DC; MD
Name:
Changing Suburbs Institute (CSI)

URL:
http://www.mville.edu/academics/school-education/changing-suburbs-institute%C2%AE

Location:
Purchase, NY

Year Established:
2005
Focus Area:
Family Engagement

The Changing Suburbs Institute® (CSI) was established in response to needs created by shifting demographics in the surrounding suburban school districts, and the achievement gap for Hispanic students. CSI has a four-pronged approach to achieving its goal: 1) CSI hosts speakers throughout the year and an annual conference 2) Through its Hispanic Parents Leadership Institute, CSI provides information for Hispanic parents on how to be strong advocates for their children's education 3) CSI partners with seven local school districts in thirteen different professional development schools to prepare teacher candidates, and 4) CSI is in the process of developing an online clearinghouse, which will provide access to research, presentations and other information pertaining to educational topics in the changing suburbs with specific focus on English language learners.

On average, 150 teachers and administrators have attended our annual educational forum for the past 10 years; following our most recent forum, 100% of those who completed surveys (about 48% of participants) said they would attend another forum, and 94% said they found the workshop information useful to them in their practice. The parent conferences are attended by an average of 150-200 persons.

NY
Name:
Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project (CLYLP)

URL:
http://www.clylp.org

Location:
Sacramento, CA

Year Established:
1982
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access

The Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project (CLYLP)—a non-profit, non-partisan organization—was organized with the primary purpose of preparing students to become leaders within the state and nation's social, economic, and political spheres. Emphasizing the importance of culture, community, college, and careers, CLYLP opens doors to greater academic achievement, career growth, and leadership opportunities through several programs. CLYLP is guided by the overall theme, "California's Future Leaders."

CLYLP conducts pre- and post-conference/institute surveys in order to assess the effectiveness of CLYLP Programs. In the pre-conference/institute survey, students are asked demographic information, including their ethnic background, socio-economic status, and parents' level of educational attainment. CLYLP also assesses participants' knowledge of the political process and Latino/a culture. In the post-conference/institute survey, participants are once again asked about the aforementioned topics as well as their confidence in attending college, volunteering, participating in civic and community engagement, and recognizing their own leadership abilities. The surveys measure quantitative and qualitative data, which provides CLYLP with invaluable feedback and insight regarding the impact of its programming.

CA
Name:
CHISPA

URL:
http://chispanet.org

Location:
Miami, FL

Year Established:
2013

Partners:
Frost Museum of Science;
NCLR;
ASPIRA
Focus Area:
STEM; Family Engagement

CHISPA is a national collaboration to build stronger communities and increase the engagement of Hispanic children in grades K-5 and their families with local science resources. The STEM component of CHISPA is aimed at increasing afterschool science engagement, and participating community-based organizations are using the Afterschool Program Exploring Science (APEX) curriculum in English and Spanish. Family engagement is another key component of CHISPA; the aim of the Padres Comprometidos con CHISPA workshop series is to support parents and increase their capacity to be active partners in their children's education, make connections with their children around science, and increase their appreciation of afterschool programs and their local science museums as an academic support network.

The project sites have just completed the first, and formative, year of implementation. Outputs from the first year of implementation indicate that over 1,000 students participated in the afterschool CHISPA program in either Spanish or English, and over 2,000 family members participated in Family Science Days at their local CHISPA science museum partner.

FL
Name:
CienciaPR

URL:
http://www.cienciapr.org/en

Location:
San Juan, PR

Year Established:
2006
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; STEM

CienciaPR has succeeded in establishing a bilingual community that connects Hispanic STEM professionals across the world with students and educators, allowing them to make science accessible and relevant to traditionally underserved populations. Through initiatives focused on outreach, science education, and professional development, CienciaPR has increased the Hispanic community's access to culturally relevant role models, educational resources, and career advice and opportunities in STEM fields.

CienciaPR has produced 538 scientist-written articles, tailored for Hispanic populations. Since 2012, CienciaPR has offered nine workshops to 393 teachers from over 60 schools in 23 Puerto Rican municipalities, demonstrating how to use CienciaPR-produced science education resources to complement science instruction in a culturally relevant and contextual way.

PR
Name:
Citizen Schools

URL:
http://www.citizenschools.org/

Location:
Boston, MA; National

Year Established:
1995
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access

Citizen Schools is a national nonprofit organization that partners with public schools to expand the learning day for middle school students in low-income communities. By focusing on middle school, Citizen Schools capitalizes on this critical developmental period and inflection point, effectively setting students' sights on high school graduation and college matriculation, while building the 21st century skills, beliefs, and networks they will need to reach those goals. Citizen Schools mobilizes a team of AmeriCorps Teaching Fellows and roughly 4,000 volunteer professionals each year from businesses, universities, and nonprofits to teach real-world learning projects that connect middle school to college and careers, as well as provide academic support in order to help all students discover and achieve their dreams.

Citizen Schools is currently serving approximately 5,000 students, 85% of whom are from low-income families, 95% of whom are from communities of color, and 52% of whom are Hispanic. Since the organization's inception, Citizen Schools has developed a strong track record of results through a series of rigorous independent evaluations that have reported that Citizen Schools' students significantly outperform their peers on leading indicators of educational success and advancement, including attendance, grades, and on-time graduation from high school. Internal evaluations have also shown that Citizen Schools' alumni outperform their peers in college enrollment and persistence.

National
Name:
Code the Town

URL:
http://www.codethetown.com/

Location:
Mission, TX

Year Established:
2014
Focus Area:
STEM

Code the Town is Mission Economic Development Corporation's (EDC) approach to addressing STEM Education in a community along the US/Mexico Border. Recognizing the need for educational and workforce development opportunities in the Texas Rio Grande Valley region, the Mission EDC, with the support of their partners, created a public-private partnership to promote STEM skills called Code the Town. The Mission EDC decided to focus on coding skills specifically because of the role that it plays in our daily life. Coding is the basis for many technologies interwoven with our modern world.

TX
Name:
College Forward

URL:
http://www.collegeforward.org

Location:
Austin, TX

Year Established:
2003
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access; Postsecondary Completion

Founded in 2003 in Austin, Texas, College Forward is a college completion program that begins in high school with a single purpose: to increase the number of Hispanic, low-income, and underserved students who obtain higher education degrees and credentials. From a long experience serving Hispanic students, College Forward has developed specialized strategies for supporting the postsecondary ambitions of native-born, immigrant, and undocumented students.

College Forward is a college access and completion program: 99% of College Forward's students apply to and are accepted to higher education, 90% matriculate within one year of high school graduation, and 41% of College Forward students complete postsecondary education, five times the rate of their demographically similar peers.

TX
Name:
CollegeSpring

URL:
http://collegespring.org/

Location:
San Francisco, CA; New York, NY

Year Established:
2008
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access

CollegeSpring was created to narrow the college entrance exam achievement gap between low-income students and their higher income peers so that all students have the opportunity to pursue and complete four-year college degrees. Through classroom instruction and near-peer tutoring and mentoring, CollegeSpring's programs help students improve their SAT scores and expand their college options; students also gain the college knowledge and motivation they need to take advantage of those options and matriculate at well-matched colleges where they will have the support they need to persist and graduate. CollegeSpring's SAT and college preparation curriculum is designed to address the unique academic and college admissions needs of these students.

In the most recently completed fiscal year, 80% of the students CollegeSpring served were Hispanic; of those students, 14% were DREAMers, 49% were English Language Learners, 26% did not have parents who read English, and 78% will be the first in their families to graduate from college. Compared to their peers, CollegeSpring students are more likely to be admitted to four-year colleges and universities, to enroll at four-year schools, and to choose colleges that are a strong academic match; all these factors increase the likelihood that students will persist and graduate.

CA; NY
Name:
College Tracks

URL:
http://www.collegetracksusa.org

Location:
MD

Year Established:
2003
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; Postsecondary Completion; Family Engagement

College Tracks was founded by three Montgomery County parents troubled that low-income—primarily minority or immigrant—students were less likely than their more affluent peers to go to college. College Tracks provides a "whole-family" education about college admission, financial aid and ongoing support throughout the college years.

In the past six years, College Tracks has worked with 881 Hispanic students, 40% of the total students served. 95% of participants were admitted to at least one college or technical school.

MD
Name:
Comadre and Compadre Program (CCP)

URL:


Location:
IL

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion

Parkland College's Comadre y Compadre Program (CCP) was created by the Parkland Academy Team to address the extremely low persistence rate among Latino students at Parkland College. CCP works to create and cultivate a network of support that helps bridge the gap between the Latina/o community and the Parkland campus. The program uses individualized peer-to-peer exchange between returning and first-term Latino students. In addition, participants also engage in community outreach efforts throughout Central Illinois to inform and recruit prospective Latino students.

Before CCP, the retention rate of Latinos at Parkland College was consistently around 35%. In the most recent year, of CCP, the retention rate for Latino participants was 86.4%. In addition, participants of CCP increased their academic performance by 2.4% for mentees and 12.8% for mentors.

IL
Name:
Committee for Hispanic Children and Families (CHCF)

URL:
http://www.chcfinc.org

Location:
New York, NY

Year Established:
1982
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 & College Access

Equitable access to education from birth through adulthood is the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families's (CHCF) priority. Early care and education programs focus on ways to improve outcomes for their youngest children through: bilingual professional development training for family child care providers on topics including health and safety, nutrition, medication administration, infant and toddler care, early childhood development, and more. Youth development programs include initiatives designed to support the achievement of young people in K-12 public schools; extended learning opportunities that align STEM and arts enhancements with the regular school day, social and emotional supports for youth to prevent drop-out and increase student engagement, and more.

In 2014 CHCF's Early Care and Education Institute served 5,171 children, parents and providers in gaining access to information and/or trainings on high-quality child care programs that help meet their needs. CHCF connected with more than 1,200 providers so far this year, with approximately 150 of these providers receiving 2 or more hours of individualized intensive technical assistance. Beyond this series of visits, CHCF may also meet with providers around financial management needs and using the curriculum CHCF developed to address the unique concerns of each provider.

NY
Name:
Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI)

URL:
http://cahsi.org

Location:
El Paso, TX

Year Established:
2004
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completeion

Seven HSIs established the Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) with the key purpose to combine resources to address the underrepresentation of Hispanics in computing. CAHSI defined three overarching strategies to address the challenges: promote dialogue to create a broader community that can impact change; endorse a social science network that promotes information dissemination and social science research focused on understanding issues and interventions related to underrepresentation of Hispanics in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); and deploy field-tested initiatives that support students at critical stages in the academic pipeline--the transition from high school to college, from college to graduate school, and from graduate school to the professoriate.

CAHSI has contributed to the number of Hispanic computing PhDs in the US. In 2013, the most recent year that data are available, 14 doctorates were awarded in Computer Science (CS) to Hispanics, and CAHSI produced 3 of those graduates. In other words, CAHSI produced nearly 25% of the nation's Hispanic doctorates in CS in 2013 (U.S.) mainland schools. In the 2013-14 academic year, CAHSI provided: 24,840 hours of introductory computing content to 552 students, nearly 2/3 were Hispanic or other underrepresented minority students; 49,335 hours of undergraduate-led supplemental instruction through PLTL to 1,905 students, more than 2/3 were Hispanic or other underrepresented minorities; 11,475 hours of coursework using the Affinity Research Group model to 255 students; 80% were Hispanic or other underrepresented minorities.

TX
Name:
Conexión Américas

URL:
http://www.conexionamericas.org/

Location:
Nashville, TN

Year Established:
2002
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; Postsecondary Completion

Conexión Américas was founded in response to changing demographics and the growing number of Hispanics in Middle Tennessee. We promote the social, economic and civic integration of 6,000 Hispanic families each year, and are widely recognized as the leading Hispanic organization in the region, if not the entire state. Our pipeline of educational programs and wraparound services serves Hispanic students and their families from Pre-K through College.

By working in collaboration with Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools and by providing wraparound services in conjunction with other community partners, Conexión Américas helps Hispanic parents become advocates for their children.

TN
Name:
Council of the Great City Schools

URL:
http://www.cgcs.org

Location:
Washington,DC

Year Established:
1956
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 & College Access

The Council of the Great City Schools was founded to help improve the quality of education in inner cities and remains uniquely dedicated to enhancing achievement and narrowing gaps among Hispanic students, African American students, poor students, and English learners. The organization does this through direct technical assistance to its members, the development of model instructional programs, training on college and career readiness among Hispanic students, research on program effectiveness, incentivizing the production of high-quality instructional materials for ELLs, advocacy for high standards, meetings on best practices, and other strategies.

The academic attainment of Hispanic students in large cities—a variable that almost entirely overlaps with the membership of the Council—has improved significantly on the National Assessment of Educational Progress between 2003 and 2013. For instance, fourth grade reading scores for Hispanic students in large city public schools improved from a scale score of 197.4 in 2003 to 204.4 in 2013. Eighth grade reading scores improved from 240.7 to 252.5 over the same period. In math, Hispanic fourth grade students in large city public schools improved from 219.2 to 229.2 between 2003 and 2013, and eighth graders improved from 255.6 to 269.4 over the same ten year period. In all cases, the improvements in reading and math among Hispanic students in large city public schools on NAEP were significantly greater than the gains of students nationwide.

DC
Name:
Computer Science and Information Technology -CSIT-In-3

URL:
http://www.hartnell.edu/

Location:
Salinas, CA

Year Established:
1920
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion; STEM

Hartnell College, in partnership with California State University has developed and implemented an innovative three-year Bachelor of Science degree program in Computer Science and Information Technology (CSIT) called CSIT-In-3. The program represents a new model for bachelor's degree completion centered on community college/university partnership, student cohort learning communities, and clearly defined, accelerated course pathways as mechanisms for improving enrollment, retention, academic success support, transfer, graduation and placement post-graduation for disadvantaged and underrepresented students in the high demand field of computer science.

The first cohort was 86% Latino; the second was 94% Latino. Disaggregated by the traditional assessment characteristics; 100% of students are low income, per federal definition.

CA
Name:
Culinary Academy of Las Vegas

URL:
http://www.theculinaryacademy.org/

Location:
North Las Vegas, NV

Year Established:
1993
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; Postsecondary Completion

The Culinary Academy was created under a trust by various Las Vegas Strip properties, Culinary Union Local 226, and Bartenders Union Local 165, according to a collective bargaining agreement, to provide hospitality training to new entrants and incumbent workers at partner employers. Besides 12 vocational classes, they provide customer service training, employability class, safety and sanitation training, and vocational English class for speakers of other languages. The Academy is certified by the Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education, and employer partners consider a certificate of completion equivalent to a year of experience. Flexible scheduling, experienced instructors, an emphasis on practical training, and small class size ensure that students master the necessary skills for employment. In addition, our graduates receive assistance in completing online job applications and referrals to job fairs and interviews. As a labor-management trust, the Culinary Academy has valuable partnerships with 28 premiere properties on the Las Vegas Strip, enabling us to connect graduates with excellent jobs that offer hourly starting rates.

We have trained more than 40,000 people for hospitality careers, placed more than 22,000 people in jobs, and accepted more than 75 outstanding graduates into our internship program. Diversity, one of our core values, lies at the heart of the Academy and the community we serve. In 2014, 53 percent of our graduates were Hispanic. The overall graduation rate for new entrants was 87 percent. About half of our new entrant students each year are immigrants from all over the world, including Cuba, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Ethiopia, China, and Eritrea. When asked to rate their experience with Student Services, 92 percent chose "excellent" or "satisfactory." A similar percentage indicated that they felt well-prepared to get a job in the classification for which they trained. Our training leads to improved retention.

NV
Name:
Dominican University

URL:
https://www.dom.edu

Location:
River Forest, IL

Year Established:
1901
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion

Dominican University has had great success over the past decade in narrowing the graduation gap between Hispanic and white students. Dominican's Hispanic student population has grown significantly, from 18.9 percent of the total student enrollment in 2010 to 32.4 percent in 2014. Last fall, 58 percent of our incoming freshman class was Hispanic. Dominican's efforts have been accomplished through a comprehensive, institution-wide commitment to ensuring that all of our students, regardless of income, ethnic identity or citizenship status, are successful. However, a particular effort has been extended toward creating a campus climate that is welcoming, inclusive and responsive to our growing Hispanic student population.

The five-year average college completion rate of our Hispanic students has ranged between 62 and 69 percent, compared with a national average, of 41 percent. In addition, the university received in 2011 a three-year $220,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to address shortages of Hispanic registered dietitians in the workforce. The Pathway to Undergraduate Education for Nutrition, Training, Experience and Success (PUENTES) was designed with an emphasis on improving school nutrition and combatting childhood obesity. Local high school, community college and college Hispanic students were recruited and mentored during the program, with a goal of preparing them for dietetic internships and the registered dietitian (RD) exam. The program exceeded its enrollment goal by 100 percent (enrolling 60 students) and just missed its completion goal of 20 students. By the end of the funding period, 16 students had completed the program and took the registered dietitian exam; however, eight more students were in the process of completing the dietetic internship and were eligible to take the exam the same academic year.

IL
Name:
Douglas Taylor Elementary School

URL:
http://taylor.cps.edu/

Location:
Chicago, IL

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
STEM

Douglas Taylor Elementary School's mission is to provide students with experiences that will broaden their ambitions and encourage them to pursue engineering opportunities in high school that can prepare them for the study of engineering into college. The program builds experience that they can use to their advantage for high school acceptance.

Since beginning the program, they recorded a 19% increase on student 2013-14 ISAT scores. The number of students that are being accepted into International Baccalaureate, selective enrollment schools are also on the increase. Some students have been accepted to the Chicago High School of Agricultural Science to pursue their interest of life science, while others have been accepted into selective enrollment and International Baccalaureate schools which offer strong science curriculums. The partnerships continue to grow based on the effectiveness of those already in place.

IL
Name:
Dream Project Inc.

URL:
http://www.dreamproject-va.org/

Location:
Arlington, VA

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access; Postsecondary Completion

The Dream Project's creation was spearheaded to address the needs of undocumented students striving for higher education, yet unable to qualify for federal aid, scholarships and other financial assistance. In addition to raising the money to fund scholarships, the all-volunteer Board of Directors has created a formalized mentoring program, developed family engagement activities, and has been active in advocacy. Dream Project scholarships are open to students in Virginia whose immigration status has created barriers to higher education and are renewable for up to six years, a reflection of the Dream Project's commitment not only to helping students access college but to complete a degree. The organization has also established an emergency loan fund to offer further assistance to scholars as needed.

In five years, the organization has grown from giving four scholarships in 2011 to awarding 71 scholarships, consisting of 30 new scholarships and 41 renewals, this year. Two of the first Dream Project scholars graduated from college this past spring; one from Bucknell and the other from Texas Adventist, and 93% of our scholars remain enrolled in college. For each of the past three years, 18-20 high school seniors have benefitted from the Dream Project mentoring.

VA
Name:
Dual Enrollment Program

URL:
http://www.dadeschools.net

Location:
Miami, FL

Year Established:
1987
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

In Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), Dual Enrollment is provided through Miami-Dade College (MDC), University of Florida (UF), St. Thomas University, and Florida International University (FIU). Students who qualify may enroll in a college course, and the tuition and textbook cost is waived for the student. Most students take courses after regular school hours, in addition to the courses they are enrolled in at their high school. Upon completion of the course, the credit earned can be used towards fulfillment of a high school graduation requirement, and can also be used as college credit.

The efforts made by Miami-Dade County Public Schools to enhance the Dual Enrollment program are evidenced in increased student participation and academic performance. In 2014-2015, 8,010 M-DCPS students participated in Dual Enrollment. This is an increase of 442% over the past 5 years from 1,476 in 2009-2010. Dual Enrollment students are 68% Hispanic, 21% African American, 9% White, and 2% Other (Asian, Indian, and Multi-Racial). This almost perfectly mirrors our district's high school diversity of 68% Hispanic, 23% African American, 8% White, and 2% Other. 65% of Dual Enrollment students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, an indicator of low SES. In M-DCPS, 71% of high school students are eligible for free/reduced lunch. Through Dual Enrollment, M-DCPS students also have the opportunity to obtain industry certification credentials recognized not only in the United States but throughout the world. The return on investment to parents can be a cost savings of up to $4,739 based on cost of average tuition and fees.

FL
Name:
E3 Alliance

URL:
http://e3alliance.org/

Location:
Austin, TX

Year Established:
2006
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

The ELL Rubric for Highly Functioning Campuses is a game-changer for Central Texas, designed to be a campus-based toolkit to assess areas of strength and challenges across all school conditions that can promote or inhibit effective teaching and learning for English Language Learners. The Rubric was developed by the Central Texas ELL Collaborative, led by E3 Alliance, based on national best practices research and a groundbreaking local study of features of "bright spots" schools in our region that were providing strong academic growth for their ELL students. The toolkit is curriculum agnostic and provides a rubric (a standard of performance for a defined population) to assess a school's effectiveness. The ELL Rubric is evidence-based and has broad application from elementary, middle and high schools to universities, who are now using it in their educator preparation programs at the college level, thus spanning from cradle to college, providing a strong foundation for career and beyond.

In the first year of the pilot, they served 4,200 English Language Learners in 16 schools (elementary through high school) in seven school districts. The pilot is moving into its second year, with a new cohort of schools in high-need districts. The toolkit—which will be used in 26 schools throughout Central Texas as of the fall of 2025—also includes strategies and recommended supports to improve practice across all these domains.

TX
Name:
Easter Seals Rio Grande Valley

URL:
http://www.easterseals.com/rgv/

Location:
McAllen, TX

Year Established:
1934
Focus Area:
Early Learning; Family Engagement

Easter Seals Rio Grande Valley (RGV)'s programs provide family resource and early childhood intervention services, childcare, individual and family counseling, and employment/workforce assistance, all of which contribute to academic and professional success and positive life outcomes.

Easter Seals Rio Grande Valley is currently serving over 1,500 families through its various early education programs, and more than 91% of families served are Hispanic. The community at large faces border violence and illegal drug and human trafficking. Fatherhood engagement has been a primary focus this past year and the agency has seen an increase from 7% to 17% of father participation in Parents as Teachers (PAT) home visits. Easter Seals RGV's Parents as Teachers program has more than doubled since September 2014 and is now a recipient of federal, state and private funding. The program now provides evidence-based PAT services to 604 families in four counties throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

TX
Name:
Edu-Futuro

URL:
http://www.edu-futuro.org/

Location:
Arlington, VA

Year Established:
1998
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access; Family Engagement

Edu-Futuro was founded by Latino parent leaders in response to the unique needs for academic enrichment and leadership development services for low-income Latino youth and families. Edu-Futuro's programs include the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), a leadership development and college prep initiative for youth, and the Parent Leadership Initiative, an after-school program that builds parents' understanding of the US school system and their leadership skills to ensure they know how to best support their children's academic success and are empowered to be an advocate for their children's education.

Edu-Futuro's programs are research-based and have been designed by education and family engagement experts. To evaluate the efficacy of ELP, Edu-Futuro focuses on indicators that lead to improved student achievement and college enrollment. Evaluation from 2014-15 shows that ELP has achieved the following measurable results: 96% of youth in ELP I exhibited the needed confidence to be a role model for their peers at the end of the program, compared to 27% who agreed they could make a difference before ELP; 93% of youth in ELP I strongly agreed that they connected to at least one adult who is invested in their success. Before ELP, only 58% of youth knew an adult invested in their success; 100% of high school seniors in ELP II have been accepted into college.

VA
Name:
El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services

URL:
http://elbuenpastorlcs.org

Location:
Winston-Salem, NC

Year Established:
2006
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 & College Access

El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services (LCS), a placed-based initiative in the Old Town, provides comprehensive programming for Hispanic families to break the cycle of poverty by the second generation. LCS has employed two-generation solutions to shrink the achievement gap that exists between low-income Hispanic students and their peers by providing services for families to equip themselves to fulfill their educational and economic potential. Programs include family literacy activities that create a culture of reading for pleasure, parent-child education that makes "home the first classroom", bilingual preschool classes that prepare children for kindergarten, after school tutoring programs, and others.

At least 75% of participating kindergarten through third grade students demonstrated improvement on their Text Reading and Comprehension (TRC) level, 73% of the students in fourth and fifth grade showed improvement in fluency and 54% improved in retell. Of the students for whom there is final data, DIBELS TRC improved for 100% of kindergarten, first and third grade students, and for 75% of second graders. On average, kindergarteners gained over 3 reading levels, first graders gained over 6, second graders gained 2.4, and third graders gained 5.3 from the beginning of year to end of the year assessments. Also for school year 2014-15, all participating middle school and high school students met criteria for grade promotion. The six twelfth graders who had maintained participation in LCS programs throughout high school graduated with their four-year cohort.

NC
Name:
El Centro STEM Student Success Center

URL:
http://www.elcentrocollege.edu/programs/stem

Location:
Dallas, TX

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; STEM; Postsecondary Completion

The STEM Student Success Center provides services such as academic planning, transfer assistance, study areas, computer access, career development and planning, and internship opportunities to achieve our goals of promoting success of our students in transferring to four-year universities and into the workforce. El Centro is a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution, and while the STEM Center serves STEM students of all demographics, they have a special focus of addressing the education achievement gap for Hispanic students by encouraging pursuit of STEM degrees as well as promoting college retention and transfer assistance.

The STEM Center evaluates its effectiveness by evaluating the number of students we serve through the resources we provide. The Center aims to steadily increase the population served in these areas each year, and not only to meet the projected numbers, but to surpass them.

TX
Name:
El Monte Promise Foundation

URL:
http://www.promisenow.org

Location:
El Monte, CA

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; Postsecondary Completion

El Monte Promise Foundation is the convening organization for the collective impact effort in the El Monte Region. El Monte Promise Foundation is focused on making population-level change by institutionalizing and strengthening partnerships between local government, multiple school districts, colleges, businesses and families in El Monte and surrounding communities. El Monte Promise Foundation also offers evening financial education training for parents.

The impact of their work with the El Monte Pledge students at Rio Hondo College can already be seen. Increasing College Access: Rio Hondo College enrollment of El Monte graduates increased to 602 students for Fall 2012, an increase from 309 students from Fall 2010. Increasing College Persistence and Retention: Unit attainment: 12.8 % of the El Monte Pledge 2011 Cohort has completed 60+units compared to 1.6% of all 1st time students from the same cohort year. 40.2% of the El Monte Pledge 2011 Cohort has completed 30-59 units compared to 12.9% of all 1st time students from the same cohort year. Cumulative GPA for transfer level units: El Monte Pledge 2011 Cohort transfer level GPA is 2.68 compared to 2.31 for all first time students from the same cohort year.

CA
Name:
El Valor

URL:
https://www.elvalor.org/

Location:
Chicago, IL

Year Established:
1993
Focus Area:
Early Learning; Family Engagement

El Valor provides innovative programming to impoverished and underserved families in areas nationally designed in greatest need. Most importantly, El Valor's Early Childhod Development, Parent Engagement and University programs involve parents as their child's first teacher and uses the two-generation approach where the family is the context for their children's learning. El Valor offers these families a cradle-to-career continuum of services that meets the needs of children through supporting the entire family.

El Valor's programs have served countless individuals, families, and the Hispanic community at large.

IL
Name:
Elev8

URL:
http://www.elev8kids.org/local-initiatives/content/chicago

Location:
Chicago, IL

Year Established:
2007
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; Family Engagement

Elev8 is a way to tackle the many hurdles faced by Hispanic students in low-income families, while fully integrating a wide range of services into the daily life of local schools. Elev8 turns schools into community hubs, engages families in their children's education and builds stronger communities equipped to advocate for themselves. Elev8 Chicago is focused on program quality, family and student leadership and meeting the unique needs of the children and youth we serve.

Elev8 evaluates its success based on the Results Framework, a comprehensive measurement tool that looks at 19 indicators across 3 populations: students, schools and families and communities. The Framework provides useful information about Elev8 sites' performance over time. Among the highlights from the 2013—2014 school year: Students Succeed Academically: 81% of Elev8 participants have a GPA of a C or above. Students are Healthy: 82% of Elev8 students have had a health screening and dental care. Students have Bright Futures: 88% of Elev8 students have a positive relationship with peers. Elev8 Prepares Students Academically: 93% of 8th grade Elev8 students plan to attend a high quality high school. Elev8 Families & Communities Support Education: 78% of Elev8 students' families were regularly engaged in school activities.

IL
Name:
Encuentros Leaderhip

URL:
http://www.encuentrosleadership.org/

Location:
San Marcos, CA

Year Established:
1994
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; STEM; Latino Boys and Young Men

Encuentros Leadership is a local nonprofit organization incorporated in response to the disproportionate dropout rate of Latino males in San Diego County. Encuentros Leadership mission is to encourage and support Latino boys to achieve optimal performance in education. Encuentros Leadership prepares highly interactive programs to improve educational outcomes for low-achieving Latino male students, with specific focus in the area of STEM. They strive to address the critical educational, social and economic issues impacting the quality of education and life opportunities for Latino students within our community.

Encuentros Leadership programs and practices have yielded promising results to date. In fact, Latino students can achieve at significantly higher levels comparable to non-Hispanic white students if exposed to culturally relevant curriculum that associates heritage culture identity with improved school performance. Over the past 4 years, they have produced promising results. The program has boosted Grade Point Averages (GPAs) for Latino middle school students who participated in pilot Encuentros classes in the Vista Unified School District.

CA
Name:
Esperanza Inc.

URL:
http://www.esperanzainc.org

Location:
Cleveland, OH

Year Established:
1983
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

Esperanza, Inc. was founded in order to address educational gaps and inequities experienced by Cleveland's growing Hispanic community. Priority at the time was given to increasing the number of students attending post-secondary education through college scholarships. In 2010 the high school graduation rate for Cleveland's Hispanic youth reached an all-time, and embarrassing, low of 30%. Esperanza decided to focus its resources on the high school graduation rate and implemented evidence-based and targeted programming, such as mentoring, standardized test preparation and tutoring, family engagement and youth leadership.

Esperanza currently serves approximately 1,000 students, grades 6th through 12th. Additionally, we serve approximately 250 parents and award over 100 college scholarships annually. Over the last 4 years, Esperanza has tripled its revenues and clients served, doubled its staff and programmatic space, and, most importantly, doubled the Hispanic graduation rate in Cleveland from 30% to 61%! Additionally, Esperanza grew its scholarship support and awarded a record 103 college scholarships to Hispanic students in 2014; they have awarded over $1,000,000 in scholarships since 1983.

OH
Name:
Extended Window Transitional Kindergarten Program

URL:
http://www.alvord.k12.ca.us/LakeHills/

Location:
Riverside, CA

Year Established:
2013
Focus Area:
Early Learning

The Extended Window Transitional Kindergarten Program at Lake Hills Elementary School was created to provide underserved students including Hispanic students the opportunity to receive high quality instruction that meets the goal of improving their academic, developmental, and social needs in a transitional kindergarten classroom. This program is designed for the youngest students who do not qualify for kindergarten or transitional kindergarten admittance because their birthdays fall outside of the enrollment window.

Each of the students in the program are administered the Preschool Early Literacy Indicator (PELI) assessment to monitor growth and academic progress throughout the school year. The students who have attended the Extended Window Transitional Kindergarten Program at Lake Hills Elementary have demonstrated mastery in academic standards and thrived during and after the program.

CA
Name:
Families in Schools (FIS)

URL:
http://www.familiesinschools.org

Location:
Los Angeles, CA

Year Established:
2000
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 & College Access; Family Engagement

Families In Schools (FIS) was created with the strong conviction that parent engagement is a key strategy for student success. FIS has focused its efforts and resources on low-income, Latino and communities of color, because for these students, access to quality education continues to be the gateway to the American dream. FIS has been a leader in advocating for authentic parent and family engagement practices in schools for more than 15 years. FIS has been an influential leader in California, specifically in the development of practical tools for schools on how to engage families, as well as an advocate for elevating parent engagement as a state-wide school improvement strategy.

FIS's flagship program, Read With Me/Lea Conmigo demonstrated evidence that participating parents increased reading time with their children by 20 minutes per day. Similarly, our most robust secondary program, College Knowledge Academy—College Smarts, showed that parents who participated had a pre to post 55% increase in their understanding of A-G graduation requirements and financial aid options available to their children. In addition, evaluation of our Transitions to Middle School parent curriculum showed that parents increased their knowledge of graduation requirements from 12% to 86%, as well as the percentage of parents that knew about the FAFSA (15% to 83%).

CA
Name:
Families Involved in Education: Sociocultural Teaching and STEM (FIESTAS)

URL:
http://education.oregonstate.edu/book/fiestas-families-involved-education-sociocultural-teaching-and-stem

Location:
Corvallis, OR

Year Established:
NA
Focus Area:
STEM

Families Involved in Education: Sociocultural Teaching and STEM (FIESTAS) is a collaboration between Oregon State University´s 4-H Youth Development program, the College of Education, local business, the local school district and the Boys and Girls Club of Corvallis. The purposes of this model are (1) the exposure and recruitment of Latino Youth in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related programs (2) the engagement of pre-service teachers (PST) or student teachers in culturally and linguistically diverse settings (3) the engagement of Latino families in culturally relevant STEM related programming.

After school 4-H STEM Clubs have been at the core of the FIESTAS programing and the primary target audience is Latino youth in grades 3-5. Focusing on the question, "What do scientists do?" The FIESTAS model engages an average of 62 pre-service teachers (Oregon State University students with STEM interests) who are actively involved in planning and delivering six after school sessions. The students are mentored through the FIESTAS model where they count on faculty and peers to debrief their experiences.

OR
Name:
Ford Driving Dreams

URL:
https://www.fordblueovalnetwork.org/drivingdreams

Location:
Dearborn, MI

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

Ford's ongoing commitment is to provide access to resources and award scholarships to help Hispanic students achieve academic success through its signature program, Ford Driving Dreams, which includes a motivational tour and dropout prevention grants to help students graduate on time from high schol. Ford Motor Company Fund, the Philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, launched the Ford Driving Dreams Tour in 2012 and Ford Driving Dream through Education grants in 2010. Combined, they have reached 30,000 students and expect to reach an additional 5,000 students during the 2015-2016 school year.

Since the launch of the grants and tour, they have invested $3 million in communities around the country. Through the Ford Driving Dreams through Education grants in 2015, in partnership with LULAC, Ford Fund invested $180,000 in education programs to boost graduation success among Hispanics. Since the partnership launch in 2010, 52 grant recipients have worked to keep more than 1,200 students on the road to on-time high school graduation.

MI
Name:
Fowler Head Start Program

URL:
http://www.fesd.org/

Location:
Phoenix, AZ

Year Established:
2015
Focus Area:
Early Learning

The Fowler Head Start Program provides unique opportunities where preschoolers benefit from individualized educational opportunities. Head Start is inclusive of the family; parents are consistently invited to participate in the educational process in whatever manner they feel most comfortable. Children become proficient at building community and enhancing their social skills through daily social interactions and exposure to the arts, music and visual.

Former Head Start students passed AIMS in Reading and Math at a rate of 6.6 percentage points higher than the average of the non-Head Start students during AIMS from years FY2010 through FY2014. Head Start students passed FY2010 through FY2014 AIMS Reading by 5.7 percentage points more than non-Head Start students. (Head Start students = 74.6% average passing; Non-Head Start students = 68.9%); Head Start students passed FY2010 through FY2014 AIMS Math by 7.5 percentage points more than non-Head Start students. (Head Start students = 67.0% average passing; Non-Head Start students = 59.5%); Head Start students passed FY2010 through FY2014 AIMS, combined Reading & Math by 6.6 percentage points more than non-Head Start students. (Head Start students = 70.8% average passing; Non-Head Start students = 64.2%).

AZ
Name:
Future Leaders of America (FLA)

URL:
http://www.futureleadersnow.org

Location:
Oxnard, CA

Year Established:
1982
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

Future Leaders of America (FLA) was created as a grassroots response to concerns about the high incidence of destructive behaviors in Latino youth including high school dropout, gang activity, substance abuse, lack of parent involvement and limited civic engagement, amongst other high-risk behaviors. Since its inception in 1982, FLA has carried out educational conferences, support and follow-up activities to provide a pathway to and through college and out of poverty for lower income, Hispanic students.

Over nearly 30 years, Future Leaders of America has provided over 8,000 Latino youth and their families with community engagement opportunities, educational experiences and personal development in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.

CA
Name:
Garden State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (GSLSAMP)

URL:
http://gslsamp.rutgers.edu/

Location:
Newark, NJ

Year Established:
2009
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion; STEM

Since 2009, Rutgers University—Newark has served as the lead institution in the Garden State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (GSLSAMP), which is dramatically increasing Hispanic participation in STEM in northern New Jersey, including an 84% increase in Hispanic graduates. The consortium comprises eight colleges and universities in northern New Jersey of which five are Hispanic Serving Institutions or Emerging Hispanic Serving Institutions including Rutgers-Newark. The program establishes pipelines from local high schools and participating community colleges though partner colleges and universities; provides academic support and creates a learning community to encourage academic success and timely graduation; and prepares graduates for careers and graduate school in STEM fields.

The initial goal of the Garden State LSAMP was to double the number of STEM graduates within five years but for only the second time in the 25 year history of the national LSAMP program, this goal was reached in just four years. The success among Hispanic students is particularly notable. At the lead institution Rutgers-Newark, the number of Hispanic graduates in STEM increased from 17 in 2010 to 57 in 2013 (235% increase), and for GSLSAMP member institutions as a whole, the number of Hispanic graduates has increased from 266 graduates in 2010 to 480 Hispanic graduates in 2014 (84% increase).

NJ
Name:
Gateway Technical College

URL:
http://www.gtc.edu/about-gateway

Location:
Kenosha, WI

Year Established:
1911
Focus Area:
Family Engagement

Lidia Hernández Guízar made contact with Latino Liaison for the Delavan-Darien School District (DDSD) during an outreach effort and learned of the rapidly growing Hispanic student population and difficulty communicating with parents. She learned through a parent focus group that the almost 6-mile travel to Gateway's Elkhorn campus from Delavan for ELL classes was proving to be a barrier due to transportation, child care needs, and low comfort level of participating in an educational institution. She brought together Zina Haywood, Executive Vice President/Provost-Gateway Technical College and Dr. Robert Crist, Superintendent-DDSD and developed groundbreaking, full-service ELL courses at Phoenix Middle School. It has been highly successful in terms of enrollment of new students, increased involvement in their child's education, bridging numbers from Phoenix Middle School site to Gateway, and connecting them to other college resources.

The ELL program at Walworth county has seen a 27% increase in enrollment from Fall 2013 to Spring 2015. In the first 4 semesters at the Phoenix Middle School site there have been 61 new students who have utilized ELL classes. Average age of students over 4 semesters: 38.25. Youngest participant: 22. Eldest participant: 64. Before off-site program started, all 6 levels of the program were offered at Elkhorn campus only. Now, levels 1-3 are held at Phoenix Middle School site and 4-6 at Gateway's Elkhorn campus.

WI
Name:
Gear up for College

URL:
https://www.fanning.uga.edu/what-we-do/youth-leadership/youth-programs/gear-college

Location:
Athens, GA

Year Established:
NA
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

For marginalized students, exposure to a college setting and culture is important. The program provides this type of exposure through college visits and interactions with the culture of the university campus. Because these visits and activities occur during the middle school years, the impact the program has on Latino students is effective by providing a turning point for decision-making, especially when the minority student is most likely to drop out of school between the 8th and 10th grade year. This program serves as a type of intervention at a crucial time in a Latino student's educational experience by following the student from the middle school years to high school graduation.

Through the years, Gear Up for College has expanded from six programs to fifteen programs. As a result, it is able to serve and reach a greater area of Georgia. In a year, the program is able to reach an estimated 300 Latino students per year. In the first year, 150 students attended the programs. From that first year, 20% of these students applied to the University of Georgia, with an acceptance rate of 80%.

GA
Name:
Geekbus

URL:
http://www.geekbus.com

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
NA
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access; STEM

SASTEMIC's Geekbus is a high tech mobile "makerspace" that travels to schools and other community organizations to provide STEM education experiences with industry aligned programs. The Geekbus is able to meet students and families, which may not otherwise have access to STEM programming, where they are. Our mission is to provide STEM programming to these schools, many of which are Title 1 schools, and communities in the urban core and underserved areas of San Antonio and South Texas, as well as provide programs to students and families that are serving our country on military installations. The goal is to spark students' interests in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and inspire the next generation of STEM professionals. Through the Geekbus programs, students engage in hands-on programs that center on key STEM industry concepts and skills to include 3D Printing, Robotics, Computer Programming, Video Game Design, Hardware Prototyping, Circuit Design, Mechanical Engineering, Renewable Energy, and more.

TX
Name:
Girls Incorporated

URL:
http://www.girlsinc.org

Location:
New York, National

Year Established:
1945
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

In 2005, Girls Inc. implemented a national initiative to address the needs of Latinas aged 6 to 18, to increase the sensitivity to Latinas in all Girls Inc. efforts and to support affiliates in reaching and providing more Latinas with the Girls Inc. experience, including a specific focus on academic achievement and college readiness. Girls Inc. continues to develop and provide affiliates with the tools, training, technical assistance and support needed to effectively serve Hispanic girls in their communities. Key focus areas for these efforts are: partnerships, parent/family engagement, organizational culture, recruitment, and retention. The Girls Inc. Latina Initiative is an integral part of the Girls Inc. culture.

The significant support provided to affiliates' local and community-based Latina Initiative efforts resulted in increases in the number of Latinas they serve. The Girls Inc. Annual Survey highlights an increase—across the network—in the percent of Latinas served from 17% to 22% since the initiative was launched.

National
Name:
Girls Incorporated of Metro Denver (GIMD)

URL:
http://www.girlsincdenver.org

Location:
Denver, CO

Year Established:
1983
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

Girls Inc. of Metro Denver (GIMD) addresses the most critical issues facing girls and their ability to achieve a successful future, including the rising number of girls, in particular Latinas, who are dropping out of high school and/or becoming teen mothers. Programs are offered to girls in 1st through 12th grade and are delivered by trained, mentoring professionals in a positive all-girl environment. Courses address college preparation and transition, math and science education, pregnancy and drug abuse prevention, media literacy, economic literacy, violence prevention, entrepreneurial development, and healthy eating and active living.

GIMD awards approximately $60,000 per year to alumni and to date has awarded $530,000 to 64 Girls Inc. scholars. Overall, DPS data showed the following: 1) GPA (both weighted and unweighted) was higher for GIMD participants compared to the non-GIMD participant control group with comparable background characteristics; 2) GIMD participants were more likely to have zero early risks for dropping out of high school and less likely to have 2 or 3 risks associated with high school drop-out; and 3) GIMD youth with moderate to high participation (40 or more hours) had significantly higher GPAs compared to participants with fewer participation hours.

CO
Name:
Girlstart

URL:
http://www.girlstart.org

Location:
Austin, TX

Year Established:
1997
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access; STEM

Girlstart was created to provide opportunities for girls of diverse backgrounds to access STEM education, and particularly technology. By providing our programming to schools and communities that serve high proportions of low-income or non-white girls, Girlstart works to close gaps in technology access, increase girls' learning hours in STEM, and promote STEM as a viable and exciting career path for these girls.

Girlstart After School participants are more likely to pass state-mandated science tests and more likely to enroll in advanced & pre-AP STEM courses and STEM electives in middle school than their non-participant peers. And, after participating in Girlstart, 95% of girls agree with the statement, "If I try hard, I can be good at science," and 76% report that they are interested in pursuing a STEM career. After leaving Girlstart After School, participants enrolled in advanced and pre-AP math and science classes at a rate of 1.58 courses per girl (over three years), compared to 1.00 courses per non-participant girl in our comparison group.

TX
Name:
Global Potential (GP)

URL:
http://www.global-potential.org

Location:
New York, NY

Year Established:
2007
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

Serving more than 100 New York City youth each year—over 60% of whom are Hispanic and nearly all of whom are first- or second-generation immigrants—Global Potential (GP) effectively addresses the out-of-school gap through six months of after-school educational workshops; it then fills the summer achievement gap by taking students on a six-week international service trip in summer to partner villages in Latin America. The number of direct youth participants has increased from 28 in 2008 to 745 in 2014. One-hundred percent of youth report that they feel their cultural exchange experience will increase their chances of success in college and career; 95% agree that cultural exchange helped them understand that youth are part of the solution, not the problem; and 80% agree that GP inspired them to become more involved in their communities. Since its 2007 pilot program, GP youth have provided benefit to more than 60,000 people. The organization has held 20 youth leadership conferences in six countries, with more than 3,000 unique youth participants from over 100 inner-city and rural village communities. GP's findings indicate that its program results in youth being more optimistic about their own future, as well as those of their families and communities; the discovery of personal strengths and talents; the acquisition of new skills that will help them succeed in future endeavors, from going to college to launching a career; and a feeling that their lives have more purpose.

NY
Name:
Got College?

URL:
http://www.valenciacollege.edu

Location:
Kissimmee, FL

Year Established:
2013
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access

"Got College?" is a community-based, grassroots effort to increase access to higher education in Osceola County, Florida. With a population that is nearly 50% Hispanic, Osceola County has one of the lowest college-going rates in the state of Florida. Through a wide variety of outreach activities, including parent information sessions (offered in English and Spanish), Financial Aid nights, campus tours, and student mentoring programs, the "Got College?" effort is helping students in Osceola County understand the importance of higher education and believe that "college is possible/sí se puede." Since the effort began in 2013, the number of high school graduates attending Valencia's Osceola Campus has increased more than 20%. The results of the "Got College?" effort have been dramatic. Through its efforts, Got College? has learned that many students in Osceola County do not believe they are college material. As a result, Valencia College has partnered with the school district to send a letter (in English and Spanish) to all of the graduating seniors in Osceola County to inform them that their high school diploma guarantees their admission to Valencia College—essentially, they receive a college acceptance letter before even applying for admission to college. Additionally, Valencia College "adopted" nearby Central Avenue Elementary School.Valencia invites the students from Central Avenue for a day of "mock college" to help them see what is possible for their future and believe that "todo es posible."

FL
Name:
Graduate Support Center (GSC) at UIW

URL:
http://www.uiw.edu/orgs/gsc

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion

The Graduate Support Center (GSC) was established as a multipurpose learning assistance and support services center within the Office of Research and Graduate Studies at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW). The GSC focuses on the professional and academic development of all postbaccalaureate and professional students at UIW through the use of high impact practices, particularly targeting Latino/a students. Since implementation of GSC initiatives, a significant increase in persistence to graduation rates has been observed from 52% (baseline period from Fall 2006 to Spring 2010) to 75%. The Graduate Support Center was the recipient of the 2014 Examples of Excelencia from Excelencia in Education for graduate education. UIW's postbaccalaureate population is 50.2% Latino and 60.4% female. After conducting an analysis of post-baccalaureate students in 2010, the university found that only 52% of graduate students completed their degree within four years. The Graduate Support Center was established in 2011 as a direct result of low graduate rates of Master's students at UIW by successfully applying for the U.S. Department of Education's Title V part B federal grant program for Hispanic Serving Institutions. Since the inception of the GSC, the center has made an amazing transformation in building a significant graduate student community through highly successful academic and outreach programs.

TX
Name:
Great Minds in STEM

URL:
http://www.greatmindsinstem.org

Location:
Monterey Park, CA

Year Established:
2009
Focus Area:
STEM

STEM-Up™ is a comprehensive community-based initiative providing an innovative solution to meet the projected shortage of the nation's STEM workforce. It is an action strategy grounded in a theory of change which presents a practical roadmap to gear schools and local communities towards STEM. The initiative provides year-round STEM programming in schools and the local community serving approximately 92,000 residents (94% Hispanic), working with 12 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 1 K-8 span school, and 3 high schools. STEM-Up™ has transformed the overall culture of the community toward a greater awareness and knowledge as well as a greater affinity for STEM, inside and outside the classroom. This model has proven to mediate the challenge of preparing the next generation of technical talent, by supplementing and enhancing school-based STEM education strategies and community engagement.

CA
Name:
Green Engineering Academy (GEA)

URL:
http://www.livermorehigh.com/gea

Location:
Livermore, CA

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access; STEM

The Green Engineering Academy (GEA) program focuses on careers in clean technology and renewable energy and has been offered at Livermore High School (LHS) since the 2010-2011 school year. The GEA was born from a desire to provide students throughout the district with exposure to, and experience in, the fields of engineering and technology. LHS teachers saw a need to provide struggling students with the motivation to improve in their studies while also providing students who are already successful in school with the impetus to persue a career in the engineering and technology fields. Students enter the academy as freshmen and are expected to stay through graduation. At least 50% of students entering the academy must meet one of the following criteria: at risk of dropping out of school, not proficient in English and/or math, or having a GPA at or below 2.2. A major goal of the GEA is to support school-wide achievement by helping to close the school's exisiting achievement gaps. Since the GEA's inception, the percentage of students entering the Academy who show low motivation or disinterest in the regular school program and are at-risk of dropping out of school has increased from 23% to 33%. Once in the Academy, struggling students are supported by the GEA team through weekly collaboration and daily tutoring.

CA
Name:
Greenville Baker Boys and Girls Club

URL:
http://www.gbbgc.org

Location:
Locust Valley, NY

Year Established:
1950
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K12 & College Access; Postsecondary Completion; STEM

The Grenville Baker Boys & Girls Club was created 65 years ago to address the need for a safe, supportive, and nurturing place for youth in the community to spend their time and receive the mentoring, guidance, and sense of belonging they deserve. The Boys & Girls Club is addressing the educational achievement gap for Hispanic students by providing literacy, math, and STEM academic programming after-school to grades 1 through 12; as well as a comprehensive career and college preparation model. The Boys & Girls Club helps ensure academic and professional success by partnering with local scholarship foundations, such as the Big Guy Foundation, to provide nearly $100,000 dollars in scholarships a year to our club members who are local residents and of Hispanic ethnicity. The youth are cultivated from 1st grade through 12th grade to reach higher, and what traditionally is an underrepresented community in higher education and typically disenfranchised with the entire process, is now a galvanized, well-trained and financially supported community that reaches multiple levels of higher education and gains access to critical areas of employment. 100% of club members graduate high school with a NYS Regents Diploma, 75% matriculate to 4 year schools and 25% matriculate to 2 year junior college or technical school programs. All club members (Whose expected family contribution ranges between $0-$1,000) receive their top Federal Aid package (Stafford loans-Perkins Loans- Pell Grants- SEOG grants) and state aid (TAP grants) which is an accomplishment because many students fail to meet deadlines and do not receive the full amount they are entitled to. On average, members receive $10,000 dollars a year from private and public institutions thanks to need-based aid and merit-based scholarships.

NY
Name:
Groove with Me

URL:
http://www.groovewithme.org

Location:
New York, NY

Year Established:
1996
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access

Groove With Me was intended to create a safe place for girls to go after school while ensuring academic, professional and life successes by helping participants "dance to a positive future." Groove With Me literally keeps girls off the streets during the time of heightened juvenile crime, while giving them the opportunity to express themselves through movement and the confidence and leadership-building skills they need to make positive choices. For example, strongly enforced tardiness and absence policies teach participants the importance of accountability, commitment and dedication. In fact, 100% of Groove With Me high school seniors graduated from high school in 2015- with 61% of participants identifying as Hispanic. Of the participants, 99% feel that Groove With Me is a safe space, 95% report having a positive relationship with an adult at Groove With Me, 96% report a sense of community and belonging, 97% have increased self-esteem, 89% report positive choices and behavior, and 98% feel there are new possibilities for the future.

NY
Name:
Grow Your Own Teachers (GYO)

URL:
http://www.growyourownteachers.org

Location:
Illinois

Year Established:
2005
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion; Latino Teacher Recruitment

Recognizing the untapped resources in their communities, GYO was born to address the issues of massive teacher turnover, a widening cultural mismatch between students and teachers and the achievement gap among low-income students of color in public neighborhood schools, to diversify the teaching force and to help move community members out of poverty and into teaching. Despite the increasing awareness of the positive impact and need for teachers of color there are fewer and fewer across the country. In 2014, for the first time students of color became the majority of students in Illinois public schools, yet statewide, only 6.6% of public school teachers are African American and only 3.6% are Hispanic. GYO is addressing the achievement gap for Hispanics on two levels: by providing wraparound services to ensure our candidates of color stay in school and graduate, and by creating teachers of color who will positively impact the achievement of their students for years. Since its inception, GYO has graduated 108 teachers and 88 are currently in the classroom. Each year the program is evaluated by an outside entity.

IL
Name:
Guadalupe School

URL:
http://www.guadalupeschoolslc.org

Location:
Salt Lake City, UT

Year Established:
1966
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 & College Access; Adult Education

Through four decades of impressive transformation from café to adult school to K-6 education, Guadalupe School has provided disadvantaged children and non-English speaking adult immigrants in Salt Lake City, Utah, the educational support they need to improve their lives. Guadalupe School provides education at multiple stages of the earliest development: first, the In-Home program where parents receive weekly visits from educators who provide guidance on nutrition, cognitive development, and early learning activities to ensure that infants maintain normal development; then, at age 1, babies enter Toddler Beginnings, where they're exposed to a school-like environment to ensure that cognitive development continues to improve during these crucial years; finally, at age three, toddlers are ready for the Early Learning Center Preschool, where play-based learning builds on literacy and math skills and ensures Kindergarten readiness. For school-aged children, there's a K-6 Charter School that has small class sizes combined for an individualized educational experience. That's not all- for parents and adult community members, Guadalupe School's Adult Education program offers evening and daytime classes in English as a second language as well as a Certified Nursing Assistant course. This program gives adults the English skills they need for career advancement, to be an advocate for their children, or to become more integrated in their new community.

UT
Name:
Harmony Project

URL:
http://www.harmony-project.org

Location:
Los Angeles, CA

Year Established:
2001
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Harmony Project commits to students for their entire childhood (K­12) by combining rigorous music instruction and performance, peer mentoring, family/social support services, and college scholarships, leading to positive social outcomes such as violence reduction, improved academic performance, and community engagement. Harmony Project has grown from 36 students to a current enrollment of 2,000 and their model has been replicated across the country through cost­sharing partnerships with public and private institutions. 74% of Harmony graduating seniors are Latino compared to LAUSD Latino graduation rate of 67.2%. Since 2008, 95% of Harmony Project high school seniors have graduated in four years and have gone on to college.

CA
Name:
Hispanic Community Services Inc.

URL:
http://www.jhcsi.org

Location:
Jonesboro, AR

Year Established:
1997
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access

Created to support the Hispanic community in Jonesboro and beyond, HCSI also focuses on the educational needs of a rapidly increasing Hispanic youth population by providing a variety of educational and academic services during its year-long after-school program. HCSI addresses the achievement gap for local Hispanic youth by pairing academically at-risk elementary school students with tutors who focus on strengthening basic reading and phonetic skills, and ensures that the after-school program integrates the instruction of soft-skills, computer literacy, and ethical-social awareness. In 2014, the after-school program was proudly nicknamed "La Escuelita" (The Little School), and what was once a "little" project that served 7 students grew to embrace 35 students in 2014; Attendance is expected to double in the next two years. According to statistical data compiled by HCSI, the organization's education program and initiative provided 2,839 services related to "La Escuelita" through 2014, which translates to 49.11% of the total 7,646 services provided by Hispanic Community Services, Inc. This number has grown from the previous year by 22.18%. An estimated 20,721 household members have been reached. Last year, 21 out of 30 (70%) of the children attending "La Escuelita" showed academic improvement.

AR
Name:
Hispanic Education Endowment Fund (HEEF)

URL:
http://www.heef.org

Location:
Newport Beach, CA

Year Established:
1994
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The focus of the Hispanic Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) is to provide scholarships and support to students at all school levels. Our structure allows some of the member sub-funds to dedicate their resources to students at early learning and pre-college stages and others with a principal focus on scholarships for those that are college bound. Since 1994, HEEF has awarded over 2,100 scholarships totaling approximately $2,500,000. HEEF's importance to Hispanic youth education in Orange County can also be measured by the number of community partners that in aggregate have created an endowment fund that continues to grow and will ensure continuity. This endowment currently totals $3,500,000 and annually provides from $100,000 to $150,000 for scholarship awards. Over 100 scholarships are awarded each year, last year $212,000 were awarded to 125 students with a total of $2,500,000 awarded to 2100 students since 1994 with a current endowment valued at $3,500,000.

CA
Name:
Hispanic Employee Resource Group of NASA (HERG)

URL:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/home/index.html

Location:
Houston, TX

Year Established:
1990
Focus Area:
STEM

The Hispanic Employee Resource Group (HERG) was created to identify issues facing the Hispanic workforce at Johnson Space Center (JSC) and present recommendations to JSC Senior Staff on initiatives related to career development of employees, recruitment of underserved minorities, mentoring of young employees, and educational outreach to the community. The Group's recommendations have become best practices across the center including the JSC Mentoring Plan and the JSC Diversity Council. Today, the HERG is still serving a leadership role within the JSC community by spearheading efforts to engage the community and promote STEM Education. There has been an almost 60% increase in Hispanic employees represented in the NASA Johnson Space Center workforce over the last 23 years.

TX
Name:
Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week (HESTEC)

URL:
https://apps.utrgv.edu/community/hestec/index.htm

Location:
Edinburg, TX

Year Established:
2001
Focus Area:
STEM

By providing educators the latest in cutting-edge technology and best practices in STEM education, providing parents tools to inspire and help their children navigate the higher education maze, and providing students the opportunity to interact with and be motivated by professional role models in STEM fields, HESTEC has changed the very fabric of our community. HESTEC hosts approximately 200 educators during Educator Day, 800 students during Student Leadership Day, 400 mothers and daughters for Latina Day, 300 students for Robotics Day and thousands of community members for Community Day.

When responding to the statement "I know who to talk to at my school or home to learn more about careers in STEM" after attending HESTEC, 94% of the students agreed or strongly agreed. "When I graduate from college, I would like to work with people in STEM careers who make discoveries" after attending HESTEC, 83% of the students agreed or strongly agreed. In addition, 93% of the students who participated in the survey responded that they agreed or strongly agreed that "...a career in STEM would be fun and exciting."

TX
Name:
Hispanic/Latino Statewide Community PTA

URL:
http://www.georgiapta.org/about-pta-3/hispaniclatino-statewide-community-pta-board- of-directors/

Location:
Atlanta, GA

Year Established:
2014
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The Hispanic/Latino Statewide Community PTA persistently and effectively works with hundreds of individuals and other organizations across Georgia to improve the relationship between Hispanic and Latino communities and schools. Because of its work, the Hispanic/Latino Statewide Community PTA has become a prominent advocate for making schools more aware of the unique heritage and traditions that different students bring with them into classrooms. The members of this association selflessly spend their free time organizing community events, traveling the state to meet with community and school leaders, and recruiting other members of the Hispanic/Latino community to collaborate with them to enhance the educational outcomes of Hispanic/Latino students. During these meetings, board members not only promote participation, but also educate school leaders about the culture of the Hispanic/Latino community and advise them that despite the language barrier, it is imperative that school leaders understand that these families prioritize the same ideas such as college access, quality teachers, and safe schools that all families strive for their children.

As a result of the continuing efforts of this important PTA, more Hispanic/Latino families are recognizing the difference that their involvement in the community and schools can make.

GA
Name:
Hispanic Leadership Development Foundation

URL:
http://www.sahcc.org

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
2000
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; STEM

The Hispanic Leadership Development Foundation, a 501c3 subsidiary of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was created to effectively advocate for the educational needs of the Hispanic business community, low income Hispanic youth, and Hispanic leadership development. Its annual CORE4 STEM Expo provides a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) experience to over 4,500 inner city youth and their families to promote individual interest in STEM fields and bridge the gap between local STEM industries in San Antonio and its future workforce. With the help of H-E-B, it creates a professional survey conducted on iPads to all the students. The survey collects data about effectiveness, session preference, and learning results. Past data has shown us that: 75% of students said they "agreed" or "strongly agreed" with the statement "I feel I can better choose a career in science, technology, engineering, or math based on the information outlined in the sessions (at the CORE4 STEM Expo)."

TX
Name:
Hispanic League

URL:
http://www.hispanicleague.org

Location:
Winston-Salem, NC

Year Established:
1992
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The Hispanic League, a thriving and vibrant non-profit organization has addressed the educational achievement gap for Hispanic/Latino students through role models, educational outreach, scholarships, and cultural events. Supporting both community programs and private sector initiatives and providing opportunities in higher education ensures that the bright young minds of today will become professional successes and will help to shape and lead our community in the future. The Hispanic League has measured their success of the past 23 years through multiple sources: Personal Success Stories, the National Clearinghouse for Colleges and Students, and Salem College Management Evaluation Team. Personal Success Stories samples include Liz Kelly and Natasha Morales-Castellanos. Liz, a former scholarship recipient (2005/2006), completed college with a degree in Respiratory Therapy (3.8 GPA), owns a business with her husband, has provided a full scholarship to another student for the past four years, served on the Hispanic League Committee, and has been elected as a member of the Board of the Directors. Natasha had perfect attendance for all 12 years of school and graduated second in her class of 335 students with a 4.0 GPA and a 5.034 weighted GPA. Now a senior at Salem College studying for a double degree in Chemistry and Mathematics, she is a DACA student that is a shining example of a young lady who has struggled and overcome many hurdles to be a success.

NC
Name:
Hispanic National Bar Foundation

URL:
http://www.hnbf.org

Location:
Washington, DC

Year Established:
1985
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access; Postsecondary Completion

HNBF was created in recognition that a lack of opportunities, role models, information, and financial support often prevents many Hispanics from pursuing higher education and becoming leaders on issues that affect all communities. Guided by strong values of education, diversity, equality, empowerment, and access, HNBF programs address these needs by providing Latino students from high school through college and law school with the tools and resources necessary to ensure full and equal opportunity. Specifically, the cost-free Future Latino Leaders Law Camp program offers at-risk Latino high school students from around the country the opportunity to spend nine days on a university campus in Washington, D.C. Key findings from a 2014 metrics assessment survey of alumni who participated in the program in the past five years substantiate its success. Survey results demonstrate that of the alumni who responded, all who were of age to graduate from high school by now have graduated; all students who graduated from high school were accepted into a college or university and enrolled; all students were accepted into a college or university enrolled in a college or university; and all students who enrolled in a college or university are either currently attending or have graduated. To date, the Future Latino Leaders Law Camp program has served 288 students nationwide. Over the years the program has expanded its class size from 18 students to up to 40 students.

DC
Name:
Hispanic Organization Promoting Education (HoPe)

URL:
http://www.hopestrong.org

Location:
Buford, GA

Year Established:
2009
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

HoPe was born out of the need to fill an incredible gap in schools that lacked the amount of professional assistance necessary to meet the demand for support to Hispanic students. These were students that yearned for guidance not easily found among family and peers. HoPe establishes leadership chapters around the state in cooperation and partnership with schools, families, local businesses, and university volunteers. HoPe ensures that every shareholder is aware that the success of this organization would not be possible without their commitment. HoPe has grown exponentially since its inception, growing across the state by the number of chapters it has established as well as the number of student members and volunteers. 2009: 20 student members 2010: 50 2011: 207 2012: 503 2013: 620 2014: 1402 2015: 2000 (projected)

280 Student Leaders have been trained in the Hispanic Youth Leadership Summit (Leadership program for chapter officers) over the last 5 years. Last year's graduating officers received over $3.3 million in scholarships for the next four years.

GA
Name:
Hispanic Technology Education Programs Inc. (HiTEP)

URL:
http://www.hitepri.com/

Location:
Providence, RI

Year Established:
2007
Focus Area:
STEM; K12 & College Access

In 2007 Oscar Mejias created Hispanic Technology & Education Programs Inc. to help the Hispanic community close the computer literacy gap that existed at that time. Joined by Hernan Padilla, HiTEP Inc. currently helps both Hispanics and non-Hispanics by providing critical training in specific and growing base fields of medicine, computer/digital skills, customer service, and workplace adaptation for students aged 18 and older. By offering training in these "in demand" fields, HiTEP provides options to grow within their present jobs, as well as providing a way out of unemployment. In addition, HiTEP Inc. has partnered with several community outreach centers of local public school districts in Rhode Island to help Hispanic students gain leadership skills, promote interest in continuing their education, and close the digital literacy gap between the youth and their parents.

RI
Name:
Hispanic Women's Organization of Arkansas (HWOA)

URL:
http://www.hwoa.org

Location:
Springdale, AR

Year Established:
1999
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The HWOA view is that integration is a two-way street. It is essential that immigrants and locals gain a deeper understanding of each other as this will increase the participation and communication necessary to create a better community with opportunities for all. The HWOA Scholarship Fund's goal is to promote higher education and increase college access through enrollment and graduation for Hispanic students. HWOA's programs and events complement our mission's objectives of furthering education and community understanding of diversity, increasing civic participation and community integration, and providing timely information.

The HWOA has provided 340 scholarships to Latino students in Arkansas with money raised from a Cinco de Mayo festival. The activities and entertainment in the festival are carried out by local volunteers to promote education among the Latino community. HWOA also collaborates with higher education institutions and connects students with available programs.

AR
Name:
Hispanics Inspiring Student Performers and Achievement (HISPA)

URL:
http://www.hispa.org

Location:
Princeton, NJ; NY; TX

Year Established:
2006
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

HISPA seeks to increase educational excellence for young Latinos by eradicating one of the reasons Latino children are not pursuing higher education: a lack of role models, or successful Hispanic professionals with backgrounds similar to those of the students. Today, HISPA mobilizes Latino professionals from the public and private sectors to speak to middle school students and tell their success stories with the hope of inspiring students to pursue higher education. Since beginning its work, HISPA has grown to over 2,000 volunteer role models, conducted nearly 500 in-school visits, and hosted 15 Youth Conferences. Of the 6,000-and-counting students reached, research shows that 96% thought more seriously about attending college, 76% were more interested in attending college, and 74% believed it was more likely that they could attend college.

NJ, NY, TX
Name:
Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)

URL:
http://www.hippyusa.org

Location:
Little Rock, AR; National

Year Established:
1989
Focus Area:
Early Learning; Family Engagement

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is an evidence-based home visiting program focused on parent-involved learning for preschool age children. HIPPY programs aim to prepare children for long-term school success starting at kindergarten entry by empowering parents as their first and most important teachers. It was developed for families who have risk factors associated with lower academic achievement, including economic disadvantages, limited English language proficiency, and social isolation. Approximately 1/3 of the families served by HIPPY use the Spanish language version of the curriculum delivered by native Spanish-speaking home visitors. In many immigrant communities, these parents may not have completed formal secondary education, but they have the interpersonal skills, language and cultural knowledge to work effectively with their families.

In a two-site quasi-experimental study in Texas, researchers found children enrolled in HIPPY, most of whom were Hispanic and from low income households, had higher attendance rates, higher prekindergarten enrollment, and were more likely to be promoted to first grade compared to other kindergartners in the school district.

National
Name:
IDEA Public Schools

URL:
http://www.ideapublicschools.org

Location:
Welasco, TX

Year Established:
2000
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

IDEA was founded to combat some of the major educational deficiencies faced by students from low-income communities in America, and to close the educational achievement gap that exists between those students and their more affluent peers by helping them get to and through college.

IDEA's approach to addressing the educational achievement gap integrates four key elements: 1) An innovative elementary curriculum that uses Direct Instruction (carefully-planned lessons focused on learning in small increments and private spaces). 2) A rigorous college prep curriculum (AP and IB courses in 5 fields) to prepare students to enter college ready to fully participate and be successful. 3) A set of Core Values that are focused on accountability, high expectations, and teamwork and are embedded in everything IDEA does. 4) A College Support Model that combines people (staff, and parent and community engagement functions), programs (college counseling and collegiate summer away program), and a college-going culture.

In 2015, 100% of IDEA's 544 seniors received college acceptances ranging from state universities to Ivy Leagues (the ninth consecutive year), 338 of whom will be the first in their families to attend college. Further, IDEA alumni have achieved a college graduation rate five times the national average for low-income students.

TX
Name:
Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program

URL:
http://www.idra.org/Coca-Cola_Valued_Youth_Program.html/

Location:
San Antonio, TX; National

Year Established:
1973
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), an independent, non-profit organization with a vision for schools that work for all children, partnered with Coca-Cola to begin a dropout prevention program- the Valued Youth Program. The heart of the program is the concept of valuing youth, because students who are considered at risk of dropping out- those who have poor attendance, create discipline problems in school, are minority and come from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds- are the students in most need of support and encouragement, but are often ignored or treated negatively by teachers, school administrators and even their peers. IDRA flips that on its head and helps at-risk students become tutors of younger students, helping them become more personally responsible. Further, the tutors begin to perceive themselves in a more positive light, they feel proud of the work they do as role models to younger students, and are seen differently by the school as well.

The program has consistently kept 98% of Valued Youths in school and learning, but the key statistic in the program is the dropout rate: 1.0% in the United States, comparing favorably with attrition figures in Texas of 25%.

National
Name:
Instituto Nueva Escuela (INE)

URL:
http://www.inepr.com/

Location:
Río Piedras, PR

Year Established:
2008
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access

Prior to 1994, all Montessori schools in Puerto Rico were private and inaccessible to low or even middle income families, so INE emerged to help break that access barrier and make high quality Montessori education available through the development of a "school-by-school" reform and revitalization process that is customized to meet local school needs. INE provides students with developmentally appropriate self-directed learning opportunities in language, mathematics, "practical life" and other key subject areas so that they can develop the knowledge, skills, capabilities and initiative to not only help them have a real opportunity to access higher education but also help them to fulfill their professional potential and lead productive lives as people who care for the communities in which they live.

This has generated signifcant gains for the 49 schools and 10,000 students, nearly 100% of whom are Hispanic and 37% of whom have special needs. INE's statistics show that for schools that have 5 years or more in the partnership, they have accomplished a 0% drop out rate; 0% rate of violent incidents; 0% rate of drug use among students; and a 0% rate of grade failure. Further, for children finishing INE's Montessori pre-school programs to enter elementary school, 70% have achieved full proficiency in reading and writing.

PR
Name:
José Valdez Math Institute

URL:
http://www.josevaldesmath.org

Location:
San Jose, CA

Year Established:
1989
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; STEM

The José Valdés Math Institute was created in order to increase the number of Latino and Black students who take and are successful in high school calculus courses. Based on a philosophy that "all children can learn," the Institute offers 3rd graders free tutoring and upon 5th grade completion, students are encouraged to attend the Summer Math Institute where they take 7 weeks of intensive mathematics aligned with Common Core that is equivalent to a year's worth of coursework at a typical school. In this way, students are able to "catch up" or surpass their peers by doubling the number of math courses they can take in one calendar year. The Institute ensures academic success and life outcomes by creating structured opportunities for students to develop discipline with respect to mathematics and school; to be exposed to positive and professional role models and the college environment; and to gain critical information and skills necessary to navigate the college process.

Of the 26,000 students served, 88% earned a C or better in the course, they perform better academically when they return to school, and continue to achieve success throughout high school due to the structured opportunities they have to learn how to organize their time to dedicate to homework and in learning to ask for help or getting tutoring when they need it, rather than when it is too late. In addition, testimonies indicate that students gain confidence and a more positive disposition towards doing mathematics, and family members become motivated to pursue further learning and parents feel more responsible for modeling a hard work ethic for their children.

CA
Name:
Juntos Together for a Better Education

URL:
http://juntosnc.org/

Location:
Raleigh, NC

Year Established:
2007
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The Juntos program has been an invaluable asset to the North Carolina Latino communities it serves by providing Latino parents and their youth with the information and resources needed as they pursue academic success and combat the high school dropout rate among Latino students. Through success coaching/mentoring, family workshops, 4-H club meetings and educational and leadership camps, the organization has closed the educational achievement gap for thousands of Hispanic students in the United States. Juntos students experience improvements in their homework and study behaviors, communication with peers, parents and school staff, parental involvement, and college preparedness. Additionally, students experience a positive sense of community, are given rewarding volunteer opportunities, and are assisted in developing their education and career paths. More specifically, 91% of participating youth improved their high school GPA, 87% of youth said Juntos motivated them to graduate from high school, 79% of youth said Juntos motivated them to go to college, 17% increase in the number of participating youth taking or planning on taking the SAT or ACT exam, and 87% of participants feel like they now belong in school.

NC
Name:
Kansas City Area Parents as Teachers Consortium

URL:
http://kckps.org/index.php/parents-as-teachers

Location:
Kansas City, MO

Year Established:
1990
Focus Area:
Early Learning; Family Engagement

The Kansas City Area Parents as Teachers Consortium (Consortium) was developed to help parents realize they are their children's first and most influential teachers. Research indicates that through parent education, family support, evidence based curricula and materials, training, and services children and families will enter school ready to learn. The Consortium addresses the educational achievement gap by hiring highly qualified home visitors to partner with parents and providers in their home setting, group settings, and screening, in effort to help the home visitor understand and appreciate the history and traditions of the family served.

In a 2006 study it was found that of 7,000 children in Missouri who participated in Parents as Teachers (PAT) and preschool: 82% of the poor children entered Kindergarten ready to learn, as compared to only 64% of poor children who had no involvement in either service. The other PAT program offered to Hispanic families, Supporting Care Providers through Personal Visits (SCPV), showed quality increases in the areas of language and reasoning, learning activities, social development and adult needs- all of these areas of child development (language, intellectual, social/emotional) are critical for later school success and academic achievement.

MO
Name:
KinderConnect Family Program

URL:
http://www1.pgcps.org/

Location:
Upper Marlboro, MD

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
Early Learning; Family Engagement

KinderConnect Family Workshops are offered to international families (over 90% of whom are Latino students), upon registering their Kindergarten student at the International Student Counseling Office in Prince George's County Public Schools. All international student registrants for Kindergarten have not previously been enrolled in a formal early childhood learning program (i.e. Pre-Kindergarten or Head Start). The workshop provides families a hands-on opportunity to work together, rotating through four learning stations that include bilingual literacy and math activities to practice over the summer, in order to be empowered to support skill development at home to prepare their child for kindergarten.

92% of families indicated that they had a "high level" of commitment to practicing the activities at home and 96% of interviewed families indicated that they felt "very comfortable" or "somewhat comfortable" supporting the literacy and math learning and instruction at home.

MD
Name:
Kinesis Foundation

URL:
http://www.kinesispr.org

Location:
Guaynabo, PR

Year Established:
2004
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Kinesis was created to help Puerto Rico's youth overcome social boundaries, so they achieve excellence at the highest academic levels and fuel Puerto Rico's social and economic transformation. Kinesis Foundation is addressing the educational achievement gap for Hispanic students through its 6 programs: scholarships, college access counseling services, counselor education, FAFSA awareness, parent and school staff conferences and student college access clubs. To ensure academic and professional success and live-outcomes Kinesis has awarded $4.2MM in scholarships to over 300 students, provided college counselling to 725 talented school students, worked with students and parents to secure financial aid, educated hundreds of school counselors, school staff and parents. In fact, $3.6 MM has been disbursed to over 350 Hispanic students and Kenesis has made a 2-15-2016 commitment of $950,000 to 200 scholars, 100 of whom are in STEM fields. Further, 95% of Kinesis scholars complete their degrees on time.

PR
Name:
Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc.

URL:
http://www.lambdalady.org

Location:
National

Year Established:
1975
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion

Since its establishment, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority (LTA) has grown to 5,500 members nationwide, serving over 125 university campuses. LTA strives to develop strong leaders that produce and engage in political, social and cultural activities while making an impact on their respective communities. Through its charitable and educational programs, LTA collaborates with university campuses to monitor the academic progress, college retention and leadership development of its members. Upon members' graduation, the sorority continues to provide leadership development, educational programs and networking opportunities for all of its members and continues to address the social and academic integration gaps experienced by underrepresented students in higher education. 95% of members complete college and their cumulative GPA of Undergraduate Members is 3.04 (N: 1,275). The chapter programming also includes fundraising for various causes such as for its national philanthropy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Notably, LTA is a national partner of the annual St. Jude run/walk where members participate and fundraise to end childhood cancers. To date, LTA has raised over $200,000 since its partnership began in 2011.

National
Name:
LASER Program

URL:
http://odi.osu.edu/laser/

Location:
Columbus, OH

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

LASER was created because Latino student participation at Ohio State had remained marginal, despite large gains in Latino college enrollment nationwide and despite a rapidly growing Latino presence in Ohio. LASER employs multiple strategies to build a seamless educational pipeline from high school through graduate education and beyond. LASER mentors serve as academic role models as well as bridge builders for Latinos in middle school, high school and at Ohio State. The mentoring program expanded from supporting fewer than 10 mentoring pairs to supporting 100 mentoring pairs in 2014-15. 200 Ohio State students have been trained to serve as mentors. Of the 80 high school mentees in 2014-15, 5 LASER Scholars earned Ohio State course credit through the statewide Post-Secondary Enrollment Option. Moreover, 4 LASER Scholars participated in the 2014 Ohio State Humanities & Cognitive Sciences High School Summer Institute, and 15 LASER Scholars were admitted to college for fall 2015.

OH
Name:
Latinas Leading Tomorrow (LLT)

URL:
http://www.latinasleadingtomorrow.org

Location:
Arlington, VA

Year Established:
2004
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The program was created to address the growing needs of young, first-generation college-bound Latinas and provide Latina role models to guide them through the process. Through its programs, LLT provides leadership skills, cultural identity activities, career exploration, college preparation, and mentoring in a supportive and nurturing environment that encourages its members to strive for personal excellence. LLT's model addresses the above issues through pregnancy and drug abuse prevention programs, social media awareness, financial literacy, adolescent mental health seminars, violence prevention, and a leadership building skills curriculum.

Since its inception, LLT has provided leadership programs and mentoring for approximately 1,200 students and their families, with more than 150 girls participating in program activities each year.

VA
Name:
Latino Community Credit Union (LCCU)

URL:
http://www.latinoccu.org

Location:
Durham, NC

Year Established:
2000
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Latino Community Credit Union (LCCU) was founded to address the growing violence and armed robberies against Latinos arising from a perception that Latinos frequently carried large sums of cash on their person. Soon after opening, LCCU realized that in addition to needing access to a safe and trustworthy financial institution, its core membership of newly arrived Latino immigrants also needed financial education to learn how to use a financial institution and services to create a significant change in their community. LCCU established the Latino Community Development Center (Latino CDC), a nonprofit dedicated to providing basic financial education to members to teach them to save, plan, and attain a better standard of living for their families. In 2012, LCCU was a trailblazer breaking down financial barriers for young Latinos hoping to apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) through its affordable Dreamer Loan. LCCU's successful program was used as a model by other financial institutions interested in providing financing to Dreamers nationwide, but LCCU continues to lead the nation in Dreamer Loans, with 1,600 loans financed to date.

NC
Name:
Latino Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD organization)

URL:
http://lead.csusb.edu/

Location:
San Bernardino, CA

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The LEAD Organization serves as a primary site for a set of innovative and productive programs, publications and events in Latinos and education. These projects involve significant participation of faculty, students and administrators, as well as partnerships in the region and nationally, and strong interactive connections with Latino networks in the U.S., as well as Latin Americans and Indigenous Peoples throughout the Americas and the world, many whom are already in contact with LEAD personnel and the university. In short, our purpose is to promote a broad-based awareness of the crisis in Latino education and to enhance the intellectual, cultural and personal development of our community's educators, administrators, leaders, parents and students. Through summits, webcasts, organized viewing events, radio, promotional PSAs, Internet, television, print, and professional networks and outlets, social media, and affiliates, their reach has increased to 17.25 million persons.

CA
Name:
Latino Family Literacy Project

URL:
http://www.latinoliteracy.com

Location:
Pasadena, CA

Year Established:
1999
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access; Family Engagement

The Latino Family Literacy Project targets and serves the Hispanic community by providing parent involvement programs for K-12 schools with large Hispanic and English Language Learner (ELL) populations, through staff development training, high quality children's bilingual books, bilingual curriculum for literacy skills, vocabulary development, and college access. The positive link between parent involvement in schools and effective early learning is clear. Trained provider evaluations as well as parent participant evaluations of The Latino Family Literacy Project clearly document the program's defining success and life changing, positive impact on the Hispanic community throughout the United States. The Project's programs have promoted and improved family reading routines, Hispanic parent engagement with schools, early learning, English-language development, and family college awareness.

CA
Name:
Latino Leadership Initiative (LLI)

URL:
http://success.students.gsu.edu/success-programs/latino-outreach/programs/

Location:
Atlanta, GA

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

LLI is a collaboration between Cobb County School District (CCSD) and Georgia State University (GSU) to promote college readiness, college access, and leadership development among Latino students. The LLI program is conducted at six Cobb County high schools to juniors and seniors and is implemented by current GSU students. The program is composed of 10 sessions at each of the schools throughout the academic year with each session devoted to a particular component of college access (i.e. college application process, financial aid, scholarship opportunities, essay writing techniques, leadership and professional development).

LLI has produced a 65% college enrollment rate for active participants. This accomplishment is even more impressive considering the relatively low college enrollment rate of Latino students in Georgia and compared to the national average of 48% for Latino students 18-24 years old. In the last two years, LLI has produced 7 students who have received presidential scholarships and the attendance rate from academic year 13-14 to academic year 14-15 increased by 12% (65% to 77%).

GA
Name:
Latino Leadership Institute (LLI)

URL:
http://www.latinoleadershipinstitute.net

Location:
New York, NY; CT; NJ

Year Established:
1996
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Latino Leadership Institute's (LLI) mission is to empower Latinos and other minorities by increasing their participation in the democratic process. This is accomplished by training, organizing and mobilizing leaders into an agenda that reflects their aspirations and values. Upon completion, the graduates can partner with LLI to coordinate voter education in their communities. LLI is not only a certificate program, but it also provides academic credit-bearing courses. One of the primary goals of LLI is to provide potential candidates with the knowledge and tools necessary to build effective campaigns and to empower candidates, community leaders, and advocates that represent working and low-income communities without depending on established political machinery. Since 2011, LLI has trained over 1,000 individuals on the mechanics of elections and helps smart and progressive individuals make their way into positions of influence.

CT, NY, NJ
Name:
Latino Student Fund (LSF)

URL:
http://www.latinostudentfund.org

Location:
Washington, DC

Year Established:
1994
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access

The LSF addresses the achievement gap by providing year-round, out-of-school-time programs and informational outreach services for low-income students and their families, predominately of Hispanic descent. The organization's programs serve as supplements to fill in the gaps left by in-school and afterschool interventions, and are available to families free of charge as early as preschool. The LSF helps to ensure academic and professional successes and life outcomes by providing extra support to Hispanic students in need of assistance. Our belief is that a strong academic foundation and adequate college preparation during grades PreK-12 is a critical step toward higher education and professional leadership.

DC
Name:
Latinos in Action (LIA)

URL:
http://www.latinosinaction.org/

Location:
Salt Lake City, UT

Year Established:
N/A
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion; STEM

The mission of Latinos in Action is to empower Latino youth to be college- and career-ready through culture, service, leadership, and excellence in education. LIA consists of a leadership class taught at the high school and junior high by an institutional agent. An institutional agent is a trained full time educator. This class trains students as paraprofessionals who visit and tutor local elementary school children. LIA students also learn and improve their leadership skills through their roles within LIA. LIA students organize activities and initiate service projects together. 96% of LIA students graduated high school (compared with 75% statewide graduation rates in 2014 and with 58% statewide graduation rates in 2010); while 87% of LIA Seniors plan on attending college. Additionally, many LIA students matriculate into AP, Honors, and CE classes in high school as a result of being a part of LIA. LIA students also submit college applications and FAFSA applications at higher rates than their peers not in LIA.

UT
Name:
Leadership Scholars Parent Academy

URL:
http://www.leadershipscholars.org

Location:
Cincinnati, OH

Year Established:
2007
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Family Engagement

The mission of the Leadership Scholars is to provide tools and skills to low-income students to succeed in school and life. After obtaining the PIQE (Parent Institute for Quality Education) license, it became the only Tri-state entity offering its nationally acclaimed parent engagement program. While adding cutting-edge research in neuroplasticity, meditation and grit, the program called "Leadership Scholars Parent Academy" was born and has grown to serve 19 schools in 2015. The program works to empower Hispanic parents with strategies to support their children, cultivates in parents the importance of their active role, a mindset of persistence and optimism, and establishes knowledge to help them best position their children to earn college admission and scholarships. The Hispanic program is an expansion to the current Leadership Scholars Parent Academy, which has been in operation locally for the last 2 years, and is modeled on the national PIQE that has served over 500,000 families. Research was conclusive that the PIQE program was effective at raising high school graduation rates (53.2% to 93%), raising college attendance rates (61.7% to 79.2%), and improving GPA and SAT/ACT scores.

OH
Name:
Learning Community Center of South Omaha

URL:
http://www.learningcommunityds.org

Location:
Omaha, NE

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access

In the heart of Omaha's Hispanic community, parents and children in the Learning Community Center of South Omaha demonstrate the power of family. Designed around the importance of a parent's role in their child's education, family learning classes build confidence in navigating local schools, communicating with teachers, advocating for children and setting high expectations for educational success that lead to a college education. Local principals like Sharon Royers need no convincing: "The result is children who are successful, respectful, and motivated to learn. They know their parents back them!" Since the original pilot program in 2012 with two dozen families in temporary space, this demonstration program has grown into a dedicated community center serving 275 families. Three years of program results are so positive, the Learning Community Center now expands into an elementary school and early childhood center.

NE
Name:
LISELL

URL:
http://coe.uga.edu/research/grants/lisell-b

Location:
Athens, GA

Year Established:
2013
Focus Area:
STEM

The LISELL project was developed to better understand and to strengthen the synergistic relationships that exist between the expanding cultural and linguistic diversity of the U.S. student population, the new framework for science teaching found in the Next Generation Science Standards, and the need for all students to develop college- and career-ready skills for the 21st century. Through a process of collaborative co-design, the LISELL project has developed, implemented and refined a teacher professional learning framework and a pedagogical model to support middle school and high school science and ESOL teachers, Hispanic English learner students, and those students' families in gaining proficiency with science and engineering practices and with the academic language of science that is essential for ensuring that the next generation of U.S. students attains academic success through college and career readiness. The project uses science, and particularly biotechnology, as a context for developing critical social problem solving skills and the academic communication skills needed for school success, for success in the workplace, and to communicate effectively about social issues in community contexts. The project is currently working with 50 teachers, approximately 4000 students and 100 Hispanic families (focal families) in 10 schools (5 middle schools and 5 high schools) in two Georgia cities.

GA
Name:
LNESC Science Corps Program

URL:
http://www.lnesc.org/

Location:
Washington, DC

Year Established:
1973
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; STEM

LNESC Science Corps is an afterschool middle school program designed to encourage students' interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields by exposing them to real world STEM applications and problems. Through the efforts of LNESC and a partnership with GM, we have provided a stronger mission not only to students but to the entire Arlington Independent School District. The District is now using the Science Corps program as a platform to achieve higher performance from students and lead them into STEM-driven institutions.

LNESC is an example of a grassroots organization whose focus on educating communities is evident. Many LNESC students have been selected to attend STEM collegiate high schools or STEM academies. Students made significant gains in problem solving, following procedures, independent thinking and critical thinking skills, as well as test scores. Students' understanding of the importance of STEM fields and their confidence increased.

National
Name:
Logan Square Neighbor Association (LSNA)

URL:
http://www.lsna.net

Location:
Chicago, IL

Year Established:
1962
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

LSNA has worked to bring together networks of neighbors, schools, businesses, social service agencies, faith communities, and other organizations to collaborate for thriving communities. Education and youth development have been critical components of its work. In the early 1990s, LSNA formed a coalition of principals, teachers, and parents to address school overcrowding, and by 1996 the neighborhood had five school building additions and two new middle schools, which became some of the first school community centers established in Chicago. Over the decades, LSNA established a unique, holistic, and highly successful model for urban low-income immigrant integration and community-based schooling.

84% of Parent Mentor graduates have completed or made progress on their personal goals, such as gaining employment, learning English, going to college or earning a GED. 92% of children of Parent Mentors have graduated high school and, of these graduates, 87% enrolled in college, and of those who enrolled, 44% have graduated and 44% are still in school.

IL
Name:
Loma Vista Middle School Schoolwide Health and Wellness Program

URL:
http://alvordschools.org/lomavista

Location:
Riverside, CA

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Loma Vista Middle School has developed a school-wide culture designed to support the health and wellness of the students and families in a predominantly Hispanic (86%), low SES (90%) population. Loma Vista provides students with the education and adult role models needed to learn to live a healthy, active lifestyle, and to make smart dietary choices to become healthy, contributing members of our society. We are seeing the positive impact this focus has on our students' academic success, their physical fitness, and our families' understanding of proper nutrition and exercise, which will continue well beyond their middle school years. Over the past three years, we have seen our health and wellness focus have a positive impact on our students in the areas of academics, healthy eating, and physical fitness.

The number of students eating a healthy breakfast at school has increased from 30,042 to 35,696, per school and our school-wide GPA has grown from 2.69 to 2.81.

CA
Name:
Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation (LANLF)

URL:
http://www.lanlfoundation.org

Location:
Española, NM

Year Established:
1997
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion; STEM

LANLF supports and runs programs that invest in Hispano potential from cradle to career, currently focusing on three specific, innovative initiatives using best practices: 1) Prenatal to Three: LANL Foundation funds, provides technical assistance support, and in some areas manages a home visiting program, called First Born® for first time parents. 2) K-6 STEM Education: The Inquiry Science Education Consortium (ISEC) is an initiative begun in 2010 that uses inquiry-based methods to teach science and engineering. 3) Higher Education and Workforce Development: The Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund is the largest scholarship pool in northern New Mexico, having given away over $5 million since its inception to over 1,000 students.

Dozens of students have returned to LANL for employment upon graduation, offering a solid school-to-career pipeline for students in the region. The percentage of students who graduated in four years or less is 78%. In addition, 38% of students are either currently enrolled in a graduate program or have attained a post-graduate degree.

NM
Name:
Los Angeles Cash for College

URL:
http://www.lacashforcollege.org/

Location:
Los Angeles, CA

Year Established:
2001
Focus Area:
K12 & College Access; Postsecondary Completeion

The L.A. Cash for College Campaign was developed fourteen years ago to help increase the number of students in the Los Angeles region who complete college—emphasizing the importance of filing for financial aid to ensure students have the resources necessary to be successful. Since the Campaign's inception, Latino student participation has mirrored our school district's demographics—approximately 78%. By utilizing a three-pronged approach of 1) informing students and families about college preparation and financing their education, 2) assisting students and families in applying for aid, and 3) rewarding positive behaviors like applying for aid, L.A. Cash for College is helping improve the educational outcomes of Latino students in the region.

Since its inception, the L.A. Cash for College Campaign has helped nearly 240,000 students and their families prepare for college and apply for financial aid and has awarded more than $3.3 million in additional college scholarships. In 2014 alone, nearly 12,000 L.A. area students and families benefitted from the annual College and Career Convention in November.

CA
Name:
Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP)

URL:
http://www.laep.org

Location:
Los Angeles, CA

Year Established:
1984
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access

Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) was the first educational-transformation organization in Los Angeles and among those at the forefront of the movement nationwide. LAEP provides transformational models that create effective schools, improve teachers' skills and collaboration, empower students and parents, prepare young children for kindergarten, and engage nonprofit, for-profit and public organizations to partner with schools. LAEP serves educators, students, and families in underserved communities across Los Angeles County through work in small schools, community schools and early childhood education. LAEP's pioneering small learning communities (SLCs) in the 1980s contributed to the wide adoption of SLCs in LAUSD's high schools.

LAEP middle and high schools are improving, they showed positive growth on 14 of 15 indicators in the three year period of 2011-12 to 2013-14. LAEP schools are improving at a faster rate compared to LAUSD secondary schools as a whole. For example, LAEP Partner schools exceeded the LAUSD rate on (1) Students passing Algebra 1 with a C or better by the end of 9th grade, (2) students with 96% attendance and (3) percentage of students graduating within four years.

CA
Name:
Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP)

URL:
http://www.laup.net

Location:
Los Angeles, CA

Year Established:
2005
Focus Area:
Early Learning

Established and funded by First 5 LA in 2004, LAUP has invested significant time, energy and resources into providing quality preschool for more than 105,000 children across Los Angeles County and in shaping the public's understanding about the need for and role of quality early education. To address these children's diverse needs, LAUP's preschools use developmentally, linguistically and culturally appropriate curriculum and practices in their goal to prepare children for success in kindergarten and beyond. LAUP's fiscal provider services team equips family childcare, early education centers and preschools with finance and accounting expertise to help small business owners, many of them Hispanic, manage their businesses and grow as entrepreneurs, contributing to the economy of LA. Low family income and low parent education typically predict poorer academic outcomes for children. However, children who had attended LAUP consistently scored higher on the California Standardized Test (CST) than students who had not attended an LAUP preschool. When scores from all districts were combined, LAUP alumni received higher scores on 3 out of 4 tests.

CA
Name:
LSAMP (Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation)

URL:
http://www.calstatela.edu/lsamp

Location:
Los Angeles, CA

Year Established:
1993
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion; STEM

The Cal State LSAMP programs have two overriding goals: (1) improving preparation/performance and persistence of undergraduates to STEM baccalaureate degrees with particular focus on increasing underrepresented minority (URM) students in STEM and (2) enhancing student competitiveness for success in gaining admission into graduate programs and professional careers in STEM. For over two decades, Cal State L.A. LSAMP has been highly successful in improving retention and graduation rates, as well as time to graduation of Hispanic students majoring in STEM fields. A key component of this program is involving students in hands-on research in labs that leads to co-authored publications in peer reviewed journals. In addition to a positive impact of LSAMP on graduation rates and acceptance into graduate school programs, the average GPA of all 640 participants in LSAMP in 2013-14 was 2.806. A total of 611/640 (95.5%) are LSAMP students in good standing (GPA ≥ 2.000). Currently 335/640 (52.3%) have a GPA that would qualify them to apply to graduate school at the Master's level (GPA ≥ 2.750). Also each year, CSULA has averaged 2-3 students who have participated in an international research experience.

CA
Name:
LSAMP Bridges to the Baccalaureate (B2B) Program—Central Florida

URL:
http://valenciacollege.edu/lsamp

Location:
Orlando, FL

Year Established:
2013
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion; STEM

The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program in Central Florida developed out of long-term regional collaborations to increase underrepresented minority student access and success in STEM and is supported through a three-year grant from The National Science Foundation (NSF) and rests on the established national model for LSAMP. The goal of the regional program, the Central Florida STEM Alliance (CFSA), is to increase the number of underrepresented minority students who complete associate degrees and transition into bachelor's degree programs in STEM fields from the baseline count of 321 in 2011 to 642 in 2016. Through a comprehensive plan of student, faculty, and college activities, CFSA addresses three recognized barriers to the participation and success of underrepresented minority students in STEM. For its year two annual report, CFSA reported a total student enrollment of 825 students. Of this total, underrepresented minority students constituted 65.8% and Hispanic students 43.8% of the total enrollment in CFSA. Since that report, enrollment has increased at each alliance institution and the total enrollment is approaching 1,200 students, with approximately 100 each at Lake-Sumter and Seminole and more than 950 at Valencia.

FL
Name:
LULAC Head Start, Inc.

URL:
http://wWW.LULACHEADSTART.ORG

Location:
New Haven, CT

Year Established:
1983
Focus Area:
Early Learning

For 32 years, LULAC Head Start, Inc. of New Haven, Connecticut has continued to provide effective early childhood education services to primarily Hispanic children, their parents, grandparents, community volunteers and staff. Operating in three centers across the City of New Haven, LULAC Head Start, Inc. continues to close the language, cultural, and educational achievement gaps of the Hispanic community in Greater New Haven. Originally, LULAC Head Start was created as a response to the lack of acceptance felt by Hispanic families and the inability by the local district to meet the academic, linguistic, cultural, and educational challenges posed by the continuous flow of Hispanic families into the New Haven area.

Among notable accomplishements, LULAC Head Start Inc. has engaged 100% of the Spanish elderly in activities that support social and emotional involvement for both the elderly and the children; received commendations on achieving full compliance on all the guidelines associated with the program; and the Dual Language and Literacy Project continues to be a major success having had 100% participation from parents and staff.

CT
Name:
MANA de San Diego

URL:
http://www.manasd.org

Location:
San Diego, CA

Year Established:
1987
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Hermanitas Mentorship Program was developed out of significant Latina high school drop out and teenage pregnancy rates in San Diego. Hermanitas is addressing the educational achievement gap for Hispanic students by pairing young girls ages 12-18 with caring mentors. They participate in monthly seminars that expose them to different career pathways, leadership development and community service. Hermanitas is helping to ensure academic and professional successes and life outcomes by facilitating long term relationships with a caring adult who will guide them through middle school and high school while encouraging pursuit of higher education.

Since 2006, MANA has had 100% of the students graduate from high school, pursue higher education, and have prevented pregnancy. Further, 85% of Hermanitas 10th-12th grade increased their GPA from 2013-2014 and 50% had a GPA increase during the 2014-15 school year.

CA
Name:
MANA, A National Latina Organization

URL:
http://www.hermana.org

Location:
Washington, DC

Year Established:
1974
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The national MANA HERMANITAS® youth mentoring program is the only national youth mentoring program designed specifically for Latina youth. The program provides young Latinas ages 11-18 with educational and skill-building opportunities, leadership development, mentoring and peer support. The program goals are to adopt healthy living strategies and approaches; to promote educational achievement and personal enrichment; to develop leadership qualities, skills, and abilities; to promote cultural identity, respect, pride and multicultural awareness; and to promote proactive community involvement. HERMANITAS® (Little Sisters) are matched with trained mentors from their home communities, referred to as Madrinas®, who commit to 110 hours of mentoring and activities over the course of one year. Since the program inception in 1991, the HERMANITAS® program has served over 15,000 young Latinas. Overall, the study found that students in the HERMANITAS® program were shown to: Maintain consistent levels of self-esteem; Display low rates of depression compared to nationwide average; Display an increasingly negative view of drug and alcohol use; Display a growing positive attitude towards school and higher education.

DC
Name:
MANA de San Diego

URL:
http://www.manasd.org

Location:
San Diego, CA

Year Established:
1987
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

MANA de San Diego's Hermanitas program goal is to elevate the potential of underserved Latinas in our community and create a generation of strong, capable young women. Hermanitas mentorships and monthly workshops are designed to increase each participant's knowledge and exposure to a variety of professional fields, and create plans for achieving valuable educational and professional goals. Topics covered through seminars and assignments include health and wellness, cultural awareness, self-esteem, education, career opportunities, and the environment. Hermanitas program incorporates STEM related seminars, leveraging local industry and university partners.

Another component of the Hermanitas program ensures that all girls are enrolled and successfully completing Common Core A-G requirements so they can qualify to apply for the California State University and University of California public education system. The program also tracks "at risk of dropping out" factors including attendance, grades and behavioral issues. Additional elements of the program include support in applying to college, and applying for financial aid and scholarships. The scholarship program has helped nearly 428 talented young Latinas with financial assistance to make their dream of attending college a reality.

DC
Name:
Mastery Math Lab—FIU

URL:
http://MasteryMath.fiu.edu

Location:
Miami, FL

Year Established:
2011
Focus Area:
College Complettion; STEM

In Fall 2010, 66% of the more than 1300 students taking College Algebra either failed or dropped the course and 30% of those students did not return to Florida International University (FIU) the following fall. With the vast majority of its 54,000 students coming from Hispanic (63%) and African-American (14%) populations, FIU is committed to purposeful course and instructional redesign intended to foster student engagement and provide consistent, logical course structure targeting students underrepresented in STEM disciplines. In 2012, FIU built a dedicated 204 Computer Mastery Math Lab to serve as a cornerstone of the project and has since replaced adjuncts with full-time instructors, formed course-specific weekly working groups for faculty, implemented high-touch student-faculty communications, and adopted small group problem solving sessions with undergraduate Learning Assistants. While maintaining course integrity and mathematical rigor, results include increased passing rates in College Algebra by over 30%, in Intermediate Algebra by over 25% and in trial sections of Finite Math by over 20% above the departmental average.

FL
Name:
Math Jam

URL:
http://www.canadacollege.edu/STEMcenter/mathjam

Location:
Redwood City, CA

Year Established:
2009
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion; STEM

Cañada College, a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution, created the Math Jam program in 2009 to address the low level of math preparation of underrepresented students studying STEM that resulted in them not continuing their STEM studies, despite a strong interest in the subject matter. Math Jam's mission is to improve success, completion, and retention rates for under-represented students pursuing STEM education. The primary goals of the program are to reduce the completion time for an Associates degree and/or transfer to a 4-year institution, improve readiness for college level math courses, increase student awareness of the skills and tools they need to be successful STEM students, and develop a community of learners among Math Jam participants. Math Jam has served over 2250 students since its inception in 2009, growing from 50 students in 2009 to 486 in 2014.

Analysis of students' performance in next semester math courses shows significantly higher retention (93% vs. 77%) and success (77% vs. 53%) rates among Math Jam participants compared to non-participants. The impact is more evident among Hispanic Math Jam participants versus Hispanic non-participants (Retention: 94% vs. 75% and Success: 74% vs. 47%).

CA
Name:
Mercy College

URL:
http://www.mercy.edu

Location:
Dobbs Ferry, NY

Year Established:
1950
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion; STEM

Mercy College, a Hispanic Serving Institution in the New York City region, is passionately working to close the college attainment gap in America. 71% of Mercy College freshmen are Pell grantees. Mercy College created breakthrough mentoring approaches (PACT-Personalized Achievement Contract), innovations in STEM education, and affordable tuition policies to increase college access and reduce time to completion, especially for students who are first in their families to attend college.

Over the last five years, Pell grantee enrollment increased by 10 percent, first-year student retention rates increased by 17 percent, students earning 30 or more credits in their first year increased by 15 percent, and the six-year graduation rate increased by 10 percent. Mercy College's three year student loan default rate (5.5%) is significantly lower than the national student loan default rate (13.7%).

NY
Name:
Meritus College Fund

URL:
http://www.meritus.org

Location:
San Francisco, CA

Year Established:
1996
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion

Meritus empowers low-income San Francisco Bay Area youth by providing them with scholarships, personalized coaching, and career mentoring and development. Behind this mission lies the fact that higher education is a critical step in addressing income disparity for motivated and talented youth from underprivileged and under-represented communities.

Through a comprehensive financial and individualized social support program, Meritus has helped more than 170 low-income Hispanic youth attend college. Since its inception in 1996, Meritus has supported 658 Scholars from low-income communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, providing close to $9 million in scholarships. 88% of Meritus Scholars successfully graduate from their four-year college course, whereas the national completion rate is only 21% among low-income students. To date, 171 motivated Hispanic students have attended college with support from Meritus. We attribute these significant outcomes both to the talents of Scholars and to the end-to-end support each receives through Meritus' comprehensive program.

CA
Name:
Metas Program

URL:
http://www.sjcc.edu/academics/academic-programs/metas

Location:
San Jose, CA

Year Established:
2008
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

The Metas Program at San Jose City College has been very successful at providing comprehensive academic and student support services that promote college access, retention, and completion among Latino/a students who are often the first in their family to attend college or enter a disadvantage. The Metas Program applies effective education practices such as small group peer-assisted learning, Summer Bridge, proactive and intrusive academic counseling, and First-Year Experience to create a community of learners that build relationship among peers and their supportive community of administrators, staff, and faculty. Metas served approximately 1383 students from summer to 2013 through the end of spring 2014.

The 2013 Metas Summer Bridge cohort consisted of 39 students (92% Hispanic) with 36 students successfully passing. A year after completion, 67 % of the 2013 summer Bridge cohort enrolled in the fall semester of 2014 with substantially earned transfer-level credits and 26 of the 39 Bridge students on path to transfer. Our data also reveal that the PLTL program is closing the achievement gap for underrepresented ethnic groups.

CA
Name:
Mini-Corps Program, Fresno State

URL:
http://www.fresnostate.edu/kremen/special-projects/mini-corps.html

Location:
Fresno, CA

Year Established:
1967
Focus Area:
Latino Teacher Recruitment

The Mini-Corps program at Fresno State exemplifies innovative best practices in both teacher education and academic achievement for Hispanic students, for the following reasons: 1) tutors were themselves migrant students and have a first-hand understanding of the obstacles faced 2) tutors are under the close supervision and mentorship of master teachers; 3) Mini-Corps tutors receive specialized training in developing culturally relevant lesson plans using a model proven to advance the engagement and achievement of Hispanic, ESL and bi-lingual students; 4) Mini-Corps teacher education students have many opportunities to practice and reflect upon what they are learning; 5) In addition to student teaching, Mini-Corp tutors also have increased opportunities to work with students one-on-one, providing them not only with extra academic support and tutoring, but serving as student advocates, family and community liaisons.

The combined results of the 2014-15 teacher survey indicate that Mini-Corps tutors made significant progress in helping Hispanic and migrant students excel, especially in regards to English Language Arts, where 92.50% of teachers believed Mini-Corps students made "a lot" of progress with students. Further, while at the beginning of the 2014 school year only 1 out of 10 fifth graders scored "At or Above Benchmark" on these exams, by the end of the year over half of the students were performing "At or Above Benchmark."

CA
Name:
MORE (Minority Opportunities in Research)

URL:
http://web.calstatela.edu/centers/moreprograms/

Location:
Los Angeles, CA

Year Established:
N/A
Focus Area:
STEM

The California State University, Los Angeles' MORE programs have been highly successful in placing students in PhD programs. Over the past decade, 70% of MARC and RISE undergrads and 85% of RISE MS-to-PhD Masters students entered PhD programs, great majority of whom are Hispanic. MORE programs also improve significantly retention and graduation rates, as well as time to graduation of Hispanic students majoring in STEM fields. A key component of MORE programs is the involvement of students in hands-on research in labs that leads to co-authored publications in peer reviewed journals (over 750 publications in the past two decades). They complete the PhD at rates considerably higher than national averages for all students, not just for minority group members. In the past dozen years, 106 Cal State LA MORE alumni earned the PhD and are in postdoctoral fellowships, industrial positions and faculty appointments. They are already making a positive impact on American science.

CA
Name:
Napa County Office of Education

URL:
http://www.napacoe.org

Location:
Napa, CA

Year Established:
1852
Focus Area:
Early Learning

The Napa County Office of Education serves more than 21,000 public school students in 5 counties. In the U.S., 46% of children enter kindergarten at risk of failure because they lack essential literacy skills. To prepare at-risk students for kindergarten, NCOE collaborated with non-profit NapaLearns and launched the first countywide offering in the nation of a digital early literacy program, providing it at no cost to all parents of preschool children in Napa County.

In four short weeks of the 2011 pilot program, all students made statistically significant pre-post growth on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test in expressive and receptive language, comprehension scores went from 11 to 76.4 percent, and parent engagement increased. Further, preliminary results targeting students at Calistoga Elementary School show that by the end of first grade, students using immersive literacy programs on iPads performed between 17 and 20% better on reading fluency tests, 11-19% better on spelling and 2-7% better on writing than the control group. A bilingual outreach campaign and training workshops has led to rapid growth of the program, exposing students to 17 million words since March of 2014.

CA
Name:
National Hispanic Caucus of State Legistlators (NHCSL)

URL:
http://www.nhcsl.org/

Location:
Washington, DC

Year Established:
1989
Focus Area:

The NHCSL is a non-profit organization that works with state legislators across the United States and has been active for over twenty five years. The mission of the NHCSL is to be the foremost organization serving and representing the interests of Hispanic state legislators from all states, commonwealths and territories of the United States. The NHCSL meets its mission by serving as a catalyst for joint action on issues of common concern, such as housing, immigration, education and healthcare, which impact all segments of the Hispanic community. In addition, the NHCSL provides a forum for information exchange and member networking; while supporting leadership training; acts as a liaison with sister U.S. Hispanic organizations; promotes public and private partnerships with businesses and labor; and partners with Latino state legislators to advance the Latino community. Many of our state legislators have implemented several bills such as Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez from the state of Maryland, who recently introduced a bill establishing the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy Program. Latino NHCSL members across the country continue to build awareness on key issues impacting educational attainment for Latino students and speak to the needs of the Hispanic community.

DC
Name:
National Latino and American Indian Scholarship Directory

URL:
N/A

Location:
California

Year Established:
1997
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

The National Latino and American Indian Scholarship Directory includes over 2,000 sources of financial aid available to Latinos, with a combined total of almost $1 billion. From the time the Scholarship Directory was first published in 1997, more than 200,000 students have had access to it. It has been distributed in hard copies, CDs and DVDs to national Latino organizations, including NCLR, LULAC, HACU and NAHP. Since 1997, NAHP and Latino Literacy Now have distributed nearly 150,000 copies of the Scholarship Directory within the U.S. It is estimated that each Directory impacts at least 1.7 students because others in each family who are going to college see it and because many of the Scholarship Directories are used by high school and college counselors. Therefore the estimated impact is 246,000 Latino and American Indian students that have used this resource.

CA
Name:
National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA)

URL:
http://www.nshmba.org

Location:
Irving, National

Year Established:
1988
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

Dedicated to increasing the number of Hispanics graduating with MBA's, NSHMBA opens doors for Hispanic talent by sourcing leadership positions, securing job placement and enhancing professional development. Though Hispanics with MBAs had been the sole focus, 2015 marks the year in which NSHMBA extends its reach beyond the MBA community to undergraduate and high school-level students. NSHMBA realizes by building Hispanic talent from the ground up, they are empowering Hispanic business professionals to achieve their full educational, economic and social potential. NSHMBA has made great strides in access, retention and completion, as well as college readiness: it has developed a Latino Student Resource Guide and distributed to over 200 families and students; held professional and leadership development events; supported the academic development of 376 youths through tutoring, mentoring, homework help, and enrichment activities. All of which have aided in increasing enrollment, retention, and graduation rates.

National
Name:
New Mexico State University's (NMSU) College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP)

URL:
http://camp.nmsu.edu

Location:
Las Cruces, NM

Year Established:
2002
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion; STEM

At NMSU CAMP, we pride ourselves in serving farmworker families and we feel strongly that we work to educate the farmworker family unit and to break the cycle of poverty that envelopes them. Our advocacy work for Latino students is demonstrated in our staff, our best practices and program effectiveness and our extensive collaborative initiatives with numerous University and Community partners. Together, we work in creating a more just society and a brighter future for our Latino communities throughout New Mexico and at the New Mexico/West Texas borderlands. In the 2013-2014 academic year, twenty-nine CAMPers were selected for the 2013-2014 school year and 100% were retained throughout the school year. 97% completed their freshman year successfully with a GPA of 2.5 or higher (Average of 3.16). CAMP has successfully enrolled more than half of their students in STEM degree programs. Moreover, seventy-nine percent of our NMSU CAMP baccalaureate graduates are now part of the New Mexico workforce as professionals.

NM
Name:
Ninth District Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

URL:
http://Ninthdistrictpta.org

Location:
San Diego, CA

Year Established:
1917
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The Ninth District PTA is a critical collaborator in ensuring that Hispanic and other students in the San Diego are receiving adequate and comparable educational opportunities as all students. The association's expansive work in bridging the gap especially between Hispanic families and schools and communities has resulted in a more collective and effective education community. The Ninth District PTA not only aids families and other PTA's in resource development and engagement strategies, the association also serves as a community resource center by conducting numerous workshops and trainings to families on a wide-range of issues both in English and in Spanish. Furthermore, the Ninth District PTA organizes events throughout the year on a myriad of topics such as National PTA's Reflections contest which encourages students to produce an original work of art and promotes creativity, imagination, and confidence that can translate into success in adulthood. The outcomes and impact of Ninth District PTA's efforts can be seen both anecdotally and statistically. In the membership year ending in June 2014, the Ninth District PTA showed an increase of 2,741 members over the previous year. The association also organized seven new units. Furhtermore, Ninth District PTA holds a multitude of conferences and programs throughout the year to educate families about how the school system works, which empower them to be active in their children's education as well as school organizations.

CA
Name:
North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals (NCSHP)

URL:
http://www.thencshp.org

Location:
Cary, NC

Year Established:
1999
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The organization was founded in 1999 with the intention of creating a membership of existing Hispanic professionals to come together to address the educational needs of the fastest growing population in the state with the highest dropout rate to ensure that they become educated professionals and positively contribute to the bright future of the state of North Carolina. NCSHP is addressing the achievement gap with a variety of educational programs and initiatives, including our Hispanic Educational Summit for middle and high school Hispanic students, our Stay in School Campaign and PSA Contest, our College Scholarships initiative, an Education Fair—"Mi Exito, La Universidad", the ¡Gradúate! Dropout Prevention Program, and the "Good Stewards of the Environment" Science Program. In the last 16 years, NCSHP has reached key stakeholders in a Hispanic youth's education and has seen an improvement in graduation rates in North Carolina. According to NC DPI data, in the year 2000, when the Hispanic Educational Summit was initiated, approximately 6 out of 10 Hispanic students in North Carolina were dropping out of high school. By 2013, just about 3 out of 10 Hispanic students were dropping out of High School. With the Hispanic Educational Summit, NCSHP has served over 11,000 Hispanic students from across over 40 counties in the state of North Carolina.

NC
Name:
Northwest Vista College Connection Program

URL:
http://alamo.edu/nvc/collegeconnection/

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
2008
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The College Connection program at Northwest Vista College is designed to provide access to higher education. Through this program, the college provides outreach and support for nearly 4,000 Hispanic high school seniors from the Northside Independent School District and Lackland Independent School District. The College Connection program was initially created as part of the Closing the Gaps initiative designed to increase the number of Texas students attending college by 2015. Northwest Vista has enhanced the framework of this program and tailored it to serve as a key access strategy for Hispanic students. Northwest Vista's College Connection program provides increased access to higher education by bringing various steps of the enrollment process directly to the student in their high school, hosting targeted on-campus visit events, and partnering with predominantly Hispanic serving high schools to provide additional resources and services. Through partnership with our local ISD's, 100% of the high school seniors have access and support to participate in this program. College Connection has provided a consistent and robust framework of access and support to our Hispanic population

TX
Name:
Notre Dame ACE Academies

URL:
http://www.ace.nd.edu/academies

Location:
Notre Dame, National

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The Notre Dame ACE Academies are an innovative model of Catholic schooling, established to strengthen and sustain existing parish and diocesan Catholic elementary schools. The Notre Dame ACE Academies were founded in 2010 at the University of Notre Dame as a response to the U.S. Bishops' call for a "new model of sponsorship and collaboration" between Catholic institutions of higher education and parish schools. In recent decades, the traditional model of parish schools has faced a variety of challenges that threaten their sustainability. Catholic schools, however, serve Latino and other underserved students remarkably well, and for Hispanic communities, they represent a beacon of hope. The eight Notre Dame ACE Academies provide access to excellent Catholic education by recruiting low­income students who qualify for tax­credit scholarships, especially in Hispanic communities through a Madrinas recruiting program. Notre Dame ACE Academies are closing the achievement gap, seeing more academic impact with each year, preparing students for college, and providing to more students each year. Students experienced tremendous growth in both math and reading achievement in 2014. In fact, on average, each student gained approximately 3.7 NCE (0.17 std. dev. or 1.25 years) in math and 1.4 NCE (0.05 std. dev. or 1.13 years) in reading. In 2010, third graders at St. John were scoring in the 17th percentile in math; four years later, as seventh graders, that same class scored in the 51st percentile, moving from the bottom quartile to above the national average.

National
Name:
One by One

URL:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1007899442567039/

Location:
East Moline, IL

Year Established:
2013
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Due to budget cuts, our district high school no longer offers a program such as One By One for students to visit college campuses. By high school, many of our middle school students of color and low-income students have fallen off the education path. One By One reaches out to 7th and 8th graders with college visits and connects students with community leaders who mirror our students' demographics. Along with inspiring our students, they also serve to break many of the stereotypes of people of color. 50% of our One By One members are Hispanic. College campus visits provide opportunities to speak with admissions and financial aid counselors as well as university students of color. For the majority of our students, this will be the first time experiencing a college campus. This sends a powerful message that they CAN attend college! We have had One By One members go from Ds and Fs and frequently sent to the front office with discipline issues, to having those same members rising to our high expectations and earning As, Bs, and Cs, as well as correcting their behavior. These same students now have conversations of where they will attend college. These conversations were not taking place before our program. Since we launched One By One in the fall of 2013, we have worked with over 150 students. We currently have 55 students enrolled for 2015-2016 with over 80 students on a wait list. The word is out among parents and students that our program works!

IL
Name:
Ontario-Montclair Promising Scholars Program

URL:
http://www.Promisescholars.org

Location:
Ontario, CA

Year Established:
2011
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Promising Scholars strengthens the community and will bring individuals out of poverty by increasing completion of high school and enrollment in college or post-secondary career technical training programs. It is doing this by creating a universal "college-going culture" in school, in home, and in the community which includes information, activities, and services through AmeriCorps members, college interns, and volunteers to help first-generation students and their families plan for and access college. Ontario-Montclair Promise Scholars is based on a pilot that increased college going rates by 50% for the population being served. The pilot started in 2000 and worked with students from 5th grade until successful enrollment in college (see attached). There was a matched group comparison of outcomes with the pilot group of students tracked over time and compared to similar SES students at the same high school. In 2011, based on the successful implementation of the pilot, the model was adopted community-wide, named "Promise Scholars," and is now at a mid-point of scaling up. Today the program is serving over 7,600 students and 1,200 parents with plans to serve 8,000 students in 2015-16 along with 2,000 parents.

CA
Name:
Oregon Leadership Institute (OLI)

URL:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/4h.outreach

Location:
Corvallis, OR

Year Established:
2004
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The Oregon 4-H Oregon Leadership Institute (OLI) includes a series of four events designed specifically for high school underserved youth from different cultural backgrounds. Its main objectives are to help youth understand the education system; encourage them to pursue a postsecondary education and a professional career; help youth develop leadership skills to serve as camp counselors/leaders/role models for younger youth at the 4-H International Summer Camps; and empower them to participate in leadership roles in their communities and school.

In 2004, the OLI held the first summer camp with 12 high school students serving as camp counselors and 64 middle school campers. In the 2015 summer camps, 130 high school students will serve as Camp counselors and about 300 campers in 3rd to 8th grades. In the last eight years, seven 4-H camp counselors from the OLI have received the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Scholarship. About 90% of the camp counselors have pursued postsecondary education. Several students have received full scholarships to attend prestigious universities in the US and several are pursuing or have received a Masters Degree.

OR
Name:
Oregon Tech Wizards

URL:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/washington/4h//techwizards

Location:
Corvallis, OR

Year Established:
1998
Focus Area:
STEM

4-H Tech Wizards is an afterschool, small-group mentoring program for vulnerable and marginalized youth who tend to be underrepresented in STEM fields. The program uses youth interest in science and emerging technologies to help engage them in learning and to encourage them to apply their learning to their STEM academic instruction and future life paths. Professionals specializing in emerging STEM Fields connect with youth in a group mentoring setting. Youth are placed in cohorts of ten to twelve, with three to five mentors per group. Youth are also expected to volunteer 30 hours annually in technology-related service learning benefiting the larger community In the program's fifteen years of delivery, about 95% of participating youth have completed the program, 85% have annually completed 30 hours of service learning, 95% have graduated, and 85% have pursued post-secondary education.

OR
Name:
Oregon State University Juntos Program

URL:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/jefferson/jefferson/oregon-open-campus/programs

Location:
Madras, OR

Year Established:
2007
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The "Juntos" program (pronounced: Who-n-tos) provides Latino parents and 8-12th grade students with knowledge and resources to graduate from high school and gain access to college. This hands-on program is taught in either English or Spanish and meets for 2½ hours once a week for six weeks in the evenings. Juntos also uses success coaches and college age-mentors to provide weekly afterschool clubs and activities with the target students before and after the 6-week program. From the first generation of Juntos in Tillamook, Madras, and Culver 100% of students graduated from school and 100% are attending college.

Families who have served Juntos in past years come back not only to continue learning but also to help other families in their communities including The Dalles, Sisters, Madras, Culver, and Tillamook. All schools where Juntos offers its program have reported tremendous satisfaction with the results.

OR
Name:
Padres Unidos

URL:
N/A

Location:
South Gate, CA

Year Established:
1998
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Padres Unidos was founded in 1998 after the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to combat school overcrowding in South Gate, and the South East Los Angeles County area in general which had been a major problem for years. Padres Unidos was formed to address these concerns directly with LAUSD, with its original members consisting of two parents from each of the existing South Gate schools. The coalition began by frequently attending school board meetings and meeting directly with LAUSD officials. When Padres Unidos was founded, the City of South Gate had 12 public LAUSD schools for a total K-12 enrollment population of 20,872 students. Seventeen years later, and thanks to the work of Padres Unidos, the City now has 22 LAUSD school facilities for a total K-12 enrollment population of 19,173 students.Since forming, the organization has seen 131 new schools constructed in the South East L.A. area. It is clear this accomplishment would not have been possible without the tenacity and dedication Padres Unidos exhibited through their outstanding work in the community

CA
Name:
Pages for All Ages

URL:
http://www.pagesforallages.org

Location:
Miami, FL

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

Pages for All Ages serves low- income, academically underprepared college students who struggle to stay in school; and children from migrant farm worker camps. The educational intervention it utilizes (academic service-learning), and is focused on closing the achievement gap. Pages for All Ages helps students stay in school, build self-esteem, and graduate by engaging them in a structured service- learning experience that targets Hispanic youth. The college students participate in service-learning as part of their college courses and mentor at-risk children in the community by creating a book that increases literacy awareness. The college students who mentor are also at-risk and this program helps them to become fully integrated and immersed in their education and their community. The program began with eleven Miami Dade College (MDC) students in 2012 and in three short years has grown to include over 130 college students and 173 mentees from the community who meet weekly for eight-weeks to create a book through this enriching mentoring experience. MDC students have provided 1,763 of service while earning academic credit and learning course content. It is to be noted that the numbers contributed are significant, but it is the quality of time spent with each child that yields the greatest impact and results.

FL
Name:
PALMS/PATHS Vehicles for College Access

URL:
http://mamkschools.org

Location:
Mamaroneck, NY

Year Established:
2006
Focus Area:
College Access

PALMS (Post-Secondary Access for Latino Middle Grade Students) was implemented to strengthen Hispanic students' academic skills, provide learning opportunities for goal-setting, learn about higher education, and increase parent engagement. The following year, a District planning committee was established, Program Alignment Team for Hispanics Students (PATHS), through which several initiatives have been established, including Hispanic PTAs at the elementary, middle and high school, summer and after-school programs (JumpStart), over 32 local television shows in Spanish (Vistazos), all school information translated into Spanish, school meetings for Spanish-speaking parents, college programs and visits specifically for Hispanic students and parents, several workshops in Spanish on Special Education and technology, and increased enrollment in Honors and Advanced Placement courses, along with increased participation in athletics and other school activities. The data provided for Hispanic students demonstrates a significant increase in our graduation rate, improved attendance and grade performance.

NY
Name:
Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP)

URL:
http://www.parent-child.org

Location:
Garden City, NY

Year Established:
1978
Focus Area:
Early Learning

For 50 years the Parent-Child home program has used its early literacy, parenting, and school readiness model to help close the achievement gap by providing low-income families with children from 16 months to 4-years of age the knowledge, skills, and resources to prepare their children for school success. Trained community- based, bilingual early literacy specialists work with families to provide twice weekly, 30-minute home visits over a two-year period. Each week families receive a gift of a book or educational toy to encourage and stimulate parent-child interaction, develop language and literacy skills, and build school readiness. Program staff also connect participants to other social services including food, housing, healthcare, and their children's next educational step, ensuring that children are enrolled in pre-k or Head Start if available.

This seemingly simple model has been proven to have profound outcomes including improving participants' performance on cognitive assessments by, on average, 17 points, decreasing by 50% the need for special education by third grade, and increasing high school graduation rates by 30%—to the same rate as middle income students. PCHP has demonstrated that it effectively increases parent-child interaction, improves children's performance on school readiness assessments, develops social-emotional skills critical for school success, and increases participants' high school graduation rates .

NY
Name:
Parents at the Core

URL:
http://www.meridenk12.org/

Location:
Meriden, CT

Year Established:
2013
Focus Area:
Early Learning

The program empowers Spanish-speaking families by providing a platform in which parents felt comfortable asking and providing input. Through collaboration with school professionals and the community allowed parents and students to experience hands-on school curriculum, and to engage in community programs that are designed to help parents and children succeed in school and in the community. This multi-year program provides parents with a basic understanding of the Common Core State Standards, and allowed parents and children to participate in hands-on activities related to the standards. By increasing parent engagement and knowledge of the school curriculum and activities, there will be a significant impact on student learning, attendance, and overall school climate. Year 1: Attendance Total: 196 adults, 214 children Year 2: Attendance 147 adults and 162 children.

Each parent that participated in this program took the Meriden Parent Survey in their native language. The results of the survey are used determine how parents feel about the school their child attends and to help school personnel plan for the future. This initiative was duplicated in some schools to target the English speakers of the school. It was also selected as one of the break out sessions of the Meriden Parent Academy.

CT
Name:
PEGASUS (Pioneers in Education Generations Achieving Scholaship and Unprecedented Success)

URL:
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/diversity/pegasus/

Location:
Lubbock, TX

Year Established:
2002
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The Texas Tech PEGASUS (Pioneers in Education: Generations Achieving Scholarship and Unprecedented Success) Program was inspired by the state of Texas' Closing the Gaps initiative and was created in response to the increase of underrepresented and first generation college students enrolling at Texas Tech University. The PEGASUS Program addresses the educational achievement gap for Hispanic students by providing academic support, mentoring, and outreach programs targeting First Generation College (FGC) students, many of whom are Hispanic. Additionally, the program builds an educational community that supports students' cultural, social and educational transitions through their first year of college by providing peer support, academic advising, financial assistance and leadership development. By including a student-mentoring component, the PEGUSAS Program has continued to increased retention and success rates of FGC students and underrepresented populations.

Since 2002, the PEGUASUS program has continually expanded year after year. Since its inception, PEGASUS has served over 3,192 First Generation College students, with a retention rate of 89.82% from first to second year. During that same time period, PEGASUS has served 197 student mentors with a graduation rate of 98% and has awarded 344 FGC scholarships.

TX
Name:
Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (PSJA ISD)

URL:
http://www.psjaisd.us

Location:
Pharr, TX

Year Established:
1919
Focus Area:
K-12 & College Access, Postsecondary Completion

As a tri-state punlic school distirict offering a pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculum, PSJA caters to a 32,000 student body ad is focused on graduating all students College Ready, College Connected, and College Complete. PSJA ISD has been a model for dropout prevention strategies and working to connect all student sto Collge. With a high School Completion rate of alsmost 97 perceent. PSJA ISD is leding the region, state and nation in the percent of students graduating from High School. In the May class of 2015, 485 students received an Associate Degree or Certificate before their High School Diploma, 215 of them received an Associate Degree, 270 a College Certificate, and three additional Seniors received their Associate Degrees during their Junior year.

TX
Name:
PhD Project

URL:
http://www.phdproject.org

Location:
New Jersey

Year Established:
1994
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

The PhD Project is dedicated to increasing diversity in the workplace and to accomplish this goal they seek out Hispanics with high academic potential to become business professors. They address the educational achievement gap for Hispanic students in several ways. First, by recruiting and supporting minorities to pursue doctoral degrees they help more Hispanics to achieve the highest level of education in business. Second, the increase in diverse faculty also increases the retention of current Hispanic college students. Lastly, as diverse faculty advance through the ranks of administration, more Hispanics are also able to influence policy in higher ed administration. The PhD Project helps to ensure academic and professional successes and life outcomes by creating a support network of doctoral students and faculty that meets once a year to encourage and help each other navigate the grueling process of a doctoral degree and tenure requirements.

As of 2015, the number of minority business faculty at U.S. business schools has more than quadrupled to 1,274. Hispanic faculty has increased six fold to 315 Hispanic Americans. Moreover, the organization is responsible for maintaining a steady pipeline of approximately 300 minority doctoral students (99 are Hispanic American) who are currently enrolled in programs all across the nation. With fewer than 25 minority business school deans (including just 5 Hispanic Americans) at majority institutions, and many PhD Project faculty now tenured, the organization has launched PhD Project AHEAD to encourage its members to pursue careers in higher ed administration.

National
Name:
Piscataway's Hispanic Outreach Program

URL:
http://www.piscatawayschools.com

Location:
Piscataway, NJ

Year Established:
N/A
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion; Latino Teacher Recruitment

The Piscataway Schools Hispanic Outreach Program sees outstanding results for students at every stage of their academic careers—from preschool through high school. Our early immersion program meets its stated goal to have children exit ESL by the end of first grade. Our ESL Endorsed Teacher Program embeds over 60 teachers at the K-5 level, allowing ESL students to remain and grow academically in mainstream classrooms, and has become a model for The College of New Jersey's Endorsed Teacher Program.

At the high school level, they go far beyond state and federal mandates with outreach that includes after- school and Saturday programs to immerse students and their parents into the school community. The district welcomes parents for classes in ESL, job application and interview skills, and shows parents how to best navigate the American school system and the college application process.

At the preschool level, Piscataway had consistently reached its goal to have preschool ESL students exit the ESL program for mainstream classes by the end of first grade. In just two years, Piscataway doubled its percentage of Hispanic students taking AP courses from 9% in 2013 to 18% in 2015. Hispanic students also saw a rise in AP overall scores from 3.38 to 3.81, with 56 percent of these students scoring in this qualifying range. Hispanic students took a wide range of AP courses.

NJ
Name:
Port Salerno Talks Early Language Initiative

URL:
http://www.elis-house.org/port-salerno-talks-early-language-intiative/#.VeCNG9NViko

Location:
Stuart, FL

Year Established:
2014
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access; Latino Teacher Recruitment

The Port Salerno Talks Early Learning Language Initiative was establishsed to give all children the support they need to be successfu. The Initiative seeks to prevent the achievement gap from forming among children of different socioeconomic statuses by targeting families with early interventions designed to give them the skill sets to better prepare their children beginning at birth. The goal of the intervention is two-fold: to educate parents regarding the critical nature of early language acquisition and to give parents the tools and strategies necessary to craft meaningful and supporting interactions with their children. Interventions provided by Port Salerno Talks consists of small group and one-on-one coaching sessions where parents learn the power of speaking to their children from birth and receive materials and strategies to support early language engagement. Of the 18 families and 58 children initially enrolled in the Port Salerno Talks program, 100% remain actively involved. In the up-coming year, Port Salerno Talks is prepared to increase the number of families served to 80 with an estimated increase in children served to 240 by expanding the work to not only serve the Port Salerno community, but that of another community in Martin County as well.

FL
Name:
PREP USA

URL:
http://www.prep-usa.org

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
1979
Focus Area:
Early Learning

For over three decades, the Prefreshman Engineering Program­ USA (PREP­USA) has provided high quality STEM programming to at least two generations of students. The vision for PREP­USA to advance STEM opportunities for students in under­represented minority communities has since grown from its inception and has shown results in areas of college access, as well as students entering into STEM related majors. PREP­ USA serves as a point of access to college and university campuses for students, many for which this is their first academic experience on a college campus. Since 1979, over 38,000 middle school and high school students have successfully completed at least one summer component of Texas PREP (TexPREP). Of these students, 80% have been members of minority groups, 53% have been women, and 38% have come from economically disadvantaged families.

Results from 2014 show that: 81% go to college, 52% graduate from college, 73% of the college grads are members of minority groups, 44% of the college graduates are STEM majors, 67% of the STEM graduates are members of minority groups, 48% of the STEM majors are female.

TX
Name:
Project ARRIBA

URL:
http://www.projectarriba.org

Location:
El Paso, TX

Year Established:
1998
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; STEM

Project ARRIBA was founded in 1998 to help bridge the skills gap that exists between the needs of area employers for skilled workers and an aspiring workforce that lacks the insight and resources needed to develop their talents. Project ARRIBA is focused on promoting long-term economic prosperity and quality of life through job training for individuals. The program takes a holistic approach to workforce development through a comprehensive program that addresses an individual's barriers to a higher education and the overall needs of our region. Job placed graduates are empowered with the education and skills needed to obtain quality job opportunities and greater economic mobility that moves them and their families out of poverty. Since its inception, Project ARRIBA has connected individuals seeking a higher education, local employers needing a skilled workforce, and training providers needing help retaining at-risk students. To date, Project ARRIBA has achieved a three-year persistence rate of over 80% and more than 60% of participants complete their long-term training in three years at the local junior college and university. The program has graduated over 1,100 at-risk students in demand careers and has achieved an 82% living-wage job placement rate. 2010 to 2014 job placements are earning, on average, $43,480/year—a six time increase in earning power!

TX
Name:
Project RESET

URL:
http://nashvillepef.org/project-reset/

Location:
Nashville, TN

Year Established:
2015
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

The purpose of Project RESET (Reimagining Education Starts with Everyone at the Table) is to actively reset the education conversation by engaging groups across the city in thoughtful dialogue with experts from around the country. Project RESET is a citywide effort to engage our community around strategies that ensure a diploma from MNPS demonstrates college and career readiness regardless of economic or language barriers. NPEF worked closely with Renata Soto and Conexión Américas to engage the Hispanic community. Project materials have been presented in both English and Spanish, translators have been on-site for events, and the NPEF traveling road-show kicked off its tour at Conexión. If pursued boldly, the recommendations of Project RESET's Picking Up the Pace benchmark study will result in a school system that produces more students with those opportunities. The goals of the past year have really focused on working with the community to do what no other organization was doing: aligning resources and creating a platform to move the city forward. This required a completely new messaging strategy that focuses on growing our footprint and engagement with others. RESET Saturday beat every expectation and proved that the goals set were the right ones.

TN
Name:
Promesa Boyle Heights (PBH)

URL:
http://www.promesaboyleheights.org

Location:
Boyle Heights, CA

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The PBH initiative's aim is to transform Boyle Heights by building a cradle-to-college-and-careers pipeline of academic supports for every youth. 2 out of 3 adult residents in our community do not have a high school diploma, and so the need for PBH is great. The model cultivates a comprhensive parent, school, and community network of support sto ensure the retention, promotion, graduatiom, and postsecondary success for every youth. Last year, strategies implemented within the community-school model resulted in graduation rates at Mendez increasing by nearly 20%, and Mendez High School becoming the most improved traditional High School in California with a 76-Point API gain. 92% of the 2014 senior class continued on to higher education with nearly 40% going to 4-year universities. This year, we had a 15% increase for students going to a university. This year marked the highest number and percentage of graduating seniors going to college right after high school.

CA
Name:
Puente Program at Corona-Norco Unified School District (CNUSD)

URL:
http://www.cnusd.k12.ca.us/cnusd

Location:
Norco, CA

Year Established:
2008
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Puente targets high school students earning Ds and Fs and helps to turn their academic careers and futures around with mentoring, college partnerships, counselor interventions, parent participation and more. Existing at the three high schools with the largest Hispanic populations, CNUSD Puente Program has helped to change the lives of more than 4,000 Hispanic students in its seven years of existence. The achievement of the CNUSD Hipsnaic subgrouop increeased each year, especially in elementary, which scored in the top 30% of California urban districts.

CA
Name:
Queensborough Community College (QCC) Early Alert System

URL:
http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/

Location:
Bayside, NY

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

In 2009, QCC introduced the concept of freshman academies so that they could enhance the first year experience for students entering the college. The following year, with the help of IBM, QCC created an analytics dashboard, otherwise known as the Early Alert system, that would enable the professors to identify risk indicators designed to flag and assist students early in the semester so that they have time to improve their academic performance before it was too late. The early alert system is available for all students in all classes. Approximately 50% of QCC faculty are currently using the early alert system. QCC is a Hispanic-serving institution and this early alert system serves a significant population of Hispanic students. ln terms of outreach to students, the early alert system is used by all of academy advisors and campus learning centers in support of students' success.

NY
Name:
Read Conmigo

URL:
http://www.readconmigo.org/

Location:
Birmingham, AL

Year Established:
2011
Focus Area:
Early Learning, K-12 and College Access

The Read Conmigo program was created out of the discovery that many Latino parents, grandparents and caregivers who do not read fluently yet in English are hesitant to read to their children at home in Spanish. Language development studies show that when young children have more exposure to all languages at an early age, they are able to demonstrate higher levels of cognitive flexibility, or the ability to change responses based on environment and circumstances. Read Conmigo books feature creative, fresh and engaging stories in both English and Spanish, so that Latino parents and children can read aloud together. To date, Read Conmigo has increased registered participants from 986 in 2011 to 112,288 in 2015. This reflects a growth rate of 109.4%.

AL
Name:
Ready Now Yuma

URL:
http://www.readynowyuma.org

Location:
Yuma, AZ

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Ready Now Yuma forms the basis of the districts efforts for a comprehensive reform to improve the college and career readiness of its Latino, low-income student body. As part of this effort, the district is implementing the professional learning community model at the district and school levels, and is directly supporting teachers through collaborative team structures and data-driven, job-embedded professional development creating sufficient capacity to sustain the implementation of Ready Now Yuma. This work has shown positive initial results as work continues. Since its inception, there has been significant progress in the district: Advanced Placement (AP) test taking has improved. The district opened AP courses to all high school students regardless of previous academic standing and greatly expanded its AP course offerings.

AZ
Name:
Reality Changers

URL:
http://www.RealityChangers.org

Location:
San Diego, CA

Year Established:
2001
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Reality Changers began in 2001 to address college access and graduation for disadvantaged Hispanic youth by supporting an educational pipeline that will propel them onto successful lives by providing: college readiness and youth development programs for 8th-11th graders; assistance and guidance in the college applications process for 12th graders; and college success support and career services for program graduates. Since Reality Changers' inception, these programs have helped 97% of participants become first generation college students and have helped 86% of such participants persist in college.

CA
Name:
RISE Colorado

URL:
http://www.rise-colorado.org

Location:
Aurora, CO

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

RISE Colorado works to educate, engage, and empower low- income families and families of color to RISE as change agents for educational equity. 55% of students in Aurora Public Schools where RISE Colorado works identify as Latino. RISE Colorado (RISE) is founded on the belief that families are crucial to student and school success. RISE innovates by engaging all stakeholders- families, students, teachers, and school and community leaders—to improve student achievement within schools. Since September 2013, RISE Colorado has provided a total of 25 workshops that have educated 829 family members of over 1,520 school-aged children on educational inequity and the important role they play in ending it.

CO
Name:
Rise Up

URL:
http://www.pausd.org/

Location:
Palo Alto, CA

Year Established:
2013
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Realizing Individual Success in Education for Undergraduate Preparation (RISE UP) is a summer school program that supports students who are the first in their family to attend college. Recent graduates are asked to come back to school for one final class in preparation for college in the fall. The course is a 5-day program that focuses on topics such as living on campus, budgeting time and finances and available resources. Also, individual counseling is provided on on how to access college web portals, understand the financial aid offer letter, answer questionnaires about roommates and to generally prepare for the transition to college. The purpose is to ensure students to show up on the first day and graduate. Last year, counselors called each student to check on their status to ensure if they needed anything. The program provides a survey to help determine next year's content. I have attached the results. The purpose is to ensure students to show up on the first day and graduate. Last year, counselors called each student to check on their status to ensure if they needed anything. The calls revealed all students started their first day of college. This second summer we also gave a survey and asked the first class of RISE UP students to be guest speakers, three came and spoke about their experience.

CA
Name:
Roosevelt Unified Free School District

URL:
http://Rooseveltufsd.org

Location:
Roosevelt, NY

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
Latino Teacher Recruitment; STEM

The Roosevelt Union Free School District Bilingual Program addresses the educational achievement gap for Hispanic students by an expansion of the Bilingual program, the hiring of more Hispanics and Spanish bilingual personnel, providing additional support afterschool and on Saturdays, providing professional development to all school personal and offering workshops specifically designed for the Hispanic families. In the Bilingual classes we use the EDL (Evaluación del Desarrollo de Lectura) and Estrellita Test for Spanish Native Language Literature. Ninety-five percent of the Bilingual students have achieved their target goal. The Bilingual Program started with one Kindergarten class in 2012. Now, the school district has three bilingual Kindergarten classes, two first grade classes, two second grade classes and one third grade class. The long-term plan is to increase a grade per year in every elementary school.

NY
Name:
Rutgers Future Scholars Program

URL:
http://futurescholars.rutgers.edu/FutureScholars/aboutus.aspx

Location:
New Brunswick, NJ

Year Established:
2008
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The Rutgers Future Scholars (RFS) program is a social justice movement born out of a simple question: "Why aren't more children from our campus communities at Rutgers University?" In response, Rutgers designed an ambitious college-preparatory and success model. Rutgers selects 200 ambitious, high-need 7th graders, every year and introduces them to a wealth of possibilities. Through RFS, these students experience an intensive five-year program that includes mentoring, tutoring, metacognitive skill development, college exposure, SAT prep, professional internships, and academic enrichment including college-credit bearing courses. Since it was established, the Rutgers Future Scholars program has served 1,000 First Generation scholars from low-income families in grades 8 through 12.

NJ
Name:
San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) STEM Strategic Plan

URL:
http://www.saisd.net

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
N/A
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; STEM

SAISD, which serves a 91% Hispanic student body, 93% of whom are economically disadvantaged, is committed to engaging and preparing its students to excel in the burgeoning STEM world of the 21st Century. SAISD's Curriculum and Instruction Department, under the leadership of its Science Director, constructed a custom, project-based STEM curriculum with integrated units of study in all core subjects to equip students in the Eastside Promise Neighborhood pipeline with the critical thinking and readiness-skill sets now required to ensure success in high school, college, and, ultimately, the careers of the future. These units incorporate innovative technology, project-based learning, and engineering design. The redesigned curriculum engages students in observing the world while maintaining pace in state standards. Student outcomes have improved, teacher capacity has been strengthened and what started as a pilot in 6 SAISD EPN partner schools is now being integrated into district-wide support services and professional development.

TX
Name:
San Antonio College (SAC) College and Grants Development Department

URL:
http://www.alamo.edu/sac/grants/

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
2000
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion; Latino Teacher Recruitment; STEM

SAC's College and Grants Development (CGD) department has ensured the academic and professional success of thousands of majority low-income Hispanic students through its work in program development and grant writing for SAC, one of the largest community colleges in Texas. Because of the more than $41 million in external funding the department has secured, SAC students have had access to nationally-accredited, free, on-campus child care for nearly two decades and have benefitted from more than $10.5 million in grant-funded scholarships and special programs to increase access to higher education. CGD's work has positively affected at least 15,000 students (approximately 1,000 per year), at least half of who are Hispanic and low-income.

TX
Name:
San Antonio Education Partnership (SAEP)

URL:
http://www.saedpartnership.org

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
1988
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The San Antonio Education Partnership (SAEP) was established in 1988 by a group of San Antonio's forward thinkers to give at-risk students the tools to successfully graduate high school and navigate the process of applying to and enrolling in postsecondary studies resulting in increased economic benefits for the city. For more than 25 years, SAEP has been at the center of a successful cross-sector collaboration with the primary goal of increasing the educational attainment of San Antonio's community and improving the city's future economic vitality. Today SAEP has become a pilar organization in creating a "college-going culture" in San Antonio and providing the key services for students to reach their college and career goals. SAEP is the longest-standing organization offering college advising services directly to San Antonio's high school students and is committed to creating college opportunities, access, and success.

TX
Name:
San Ysidro Vanguad Education Foundation

URL:
http://www.syevf.org

Location:
San Ysidro, CA

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
STEM

The San Ysidro Education Vanguard Foundation was established in an effort to address racial and ethnic disparities impacting the San Ysidro School District. Educational priorities are early learning, college access, college completion, latino teacher recruitment, and STEM Education. The mentoring programs offered by the organization provide positive role models to help with social and behavioral issues and help students stay engaged in their education.We are encouraging children to be the first person in their family to stay focused on academics, to be the first to graduate from middle school and high school, and the first to look beyond the limitations of poverty to envision opportunities that include college and successful careers. Since it's establishment, there has been an overall improvement of API scores for SYSD students in academic year 2013; in fact they have increased 118% from five years ago.

CA
Name:
Santa Fe Youth Works

URL:
http://santafeyouthworks.org

Location:
Santa Fe, NM

Year Established:
2001
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Santa Fe YouthWorks addresses the gaps in services in Santa Fe and northern New Mexico for alternative education and job skill training/certification programs, comprehensive life skills, counseling services, prevention education, and case management services for at-risk youth. YouthWorks has developed a culturally appropriate programmatic model that is designed to positively impact high risk, drop-out youth through academics and teaching applicable job and life skills. YouthWorks focus is to impart social skills; foster leadership development and community engagement; teach positive behavior, communication skills and responsibility through classroom based and hands-on education leading to employment and career trajectories.

NM
Name:
Scholars Latino Initiative (SLI)

URL:
http://cgi.unc.edu/sli

Location:
Chapel Hill, NC

Year Established:
2008
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

SLI was founded in 2008 to address challenges in North Carolina educational institutions resulting from this dramatic increase in its Latino population by helping prepare students and families navigate the educational system and pursue higher education. SLI addresses the educational achievement gap by leveraging cultural and social capital to provide "near-peer" mentoring to help Latino students prepare for, enroll to, and complete college. SLI accepts and matches all incoming students in their sophomore year of high school/college to begin a structured 3-year program that sees high school students receive mentoring and academic support from undergraduate college students, while undergraduates simultaneously receive similar support from graduate students, faculty, and working professionals.

NC
Name:
School Smarts Parent Engagement Program

URL:
http://capta.org/programs-events/school-smarts/

Location:
Sacramento, CA

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:

Through the generous support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the School Smarts Parent Engagement Program began as a pilot program in 2010 as an effort to encourage parent advocacy. It is an inclusive parent engagement program that assists parents with learning and empowers them to overcome language and cultural barriers, enabling them to help their children and build a stronger school community. Hands-on art activities are included in every session which is a great equalizer and community builder for parents from diverse backgrounds. Today, the program is available throughout California and helps families from all backgrounds understand the education system and become advocates for issues that are most important for their children. This program has had significant success in expanding from the original 14 pilot sites to 75 sites in 2014-2015 school year.

CA
Name:
Science on Wheels Peer Mentoring Educational Center (SONW)

URL:
http://sonw.uprm.edu.

Location:
Mayaguez, PR

Year Established:
1991
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion; STEM

The Science on Wheels Peer Mentoring Educational Center (SONW) was established in 1991 at the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez (UPRM). For the last 24 years, professors, as well as graduate and undergraduate level students have been inspiring K-12 students to pursue STEM careers, and transforming the way that K-12 teachers approach STEM learning. Their approach is based on the Expository Peer Mentoring Model, transferring STEM knowledge and skills through exposure to hands-on scientific experimentation, and enhancement of critical thinking, language and other soft skills. This pipeline becomes an exponential tool in enhancing STEM knowledge and skills in this population. Overall 376 university fellows (247 graduates and 129 undergraduates) have provided general, specific and integrated STEM interventions to 3,334 teachers and 145,290 pre-college students. Since the inception of the program, the ratio of STEM enrolled students at UPRM who have directly interacted with SONW has been consistently higher than those who did not participate in the program.

PR
Name:
Selective Corporate Internship Program (SCIP)

URL:
http://SCIPLeaders.org

Location:
New York, NY

Year Established:
1997
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

During the SCIP seven-week fast track leadership program, high school and undergraduate students are provided with an opportunity to learn about the corporate world. Interns interact with executives from leading companies and organizations, sharpen their technical, writing and presentation skills and participate in weekly workshops. The interns work closely with corporate mentors, who make themselves available to offer guidance, and assist in preparing them for the business world. Giving hope, training, and support are critical components of the SCIP approach. Once they have completed the program, the interns possess marketable skills, a mature work ethic, and the technical training needed to succeed in a professional setting. The SCIP program engages with 42% Hispanic community members. Notable outcomes in 2015 include 347 students in SCIP, 274 part-time opportunities, and 265 full-time opportunities. Additionally, 428 total H-SCIP and 397 moved into higher education H-SCIP only.

NY
Name:
Sociedad Latina

URL:
http://www.sociedadlatina.org

Location:
Roxbury, MA

Year Established:
1968
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Sociedad Latina's education pipeline was created to respond to the disparities in high school graduation, college enrollment and college completion rates experienced by Boston's Latino youth. Their programming addresses the K-12 & College Access and College Completion priorities by providing bilingual, culturally relevant education support to Latino youth from 6th grade through their first two years of college. Each year in their education pipeline, Sociedad Latina works intensively with 400 youth ages 11-21 from Boston's Latino communities, as well as their families. The success of their approach is evident in youth outcomes. In 2014-2015, 84% of middle school students achieved high grades in math and science, 100% of seniors graduated from high school and 86% of college students were succeeding in college or careers.

MA
Name:
Society for Advancement of Chicano and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)

URL:
http://sacnas.org

Location:
Santa Cruz, CA

Year Established:
1973
Focus Area:
STEM

Founded in 1973 as a support network for Chicano, Hispanic, and Native American scientists, SACNAS has since transformed into a mentoring focused organization, developing tailored programs to support underrepresented minority STEM students and scientists at each transition stage of their careers as they move toward positions of science leadership. SACNAS addresses the educational achievement gap for Hispanic students in STEM through two primary programs: our annual conference and the student chapter program both of which focus on ensuring college retention and completion for Hispanic students in STEM by creating a support system and opportunities for scientific engagement. For the 2013-2014 academic year, 62 SACNAS chapters, made up of 1,360 chapter members, selfreported the following aggregated data through the submission of their mandatory annual reports. College persistence: 40 students transferred to a four-year institution; college completion: 250 graduated with a BS, MS, or PhD. STEM Engagement: published more than 130 research papers; community outreach raised over $170,000; organized over 250 professional development and high school science workshops.

CA
Name:
South Texas College of Early College Highschool Program (ECHS)

URL:
http://academicaffairs.southtexascollege.edu/highschool/index.html

Location:
McAllen, TX

Year Established:
1997
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

In keeping with the spirit of the Texas Education Agency's College for All initiative, which is designed to ensure that students from all circumstances have access to support systems structured to increase their likelihood of success at the postsecondary level, South Texas College's ECHS model ensures that all ECHS students have the opportunity to accelerate the achievement of momentum points such as graduating from high school, earning college credit, and completing 60 college credit hours or an Associate's Degree. South Texas College's Early College High School Program regularly reviews student success and performance metrics in order to gauge the impact and effectiveness of its services. The following measures are regularly monitored: college access & participation, college readiness, college credits earned, associate's degree earned, and success rates upon transfer. The following sources of information are used: institutional data collected by the Office of Research and Analytical Services, state-wide data provided by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), and national data provided by the Integrated Postsecondary Educational Data System (IPEDS).

TX
Name:
Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP)

URL:
http://www.swop.net

Location:
Albuquerque, NM

Year Established:
1980
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) was founded in 1980 by young activists to redefine power relationships by bringing together the collective action, talents and resources of the people within its communities. Its mission is to empower the disenfranchised in the Southwest to realize racial and gender equality, and social and economic justice. New Mexico is one of the poorest states in the nation, with endemic poverty that disproportionately affects communities of color. As a frontline, multi-issue membership organization with an explicitly anti-racist and values based agenda, its intergenerational model and track-record working with low-income communities of color facilitate its ability to reach constituencies that historically have been left out of the equation. The mobilization program demonstrated a very robust treatment effect. Turnout in the treatment group was 9.3%, which was 1.9 percentage points higher than the rate of turnout in the control group (7.4%). This 1.9 percentage point intent-to-treat effect (s.e. = 0.4) would be observed by chance less than 1 in 10,000 times. Thus, the 26% increase in voter turnout from being targeted by the campaign is substantively large and statistically significant.

NM
Name:
Speech Therapy Education Practicing and Services for Latino Children and Families (STEPS)

URL:
http://www.indiana.edu/~sphs/academics/ma/steps.shtml

Location:
Bloomington, IN

Year Established:
2009
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion; Latino Teacher Recruitment

The STEPS program was developed as a means of addressing the challenges of a lack of qualified Speech Language Practicioners (SLPS) to work with Latino children and families struggling with communication disorders, as well as to aid in the challenge of recruiting and retaining a diverse student and faculty population at Indiana University. STEPS serves the primary school-aged Latino population via direct services in our community, which in turn creates a ripple effect among our graduates throughout the nation, and provides evidence-based practice training specific to students and professionals working with this population within the STEPS curriculum. Since its inception in 2009, STEPS has been highly successful in its enrollment and graduation of STEPS scholars. Through STEPS, we have graduated a total of 24 students, nine of which were Latina. Of all applicants applying to the master's program within Speech and Hearing Sciences at Indiana University in the last three years, approximately 25% are applying to the STEPS program as well.

IN
Name:
Springboard Collaborative

URL:
http://www.springboardcollaborative.org

Location:
Philadelphia, PA

Year Established:
2013
Focus Area:
Early Learning

Springboard Collaborative closes the reading achievement gap by coaching teachers, training family members, and incentivizing learning so that our scholars have the requisite skills to access life opportunities. By training parents and teachers to collaborate, Springboard puts children on a path that closes the reading achievement gap by 4th grade. 4th grade reading proficiency is among the strongest predictors of high school completion, college graduation, and earning potential. Our target population is low-income students, primarily minorities. Having successfully expanded to the Bay Area, Springboard is ommitted to doubling the number of Hispanic families we serve over the next year. In 2013, we piloted Pre-K enrollment, serving children during the critical summer before they enter Kindergarten..

PA
Name:
Spatial-Temporal (ST) Math of the Mind Research Institute

URL:
http://www.mindresearch.org

Location:
Irvine, CA

Year Established:
1998
Focus Area:
STEM

In the 1990s, University of California researchers developed a way to teach math without words, giving English language learners and students with different learning abilities the chance to excel in mathematics. Early on, peer-reviewed studies showed the program was making a difference in learning among traditionally disadvantaged student populations, so the researchers created the nonprofit MIND Research Institute to expand the program to scale. In Santa Ana, Calif., where more than 90% of students are Latino and 60% are English language learners, 36 elementary schools serving 28,000 students increased their math proficiency from 35% to 67%—the state average—using MIND's programs. They effectively closed the math achievement gap. MIND continues to expand at scale nationally with the goal of leveling the playing field and helping every child achieve their full potential. The impact of the ST Math curricula from kindergarten through fifth grade on student math achievement has been proven in numerous analyses over the years.

CA
Name:
STEM Club—Hartnell College

URL:
http://www.hartnell.edu

Location:
Salinas, CA

Year Established:
1920
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; STEM

Hartnell College is strengthening diversity in STEM creating a new legacy of opportunity for Hispanic families of the Salinas Valley with a collective and comprehensive approach to STEM education. Through careful collaboration and partnerships they have created a culturally responsive model to provide exposure opportunities, retention services, student engagement, and academic support services to ensure that Hispanic students excel in math and science and graduate with Calculus based degrees. Key strategies include K-12 Outreach & Early Exposure, Student Leadership and Engagement, Academic Preparation and Transition Programs, and intensive Student Support. Hartnell has had significant success increasing the number of STEM majors, particularly underrepresented STEM majors, by 31 percent between 2010-11 and 2013-14. Hartnell is a leader in STEM education for the State of California: According to the California Community College Chancellor's Datamart for 2012-13, Hartnell enrolled nearly twice as many Hispanic students in STEM courses than any other nearby community college (including other HSI's.)

CA
Name:
STEM Intership Program—Hartnell College

URL:
http://www.hartnell.edu/stem-internships-main

Location:
Salinas, CA

Year Established:
2007
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; STEM

To provide hands-on career experience and critical mentor exposure for our predominantly Hispanic STEM students, the Hartnell College STEM Internship Program was started in 2007 with 8 students. In 2014, 120 community college students (69% Latino) engaged in relevant and innovative research projects with Hartnell College STEM partners, including the University of California and California State University, the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, USDA, and Monterey Bay Aquarium. This is an unprecedented model for community college students to be trained in professional skills including research, presentation and communication resulting in improved academic and employment success. Of past participants, 44% have earned a degree, 32% have received a Bachelor's degree, and 76% remain in school—numbers that far surpass national averages for community college students. The internships produce transformational results in the trajectory of the student's pathway to an advanced degree in STEM. Since 2007, over 500 internships have been completed with 69% of our participants being Latino and each year the program has increased the number of placements while building out the partnership base.

CA
Name:
STEM Leadership Center

URL:
http://www.stemedcenter.org

Location:
White Plains, NY

Year Established:
2013
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access, STEM

Founded and managed by full time science teachers who are making a significant impact on STEM education for Hispanics and other underrepresented youth, the STEM Leadership Center uniquely suits partnering with local and federal government, higher education and the business community because it maintains sight of the goal and mission to which it is committed. These extraordinary teachers are growing beyond their respective classrooms and have taken it upon themselves to build partnerships with stakeholders to leverage accomplished classroom experience specifically, to develop informal STEM programs for Hispanic youth and high level professional development for teachers. The STEM Leadership Center has designed and delivered Learning programs that expertly integrate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in an informal learning setting. Its dual mission to support teaching enables the nominee to reach more underrepresented students by training their teachers in STEM. It is clear that the STEM Leadership Center promotes interest in and understanding of STEM. 96% of participants agree that being in the SLC program helped them better understand science; 94% of participants agree that they want to be in an SLC program again next year; 72% of participants agree that being in the SLC program made math more fun; 67% agree that being in the SLC program made them more interested in a job that uses technology. This statistically significant data reveals a remarkable level effectiveness the STEM Leadership Center (SLC) has achieved as a start up organization.

NY
Name:
STEM Transformation Institute (STI)

URL:
http://STEM.fiu.edu

Location:
Miami, FL

Year Established:
2013
Focus Area:
Latino Teacher Recruitment; STEM

The STEM Transformation Institute advances educational change by facilitating the adoption of evidence-based educational practices throughout the STEM disciplines, and carries out education research to disseminate promising practices in an increasingly diverse nation. The Institute is housed at Florida International University (FIU), an urban public research university in Miami, FL serving over 54,000 students that includes over 63% Hispanics and operates several key drivers of institutional change, including FIU's undergraduate Learning Assistant (LA), Faculty Scholar and FIUteach programs. The STEM Transformation Institute is a research institute, thus there are multiple measures documenting the innovations. Measures, comparing treatment to control, include: improved student success in individual courses (average 20% increase in passing rates across a number of critical STEM courses); improved student conceptual understanding assessed through externally developed conceptual inventories; improved favorable attitudes towards science and science learning (including the first reported increase in favorable attitudes in an introductory physics course, and now replicated across multiple instructors and semesters); increased enrollment in physics degree programs and persistence to degree; and social network analysis data illustrating the development of student learning communities over time.

FL
Name:
Summit 54

URL:
http://www.summit54.org

Location:
Denver, CO

Year Established:
2011
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access; Latino Teacher Recruitment; STEM

Summit 54 sponsors Summer Advantage USA, a five-week, free academic and life enrichment program, in Roaring Fork Valley, CO. Summer learning loss is one of the biggest factors contributing to the achievement gap in America. Children from low-income homes forget more during the summer resulting in up to a 2.5 year gap by 5th grade. We serve 750 scholars from K- 4th grade and our current enrollment is approximately 75% free and reduced lunch families and 80.5% Hispanic. Our goal is to reverse "Summer Learning Loss" and assure all children are "grade level" in reading by the time they enter fourth grade (a critical bench mark for academic success). Without the Summer Advantage program, national statistics indicate kids forget 2-3 months in both reading and math. Summer Advantage scholars gain over 2 months of skills in 5-weeks; on average, over 92% of scholars attend the program daily.

CO
Name:
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood

URL:
http://www.teachecnationalcenter.org

Location:
Chapel Hill, National

Year Established:
1990
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Initiative (T.E.A.C.H.) was established in 1990 as evidence mounted that early education teachers were leaving the field in droves, looking for better paying jobs, and that it was becoming increasingly difficult to attract teachers with college degrees. T.E.A.C.H. addresses the educational achievement gap for low resourced women by making available comprehensive scholarships to enable those educators who are working full time to afford both the time and expense of going back to school to take coursework leading to credentials and degrees at local community colleges and universities. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Program Outcomes and Outputs: $25.6 million secured for scholarships and salary supplements in 24 states and DC; 15,622 scholarship recipients served; and 94,458 college credit hours completed at 483 higher education institutions. T.E.A.C.H. recipients performed well, with average GPAs of 3.21 for associate degree scholarship recipients and 3.46 for those on bachelor's degree scholarships.

National
Name:
Teachers Education and English Learners (TEEL)

URL:
https://teel.sites.ucsc.edu

Location:
Santa Cruz, CA

Year Established:
N/A
Focus Area:
STEM

The TEEL project focuses on the preparation of pre-service and experienced teachers to teach STEM subjects to Hispanic English learners in California, Texas and Arizona by integrating the teaching of academic language and literacy development into contextualized instruction in science and mathematics (Stoddart, Pinal, Latzke, & Canaday, 2002). TEEL uses a quasi-experimental, mixed methods research design to establish causal links between pre-service teachers experience in teacher education programs, the development of their knowledge, beliefs and practices and the achievement of the K-12 students they teach. The findings of the group's published research demonstrate that novice teachers who participate in TEEL teacher education program are significantly more likely than novice teachers in control group programs to effectively integrate the teaching of academic language and literacy with the teaching of science for English learners. The TEEL group initiates a program of a quasi-experimental, mixed methods research to study: fidelity of program implementation through observations and interviews with program faculty; and program impact on the knowledge beliefs and practice in their training program and the first year of teaching using survey, observation and interview instruments. Over the last six years, the TEEL project has been implemented at seven universities and impacted over 933 pre-service and first year teachers.

CA
Name:
Teens Act

URL:
http://teens-act.org

Location:
Provo, UT

Year Established:
2011
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The Teens Act program has served over 350 students, the majority of them being ethnic minority, and particularly Hispanic. The Teens Act program specifically targets students who have less than a 2.5 GPA, are from low-income families, and would be the first generation in their family to go on to higher education. Teens Act and its staff know that many low-income and first generation college students struggle to find the resources to continue their education, so every day, Teens Act strives to help students be successful and feel empowered toward higher education. During the first two years at Provo High School, twenty students enrolled in Teens Act and 100% of the senior students graduated from Provo High School in May of 2012. Furthermore, 90% of Teens Act students started college that fall. Teens Act has also continued to collaborate with local universities to recruit qualified college mentors to help our students in their Teens Act class and with their homework after school.

UT
Name:
Texas Southwest College (TSC)

URL:
http://www.tsc.edu/

Location:
Brownsville, TX

Year Established:
1926
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion; STEM

Texas Southmost College is expanding access to quality higher education opportunities—and the American Dream—for scores of first-generation Hispanic college students. Demographics of the community in which TSC serves provide context for impact. Currently 92.9% percent of the population in Brownsville, Texas is Hispanic. The median household income for a family of four is $33,821, with 34.8 percent of households below poverty. Texas Southmost College, at the inception of the program launch, had an opportunity with its newly formed independent status, to innovate by redesigning the learning experience from the ground up and informed by their students and community's specific needs. Since the inception of the program in the Fall of 2013 to Spring of 2014 enrollment increased by approximately 16% to 3,100 students.

TX
Name:
Texas Tech University Upward Bound Program (TTUUB)

URL:
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/upwardbound

Location:
Lubbock, TX

Year Established:
1967
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Upward Bound provides intensive instructional, tutorial, cultural, social and leadership opportunities to 220 students per year. Approximatley 75% of the students served are Hispanic. Students are offered a 5-week summer in-residence program during which they attend academic classes and participate in co-curricular activities. From its inception, the Upward Bound program serves on average 100 students a year. Overall TTU UB programs have seen a 120% increase in the amount of individuals served since the program began in 1967. Each program is required to meet 6 standardized objectives every year based on academic performance, persistence, graduation, rigorous curriculum completion, college enrollment and college completion.

TX
Name:
Text4baby

URL:
http://Text4baby.org

Location:
National

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:
Early Learning

Text4baby is being nominated as a Bright Spot because it is a recognized national mobile health service that is now disseminating information to parents on early brain and language development during the first twelve months of a child's life via text messages. According to Pew Research Center, as of January 2014, 90% of American adults had a cell phone.1 In 2015, "two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone, 13% of Latinos are smartphone-dependent, meaning that they do not have a broadband service at home nor easily available alternatives for going online other than their cell phone." Additionally, 15% of Americans ages 18-29 are heavily dependent on a smartphone for online access.2 These statistics around cell phone usage present a huge opportunity to use SMS text messaging as a gateway channel to communicate, and encourage further mobile access of, health and development information aimed at improving parenting practices for Hispanic parents.

National
Name:
The Tomorrow Fund for Hispanic Students

URL:
http://www.thetomorrowfundhs.org

Location:
Burham, NC

Year Established:
2010
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

The Tomorrow Fund for Hispanic Students was created to help provide college access to talented Latino students across North Carolina, especially the undocumented. It provides bridge scholarships to fill financial gaps after all other sources of financial aid have been applied. The Fund provides renewable funding to help ensure timely completion of the college experience. It has awarded a total of $670,184 since it's founding in 2010. The Fund's first awards were made as donor-advised grants to five colleges in North Carolina to address the financial-aid gaps of students selected by the schools. By the end of the second year, it realized the best way to grow and better ensure impact was to convert to a scholarship fund and focus strictly on scholarship funding through a competitive application process while still leveraging institutional funding. The Fund seeks to support students toward their degree completion. It has awarded 82 individual scholarships since 2012 when it converted to a scholarship fund.

NC
Name:
The Victoria Foundation

URL:
http://www.thevictoriafoundation.org

Location:
Phoenix, AZ

Year Established:
2008
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

In 2008, with the support of a Community Development Corporation (CDC), the first Latino Community Foundation in the United States was established—The Victoria Foundation (TVF), dedicated to engaging with the community and others to increase the resources that will bring significant change to Arizona communities using various disciplines such as the College Scholarship Grant Funding. The Victoria Foundation believes that it can make a positive difference for neighborhoods and families in Arizona. TVF continues to operate on the principle values on which it was established: Strategic Partnerships & Collaborations, Innovation, Leadership, Integrity, and Positive Impact. Between 2008 and the end of academic year 2015-2016, The Victoria Foundation will have raised approximately $988,700 of which $455,400 will have been raised through its fundraising events and $533,300 in matching contributions from the participating education institutions. In addition to these funds, TVF has received $853,00 in donor advised funds creating a scholarship fund totaling $1,842,200 and awarding 863 scholarships.

AZ
Name:
Tony Reyes Bilingual Child Development Center

URL:
N/A

Location:
Oklahoma City, OK

Year Established:
1997
Focus Area:
Early Learning

Tony Reyes Bilingual Child Development Center addresses the educational achievement gap for Hispanic students by offering a bilingual program that is culturally and linguistically appropriate for the children and families we serve. With this type of program we are reaching the children and family where they are in their education and supporting them as English language learners. We nurture the children in their home and first language and introduce them to the English language and at the time of aging out of our program they are completely bilingual. They will enter school ready and eager to learn and become successful in learnerning. The Center also supports parents in their role as their child's first teacher, and work to enhance their parent skills through the educational workshops and other family activities throughout the year. The Tony Reyes Bilingual Child Development Center opened with 12 children and four teachers in June of 1997. In September 1998 the program grew to 32 children, and 10 teachers. Then in March of 2004 we became partners with Sunbeam Family Services Early Head Start and became an Early Head Start Site and grew once more to 48 children and 17 team members. Latino Community Development Agency and its board of directors are currently working on a plan to expand and grow the Tony Reyes Bilingual Child Development Center Early Head Start Program to serve 140 children vs the 48 children we now currently serve.

OK
Name:
Training and Research Foundation (TRF)

URL:
http://www.trfhs.org

Location:
Inglewood, CA

Year Established:
1985
Focus Area:
Early Learning

The Training and Research Foundation plays a vital role in helping transform the lives of low-income children and families in the community by providing them with comprehensive early childhood education services. TRF is committed to ensuring to prepare children and families with the necessary skills to success in school and in life. The program provides high-quality evidence based services to children in the community and helps to lay the foundation for later success. Training and Research Foundation serves 1615 children and families every year. Progress monitoring of each child's developmental progress are tracked and monitored closely in order to ensure that children and making gains on a continues level. Data is collected on an ongoing basis using the Desired Results Development Profile (DRDP-2010) instrument and analyzed three times a year. Results from last year's assessment demonstrate gains in all domains of learning (i.e. cognition, English language development, physical development, etc.)

CA
Name:
University of California, Davis Undocumented Student Legal Services Center

URL:
http://www.law.ucdavis.edu/uc-undocumented/

Location:
Davis, CA

Year Established:
N/A
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion

The University of California Undocumented Student Legal Services Center serves the immigration-related legal needs of undocumented and immigrant students in the University of California system. The University of California has created the Undocumented Student Legal Services Center, UC's first-ever program to provide legal services across a university system rather than on a single campus, to deliver on America's promise to its youth and students. Operating out of UC Davis School of Law, the groundbreaking program reaches out to students at UC campuses without law schools- UC Merced, UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, and UC Riverside- to povide, free of charge, the legal assistance they need in order to achieve their educational goals and reach their full potential.In its first year of operation, the Center has provided services to students on each of the designated UC campuses that do not have law schools: Merced, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Riverside, and San Francisco. Thus far, the Center has provided legal services to over 300 students and their families throughout California. The Center has partnered with sociologists at UC Merced to measure the effect of the Center's operations on students' completion rates. The data from this study will not be available until fall 2015.

CA
Name:
University of California, Riverside (UCR)—College of National and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) Learning Communities

URL:
http://cnas.ucr.edu/

Location:
Riverside, CA

Year Established:
1974
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; STEM

A combination of improved admissions selectivity, expanded first-year student success programs with a strong first-quarter mentoring component, new course repeat policy changes, and new major transition advising in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) has resulted in greater academic success rates for undergraduate students who enter and graduate in science majors at UCR. These successes bode well for improved persistence and success in UCR's science majors, which provide critical access to STEM education and careers for a large number of low-income, first-generation, under-represented UC students, especially Hispanic students. UCR has found a unique way to increase the number of Hispanic students earning a STEM degree through the CNAS Learning Communities program (does not include engineering), which operates on a rather large scale (i.e., ~1000 freshmen). Nearly 88 percent of the under-represented minorities in CNAS are Hispanic and results from this program have boosted initial GPAs by 0.3 and have increased freshman to sophomore year retention to 95 percent or higher. Additionally, this program has produced a nearly doubling of 4-, 5-, and 6-year CNAS graduation rates over historical rates.

CA
Name:
University of California, Riverside (UCR)—Parity in graduation rates

URL:
http://www.ucr.edu

Location:
Riverside, CA

Year Established:
1954
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion; STEM

The national six-year graduation rate is 41 percent for Latinos and is 50 percent for Whites, resulting in a nine percent graduation gap.2 However, at UCR, there is virtually no graduation gap—in fact, graduation rates from 2004-2012 show that Hispanic students graduated at a higher rate than White students—three percent higher.3 The suite of academic and advising programs targeted at low-income, first-generation students that UCR provides, its campus-wide commitment to student success, and a culture that accepts and encourages minority participation at all levels of campus life creates a positive learning environment for our students. The six-year graduation rate for Hispanic students is 65.9 percent and the six-year graduation rate for White students, which is 68.4 percent for new first-year students entering in 2008.

CA
Name:
University of North Carolina,Wilmington (UNCW) Centro Hispano

URL:
http://www.Uncw.edu/centrohispano

Location:
Wilmington, NC

Year Established:
2005
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

UNCW Centro Hispano is the only Hispanic/Latino center in the 17 campus University of North Carolina System, established in 2005 to assist in the college access and completion process of the UNCW is ranked 3rd in the state, in terms of the academic achievement of our incoming students, making us a highly selective institution. With the support of Centro Hispano, UNCW has doubled Hispanic enrollment and degree completion in the last 5 years fast growing Hispanic population and maintains high academic achievement standards with a 3.0 or higher GPA for most Hispanic students. UNCW Centro Hispano addresses the educational achievement gap for Hispanic students by providing college access programs, including MI CASA mentoring program, community outreach (rural and urban NC), career planning, mentoring high school and college students, volunteerism, student leadership, Hispanic cultural development, and family support (bilingual support for parents and first-generation college bound families). UNCW Centro Hispano is an institutional establishment fully funded and supported by the campus and the UNC System. With a budget of approximately $150K, UNCW Centro Hispano is expected to continue expanding in order to meet the needs of the growing community.

NC
Name:
University of New Mexico Unidos Project

URL:
http://unidos.unm.edu

Location:
Albuquerque, NM

Year Established:
2011
Focus Area:
College Access; Postsecondary Completion

By creating a culture of collaboration across numerous entities, the overall goal of the Unidos Project is to produce 55,000 post-secondary degrees and credentials for Latinos in Bernalillo County by the year 2025, by increasing Latino high school graduation rates, enrolling more Latinos in postsecondary education, and graduating more Latinos from our institutions of higher education. Through their collective efforts, the Unidos Project has impacted the achievement gap throughout the community. Overall, the graduation rate for Hispanic students in Albuquerque Public Schools has increased from 60% in 2011 to 66% in 2013 (NMPED). At the Unidos Project community school, West Mesa High School the effort has contributed to lowering the gap in graduation rates from 4.7% to 2.1% between Hispanic and whites students in 2013.

NM
Name:
United Community Center (UCC)

URL:
http://www.unitedcc.org/index.htm

Location:
Milwaukee, WI

Year Established:
1970
Focus Area:
Early Learning

In an urban environment in which more than a third of students never complete 12th grade, Bruce-Guadalupe Community School alumni have a high school graduation rate of 96%, with 72% of those students pursuing higher education. GCS enrollment is in high demand, with a record number of 1,165 students during the 2014—2015 school year. The demand is so high, each year families are turned away due to limited enrollment capacity. To overcome this hurdle, BGCS is committed to reaching an enrollment of 1,600 students by 2021 through the Building on Success school expansion. Data derived from screening shows the following growth from the fall to the spring semester: 97% of students improved in communication skills, 97% also saw improvement in social/emotional skills, 100% of children improved in cognitive skills, 99% improved motor skills, 100% of students improved their literacy skills, 92% of children improved their cooperation with other children and 93% of students maintained appropriate behavior or improved behavior. Since 2006, a total of 326 alumni have been accepted into higher education. Over the past five years, over $3,000,000 in scholarship awards have been given to BGCS alumni. Abriendo Puertas has assisted 80 students secure internships and job placements. UCC is so proud to be a part of transforming young students into successful adults.

WI
Name:
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

URL:
http://www.utrgv.edu

Location:
Edinburg, TX

Year Established:
2015
Focus Area:
Postsecondary Completion; STEM

Since January 2011 as then-UTPA Provost (and now UTPA interim President), Dr. Havidán Rodríguez has played a key role in institutionalizing research opportunities for undergraduate students, including overseeing the creation of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Service in 2012 to "support, promote, and expand opportunities for our students to participate in experiential learning through mentored research and curriculum-related community service". These activities have increased since 2013 when UTPA was awarded a Title V grant (renewable for five years) from the Department of Education for Improving Hispanic Student Success through Experiential Learning. One recent outcome of the creation of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Service was the inauguration of the Undergraduate Research Conference in 2012, which has become an annual event celebrated on campus. The creation of the Center of Excellence in STEM Education led to the implementation of a variety of activities, designed to strengthen STEM academic programs and increase the number of graduates in STEM fields, particularly among Hispanics and other underrepresented groups.

TX
Name:
Utah Valley University Latino Initiative

URL:
http://www.uvu.edu/multicultural/initiatives/latino/

Location:
Orem, UT

Year Established:
2007
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Since its inception in 2007, the Latino Initiative program has increased the Latino student enrollment at Utah Valley University by 194 percent. The number of Latino college graduates has increased by 118 percent. The Latino Initiative program provides key transitional tools and information that help high school students and their parents understand how to navigate the higher education system. This program empowers students and parents by providing resources and information through numerous parent open houses which are held throughout Utah. To help more Latino students enroll in and graduate from Utah Valley University, the Latino Initiative engages students, parents, educators, and community leaders in efforts to provide information about college access, opportunities, and resources to Latino youth and their families. It assists local schools in preparing Latino students academically and socially for post-secondary education.

UT
Name:
University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) Celebrates

URL:
http://www.utep.edu/

Location:
El Paso, TX

Year Established:
2014
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

"UTEP Celebrates" was an ambitious, region-wide PK-12 outreach program developed by The University of Texas at El Paso, in honor of its Centennial Celebration. The two-day event was held in Fall 2014 as a way to leverage UTEP's Centennial to support college-going efforts in every school in TEA Region 19, which oversees all public and charter schools in the El Paso region. The goal of "UTEP Celebrates" was to further the University's dedication to access by sharing the message that "college is possible" with all 180,000 PK-12 students in the more than 260 schools in the Region. A high-energy presentation by UTEP students, faculty, staff and alumni delivered grade level-appropriate content about UTEP's history, its growth and current status, and most importantly, the message that college is possible for every student, regardless of economic status. Through this program, UTEP delivered an inspirational, engaging and positive college-going message to a student population that is approximately 80% Hispanic. These big numbers are only the beginning, though. "UTEP Celebrates" has led to numerous requests for follow-up visits, field trips to the UTEP campus, letters from school administrators and parents commenting on the impact of the event and more. UTEP has also developed a new partnership with a rural school district in the region to pilot some innovative enrollment and student support strategies, taking key UTEP services to the high school campuses to remove even more potential roadblocks the students may face, including transportation limitations.

TX
Name:
University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Office of P-20

URL:
http://www.p20.utsa.edu

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
N/A
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access Postsecondary Completion STEM

The UTSA Office of P-20 Initiatives provides the community access to information regarding the pathway toward a postsecondary education. The P-20 parent engagement summit provides valuable information to families from the Greater San Antonio Area and beyond by showcasing what a collaborative effort between community members, colleges and universities can accomplish. Beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, students selected one endorsement from five possible categories: STEM, business and industry, arts and humaities, public service and multidisciplinary studies. Information was provided in English and Spanish to participants. Initial review of the 20-item evaluation conducted at the end of the summit indicates that 149 of 153 respondents indicated that they would use what was learned with their child. Additionally, 153 of the 157 respondents agreed or strongly agree that the presenters had in-depth knowledge of their topic.

TX
Name:
Virginia Latino Higher Education Network (VALHEN)

URL:
http://www.valhen.org

Location:
Blacksburg, VA

Year Established:
2009
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

VALHEN supports, promotes, and advocates for Latino success and advancement in higher education, to ensure that every Latino in Virginia is college and career ready for the benefit and betterment of the ommonwealth of Virginia. VALHEN fills a need for Virginians to have a strong voice and a medium through which they can advocate for the educational success of the Latino community. It is an all-volunteer and virtual organization. VALHEN and its members are changing the face of the Commonwealth of Virginia by ensuring that Latinos are visible, are supported, and are on their way to higher education. VALHEN is uniquely qualified to lead the Hispanic College Institute (HCI). The HCI is a pre-college program designed to teach high school students (the majority of them first-generation college students) how to navigate the American educational landscape and enroll, persist in college, and be career ready and able to succeed in the workforce. VALHEN took over the program in 2012 from the now defunct Hispanic College Institute when it decided to drop it. VALHEN has just finished its fourth year of the program, the 2015 HCI.

VA
Name:
Valle Verde Early College High School

URL:
http://valleverdeearlycollege.yisd.net/Home.aspx

Location:
El Paso, TX

Year Established:
2007
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

El Paso, Texas is a community that is over 80% Hispanic, yet only 20% of the El Paso community have a college degree. Valle Verde ECHS was created to increase the number of Hispanics in El Paso with a college degree, especially those from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those who would be the first college graduates in their families. By partnering with El Paso Community College, the high school students at VVECHS begin taking college classes at the end of their Freshman year. Hispanic students at Valle Verde score higher than the state average on every test; in some cases by as much as 30% higher. They also double the state percentage in number of students who scored at the college readiness level and were also higher than the state percentage scoring at the advanced level.

TX
Name:
VIDA (Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement)

URL:
http://www.VIDACareers.org

Location:
Mercedes, TX

Year Established:
1995
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

VIDA provides extensive wraparound support services and financial assistance to all participants so that the students can attend college full time. VIDA also operates an intensive 16-week College Preparatory Academy that offers math and literacy remediation for individuals at the tenth- to twelfth- grade levels so that they can pass the state college entrance exams and place directly into college credit courses. In fiscal year 2013-2014, VIDA served 571economically disadvantaged adults and graduates report an average annual salary of $37,710. For every city served in the Rio Grande Valley VIDA is able to provide demographics of participants, average salary upon completion, field of study, and information on certifications and credentials. Of most interest will be the results of the 10 year study by the (PACE) project, formerly known as Innovative Strategies for Increasing Self-sufficiency (ISIS), an effort funded by the Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and led by Abt Associates Inc.

TX
Name:
Vision to Learn

URL:
http://www.visiontolearn.org

Location:
Los Angeles, National

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Vision To Learn was founded with the goal of mitigating the negative outcomes of poor vision in low income communities by coordinating screenings for children and supplying those in need with eye exams and glasses—an age-old yet critical tool for success. UCLA research shows Vision To Learn succeeds in having a positive and direct impact on education: grades have improved for kids helped by Vision To Learn; and with large groups of children being helped at once, not only does receiving new glasses become a shared experience, but teachers have noted an improved learning environment in entire classrooms as a result. Vision To Learn utilizes an evidence-based model of care, independently analyzed by researchers at UCLA's Children's Hospital.

National
Name:
Wellesley Emerging Scholars Inititative (WESI)

URL:
http://www.wellesley.edu/

Location:
Wellesley, MA

Year Established:
2012
Focus Area:
STEM

WESI is a learning community centered on excellence in Calculus I/II/III that uses problem-based learning to help students work (collaboratively and in groups) through challenging problems that deepen their understanding of Calculus. Faculty members are present at every session and provide guidance and informal mentoring. We have been gathering data since 2013 on participants' final grades and comparing them to the average final grades of other minority students in the same course. Of the 29 participants across the 4 semesters since Fall 2013, 17 (58.6%) had final grades at or above the average final grade of non-WESI minority students in the same course; 14 (about 48%) had final grades above the average and 3 (about 10%) had final grades matching the average final grades.

MA
Name:
Wenatchee High School—Mariachi Program

URL:
http://www.whsmariachi.org

Location:
Wenatchee, WA

Year Established:
1993
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

Many of our students come from families that migrated to the United States. The majority of our students and their families work in agriculture. Twenty percent of the students are special needs raging from severely handicapped to high functional. The success of this program is fueled by the desire to provide students with opportunities for empowerment. This has been our formula for success. Students are taught to enjoy their instrument. They become passionate about the music and thus keeps them focused on positive activities throughout their daily lives. Changing Demography in Washington State—The Future Similar to past trends, Latinos are projected to remain the fastest growing ethnic group in the state of Washington. The Latino population more than doubled during the 1990s, increasing from 214,000 to 441,509 in 2000 to over 684,000 in 2010. This steady growth is a trend that Washington State can expect over the next forty years.

WA
Name:
Weslaco Independent School District's 0-3 Weslaco Reads Program

URL:
http://www.wisd.us/

Location:
Weslaco, TX

Year Established:
N/A
Focus Area:
Early Learning

Dr. Ruben Alejandro has reached beyond the school district by putting into place the 0-3 Weslaco Reads! program. This program places the power of literacy in the hands of the youngest learners and prepares them to succeed in their educational and professional careers. Dr. Ruben Alejandro is addressing the educational achievement gap for Hispanic students by addressing literacy, which is a great need among this population. Research shows that students that are successful in school have been exposed to 30 million more words than students who are not successful. By incorporating our 0-3 Weslaco Reads! program, the district has increased access to books for the entire community and students in our schools. This increased access has promoted student and family literacy in all homes. In 2013, a data report provided by myOn indicated that our 0-3 year old student population participated in over 1,500 hours of reading.

TX
Name:
Women's Education and Leadership Institute—Hartnell College

URL:
http://www.hartnell.edu

Location:
Salinas, CA

Year Established:
2011
Focus Area:
Early Learning; K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion; Latino Teacher Recruitment

In Monterey County, one out of seven women and girls live in poverty. Higher education is well documented as a leading factor in economic prosperity. Women's Education & Leadership Institute (WELI) was designed to increase the college going and completion rates of underrepresented and minority women in the Salinas Valley. Students are empowered through leadership training, a financial award, a student led WELI club, and a powerful mentorship with successful community leaders, making this a life changing experience. WELI was founded in 2011 and has since graduated 125 women, granting $225,000 in scholarships. Each cohort includes 25 women who apply through a competitive scholarship process.

CA
Name:
XY-Zone

URL:
http://www.ciscentraltexas.org/what-we-do/xy-zone/

Location:
Austin, TX

Year Established:
1999
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

The XY-Zone program is a transformative leadership development and peer support program that changes the trajectory for young men who are at-risk of dropping out of high school. Launched by Communities In Schools of Central Texas (CIS) in 1999, the XY-Zone program initially began as the vision of a community coalition that was formed to address the issue of teen pregnancy and promote male involvement in prevention efforts. The XY-Zone program is currently implemented on ten campuses throughout Central Texas. Each of the targeted schools is located in economically disadvantaged areas with a high percentage of low-income families and at-risk students. 62.6% of the 428 students enrolled last year were Hispanic males.

TX
Name:
Young Ambassadors Program (YAP)—Smithsonian Latino Center

URL:
http://www.latino.si.edu/education/yap

Location:
Washington, DC

Year Established:
2006
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access

In 2006, the Smithsonian Latino Center reviewed the scope of youth programs within the Institution that served Hispanics and found this to be an area of growth towards fulfilling the Center's mission to represent and highlight Latino contributions and communities at the Nation's museums. Since 2006, we have fostered the creative drive of high school seniors by providing them interdisciplinary leadership experiences through the Young Ambassadors Program (YAP) and its alumni network.

DC
Name:
Young Latinas Leadership Institute (YLLI) 100 Hispanic Women, Inc.

URL:
http://www.100HispanicWomen.org

Location:
New York, NY

Year Established:
2002
Focus Area:
K-12 and College Access; Postsecondary Completion

The 100 Hispanic Women non-profit non-partisan women's organization with members from a wide range of industries and organizations. As an organization of dynamic and accomplished leaders we strive to eliminate obstacles and encourage Latina's to be innovative, maximize our potential, create strategic partnerships, promote inclusion in Government and Corporate America and improve educational and economic outcomes for the Hispanics.

The YLLI in inception awarded five scholarships expanding to its current capacity of twenty-nine awards this year we included two graduate level awards.

NY
Name:
Parents Step Ahead

URL:
http://paretnsstepahead.org

Location:
San Antonio, TX

Year Established:
2005
Focus Areas:
Family Engagement

Parents Step Ahead (PSA) was established in 2006. With the goal to address the growing lack of awareness and education plaguing parents, especially undeserved families, which puts their children at great disadvantage. PSA believes that parents are the foundation of their child's future; and to a great extent the key to their success in life. PSA underwrite parent's conference to empower families on four major topics: Financial Literacy, Health and Wellness, Education and Technology and Family Communication. Parents learn about the importance of being involved in the schools and how they can stablish partnership their children educators. Parents learn about the educational system and the role they play in the academic success of the students. PSA brings additional resources into the schools and their communities.

TX
Name:
Latinas On the Verge of Excellence (L.O.V.E.)

URL:
http://www.lovementoring.org

Location:
New York, NY

Year Established:
2012
Focus Areas:
College Access

The L.O.V.E. Mentoring Program supports and empowers young Latinas to strive both in school and in life through positive role modeling. L.O.V.E. aims to increase high school graduation rates and college enrollment among young Latinas with the support of positive role models. L.O.V.E. works in partnership with organizations, universities and public schools, whose mission is to enhance the well—being of young girls and Hispanic communities in New York. L.O.V.E. aims to cultivate young Latinas' participation and interest in learning by raising academic achievement sand to empower them to achieve their full potential through positive role modeling.

NY
Name:
Spanish Education Development (SED) Center

URL:
http://www.sedcenter.org

Location:
Washington, DC

Year Established:
1971
Focus Areas:
Early Learning

As the first bilingual, preschool in D.D., the SED Center was created to meet the changing needs of the immigrant, Latino population in the 70's. SED's Adult program help provide the tools for immigrant workers to integrate into society through education development programs and the quality of its program is nationally recognized. It integrates home visits, workshops, field trips and various other parental involvement activities to also help families experience the opportunities available around them.

DC
Name:
Siembra Montessori

URL:
http://www.centromn.org

Location:
Minneapolis, MN

Year Established:
2012
Focus Areas:
Early Learning

Statistics show that low-income children who speak Spanish in the home are the least likely to be ready for kindergarten in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Back in 2011, Centro Tyrone Guzman had already been tackling this problem for 13 years, beginning with the opening of Siembra Preschool in 1998. Although Siembra students were learning and growing, educational disparities still seemed to exist between the children and their peers. Upon realizing the persistent achievement gap, Centro Tyrone Guzman's Board, staff, and parent volunteers overhauled the preschool program to follow the Montessori Method, supported by a unique partnership with the Montessori Center of Minnesota. Each year since the transition to the Montessori Method in 2012, 100% of Siembra students have been assessed as ready for kindergarten at the appropriate time. The success of Siembra students illustrates the effectiveness of the innovative model; it also demonstrates that income, ethnicity, and language do not need to be predictors of educational disparities.

MN


   
Last Modified: 06/01/2023