Bright Spots in Hispanic Education Database
Legislation & Policy
(U.S. Dept. of Education) — Marking the 25th
anniversary of the White House
Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, the U.S.
Department of Education released the report Latinas in the U.S.,
2015 and a national catalogue of promising practices supporting
education of Hispanic students. Nationally, 1 in 4 students is
Hispanic. In California, more than 1 in 2 students is Hispanic
(53.25%; CDE 2014). As the DOE indicates, “In just the next few
decades, Hispanics will represent nearly one in three American
workers. It’s clear; the future of our nation is closely
connected to the future of our Hispanic communities.”
To support public schools in their work, the department has
created an interactive map with descriptions of programs and
approaches serving Hispanic youth. This includes a searchable
database with information on the following areas: Early Learning,
K-12 Education and College Access, Postsecondary Completion, STEM
Education (Prek-20) and Latino Teacher Retention.
Examples of California programs and citations outlined in the
database follow:
MANA de San Diego [K-12 and
College Access]
Location: San Diego, CA
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.
School
Smarts Parent Engagement Program [Parent Engagement]
Location: Sacramento, CA
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. This program has had significant
success in expanding from the original 14 pilot sites to 75 sites
in 2014-2015 school year.
Camino Nuevo Charter Academy [K-12 and College Access]
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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. The school website lists numerous community
partnerships in support of different learning strands.
