WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE ON EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

FOR HISPANIC AMERICANS

FIRST EDITION
Cover Photo

Students from the Twenty-first Century Academy for Community Leadership/P.S. 210

participating in the “Excelencia en Educación: The Role of Parents in the Education of

Their Children” conference sponsored by the White House Initiative on Educational

Excellence for Hispanic Americans, held in New York City on June 4-5, 1999.

Excelencia en Educación is part of an ongoing national conference series that advances a

national dialogue on the essential role parents play in supporting the education of their

children. The picture was taken by Carlos Acevedo.
WHAT WORKS

FOR

LATINO YOUTH

U. S. Department of Education

White House Initiative on Educational Excellence

for Hispanic Americans
Foreword

On August 2, 1999, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted a White House Convening on

Hispanic Children and Youth. The purpose of this forum was to examine the many opportunities

and challenges facing Latino young people, particularly in the areas of early childhood development, educational attainment, and adolescence. Invited participants and special guests discussed

pathways to achievement for Hispanic youth, including supportive networks that help them

overcome impediments to success in academics and life. The Convening highlighted promising

efforts across the country and examined ways to foster new support for innovative programs.

To support this effort, the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic

Americans worked with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Hispanic-Serving Institutions,

Latino community-based organizations, educators and youth advisors throughout the nation to

identify and catalogue programs that work for Latino youth. Some of the programs recommended by our colleagues were created specifically to serve young Hispanics, while other

programs have shown strong benefits to Latino youth and at the same time serve broader populations. Most of the programs presented are comprehensive, community strengths-based programs

that address needs by offering appropriate cultural and linguistic services.

This directory is a compendium of programs that have been recommended to us to date. Thus,

it is a work in progress. The contact information and program descriptions are offered to facilitate networking and information sharing. The directory is intended to be a tool for foundations,

businesses, policymakers, community-based organizations, schools, universities and any others

interested in discovering like-minded individuals and communities actively engaged in addressing the strengths and needs of Latino youth.

Acknowledgements

The creation of this directory could not have been possible without the assistance of numerous

dedicated people. The White House Initiative would like to acknowledge all of the organizations

and programs that were willing to support this effort, for it is their daily work that we are highlighting here. We would also like to thank Lourdes Guerrero, a graduate student who worked

with us to gather information and put this publication together.

iii
U.S. Department of Education

Richard W. Riley

Secretary

White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans

Sarita Brown

Executive Director

October 1999

This book is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it whole or in part or for educational purposes is

granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: U.S. Department of

Education, White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. (1999). What Works for

Latino Youth. Washington, D.C.: Author.

Project Director: Deborah Santiago

U.S. Department of Education

White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans

For ordering information on this report, write:

U.S. Department of Education

ED PUBS

P.O. Box 1398

Jessup, MD 20794-1398

Or call toll-free: (877) 4ED-PUBS

To order on-line: http://ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html

The full text is available on the Department’s Web site at:

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/Hispanic/

Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TTY) may call (800) 437-0833 between

8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Contact us at:

U.S. Department of Education

White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans

400 Maryland Ave, SW 5E110

Washington, DC 20202-3601

Telephone: (202) 401-1411

E-mail: white_house_init_hispanic_ed@ed.gov

www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/Hispanic

NOTICE:

This document contains contact addresses and Web sites for information created and maintained by other public and

private organizations. This information is provided for the reader’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information.

Further, the inclusion of information or addresses or Web sites for particular items does not reflect their importance,

nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered.

iv
Contents

EARLY CHILDHOOD AND ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS ............................................................................................. 1

ALISAL COMMUNITY HEALTHY S TART (CA) ................................................................. ................................................................. 1

L A CLASE MAGICA (CA) ........................................................................................ ........................................................................................ 1

T H E S IGNATURE L EARNING P ROJECT (CA) ................................................................. ................................................................. 2

FAMILY S TAR (CO) ............................................................................................... ............................................................................................... 3

EXPANDA S U MENTE Y L E A (CT) ........................................................................................................ 3

MIGRANT EDUCATION P ROGRAM (FL)........................................................................ ........................................................................ 4

EL VALOR (IL) .................................................................................................... .................................................................................................... 5

NATIONAL CENTER FOR L ATINOS WITH DISABILITIES, IN C. (IL) ....................................... ....................................... 6

ACADEMIA DEL P UEBLO / PROJECT S UCCESS (MN) ....................................................... ....................................................... 6

MIGRANT EDUCATION EVEN S TART P ROGRAM (PA)....................................................... ....................................................... 7

AVANCE FAMILY S UPPORT AND EDUCATION P ROGRAM (TX) ........................................... ........................................... 8

DESCUBRIENDO L A L ECTURA/ READING RECOVERY (TX)................................................. ................................................. 8

HEAD S TART, REGION 19 (TX) 19 (TX)................................................................................ ................................................................................ 9

P ROJECT SEED (TX) SEED (TX) ........................................................................................... ........................................................................................... 9

SER CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER (TX) ................................................................. .................................................................10

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS.......................................................................................................... 11

MESA PROGRAM (AZ) ......................................................................................... ......................................................................................... 11

Y OUTH L EADERSHIP CONFERENCE (AZ) .................................................................... .................................................................... 11

AVID (CA) AVID (CA)....................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................12

CHICANO L ATINO Y OUTH L EADERSHIP P ROJECT (CA)................................................... ...................................................12

P ASSPORT T O COLLEGE (CA) .................................................................................. ..................................................................................13

UPWARD BOUND – COLORADO S TATE UNIVERSITY (CO) ................................................ ................................................13

HERMANITAS P HERMANITAS PROJECT (DC) ............................................................................ ............................................................................14

STEM INSTITUTE/ SAT/ SOAR (DC) / SAT/ SOAR (DC)..................................................................... .....................................................................14

S.T.A.R.S/H.O.P.E (FL) S.T.A.R.S/H.O.P.E (FL).................................................................................... ....................................................................................15

L EARNING T O L EAD (IL) ....................................................................................... .......................................................................................15

NOSOTRAS VIVIREMOS (MA) .................................................................................. ..................................................................................16

BROTHERHOOD/ S ISTERSO L (NY) ............................................................................. .............................................................................16

EAST HARLEM T UTORIAL P ROGRAM (NY) .................................................................. ..................................................................17

EL P UENTE (NY) ................................................................................................ ................................................................................................17

ENGINEERING VANGUARD P ROGRAM (NY) .................................................................. ..................................................................18

GRAND S TREET S ETTLEMENT, IN C. (NY) ................................................................... ...................................................................18

J UST US, IN C. (NY)............................................................................................. .............................................................................................19

S TATEWIDE S YSTEMIC I NITIATIVE (PR) [PR-SSI] (PR) [PR-SSI]....................................................... .......................................................20

COMMUNITIES I N S CHOOLS – UPWARD BOUND P ROGRAM (TX)....................................... .......................................20

GONZALO GARZA I NDEPENDENCE HIGH S CHOOL (TX) .................................................. ..................................................21

L ORENZO D E Z AVALA Y OUTH L EGISLATIVE S ESSION (TX) .............................................. ..............................................21

S TUDENT L EARNING AND GUIDANCE CENTER (TX) [SLGC] (TX) [SLGC]........................................... ...........................................22

T E XPREP (TX) PREP (TX) ................................................................................................. .................................................................................................22

UPWARD BOUND – UNIVERSITY O F T EXAS A T EL P ASO (TX) .......................................... ..........................................23

K-12 PROGRAMS .......................................................................................................................................... 24

MIGRANT EDUCATION P ROGRAM – REGION XVI (CA) XVI (CA).................................................. ..................................................24

PUENTE L PUENTE LEARNING CENTER (CA)......................................................................... .........................................................................24

P ROYECTO EDUCAR / AMIGOS D E L A COMUNIDAD (CO) ................................................. .................................................25

ASPIRA O F FLORIDA (FL) ................................................................................... ...................................................................................25

AHORA P AHORA PROGRAM (MA)...................................................................................... ......................................................................................26

Y OUTH CENTER (MI) .......................................................................................... ..........................................................................................27

ASPIRA, I ASPIRA, IN C. O F NE W J ERSEY (NJ) ..................................................................... .....................................................................27

ALLIANCE S CHOOLS (TX) ...................................................................................... ......................................................................................28

v
HOSTS CORP. - HELP ON E S TUDENT T O S UCCEED (TX) ............................................ ............................................28

I NTERCULTURAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (TX) ........................................ ........................................29

P ROJECT GRAD (TX) GRAD (TX).......................................................................................... ..........................................................................................29

MULTI-SERVICE AGENCIES ............................................................................................................................. 30

A PLACE CALLED HOME (CA) ................................................................................ ................................................................................30

DELHI COMMUNITY CENTER (CA) ........................................................................... ...........................................................................30

MEXICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY S ERVICE AGENCY, IN C. (CA) ...................................... ......................................31

T H E LATIN AMERICAN Y OUTH CENTER (DC) .............................................................. ..............................................................31

EL CENTRO, IN C. (KS) ......................................................................................... .........................................................................................32

COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION O F P ROGRESSIVE DOMINICANS (ACDP), I (ACDP), IN C. (NY) ................... ...................32

S ENECA CENTER (NY) .......................................................................................... ..........................................................................................33

T EXAS FIESTA EDUCATIVA (TX).............................................................................. ..............................................................................33

COMMUNITY AND YOUTH .............................................................................................................................. 34

GANG P REVENTION –YOUTH S ERVICES (CA) .............................................................. ..............................................................34

MI CASA – RESOURCE CENTER FOR WOMEN, IN C. (CO) ............................................... ...............................................34

MARY’ S CENTER FOR MATERNAL AND CHILD CARE (DC) .............................................. ..............................................35

ALIVIO MEDICAL CENTER (IL) ............................................................................... ...............................................................................35

ALIANZA DOMINICANA, IN C (NY) ............................................................................ ............................................................................36

T H E COMMITTEE FOR HISPANIC CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, IN C. (NY).............................. ..............................37

L ATINO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (OK) ...................................................... ......................................................37

FAMILY S ERVICE – PROYECTO FAMILIA (RI) .............................................................. ..............................................................38

URBAN S MARTS (TX) ARTS (TX).......................................................................................... ..........................................................................................38

vi
Early Childhood and Elementary Programs

ALISAL C OMMUNITY H EALTHY S TART (CA)

Terry Espinoza Baumgart, Coordinator

1437 Del Monte Avenue

Salinas, CA 93905

(831) 753-5748 (831) 753-5273 fax

Mission: The mission of Alisal Community Healthy Start is for community members, parents, children,

public and non-profit agencies, and businesses to empower each other to ensure that families are healthy

and self-sufficient, and that children have strong affiliations with their school and achieve school success.

Alisal Community Healthy Start is a large multi-agency community-driven collaborative that works with

families in a comprehensive manner by providing access to a myriad of resources. All staff are bilingual

and bicultural with some being residents and former consumers of Healthy Start services.

Services: The program provides support groups for such areas as: women’s crisis, planned parenthood,

teen mothers, case management, serious illness, families in control, and self-improvement for parents. To

support a healthy start, the center also offers classes in English as a Second Language (ESL), citizenship,

adult literacy and nutrition and the program Preventing Alcohol Related Trauma in Salinas (P.A.R.T.S.)

These services are combined with health services such as the Center for Health and Disease Prevention

(CHDP) physical exams, health fairs, special needs (for example, bone marrow and blood drives), Health

Department speakers, and completion of healthy families medical program applications.

Evidence of effectiveness: This center is owned and administered by the Alisal Union School District, but

the community members, agency partners, and other collaborative members share in the governance of

the program. There is a strong emphasis on what the individual, family and community identify as the

areas of focus rather than having others identify needs and “problems” for them. Alisal Community

Healthy Start thus has a focus in strengths and assets rather than subscribe to a deficit model.

L A C LASE MAGICA (CA)

Olga Vasquez

University of California, San Diego

9500 Gilman Drive

La Jolla, CA 92093

(619) 534-5271

Website: www.communication.ucsd.edu/LCHC/lcm

Mission: La Clase Mágica is a collaboration between residents of the Eden Gardens community and a

research group in partnership with the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The program provides the opportunity for university students to work with the children of Eden Gardens in a collaborative

fashion as “amigos,” while receiving college credits. La Clase Mágica is a bilingual/bicultural manifestation of the “Fifth Dimension,” the core activity of an eight-team research consortium organized by the

Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition (LCHC) at UCSD.

1
Services: La Clase Mágica provides after-school computer-mediated activities for Latinos ages 4-16, as

well as their parents. Three times a week, approximately 20 children and their parents get together with

university students to play computer games. The children work through a labyrinth of almost 70 computer

games and interact with an electronic figure known as “El Maga” (the Wizard) via telecommunications

technology. Besides being an educational activity, this program is designed as an educational “pipeline”

to higher education, as the children interact with UCSD students, faculty and campus as part of their

participation.

Evidence of effectiveness: This program, begun in 1989, was instrumental in the creation of UC Links, a

new consortium of university-community partnerships designed to bring about change in the educational

experiences of minority students.

T H E S IGNATURE L EARNING P ROJECT (CA)

Latino Issues Forum

Ana Montes, Project Director

785 Market Street, 3rd Floor

San Francisco, CA 94103

(415) 284-7208 (415) 284-7210 fax

Website: www.lif.org

Mission: The Signature Learning Project (SLP) is an innovative, replicable model that can be used in any

community to enhance the educational outcomes of low-income and minority students. By providing

technology access to all the families, this project seeks to reduce technological and educational disparities, increase student motivation, make the families more participatory in their children’s education, and

empower a multi-ethnic low-income community to support the children, the school and the project. In

addition, the children and adult learners will have an opportunity to compete advantageously in a global

marketplace.

Services: This project develops teacher education curricula that instruct teachers on how to effectively

incorporate technology in the classroom; introduces a parental involvement and education curriculum that

trains parents in how to use technology to assist their children’s learning; and involves local communitybased organizations and the business community.

Evidence of effectiveness: Now entering its third year, the pilot SLP equipped a computer lab in a lowincome elementary school with 30 brand new state-of-the-art computers, completed wiring of the lab and

classrooms for Internet access, provided the classrooms and teachers with printers, and provided refurbished computers and training to almost 200 parents. The Project is being replicated in Watsonville,

California with funding from Wells Fargo Bank.

2
FAMILY S TAR (CO)

Lereen D. Castellano, Executive Director

2246 Federal Blvd.

Denver, CO 80211

(303) 477-7827 (303) 477-7756 fax

Website: www.clem.mscd.edu/~kirbyk/FamilyStar/index.htm

Mission: Family Star’s mission is transformation through education education that empowers by developing the potential of people of all ages and cultures to think for themselves, do for themselves and to

create better lives.

Services: Family Star provides a model Montessori Child Parent Education Center serving a racially,

culturally and economically diverse mix of families. Two-thirds of the families served are low income. A

high percentage of the families are headed by single, teenage moms, many with less than a high school

diploma. This year-round, full-day, full-week Montessori Center provides a program for children ages 8

weeks through 6 years, a parent education program that gives classes on child development, early literacy,

and techniques for reading with children, and a family support program, where a service coordinator and

pediatric nurse provide guidance on site to identify disabilities and work with mental health services. It

has a unique collaboration with Denison Montessori School, a Denver Public School magnet program,

whereby certain “graduating” Family Star children are able to automatically enter the Denison Montessori

School. A middle school component has also recently been added.

Evidence of effectiveness: This is the only public/private collaboration in the nation, offering urban

children a continuous Montessori education from 8 weeks through 6 years. All of Family Star’s five-yearolds are reading. Of the Latino sixth-grade students at Denison Montessori, 75 percent had a composite

score that was at or above grade level on the spring 1999 Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Throughout the rest

of the district, the average Latino sixth grader scores were approximately two years below grade level.

EXPANDA S U MENTE Y L E A (CT)

Laurel Shader

The Fair Haven Community Health Center (FHCHC)

374 Grand Avenue

New Haven, CT 06513

(203) 777-7411 (203) 777-8506 fax

Mission: This program is an extension of the national Reach Out and Read program and encourages booksharing activities between children and their parents.

Services: At each well child visit with the pediatrician, the child is given a new age-appropriate book in

English or Spanish to take home. During the developmental assessment portion of the well child visit, the

book is used to demonstrate gross and fine motor skills, attention, recognition of objects and expressive

and receptive language skills. Complimenting this project, the FHCHC also has Project Shine, a program

designed to enhance healthy child development and support working families by improving their access to

quality care. Comprehensive services now include home visits, a child care resource room at FHCHC to

serve as a lending library, and a phone advice line for child care providers to ask about health, safety, and

child development.

3
Evidence of effectiveness: In a random survey of 62 families with young children who receive their health

care at FHCHC, the center found that 33 percent of families owned no children’s books at all. FHCHC is

the sole source of health care in an isolated neighborhood of New Haven to over 10,000 patients with

over 50,000 visits per year. Currently, 1,500 children five years and younger are served by Expanda Su

Mente y Lea.

MIGRANT E DUCATION P ROGRAM (FL)

Dade County Public Schools

Cipriano Garza, Director

311 N.E. 8th Street, Suite 106

Homestead, FL 33030

(305) 248-1650 (305) 248-7115 fax

Mission: Established in 1962, the Miami-Dade County Migrant Education Program is committed to

improving the lives of migrant farmworker children. Through a Title I program, the Miami-Dade County

Schools provides academic support services to over 3,200 children.

Services: The Early Childhood Learning Program provides pre-school services for eligible migrant

children living in migrant housing centers. In 1997-1998, the program served 25 three-year-olds and 57

four-year-olds. Children were provided food services, health screening and extended day-care. Parental

involvement in workshops, parent-teacher conferences and other school/community activities are crucial

elements of the program.

Migrant Achievement Resource provides individually designed tutoring, homework assistance, and

recreational and cultural activities for migrant students at local elementary schools. In addition, Migrant

Advocacy and Peer Counseling Programs provide migrant students with individualized supplemental

services for academic success, guidance, attendance, and extracurricular activities.

Migrant Academic Planning and Awareness meets the needs of migrant students in grades 6-12 through

customized services, including personalized educational blueprints, limited pull-out tutorials, extended

day tutorials, high school competency test tutorials, peer counseling, and seminars and workshops designed to teach students how to resolve conflict without violence and how to foster and maintain a positive attitude toward education and life-long learning.

The Migrant Education Consortium for Higher Achievement Program is a collaborative effort between

the Miami-Dade Migrant Education Program, Barry University, and school districts in five states along

the migrant stream of the eastern coast of the United States. The program promotes greater continuity of

curriculum for migrant students across school districts and assists migrant students in achieving high

academic standards through innovative uses of technology. One hundred students were randomly selected

to participate in the program.

Evidence of effectiveness: The latest program evaluation from the Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Office of Educational Accountability reveals that through these programs, student achievement, attendance and promotion rates increased as well as accrual of additional high school credits necessary for

graduation and/or promotion. In addition, program outreach to parents of migrant students succeeded in

increasing their level of involvement in their children’s education.

4
EL V ALOR (IL)

Vince Allocco, Executive Director

1850 West 21st Street

Chicago, IL 60608

(312) 666-4511 (312) 666-6677 (fax)

Mission: Established in 1973, El Valor’s mission is to support and challenge urban families in their effort

to achieve excellence and participate fully in community life. Programs exist to enrich and empower

people with disabilities, the poor and the underserved.

Services: El Valor provides adult services to adults with disabilities and their families, and through its

program Tocar El Futuro/Touch the Future, to children birth to age five. Tocar El Futuro helps create

partnerships between Latino parents, community organizations, and the business sector to promote the

healthy development and well-being of participating families. This program strives to enrich the lives of

children in their earliest years and strengthen families by providing stimulating learning experiences and

personal and educational enrichment opportunities. It is implemented through the Guadalupe Reyes

Children and Family Center and its services are free of charge.

The early intervention component of Tocar el Futuro works to strengthen families with children birth to

three years of age who have developmental disabilities. The program provides infant education, stimulation, physical therapy, as well as parental education, counseling and support.

The prevention component provides early education, stimulation, and therapy to children birth to three

years of age while helping parents become involved as their child’s primary teacher. This program works

with children and families who are at risk due to family or environmental circumstances.

Head Start helps children between three and five years of age to develop critical skills needed for a

lifetime of learning. The full-day program works with children whose parents are working in adult

education or training programs. Other services include parenting classes and an Early Intervention

Support Group which help parents learn and develop better parenting skills and cope with the demands of

their children.

Evidence of effectiveness: The early intervention program works with 240 children and families annually.

The prevention component works with 90 children. Head Start serves 360 children. El Valor, in partnership with a team of volunteers from the advertising industry, has produced three public service announcements for Spanish language television and three radio and two print ads on early learning and parental

involvement.

5
NATIONAL C ENTER FOR L ATINOS WITH D ISABILITIES ISABILITIES, IN C. (IL)

Maria Elena Rodriguez-Sullivan, Executive Director

1921 S. Blue Island Avenue

Chicago, IL 60608

(312) 666-3393 (312) 666-1787 fax

Website: www.intraccess.com/~ncld

Mission: The National Center for Latinos with Disabilities (NCLD) was founded originally as Illinois

Fiesta Educativa in 1984 by a group of concerned parents of children with disabilities and professionals

who worked with them. By 1996, NCLD had expanded its unique range of services. Services are organized into advocacy and training. NCLD serves three constituencies: individuals with disabilities, their

families and professionals who work with these individuals and families. NCLD also seeks to educate

local businesses and institutions in both the English and Spanish speaking communities.

Services: The Center has a training academy that provides workshops, American Sign Language classes

and presentations for parents and students with disabilities, school personnel, universities and social

service agencies throughout Illinois. NCLD works toward equal participation of Latinos with disabilities

in all aspects of society in an independent, productive and meaningful manner. The program provides

information on the Americans with Disabilities Act, special education rights contained in the Individuals

with Disabilities in Education Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, self-esteem, peer advocacy,

prevention of abuse and neglect, disability awareness and cultural sensitivity. NCLD also has a free

leadership training program for persons with disabilities and parents of individuals with disabilities.

Other services include: bilingual advocacy, parent support groups, an early intervention support group, an

information and referral 1-800 toll free line, a lending library, deaf services and advocacy, and TTY

distribution.

Evidence of effectiveness: A client satisfaction survey revealed an average overall rating for the advocacy

services of 4.3 (on a scale where 1 = poor, 5 = excellent). The average rating for overall services of

NCLD was 3.86.

ACADEMIA DEL P UEBLO / PROJECT S UCCESS (MN)

Hispanic Pre-College Project

Ramona de Rosales, Executive Director

University of St. Thomas

2115 Summit Avenue, ALB 103

St. Paul, MN 55105-1096

(651) 962-6340 (651) 962-6353 fax

Website: www.stthomas.edu/www.hpcp_http/index.htm

Mission: This project is a community-based youth enrichment program that works with targeted schools

in the Twin Cities area and serves Latino “at-risk” first through eighth graders.

Services: Academia del Pueblo and Project Success are after-school and summer enrichment programs

offered by the University of St. Thomas Hispanic Pre-College Project. They are designed to help students

in first through eighth grades get a positive start in school and build an academic and personal foundation

for success.

6
Academia del Pueblo aims to reduce early academic failure and increase retention among Hispanic

students in the first through fifth grades by using teaching methods such as a language experience approach, work stations, and small group and hands-on activities. Project Success is designed to provide

students in the sixth through eighth grades with career and cultural awareness, academic enrichment

activities, homework assistance, personal development, motivation and skills to succeed in school. One of

the program’s goals is to direct students toward a future where college is possible.

Evidence of effectiveness: The Project serves 85 Latino students per year. Both Academia del Pueblo and

Project Success focus on “hands-on” and “minds-on” activities in math and science. These programs have

been shown to improve reading, writing and problem-solving skills, build self-esteem and self-confidence, and develop skills and habits that promote success in school, and promote cooperative learning.

Instruction is provided in both English and Spanish.

MIGRANT E DUCATION E VEN S TART P ROGRAM (PA)

Edgar Leon, Director

Hisela Perez, Coordinator

Lincoln Intermediate Unit, No. 12

52 Foth Alley

Gettysburg, PA 17325

(717) 334-0006 (717) 334-9608 fax

Mission: The goal of the program is to help migrant children experience success by ensuring that all those

enrolled receive the educational services necessary to develop to their fullest potential. The program’s

vision is to develop life-long learners and productive citizens for the world community.

Services: The Migrant Education Even Start Program provides day care/preschool centers, summer school

programs, migrant tutorial public school intervention, adult literacy, adult basic education, General

Education Diploma, English as a Second Language, and employment training serving the child as well as

the parent.

Evidence of effectiveness: An evaluation of the program indicates that the program is progressing towards

attaining its goals. The programs’ strengths include recruitment and enrollment, interagency cooperation

to meet the educational needs of migrant families, the early childhood education component, and maintaining families’ cultural identity and integrity via the program’s bilingual/bicultural emphasis.

7
AVANCE F AMILY S UPPORT AND EDUCATION P ROGRAM (TX)

Gloria Rodriguez, President and CEO

301 S. Frio Street, Suite 380

San Antonio, TX 78207

(201) 270-4360 (201) 270-4612 (fax)

Website: www.avance.org

Mission: AVANCE Family Support and Education Program, created in 1973, is a private, non-profit

organization whose main purpose is to strengthen and support families.

Services: Direct services have formed the core of the Avance Intervention Model for hard-to-reach

families. Among its core services is a center-based 9-month intensive parent education program serving

low-income families with children under 2 _ years of age. Parents attend weekly parenting classes,

focusing on toy making, parenting skills, and awareness of community services. Other services include

nutrition classes and monthly home visits to observe parent-child interactions. These services promote

effective parenting leading to healthy child development, optimal progress, both socio-emotional and

educational, of young children and enhancement of family support systems and parental self-esteem.

Evidence of effectiveness: A program evaluation by the Carnegie Corporation provided strong evidence of

the effectiveness of AVANCE. Compared with a control group, mothers in AVANCE’s program: provided

a more organized, stimulating and responsive home environment; provided more developmentally appropriate toys; interacted more positively with their child; initiated more social interactions with their child;

used more contingent praise; spent more time teaching their child; spoke more with their child; used more

developmentally appropriate speech with their child; and were more encouraging of their child’s verbalizations.

DESCUBRIENDO L A L ECTURA/ READING R ECOVERY (TX)

Yvonne Rodriguez, Chairperson

6900 Catalpa Trail

Plano, TX 75023

(972) 517-5275 (972) 527-2827 fax

Website: www.readingrecovery.org/rr/dll.htm

Mission: The intent of Descubriendo la Lectura (DLL) is to enable bilingual students to develop reading

and writing strategies.

Services: This program serves mainly first-grade students receiving their initial literacy instruction in

Spanish and who have demonstrated they are at risk of learning how to read and write in their native

language. The program combines intensive daily one-to-one instruction for first-grade children most at

risk of reading failure, with a year-long training course and continuing professional development for

educators to learn and continue to explore, proven, research-based theory and procedures. A research/

evaluation program monitors program results and provides support for educators and institutions and a

long-range plan charts the course toward full implementation and literacy for all children.

Evidence of effectiveness: In the spring of 1997, a national study of former DLL students then in the

second and third grades was conducted. The study concluded that 92 percent of former DLL students in

the second grade and 93 percent of former DLL students in the third grade met or exceeded the average

8
“band” on Spanish Text Reading. A standardized Spanish reading measure (SABE-2 and SABE-3)

showed that 75 percent of the second graders and 79 percent of the third graders met or exceeded the

average band on the standardized Spanish reading measure.

HEAD S TART, REGION 19 (TX) 19 (TX)

Blanca Enriquez, Director

11670 Chito Samaniego

El Paso, TX 79936

(915) 790-4610 (915) 790-4602 fax

Mission: Region 19 Education Service Center (ESC) Head Start strives to empower children, families and

staff through lifelong learning and thus make a positive impact on themselves and the people around

them. The program believes in adhering to high principles, and in cultivating the social, emotional,

linguistic, educational, physical and mental development of those served. The organization values

creativity and participatory decision making. It is a dynamic, evolving high-quality system, which fosters

leadership and positive interdependence between the staff and collaborating partners.

Services: The program uses a state-adopted core curriculum and assessments such as the Denver II, Davis

Observation Checklist of Texas, and Preschool Behavior Checklist. In addition, the program provides

classroom volunteer training; a family development center which shares teaching General Education

Diploma, English as a Second Language, and parenting classes; a Male Involvement Program that is

designed to increase the number of male participants in the Head Start Program; and a career development

component that trains parents for employment in child development, as administrative assistants and as

certified drivers.

Evidence of effectiveness: In a customer survey conducted in March 1999, about 86 percent stated that

they strongly agreed to recommending the Head Start program to others, and about 12 percent said they

would agree to recommend the Head Start program to others.

P ROJECT SEED (TX) SEED (TX)

Hamid Ebrahimi, National Director

William Glee, Jr., Dallas Director

3414 Oak Grove Avenue

Dallas, TX 75204

(214) 954-4432 (214) 954-0507 fax

Website: www.cofc.edu/~wayne

Mission: To increase the number of minority and disadvantaged youth majoring in and pursuing careers in

mathematics and related fields. It also strives to increase students’ academic self-confidence, develop

problem solving and critical thinking skills, and raise their mathematics achievement levels.

Services: Project SEED serves many minority and underrepresented students, including Latinos, and

provides components of staff development, direct instruction, family involvement and parental involvement. Project SEED provides training to teachers from the elementary through secondary school and

university levels in its instructional pedagogy and in advanced mathematics curricula. These highly

9
trained mathematics specialists provide direct instruction in full-size classes of elementary or middle

school students as a supplement to the students’ regular curriculum. The instructional methodology is a

non-lecture, Socratic group discovery format designed to guide children to discover mathematical concepts by answering a carefully planned sequence of questions. Beyond this instruction, Project SEED

activities include recognition and awards programs, workshops for parents on mathematics, problem

solving and strategies to help students succeed, and participation in school-sponsored parent and community workshops. Project SEED develops its own curriculum for all direct instruction, teacher training,

staff development, corporate training and family-community workshops.

Evidence of effectiveness: Repeated and consistent evaluation results show that Project SEED instruction

has a powerful and positive effect on students at all levels and particularly in the upper elementary grades

4, 5, and 6. In studies conducted at a variety of Project SEED sites, research showed that students receiving a semester or more of Project SEED instruction scored significantly higher on standardized tests than

did matched comparison students who did not receive SEED instruction. The effect of Project SEED

instruction was persistent, as seen in SEED students scoring higher than comparison students on standardized tests for up to five years (the longest period that was tested) after the last exposure to Project SEED

instruction. Students who had participated in the program also took more upper division mathematics

courses in high school than did comparable students. Project SEED students were also retained (held

back) in grade less than were the comparison students as they advanced through school. The program has

also received validation through the Department of Education’s National Diffusion Network’s Program

Effectiveness Panel.

SER CHILD D EVELOPMENT C ENTER (TX)

Alice Escobar, Director

1575 W. Mockingbird Lane, Suite 300

Dallas, TX 75235

(214) 637-8307 (214) 637-8313 fax

Mission: SER’s mission is to provide bilingual, literacy-focused child development programs that prepare

children for school and guide them toward success in primary and secondary education. SER serves lowincome, minority children, 6 weeks to 5 years of age.

Services: This center provides degreed teachers and on-site in-depth training, parent-teacher

conferences, screening for developmental delays, an immunization clinic, field trips, a United

States Department of Agriculture nutrition program, vision and hearing screening, and senior

volunteers.

Evidence of effectiveness: In the past two fiscal years, the center has served approximately 250 children

each year.

10
Middle and High School Programs

MESA PROGRAM (AZ)

Arizona State University – College of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Office of Minority Engineering Programs

Mary Ann McCartney, Director

P.O. Box 875506

Tempe, AZ 85287-5506

(602) 965-4328 (602) 965-8398 fax

Website: www.eas.asu.edu/~omep/

Mission: The Mathematics-Engineering-Science-Achievement (MESA) Program and the Minority

Engineering Program (MEP) at Arizona State University (ASU) provide a comprehensive approach for

recruitment and retention of historically underrepresented groups in science, engineering and mathematics. Through a collaborative effort between industry, government, and the community, ASU implemented

an effective matriculation plan, ensuring the academic and professional development of these students.

Services: This program offers Engineering Day at ASU, MESA Day, MESA liaisons for middle and high

school teachers, the Engineering Summer Institute, the Federal Highway Administration Summer Transportation Institute, and the MEP Summer Bridge Program.

Evidence of effectiveness: The 1997 MEP Summer Bridge Program provided 39 students with room/

board, classroom materials, and academic scholarships. Thirty-eight of the 39 participants are currently

enrolled in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS). The first-year retention rate of the

original 43 students from summer 1996 is 88.4 percent within the university and 76.7 percent within

CEAS. The retention rate for all students in the college is 77.3 percent and 66.2 percent within CEAS.

Y OUTH L EADERSHIP C ONFERENCE (AZ)

League of Latin American United Citizens (LULAC) – Arizona Chapter

Ricardo Fimbres, Arizona State Director

P.O. Box 2443

Tucson, AZ 85702

(520) 740-5807 (520) 792-6388 fax

Mission: LULAC is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to advancing the education of

Hispanic and disadvantaged youth in southern Arizona.

Services: LULAC works well with both businesses and government to initiate educational programs in

Arizona. LULAC’s Annual Youth Leadership Conference is designed to motivate sixth through twelfth

graders to stay in school and develop their skills by providing them with the opportunity to observe,

analyze, and become directly involved with social, economic and political issues, and the leaders that deal

with these issues. The conference brings together the community to work on major issues of importance,

such as targeted school dropouts and high school graduation rates. The conference also helps students

realize that the key to success is through education and that they need to stay in school.

11
Evidence of effectiveness: Over the past ten years, LULAC has had over 34,000 sixth through twelfth

graders participate in their Annual Youth Leadership Conference. In 1994, LULAC received the Metropolitan Education Commission’s (MEC) prestigious Crystal Apple Award for this conference, as well as

recognition from the city of Tucson and its school district.

AVID (CA) AVID (CA)

Achievement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Center

2490 Heritage Park Row

San Diego, CA 92110

(619) 682-5057 (619) 682-5060 fax

Website: www.avidcenter.org

Mission: AVID is a nationally recognized program designed to give students who ordinarily would not be

in rigorous, academic, college-preparatory classes the opportunity to take such classes and the support to

succeed in them.

Services: AVID students are recruited for the program at the middle and high school levels. They are then

enrolled in a college preparatory sequence and in an elective section of AVID, through which students are

given the academic and motivational support to succeed. Within AVID, students are coached by college

tutors and work in collaborative groups using a curriculum focusing on writing and inquiry. Non-tutorial

days are devoted to an across-the-curriculum writing sequence and grade-level study skills in preparation

for college entrance and placement exams.

Evidence of effectiveness: This program began with one group of students in 1980. It is currently being

implemented in all 57 public high schools in San Diego County, along with 65 middle schools and some

elementary schools. The state of California has over 400 AVID programs and over 700 schools in 13

states, as well as in Europe and Asia, are adopting it. Currently, 87 percent of AVID graduates from San

Diego County enrolling at San Diego State University pass the writing portion of the college placement

exam. (The overall-passing rate in the college placement exam is only about 50 percent.)

C HICANO L ATINO Y OUTH L EADERSHIP P ROJECT (CA)

Daniel Hernandez, Executive Director

P.O. Box 161566

Sacramento, CA 95816

(916) 446-1640 (916) 446-2899 fax

Website: www.assembly.ca.gov/latinocaucus

Mission: The Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project, Inc.’s (CLYLP) primary purpose is to prepare

students (Latino eleventh and twelfth graders) to more fully participate in California’s economic, social

and political development in the 21st century and beyond. Goals and objectives are to: strengthen the

student’s knowledge of state government and politics; emphasize the importance of cultural and family

values; inspire students to realize their educational and professional potential through individual and

group interactions with business, community and political leaders; encourage students to pursue

postsecondary educational opportunities by providing them information on public/private institutions of

higher education.

12
Services: This project offers a weeklong leadership training program at California State University,

Sacramento during the summer. Each year 120 students are selected to participate by the project organizing committee. The selection criteria are based on letters of recommendation, grade point averages,

community and school service, three written essays and overall demonstrated leadership potential. There

is no cost to the students or their parents for participating.

Evidence of effectiveness: Since its inception in 1982, the CLYLP has successfully offered a weeklong

intensive leadership training conference in Sacramento to over two thousand students. Eighty percent of

the participants have gone on to higher education.

P ASSPORT T O C OLLEGE (CA)

Amy Cardullo, Assistant Director

Riverside Community College Foundation

4800 Magnolia Avenue

Riverside, CA 92506

(909) 222-8626 (909) 222-8670 fax

Mission: Passport to College is a collaboration of Riverside Community College (RCC), the Riverside

County Office of Education and six area unified school districts which, with the active commitment of

businesses and individuals throughout the region, seek to make a college education possible for an entire

class of students enrolled in the Riverside Community College District.

Services: This program provides campus tours; classroom presentations; teacher training workshops;

parent meetings; financial aid workshops; mentors; college guaranteed admission to 11,500 participants

who graduate from high school; and two years of tuition and fee assistance to those who successfully

complete the program and enroll at RCC.

Evidence of effectiveness: Initiated in 1996, the program now targets 11,500 students.

UPWARD B OUND – COLORADO S TATE U NIVERSITY (CO)

Center for Educational Access and Outreach

Division of Student Affairs

Maria Escobar

304 Student Services

Fort Collins, CO 80523

(970) 491-6473 (970) 491-1077 fax

Mission: This program seeks to generate the skills and motivation necessary for success in completing

high school and enrolling in postsecondary education, and to encourage youths to enroll in postsecondary

education and graduate.

Services: This program serves low-income and potential first-generation college students, of whom 59.3

percent are Hispanic. Services include weekly academic, personal and college prep advising; after-school

study sessions; college visitations; home visits; a leadership conference; a six-week academic program;

and a variety of cultural experiences.

13
Evidence of effectiveness: For the past five years, 100 percent of Upward Bound seniors have graduated;

85-100 percent enrolled in college, of which 75-85 percent have remained in college.

HERMANITAS P HERMANITAS PROJECT (DC)

Elisa Sanchez

MANA

1725 K Street, N.W., Suite 501

Washington, D.C. 20006

(202) 833-0060 (202) 496-0588 fax

Mission: This project’s mission is to empower Latina youth through education, leadership development,

cultural enrichment and community action. The program goals are to promote educational achievement

and personal enrichment, develop leadership qualities and skills, promote cultural identity, respect, pride

and multicultural awareness, and promote community involvement.

Services: The program offers a weeklong Summer Institute in Washington, D.C., local leadership activities and workshops.

Evidence of effectiveness: There are nine Hermanitas projects around the country. The organization

recently received the support of the Girl Scouts.

STEM INSTITUTE/ SAT/ SOAR (DC) / SAT/ SOAR (DC)

Center for the Advancement of Hispanics in Science and Engineering Education

Charles Vela, Executive Director

The George Washington University

707 22nd Street, N.W. Room 105

Washington, D.C. 20052

(202) 994-6529 (202) 994-2459 fax

Mission: The center seeks to ensure that talented Latino science and engineering students achieve academic excellence and professional success through its pipeline of rigorous academic programs, leadership training, networking and other support activities during the students’ pre-college, undergraduate and

graduate years.

Services: STEM Institute is for eighth through eleventh graders. The goal of the STEM Institute is to

provide gifted Hispanic and other underrepresented minority pre-college students with a rigorous and

nurturing academic environment. It imbues pre-college students with high academic expectations,

psychologically preparing them to pursue careers and advanced degrees in science, mathematics and

engineering.

The SAT/ SOAR Program is for tenth and eleventh graders. This program maintains continuity with

workshops and seminars for high school participants of the STEM Institute.

Evidence of effectiveness: According to the 1998 Executive Summary, 41 students participated in the

SAT/SOAR program (19 sophomores, 22 juniors). Students scored at or above the national average for

high school seniors on the SAT test. As the program is only open to sophomores and juniors, their

14
expected senior scores are 60 percent above 1200, 45 percent over 1300, 30 percent over 1400, and 15

percent over 1500. In 1998, STEM classes offered were college algebra and topology, chemistry and

physics, probability and statistics and vector mechanics, calculus and C- programming. The average

student performance was 82 percent. This would constitute a B performance at a college or university,

and therefore is a very high performance given that the participants range from eighth through eleventh

graders.

S.T.A.R.S/H.O.P.E (FL) S.T.A.R.S/H.O.P.E (FL)

Scholarship Tuition for At-Risk Students/

Hispanic Opportunity Program for Education

Lourdes M. Perez

627 S.W. 27th Avenue

Miami, FL 33135

(305) 237-6124 (305) 237-6123 (fax)

Mission: The goal of the S.T.A.R.S./H.O.P.E. partnership is to increase the rate of high school completion

of at-risk Hispanic students and their completing a two-year college degree.

Services: The program works with three high schools and provides 100 at-risk students with two years of

tuition to attend Miami-Dade Community College (M-DCC). Students are selected for the scholarship in

their sophomore year of high school as an incentive to remain in school and go to M-DCC for two years.

They are required to maintain good attendance and conduct, as well as a 2.9 cumulative grade point

average in the last two years of high school and at M-DCC.

Evidence of effectiveness: In 1994, 221 students were selected for the program and, in 1998, 170 were still

in school. The program has a retention rate of over 75 percent.

L EARNING T O L EAD (IL)

The Hispanic Program for Educational Advancement

Western Illinois University

Carol Fimmen, Director

1 University Circle

Macomb, IL 61455

(309) 298-2924 (309) 298-2226 fax

Wesbite: www.wiu.edu/users/micce

Mission: Learning to Lead is a comprehensive summer institute designed to develop and nurture the

leadership skills of students and prepare them for the leadership roles they will be expected to fill. The

program promotes and fosters the development of a new generation of leaders within the rapidly changing

social and economic environment of the United States.

Services: The Hispanic Program was implemented as an academic support program with the purpose of

increasing the number and academic success of Hispanic students in postsecondary education. Its primary purpose is to generate the necessary skills and motivation to help prospective students gain access to

institutions of higher education. The Learning to Lead program was developed to increase the leadership

potential of Hispanic students. The program targets Hispanic students enrolled at Western Illinois University, Black Hawk College, Sauk Valley Community College, and Rock Valley College.

15
Evidence of effectiveness: Total Hispanic student enrollment at Western Illinois University (WIU) has

increased dramatically since the Hispanic Program was implemented in fall 1989. Persistence figures for

spring 1999 of 88.9 percent show an improvement over the second highest level seen in 1998 of 87.9

percent. The number of Hispanic students graduating from WIU since the Hispanic Program was implemented has increased 190 percent. Hispanic enrollment in Black Hawk College Adult Education, General

Education Diploma and English as a Second Language programs increased by 62 percent from 1990/91 to

1998/99. Other statistics and totals are available.

NOSOTRAS OSOTRAS V IVIREMOS IVIREMOS (MA)

National Coalition of Advocates for Students

Rosie Muñoz-López, Project Director

100 Boylston Street, Suite 737

Boston, MA 02116

(617) 357-8507 (617) 357-9549 fax

Website: www.igc.org/ncas/nosvivir.htm

Mission: Nosotras Viviremos is a theory-based, culturally competent, age-appropriate and gender-sensitive HIV/AIDS prevention training curriculum for Latina farmworker youth (ages 13-18) and their

mothers and/or mentors. This curriculum was designed for use in non-school settings by communitybased organization staff interested in working with female farmworkers.

Services: The program combines culturally and linguistically appropriate training experience with holistic

and developmentally appropriate HIV prevention and sexuality education to build and strengthen the

capacity of community-based farmworker organizations with a focus on behavioral outcomes.

Evidence of effectiveness: A third-party evaluation report states that the project accomplished all of the

objectives that were supported in their approved budget. The program is currently in the second year of a

five-year cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of

School and Adolescent Health.

BROTHERHOOD/ S ISTER S O L (NY)

Khary Lazarre-White, Co-Director

Jason Warwil, Co-Director

Susan Wilcox, Co-Director

Box 11 Teachers College

Columbia University

New York, NY 10027

(212) 678-3828 (212) 678-3297 fax

Mission: Brotherhood/Sister Sol brings together youth as a means to foster understanding and strengthen

the essential bonds between men and women, bonds necessary for bringing about social change in communities. The program predominately serves African American and Latino youth.

16
Services: The program provides an afterschool program; job opportunities; internships; wilderness

retreats; summer camps; tutoring; and legal representation. Three publications are produced: Reality

Check, a tri-annual newsletter highlighting youth, their activities and the work of other grassroots organizations; The Grapevine, a directory of community-based organizations throughout New York City offering a wide range of youth services and programming; and The Brotherhood/Sister Sol Speaks, a periodic

journal showcasing the creative voices of youth.

Evidence of effectiveness: Members, parents and school partners have provided great support for the

program and efforts are continuously made to adapt the program to meeting the needs of youth.

EAST H ARLEM T UTORIAL P ROGRAM (NY)

Carmen Vega-Rivera, Executive Director

2050 Second Avenue

New York, NY 10029

(212) 831-0650 (212) 289-7967 fax

Mission: To enhance the knowledge, skills and interests of children and youth, and to foster their love of

learning.

Services: The program provides an after-school program (with one-to-one tutoring), an arts workshop,

several youth leadership development programs (Tutorial Internship Program, Young Adolescent Program), a summer day camp, a Media/Technology Education Program, and social work services. East

Harlem Tutorial’s primary and largest program is the After-School Tutorial. This program offers individual tutoring in literacy building, math, science, computers, arts and personal growth, as well as homework assistance and career mentoring.

Evidence of effectiveness: Each child in the program had an intake interview and an individual student

plan (ISP) was developed with measurable goals and objectives. An independent human resources

evaluation firm tabulated the results which showed that 82 percent of all ISP goals assigned were

achieved or significant progress made.

EL P UENTE (NY)

Luis Garden Acosta, Director

211 South 4th Street

Brooklyn, NY 11211

(718) 387-0404 (718) 387-6816 fax

Mission: El Puente is committed to inspire and nurture leadership for peace, justice and human rights

through youth and community development.

Services: El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice is the first public high school for human rights. El

Puente has a family health clinic, a comprehensive Latino/multicultural arts center and other programs in

leadership, conservation, environmental justice, public health, community arts development and preprofessional multi-arts training.

Evidence of effectiveness: The program has provided after-school programs for over 17 years. There are

300 members at its locations in Brooklyn, Williamsburg and Bushwick. Its members and leaders are

continuously in the forefront of issues affecting their community and the world.

17
E NGINEERING V ANGUARD P ROGRAM (NY)

National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME)

Hugo Ramirez, Director

Empire State Building

350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2212

New York, NY 10118

(202) 279-2626 (202) 629-5178 fax

Website: www.nacme.org

Mission: The Engineering Vanguard Program is a groundbreaking high school-to-university initiative that

targets and recruits students from underserved communities, and provides intense academic preparation

and full tuition and housing scholarships at selected universities.

Services: Using a non-traditional assessment process, the program identifies seniors who are likely to be

overlooked by student recruitment practices at engineering schools, but who possess the skills, motivation

and interest to be successful in top-tier engineering education environments. Once identified, students

participate in intense academic preparation programs that integrate math and science knowledge and

immerse students in the culture of engineering delivered by a carefully chosen cadre of university faculty

members. Selected Vanguard scholars are offered scholarships to participating universities.

Evidence of effectiveness: NACME was the recipient of The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science,

Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, as well the U.S. Department of Labor’s EPIC Award for

Exemplary Public Interest Contribution. Since 1980, NACME scholarship programs have produced

nearly 10 percent of all minority engineering graduates. The Engineering Vanguard Program reaches 20

high schools in New Jersey, New York and Texas. Their retention rate is 98 percent, with many students

achieving a grade point average of 3.0 or better.

GRAND S TREET S ETTLEMENT, IN C. (NY)

Margarita Rosa, Esq., Executive Director

80 Pitt Street

New York, NY 10002

(212) 674-1740 (212) 358-0025 (fax)

Mission: Founded in 1916, the Grand Street Settlement is dedicated to providing effective and culturally

sensitive services to the residents in the Lower East Side of New York City. The agency provides a

comprehensive array of services for some 5,000 area residents annually—from toddlers in Early Head

Start and Day Care to older adults.

Services: Grand Street Settlement provides quality youth development and prevention programs that help

at-risk students avoid risk behavior, remain and do well in school, and engage in safe constructive, and

enriching activities that will help them prepare for successful futures. Between 80 and 85 percent of the

youth served by the agency’s programs are Latinos (from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic,

Central and South America). Grand Street’s services for young people include Project Team, an attendance improvement and dropout prevention program. This project provides intensive support services in

local elementary and junior high schools, boosting school attendance and improving student academic

performance. The dropout prevention in high schools project serves students in three high schools,

18
Seward Park in Manhattan and Bushwick and Automotive High schools in Brooklyn, by providing

counseling, tutoring and support services. The Lower East Side Action Plan (LEAP) is another dropout

prevention and after-school academic enrichment and summer employment initiative which serves 70

youths year-round.

El Puente also provides health care programs for youth, such as the Bushwick Teen Mothers Project and a

HIV/AIDS Peer Education Initiative. Grand Street Settlement also has adolescent educational and social

development programs, such as the Girls and Young Women’s Initiative (GYWI) which provides more

than 100 girls and young women with services and projects to help cultivate their strengths, talents, and

career goals, and the Progressive Adolescent Vocational Exploration Program, which helps 35 youths

broaden their knowledge of career opportunities.

As part of its community/family programs, the Grand Settlement has the High Road Beacon Center. The

center provides a safe haven in a drug-free zone and a comprehensive array of community-based, familyfocused services that empower youth and adults to develop their strengths and skills and to become

economically and socially self-sufficient. Activities include: Careers in Training; Tutoring; Pregnancy

Prevention Service Initiative; Safe Passage/After- School Program; Programs for Parents; Parent and

Child Therapy; Leadership Development Clubs; Community Change for Youth Development; and Male

Rap Sessions.

Evidence of effectiveness: The Attendance Improvement/Dropout Prevention program services 300

participants each year. The Dropout Prevention in High Schools serves about 450 individuals. The High

Road Beacon Center serves 2,000 youths and adults each year.

J UST U S, IN C. (NY)

Edward Auerbach, Executive Director

87 East 116th Street, 3rd Floor

New York, NY 10029

(212) 831-3980 (212) 987-1625 fax

Mission: Primarily, Just Us reaches out to youth in East Harlem.

Services: Just Us, Inc. runs three projects: the ACHIEVE Project, designed for out-of-school youth (ages

16-21); the Community Achievement Program (CAP) which provides individual and group counseling for

children who have been designated as “at risk” due to excessive absences, and reading remediation for

students within the context of an Extended School Day component; and the Hospitals Career Program

which provides youth ages 16-18 with the opportunity for part-time employment at Mount Sinai and

Metropolitan Hospitals, with weekly seminars.

Evidence of effectiveness: In 1997-98, 66 percent of participants in the CAP Program improved reading

proficiency by 10 or more percentile points and 15 percent improved by at least one percentile point. In

1997, Just Us, Inc. was presented with a Community Service Award from United Way.

19
S TATEWIDE S YSTEMIC I NITIATIVE (PR) [PR-SSI] (PR) [PR-SSI]

Manuel Gomez

University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras

Resource Center for Science and Engineering

Facundo Bueso Building, 3rd Floor, Office 304

P.O. Box 2334

San Juan, PR 00931-3334

(787) 765-5170 (787) 756-7717 fax

Mission: The vision of PR-SSI is that all students, regardless of socio-economic backgrounds, deserve a

high-quality science and mathematics education. PR-SSI is an alliance between the Puerto Rico Department of Education and the Resource Center for Science and Engineering of the University of Puerto Rico,

and the community at large. This alliance was established to transform the teaching and learning of

science and mathematics in Puerto Rico.

Services: The PR-SSI follows a two-prong approach to transform science and mathematics education at

the school level: Whole-School Based (WSBS) and Non-School Based (NSB) Strategies. This approach

is designed to transform the K-12 education system. These pedagogical strategies are based on the latest

trends in education research and are used to address the standards-based curricula. The PR-SSI is currently being implemented in 25 percent of the public schools of Puerto Rico.

Evidence of effectiveness: Working with the school as a unit of change, the PR-SSI has demonstrated

significant gains in student achievement through an adaptation of the National Assessment of Educational

Progress administered in 1994 as well as through other indicators. An analysis of the College Entrance

Examination Board’s scores showed that students who had participated in the reform outperformed their

public and private counterparts in mathematics and verbal sections of the test.

COMMUNITIES OMMUNITIES I N S CHOOLS – UPWARD B OUND P ROGRAM (TX)

Maria Luisa Villarreal, Program Director

1850 Grandstand Drive

San Antonio, TX 78238

(210) 520-8440 (210) 520-1104 fax

Mission: The program was designed to improve academic success at the high school level and ensure that

participants enroll in and successfully complete postsecondary education.

Services: This program provides tutoring, counseling, guidance, Saturday classes in Algebra I and II, PreCalculus and Calculus, and science courses. Workshops are provided for taking the PSAT, ACT, and SAT

tests.

Evidence of effectiveness: Statistics show that the program has an average annual high school graduation

rate of 98 percent. Of those graduating, over 90 percent attend college and receive more than $89,000

annually in scholarships and financial aid. The program serves 70 eligible students per year.

20
GONZALO G ARZA I NDEPENDENCE H IGH S CHOOL (TX)

Victoria Baldwin, Principal

1600 Chicon Street

Austin, TX 78702

(512) 414-8600 (512) 414-8610 fax

Mission: Gonzalo Garza is designed to be an alternative to the traditional high school for students who

may not have had successful educational experiences in the past.

Services: The school is small (300 students) and provides individualized instruction, a flexible schedule,

individualized career planning, a hands-on technology program, and other student supportive programs.

Garza is not a General Education Diploma program, but a full diploma program. It operates on an open

enrollment and open exit alternative high school model.

Evidence of effectiveness: In its first 23 weeks of operation, 49 students met graduation requirements.

L ORENZO D E Z AVALA Y OUTH L EGISLATIVE S ESSION (TX)

National Hispanic Institute

Gloria de Leon, Executive Vice President

P.O. Box 220

Maxwell, TX 78656

(512) 357-6137 (512) 357-2206 fax

Website: www.xnetworks.com/nhinet/ldz.html

Mission: The National Hispanic Institute (NHI) helps Latino youth develop advanced skills in community

problem solving through specialized training in areas of critical/analytical thinking, writing, networking,

team work and public speaking.

Services: The NHI programs include the Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session (LDZ), an eightday leadership experience that uses a mock youth government to introduce participants to the intellectual,

psychological, emotional, and organizational requirements of leadership. The LDZ takes place during the

summer months at five university campuses. Other NHI programs include: Young Leaders Conference,

Collegiate World Series, Mexico Language Program, John F. Lopez Fellowship, Collegiate Leadership

Network, and National Conference of Community Leadership Councils.

Evidence of effectiveness: Over 99 percent of all current LDZ students enroll in college. Last summer,

789 students attended the LDZ projects.

21
S TUDENT L EARNING AND G UIDANCE C ENTER (TX) [SLGC] (TX) [SLGC]

Corpus Christi Independent School District

Dr. Dawn E. Dorsey, Principal

2944 Cactus Street

Corpus Christi, TX 78415

(512) 878-1480 (512) 878-1437 fax

Mission: The center’s mission is to work with extremely challenging youth and to provide a program that

will work with the whole child and his or her family.

Services: This center serves as an alternative education center for elementary, middle school, and high

school students who have been removed from their home campuses for disciplinary reasons. Services are

provided to almost 1,000 students per year and 90 percent of the students are Hispanic. Academics are

stressed as well as the behavioral and emotional needs of the students.

Evidence of effectiveness: To date, 95 percent of the students completing the 1998-99 program have been

successful at their home schools. Over 92 percent of the Hispanic students completing the program have

also been successful. A four-year longitudinal evaluation of this program shows a marked decrease of

students being referred to the Student Learning Guidance Center, especially at the middle school level. In

addition, there has been an 11 percent increase in students remaining at their home school after successfully completing their SLGC assignment.

T E XPREP (TX) PREP (TX)

Manuel P. Berriozabal, Coordinator

University of Texas at San Antonio

6900 North Loop 1604 West

San Antonio, TX 78249-0661

(210) 458-4496 (210) 458-4500 fax

Mission: TexPrep was begun in 1979, initially called San AntonioPREP, and served about 50 students in a

rigorous 8-week summer pre-engineering program on the University of Texas at San Antonio campus.

The program stresses abstract reasoning skills, problem-solving skills, and career opportunities in engineering and science, as well as in other fields. Program assistant/mentors are a cornerstone of the program. They are undergraduates in engineering and science, and many are former PREP students.

In 1997, TexPREP’s 20 programs in 11 locations served nearly 2,700 students, particularly of middle

school age. Of the nearly 14,000 students who have taken at least one summer of PREP since 1979, 80

percent have been minority, 53 percent have been women, and over 50 percent are at risk. During the

summer of 1998, TexPREP was replicated on the sites of eight collegiate, Hispanic-serving sites outside

of Texas and across the country.

Evidence of effectiveness: The high school graduation rate is 99.9 percent; the college-attending rate is 92

percent, and the college graduation rate is 87 percent. Fifty-six percent of the college graduates have

majored in science or engineering.

22
UPWARD B OUND – UNIVERSITY O F T EXAS A T E L P ASO (TX)

Sandra Braham, Assistant Vice President for Outreach Programs

500 W. University

El Paso, TX 79968

(915) 747-5149 (915) 747-8060 fax

Mission: Upward Bound’s mission is to generate in program participants the skill and motivation necessary to complete a program of secondary education and to enter and succeed in post-secondary education

and graduate.

Services: This program serves low-income, potential first-generation college students, 93 percent of

whom are Hispanic. All-day academic classes are given at the university, three Saturdays per month, from

September through May, and daily for six weeks in the summer months. In addition, classes are given in

foreign languages, computers and career curriculum clusters. Juniors and seniors participate in a regional

college tour to visit up to six colleges and universities. The participants commit to Upward Bound for

three to four years.

 Evidence of effectiveness: 1996 graduates91 percent remain in college; 1997 graduates78 percent

remain in college and 9 percent in the military; 1998 graduates81 percent remain in college and 13

percent in the military.

23
K-12 Programs

MIGRANT E DUCATION P ROGRAM – REGION XVI (CA) XVI (CA)

Raul Diaz, Director

901 Blanco Circle

Salinas, CA 93912

(831) 755-6402 (831) 422-8230 fax

Mission: The Migrant Education Program, Region XVI, in partnership with schools, local community

agencies and families, promotes quality supplemental services to meet the unique educational, social and

health needs of migrant students to enhance success in school.

Services: Region XVI provides a variety of services, including: Migrant Education Even Start (MEES) for

children ages 0 –7; Yo Puedo, a four-week summer residential program for high school students at the

University of California, Santa Cruz (USCS); Avance, a four-week summer residential program for

overage middle school students; Math Scholars at Cal State University, Fresno, a program for high school

freshmen focusing on passing math subjects and providing English writing and study skills; and outdoor

education programs for middle school students. Other services provided include referral and support for

high school students to attend summer residential programs at colleges and universities throughout the

country, Close Up for New Americans in Washington, D.C., a General Education Diploma Institute, an

English as a Second Language Institute at Cal State University Monterey Bay, health screenings, and

book distributions.

Evidence of effectiveness: MEES operates in 14 school districts, serving over 650 students and about 730

parents in 1998. The various summer residential programs serve over 150 students. The Outdoor Education programs serve 307 students.

PUENTE L PUENTE LEARNING C ENTER (CA)

Sister Jennie Lechtenberg, Executive Director

Puente Learning Center

501 S. Boyle Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90033

(323) 780-5312 (323) 780-0359 fax

Mission: PUENTE (People United to Enrich the Neighborhood Through Education) Learning Center is a

non-sectarian, non-profit educational organization that offers individuals of every age and backgroundss a

learning experience and empowers them with lifelong productivity. PUENTE’s blend of traditional

classroom instruction and computer technology provides tuition-free educational opportunities for people

limited by low literacy, poverty, and inadequate English language skills.

Services: PUENTE offers services, including English as a Second Language, individualized instruction,

reading improvement, Spanish literacy classes, power of speech classes, and computer applications. It

also has youth programs, including pre-school readiness, after-school enrichment, high school tutorial,

and effective parenting classes. In addition, PUENTE offers job training services, such as business

English and math and computer applications as well as job referral services.

24
Evidence of effectiveness: PUENTE was selected as an exhibitor in the Technology Showcase of the

President’s Summit for America’s Future. First Lady Hillary Clinton visited PUENTE in 1996.

P ROYECTO E DUCAR / AMIGOS D E L A C OMUNIDAD (CO)

Latin American Research and Service Agency (LARASA)

Luci Aandahl, Program Director

309 West First Avenue

Denver, CO 80223

(303) 722-5150 (303) 722-5118 fax

Website: www.larasa.org

Mission: LARASA is committed to leading and influencing change to improve the quality of life for

Latinos in Colorado by addressing disparities in academic achievement and parental involvement.

Services: Proyecto Educar offers a comprehensive curriculum on delivering culturally competent teaching

methods to Latino students through its Cultural Competency Training Institute for Educators. The training

provides educators with demographic information pertaining to Latinos, information on Latino risk

factors and barriers to education, information on cultural values and beliefs affecting educational attainment, and techniques for bridging the gaps inherent in educating the Latino student.

Amigos de la Comunidad is designed to be a replicable neighborhood support and parent leadership

development project for the Latino community. It currently targets the low educational achievement of

youth by providing leadership and educational opportunities to parents in their neighborhoods. Program

activities include: Community Walk, Breakfast/Forums with the Principal, Family Nights, Parent Leadership Training, and Ancianos.

Evidence of effectiveness: Approximately 1,700 individuals were involved with the Amigo’s programs in

1998.

ASPIRA O F F LORIDA (FL)

Raúl Martínez, President/CEO

3650 N. Miami Avenue

Miami, FL 33137

(305) 576-1512 (305) 576-0810 fax

Mission: ASPIRA of Florida, Inc. is a community-based organization dedicated to youth leadership

development. Its mission is to empower the Puerto Rican and Latino communities through education and

the leadership development of their youth.

Services: ASPIRA of Florida is currently in its 15th year of providing community-based guidance,

counseling and leadership development opportunities to educationally at-risk youth. Services are conducted through the ASPIRA Club System and facilitated by an ASPIRA counselor. Utilizing a school and

community-based approach, club meetings are held on a weekly basis. Curriculum instruction includes an

educational and skills development component as well as individual academic and personal advisement.

25
Students are identified and recruited directly from school computer profiles of potential dropouts, as well

as from school counselors, teachers, parents, juvenile courts and fellow peers. ASPIRA has also developed program initiatives in the areas of youth gang avoidance, drug prevention, alternative middle school

education, community service, and mentoring opportunities.

Evidence of effectiveness: In 1994-1995, ASPIRA recruited 1,261 educationally at-risk students from 27

school and community-based outreach clubs; 98.7 percent were encouraged to stay in school and did not

drop out; 64 of the 69 graduating seniors and 30 of 40 out-of-school graduates were enrolled at

postsecondary institutions.

For program year 1996-97, a total of 1,599 educationally at risk students were recruited from 34 schools and

communities in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. Of these students, 94 percent were encouraged

to stay in school and not drop out. Of the 92 high school seniors recruited, 97 percent graduated. Of the 89

high school graduates, 96 percent enrolled at post-secondary institutions. In addition, Accolade and Accolade South, the ASPIRA Alternative Middle Schools, had a 94 percent daily attendance. Accolade students

increased on average one to two grade levels in standardized reading and math tests.

AHORA P AHORA PROGRAM (MA)

Concilio Hispano de Cambridge

Sylvia Saavedra-Keber, Executive Director

Alexandra Lozada, Coordinator

459 Broadway Street, Room A-106

Cambridge, MA 02138

(617) 864-0980

Website: www.shore.net/~concilio/hispano

Mission: Concilio Hispano is a non-profit community organization dedicated to social change, economic

health and self-sufficiency, and the promotion of democratic participation. AHORA is a bilingual/

bicultural youth enrichment program geared toward Latino youth at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School

(CRLS) and in the Cambridge community. AHORA fosters academic achievement, develops leadership

and a sense of community, enriches cultural awareness and promotes a positive self-image among Latino/

Hispanic youth.

Services: AHORA’s goal is to help Latino(a) youth to realize their potential by meeting the following

objectives: completing their studies at the high school level; going on to higher education; preventing the

use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs as well as early parenting; staying in school at all costs

when one is pregnant or parenting; seeking adequate services when faced with barriers to academic

success; and feeling positive about themselves. Services include: tutoring and mentorship; educational,

sports, recreational and cultural events; individual and group counseling; advocacy to ensure adequate

academic placement of students; direct communication with Latino parents regarding AHORA’s services

and their children’s performance; and facilitating communication between the CRLS staff and administration and the Latino families.

Evidence of effectiveness: Concilio Hispano serves over 3,000 clients each year, providing vital educational and support services to a culturally diverse Latino population, ranging from teens to elders with

varying levels of integration, education and literacy.

26
Y OUTH C ENTER (MI)

Latino Family Services

Amanda Caballero, Executive Director

3815 W. Fort Street

Detroit, MI 48216

(313) 841-7380 (313) 841-3730 fax

Website: www.comnet.org/local/orgs/latino

Mission: Latino Family Services, Inc. (LFS) is a community agency that provides and coordinates comprehensive human services to the residents of Wayne County with a particular emphasis on its Latino

residents. These services will enhance the quality of life for children, youth, adults, families and the

developmentally disabled. LFS will provide these services in a culturally competent manner.

Services: The youth programs are designed to build confidence and give recreational outlets to participants. Services include an After-School Prevention Program (for elementary and middle school children

and teens), a Survival School (for youth ages 11-17 who have either been pushed out or have chosen to

leave school), a Summer Program, and Summer Youth Employment. All services are bilingual (English/

Spanish).

Evidence of effectiveness: The center collaborates with the University of Michigan and area businesses. It

is an affiliate of the National Council of La Raza.

ASPIRA, I ASPIRA, IN C. O F N E W J ERSEY (NJ)

William Colon, Executive Director

390 Broad Street

Newark, NJ 07104

(201) 484-7554

Website: www.aspira.org

Mission: ASPIRA, Inc. of New Jersey is a community-based organization providing leadership and

counseling to Puerto Rican, Latino and other minority youth in urban centers throughout the state.

Services: Among its many services, the program gives students the encouragement and mentoring that

inspires them to strive toward the highest possible levels of education, effective leadership, and commitment to their community.

Evidence of effectiveness: Founded in 1968, ASPIRA has since helped over 30,000 low-income minority

youths complete high school and go on to postsecondary education.

27
ALLIANCE S CHOOLS (TX)

Ernesto Cortes

1106 Clayton Lane, Suite 120W

Austin, TX 70723

(512) 459-6558 (512) 459-6551 fax

Mission: The goal is school improvement through the creation of a space in which community leaders,

parents, teachers, administrators, business leaders, and elected officials can engage each other in serious

conversations about issues impacting their children.

Services: The Alliance Schools create after-school enrichment programs and summer programs. The

Industrial Areas Foundation addresses disparities in educational achievement and includes components of

parental involvement to serve low-achieving schools.

Evidence of effectiveness: When Texas A&M staff evaluated programs in Austin, they discovered that 96

percent of the parents and teachers involved would “strongly recommend” the program to other parents.

Over 90 percent of the children who participated indicated that they would like to sign up for after-school

classes the following year. Most of the Alliance Schools have waiting lists for students who want to

participate in the after-school programs.

HOSTS C HOSTS CORP. - HELP O N E S TUDENT T O S UCCEED (TX)

Chad Woolery, Chief Executive Officer

1349 Empire Central Drive

Suite 520

Dallas, TX 75247

(214) 905-1308 (214) 905-1176 fax

Mission: Help One Student To Succeed (HOSTS) is the nation’s largest and oldest academic structured

mentoring program. It helps schools create tutoring programs for at-risk students using a mentoring

approach.

Services: HOSTS matches students with trained business and community volunteer mentors as well as

cross-age mentors. The program serves low-achieving students K through 12, who need assistance in

language arts, math, Spanish language arts, or readiness.

Evidence of effectiveness: Students in HOSTS structured mentoring program have consistently demonstrated academic gains of 2.0 grade levels for every nine months in the program. During its 29-year

history, HOSTS has served over 500,000 students and is used in over 1,200 HOSTS sites in 42 states, the

District of Columbia and El Salvador. This program is for-profit.

28
I NTERCULTURAL D EVELOPMENT R ESEARCH A SSOCIATION (TX)

Dr. Maria “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, Executive Director

5835 Callaghan, Suite 350

San Antonio, TX 78228

(210) 444-1710 (210) 444-1714 fax

Website: www.idra.org

Mission: The Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) is a vanguard training, research

and development organization that works with people to make schools work for all children. It is committed to upgrading the quality of education for all students through the empowerment of students, their

families and their communities.

Services: IDRA staff conducts research and development activities; create, implement and administer

innovative education programs; and provide teacher, administrator, and parent training and technical

assistance. Areas of focus include: appropriate language instruction, dropout prevention, family involvement, early childhood education, immigrant education, effective practices, teacher preparation, and equity

in education for all students. Staff also facilitates the development of new linkages within school districts

between families, community organizations, institutions of higher education, and the business sector.

Evidence of effectiveness: Each year, IDRA provides training to more than 30,000 teachers, administrators, parents and students and provides technical assistance to more than 1,500 schools, districts, and

other groups. IDRA propelled the reform of state funding systems, designed and implemented schoolbased programs that cut dropout rates by 90 percent, developed programs that work for young learners,

fostered student and teacher leadership development, and conducted research that informs policy reform.

The Coca Cola Valued Youth Program, an internationally recognized dropout prevention program created

by IDRA, has maintained a less than 2 percent dropout rate for its tutors since 1986 and has made a

difference for more than 74,500 children, families, and educators.

P ROJECT GRAD (TX) GRAD (TX)

National Center for Urban Partnerships

Sharon Jacobson, Director of Operations

P.O. Box 2511

Houston, TX 77252

(713) 757-5973 (713) 757-3144 fax

Website: www.hern.org/~grad

Mission: Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) is a school-community collaborative to

improve the instructional quality and culture of at-risk feeder systems of schools. The philosophy guiding

the program is that all pre-K through twelfth grade students can be effective learners, regardless of

demographic background, if appropriate and timely programmatic interventions are infused into the

primary grades.

Services: Various curriculum models are implemented simultaneously at Project GRAD sites, involving

students in bilingual and regular classrooms. These include: Move It Math, Communities in Schools,

Success for All, Consistency Management Program, and the University of Chicago School Math Project.

Scholarships are offered to ninth-grade participants of Project GRAD. Other services include: staff

development, parental involvement, and funding.

29
Evidence of effectiveness: While this is a long-term program and final outcomes will not be determined

for many years, the following early indicators are very positive: 173 Davis High School graduates (75

percent of the graduating class) qualified for the college scholarship in 1997, up from 138 scholarships in

1996; 72 percent of students in Davis elementary schools passed math in 1997 compared to 60 percent in

1996 and only 44 percent in 1994 before the program started; 74 percent of students in Davis elementary

schools passed reading in 1997 compared to 64 percent in 1996; 76 percent of students in Yates elementary schools passed math in 1997 compared to 70 percent in 1996 before the program started; 57 percent

of students in Marshall Middle School passed math in 1997 compared to 42 percent in 1996 and 21

percent in 1995 before the program started; 63 percent of students in Marshall Middle School passed

reading in 1997 compared to 47 percent in 1996 before the program started.

Multi-service Agencies

A PLACE C ALLED H OME (CA)

Deborah Constance, Director

2830 S. Central Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90011

(323) 232-7653 (323) 232-0139 fax

Mission: A Place Called Home (APCH) offers a unique family environment that features one-on-one

mentoring, compassion and unconditional love with a mission to enable inner city youth to find their

dreams and lead a more self-reliant life.

Services: APCH provides mentoring by staff, volunteers and collaborating agencies; gang prevention,

intervention counseling and addiction recovery; health, wellness and recreation; art, dance, music and

theater; computer training, tutoring and college preparation; job readiness, placement and apprenticeship;

community outreach and cultural awareness.

Evidence of effectiveness: APCH began in 1993. In 1997, it was recognized at the President’s Summit as

one of the “top 50 teaching examples” in the United States. Over 1,500 youth were served in 1997.

DELHI C OMMUNITY C ENTER (CA)

Irene Martinez, Executive Director

542 E. Central Avenue

Santa Ana, CA 92707

(714) 549-1317 (714) 549-5738 fax

Mission: Dehli Center is a community effort that addresses social, economic and health issues in Orange

County. The center serves a population in the southeast area of Santa Ana, including the Dehli neighborhood.

Services: As part of its services, the center has youth enrichment programs, including the Homework

Center, Academia Del Pueblo (a summer after-school program), Summer Youth Employment Training

Program/Youth Leadership Development Program, and Summer Food Program. Other services include:

parenting classes, a support group for adolescent mothers and pregnant teens, leadership promotion,

Caminos Positivos for HIV-positive Latinos in Orange County, Entre Nosotras for Latina women in

29
Orange County, and Entre Hombres for Latino Gay men in Orange County.

Evidence of effectiveness: The after-school program for at-risk youth provides over 10,000 hours of

tutoring per year, four field trips and a summer meals program that served 2,400 youth in 1998. The

center has trained over 350 Latina women as volunteer peer educators on the issues of breast cancer,

domestic violence and HIV/STDs.

MEXICAN A MERICAN C OMMUNITY S ERVICE A GENCY, IN C. (CA)

Esther Medina, Executive Director

130 N. Jackson Avenue

San Jose, CA 95116

(408) 928-1122 (408) 928-1169 fax

Mission: It is the mission of the Mexican American Community Service Agency, Inc. (MACSA) to

identify the social, economic, health and education needs of the Latino community of Santa Clara County,

and to provide services that address those needs.

Services: MACSA provides many services. The youth program services include: computer literacy, Eagle

Warrior Athletics, Eagle Warrior Recreation, Aztec dance, Homework Club, Friday/Saturday Nite Jams,

Teatro Familia Aztlan, Zero Drop Out Youth Academy, and Latchkey Day Care. The youth development

programs include: Academica Calmecac, Sound Mind, Sound Body Weight Training, Choices Program,

Youth Employment Program, and Homeless Youth Connection. Gang intervention program services

include: Street Reach, New Image, Las Hermanitas, and a Restorative Justice Program. The family

wellness programs include the Male Involvement Program, Gardner Family Health Network, school

linked services, Alum Rock Counseling Center, and A Tu Salud.

Evidence of effectiveness: Founded in 1964 as a non-profit organization, MACSA has historically been

one of the leading providers of services to Latino youth, families and seniors in Santa Clara County.

T H E LATIN A MERICAN Y OUTH C ENTER (DC)

Lori Kaplan, Executive Director

1419 Columbia Road, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20009

(202) 319-2225 (202) 462-5696 fax

Mission: The Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) is a community-based, non-profit multicultural

agency, which promotes the individual and the socioeconomic development of Latinos and other minority

groups.

Services: LAYC’s educational initiatives include computer skills training, English as a Second Language

(ESL) instruction, General Education Diploma (GED) preparation, leadership development and job

development. Health education services include HIV/AIDS outreach and prevention, teen health promoters training and career opportunities, and smoking cessation training. Family connections include individual and family counseling, alcohol and drug treatment, temporary foster placement, transitional living

program for males, teen parent support services, and violence reduction workshops. Neighborhood

collaboratives include gang prevention initiatives, educational and cultural workshops, girls and boys

soccer teams, and family nights.

31
Evidence of effectiveness: In 1998, 100 youth received assistance in job placement and job retention. One

hundred and fifty youth received college search, application and preparation assistance. Two hundred

youth participated in daily after-school and weekend recreational and tutoring activities, and educational,

off-site field trips. Thirty young adults and adults received computer instruction, ESL, GED and job

placement services. Fifty youth received computer and Internet training.

EL C ENTRO, IN C. (KS)

Richard Ruiz, Executive Director

1333 South 27th Street

 Kansas City, KS 66106

(913) 677-0100 (913) 362-8250 fax

Mission: El Centro seeks to improve the quality of life of all those in need by providing services in the

areas of employment, education, housing, advocacy, community outreach and referrals. The agency

provides these services by linking human needs with community, corporate, and human resources. All of

El Centro’s programs work with individuals so that they can improve both their own lives and the lives of

their families.

Services: El Centro’s services include: family intervention and comprehensive services in employment,

education, housing, advocacy, community outreach, counseling, child care and referrals; child care

includes services for children ages 2_-5 years in a bilingual, bicultural preschool and day care center.

Additionally, the Migrant Education Program focuses on migrant children’s self-esteem, development and

improvement of academic skills; and Keyboards to Success, a clerical and computer training program,

incorporates job readiness and job-sustaining skills training.

Evidence of effectiveness: El Centro earned the Best of Wyondotte County Award in 1996.

C OMMUNITY A SSOCIATION O F P ROGRESSIVE D OMINICANS OMINICANS (ACDP), I (ACDP), IN C. (NY)

Victor R. Morisete, Executive Director

3940 Broadway, 2nd Floor

New York, NY 10032

(212) 781-5500 (212) 927-6089 (fax)

Mission: The mission of ACDP is to promote and develop the physical, emotional, social and economic

well-being of the residents of Upper Manhattan, the Bronx, and New York City by facilitating community

empowerment through education, provision of human services, and the development of individual skills

and community leadership.

Services: ACDP runs programs in six critical areas: education, youth leadership, public and mental health,

food and nutrition, immigration and citizenship, and housing and economic development. Youth programs

include La Escuelita After-School Program, Choices and Community Beacon, Audubon Ballroom Youth

Mental Health Program, HIV/AIDS prevention and education, ACDP/Padres Para Padres Weekend

Recreation Program (for children and youth with mental retardation and developmental disabilities), and

United Way/CAPS programs in elementary, middle and high schools. ACDP is a sponsor of the Twentyfirst Century Academy for Community Leadership/P.S. 210, a dual-language New Vision school. ACDP

has been approved to open the dual-language Amber Charter School in September 2000.

32
Evidence of effectiveness: Serving 15,500 children and families yearly, ACDP has documented consistently positive outcomes for youth. The Hispanic Federation of New York awarded ACDP its 1998

Community Service Award.

S ENECA C ENTER (NY)

Ben Rodriguez, Director

1231 Lafayette Avenue

Bronx, NY 10474

(718) 378-1300 (718) 893-2949 fax

Mission: The Seneca Center addresses widespread problems of poverty and provides a forum and facilities to promote self-empowerment.

Services: The center provides a variety of programs such as Family Counseling Program, which serves

families and youth. Local Employment Action Program (LEAP) is a job readiness and educational

enhancement program funded by the New York City Department of Employment. LEAP operates during

the school year and is designed to help students complete high school and gain valuable work experience

after school. Community Program for the Achievement of Student Success (COMPASS) is an educational

support program designed to assist economically and educationally disadvantaged youth with obtaining

entry into institutions of higher education, vocational training, or employment. The center also provides

tutorial programs for K-8 children, and teens 14 through 21.

Evidence of effectiveness: The program has served the community for 28 years.

TEXAS F IESTA E DUCATIVA (TX)

Yvette Hinajosa, Director

1017 N. Main Avenue, Suite 207

San Antonio, TX 78212

(210) 222-2367 (210) 475-9283 fax

Mission: The mission of Texas Fiesta Educativa is to advocate on behalf of and provide (English/Spanish)

multicultural educational services to Hispanic persons with disabilities, their families and the professionals that serve them.

Services: Texas Fiesta Educativa provides training, information distribution, program development,

conferences, and Parent Resource Centers.

Evidence of effectiveness: Texas Fiesta Educativa was established in 1988 and has expanded to include

Partnerships for Opportunity, Development, Education and Resources (Project P.O.D.E.R.), Parent

Training and Information Centers in San Antonio and the Community Parent Resource Center in Welasco,

Texas.

33
Community and Youth

G ANG P REVENTION –YOUTH S ERVICES (CA)

Community Service Programs, Inc.

Margot Carlson, Executive Director

16842 Von Karman, Suite 425

Irvine, CA 92606

(949) 250-0488 (949) 251-1659 fax

Website: www.cspinc.org\welcome.html

Mission: Community Service Programs, Inc. (CSP) is a non-profit human services organization in Orange

County working in conjunction with the police, schools, probation officers and courts. CSP was established in 1972 as a field study project for students at the University of California Irvine, providing diversion counseling for delinquent youth and their families at the Costa Mesa Police Department. Since that

time CSP has grown dramatically in size and scope and has designed and implemented some of the most

respected prevention and intervention programs in southern California.

Services: CSP, now in its 25th year of providing services in Orange County, comprises seven model

programs assisting over 50,000 persons a year—abused children, victims of crime, struggling families,

adolescents who are acting out, people in need of mediation services and recovering substance abusers.

Among the services provided by CSP are youth services, Families First, Gang Prevention, Victims

Assistance, Dispute Resolution, and the Youth Shelter programs.

Evidence of effectiveness: The Gang Intervention Program is active in six Orange County cities and has

provided services to 1,666 at-risk youths, wannabe and full-fledged gang members and their families. In

juvenile detention, over 670 youths and parents have received counseling and 35 youths have been

assisted to obtain tattoo removal. Close to 25 youths have performed 980 hours of community service

work.

MI C ASA – RESOURCE C ENTER FOR WOMEN, IN C. (CO)

Barbara Bennett Rivera, Executive Director

571 Galapago Street

Denver, CO 80204

(303) 405-4151 (303) 595-0422 fax

Website: www.micasadenver.org

Mission: The mission of Mi Casa is to provide quality employment and education programs that promote

self-sufficiency for primarily low-income Latina women and youth.

Services: Mi Casa provides services for youth development, including: Mi Carrera, a four-year dropout

prevention program for low-income girls attending West High School; Mi Camino, a program designed to

help single mothers between ages 17 and 25 complete their GED and pursue postsecondary education or

vocational opportunities; and FENIX, an HIV/STD/teen pregnancy prevention program. Other services

include after-school, weekend and summer programs for middle school youth, business development

training promoting small business ownership, microlending projects, and career development in both

traditional and non-traditional jobs.

34
Evidence of effectiveness: In 1993 and 1994, 100 percent of Mi Carrera participants graduated from high

school and 85 percent enrolled in college. In 1997, 11 young women graduated from high school and 9

enrolled in college. The Mi Camino program enrolled 44 participants in 1997, with 35 individuals

completing the program. Among these, 23 received their General Education Diploma and 1 re-enrolled in

high school. Over 12,000 youth were reached in 1997 through all the youth development programs.

MARY’S C ENTER FOR MATERNAL AND C HILD C ARE (DC)

Maria Gomez, Executive Director

2333 Ontario Road, NW

Washington, DC 20009

(202) 483-8196 (202) 797-2628 fax

Website: www.maryscenter.org

Mission: The center’s mission is to provide holistic and culturally responsive health care to women and

their families, recognizing the critical importance of women’s social environment and emotional wellbeing.

Services: Mary’s Center serves many Latinas with programs focused on pregnancy prevention, testing and

counseling for sexually transmitted diseases, HIV testing, job development, teen parenting classes, father

mentors, and case management services.

Evidence of effectiveness: The Women’s Health Program provided for 332 prenatal patients in 1998, with

only one infant mortality and five low birth-weight babies. In 1998, 100 percent of sexually active

patients were screened for sexually transmitted diseases and 95 percent of teens receiving family planning

services succeeded in preventing unplanned pregnancies. Out of 1,325 pediatric cases, 97 percent of twoyear-olds are fully immunized. Over 795 families have been enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance

Program (CHIPS).

ALIVIO MEDICAL C ENTER (IL)

Carmen Velasquez, Executive Director

2355 South Western Avenue

Chicago, IL 60608

(773) 650-1202 (773) 650-1226 fax

Mission: The Alivio Medical Center opened its doors in 1989 with a vision to create a community-based

health center, responsive and culturally sensitive to many of Chicago’s most underserved, uninsured and

vulnerable communities. The neighborhoods of Pilsen, Little Village, Heart of Chicago, and Back of the

Yards are now home to a growing Mexican immigrant population and first-generation Mexican Americans.

Services: Alivio provides primary health care services and health education to over 14,000 patients and

offers this care with a clinical staff that is 100 percent bilingual. Alivio recognizes that the children and

youth living in its service area face serious health risks and stresses, including poverty, drug abuse, gang

activity, high drop-out rates from school, racism, teen pregnancy, sexual abuse, and violence. Therefore,

in addition to its primary care services, this medical center provides a comprehensive approach to child

and youth health services by offering both health promotion activities and educational programs. The

center offers programs specifically on teen prenatal care and an award-winning program on child health

promotion.

35
The center’s health education programs include a Community Leadership Program, which trains high

school students to become peer health educators knowledgeable about complicated topics; an Ounce of

Prevention/Teen Homevisiting Program that targets high-risk pregnant and parenting teens; and a Childto-Child (Niño-a-Niño) program where children learn to promote health and safety to other children, their

families and the community.

Evidence of effectiveness: Since 1995, Alivio has trained about 125 community youth leaders from

various local high schools. The center’s Teen Homevisiting Program served close to 100 teens in 1998

and has been effective in increasing healthy pregnancies and delaying subsequent pregnancies.

ALIANZA D OMINICANA, IN C (NY)

Moises Perez, Executive Director

2410 Amsterdam Avenue, 4th Floor

New York, NY 10033

(212) 740-1960 (212) 740-1967 fax

Mission: Alianza’s mission is to help children, youth and families break the vicious cycle of poverty and

fulfill their potential as members of the community at large. The organization serves Latino at-risk youth

ages 13-21 in Manhattan, in the predominately Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood.

Services: Among its programs are youth development and community revitalization programs, including:

The Triangle Project, a community revitalization for-profit project to support youth entrepreneurship,

employment training programs and social service activities; La Plaza Community Center, a school-based

community center; START, Striving Together to Achieve Rewarding Tomorrows; Attendance Improvement and Drop Out Prevention; a Center for Employment, Training and Education; and the General Youth

Council. Other programs include: domestic violence prevention, drug prevention/foster care prevention,

family preservation services, an immunization project, AIDS services, lead hazard prevention, and mental

health services.

Evidence of effectiveness: Alianza provides the area’s only comprehensive community facility, serving

more than 8,000 youth and adults annually.

36
37

T H E C OMMITTEE FOR H ISPANIC C HILDREN AND F AMILIES AMILIES, IN C. (NY)

Elba Montalvo, Executive Director

140 West 22nd Street

New York, NY 10011

(212) 206-1090 (212) 209-8093 fax

Mission: The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, Inc. (CHCF) was founded in 1982 by a

group of Latino health and human services professionals in response to the lack of culturally sensitive and

linguistically appropriate services in the foster care and adoption system. The committee’s mission is to

improve the quality of life for Latino children and families through community education, human services

training, and public advocacy.

Services: CHCF implements the Community Achievement Projects in Schools (CAPS) program. This

program offers drop-out prevention in five elementary, intermediate and high schools. Students with high

absenteeism and academic problems receive services tailored to meet their needs, which include: individual and group counseling, home visits, tutoring, educational workshops, and cultural and recreational

enrichment experiences. Parents are provided with counseling and information to help them become

involved in their children’s education and the issues that affect their family.

Other CHCF services include: The After School Program (TASC) at PS/MS 279 in the Bronx, a safe,

developmentally appropriate and educational after-school program that complements and enhances school

curricula; the Center for Advocacy and Community Building, which fulfills the challenge of enlarging

and improving the committee’s advocacy function of working towards public policy advocacy, establishing social services networks and coalitions, organizing local consortiums, and building public/private

partnerships in program development and policy research; the Relationship Abuse and Violence Prevention Training Project, which conducts training for organizations that serve youth regarding date rape and

relationship abuse among teenagers and young adults.

Evidence of effectiveness: The CAPS program served 793 students in 1998, improving school attendance

of approximately 60 percent of its participants by 25 percent or better. The program offered approximately 300 workshops to parents on subjects such as: housing rights, immigration law, graduation requirements, domestic violence and securing health care for their children.

L ATINO C OMMUNITY D EVELOPMENT A GENCY (OK)

Patricia Fennell, Executive Director

420 S.W. 10th Street

Oklahoma City, OK 73109

(405) 236-0701 (405) 236-0773 fax

Website: www.unitedwayok.org/latino.html

Mission: This agency works to enhance the quality of life in the Latino community through education,

leadership, services and advocacy.

Services: The Latino Community Development Agency (LCDA) services include: an HIV/AIDS/STD

prevention program; a teen pregnancy prevention program; cultural and arts awareness programs; leadership clubs at 14 schools; gang prevention and intervention; Vacunas desde la Cuna immunization clinics;

Nuestras Familias, a child abuse prevention, domestic violence and family preservation program; job

referrals; small business development; and the Tony Reyes Bilingual Child Development Center.
Evidence of effectiveness: In 1998, the HIV/AIDS/STD prevention program served 643 Hispanic youth.

The teen pregnancy prevention program has served 600 Hispanic youth since 1995. The Vacunas desde

la Cuna program provided 170 home visits and 50 hospital visits in 1998. Nuestras Familias provided

673 home visits, with 45 families receiving over 1,000 hours of service in 1998. The Latino Community

Development Agency was featured at the President’s Summit held in Philadelphia in 1997 as one of the

50 “teaching examples.”

FAMILY S ERVICE – PROYECTO F AMILIA (RI)

Steve Hug, Vice President

55 Hope Street

Providence, RI 02906

(401) 331-1350 (401) 274-7602 fax

Mission: The mission of Family Service is to protect, maintain, enhance and strengthen the social and

psychological well-being of children, adolescents, adults and families, especially those of lesser economic means, through a flexible, vibrant continuum of behavioral health care and social services.

Services: Proyeto Familia provides “wrap around” services (one-worker-to-one-family) to clients for

behavioral health care and social services. Case management is provided at the family’s home.

Evidence of effectiveness: The Proyecto Familia study found that families stayed in the program an

average of 5.6 months, with 96 percent of clients keeping 75 percent of the appointments; 80 percent of

clients identified more than three goals, and all identified at least two goals; 75 percent of goals were

achieved, 18 percent were partially achieved.

URBAN S MARTS (TX) ARTS (TX)

Allegra Sparks, Program Director

Department of Arts & Cultural Affairs

2E Houston, Suite 300

San Antonio, Texas 78305

(210) 270-7190

Mission: This program is a gang prevention after-school program designed to divert minor offenders and

at-risk youth away from gang-related activities during the school year.

Services: Urban smARTS utilizes the arts as a foundation for self-esteem building, life skills activities

and field trips. The service areas are seven middle schools in San Antonio. It is a collaborative effort of

the City of San Antonio Youth Services division, San Antonio Independent School district, South San

Antonio Independent School district and staff from various community-based organizations.

Evidence of effectiveness: Evaluation results by the Intercultural Development Research Association and

Calider Associates include greater academic improvement of the students in the program. The program

was recognized as the tenth finalist in the Coming of Taller Awards, a contest with 600 participants

countrywide.

38
“By the Authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of

America, and in order to advance the development of human potential, to strengthen the Nation’s capacity

to provide high-quality education, and to increase the opportunities for Hispanic Americans to participate

in and benefit from Federal education programs, it is hereby ordered...”

President Clinton, February 22, 1994

Recognizing the importance of increasing the level of educational attainment for Hispanic Americans,

President Clinton established the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans

through Executive Order 12900 in September 1994. Guiding the White House Initiative is the President’s

Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, whose responsibility is to advise

the president, the secretary of education, and the nation on the most pressing

educational needs of Hispanic Americans. The White House Initiative also provides the connection between the Commission, the White House, the federal government and the Hispanic community throughout

the nation.

Current White House Initiative activities include initiating policy seminars, offering a national conference

series, “Excelencia en Educación: The Role of Parents in the Education of Their Children,” focused on

improving the education of Latino youth by better engaging Latino parents, increasing understanding and

awareness of Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and coordinating a new round of high-level efforts

across the national government to improve Hispanic education. These activities are driven by a two-year

work plan that provides a strategic and purposeful response for addressing the educational challenges

outlined in the September 1996 President’s Advisory Commission’s report “Our Nation on the Fault Line:

Hispanic American Education.” The report responds to the president’s request to assess:

∫Hispanic educational attainment from pre-K through graduate and professional school;

∫Current federal efforts to promote the highest Hispanic educational attainment;

∫State, private sector, and community involvement in education;

∫Expanded federal education activities to complement existing efforts; and,

∫Hispanic federal employment and effective federal recruitment strategies

Assisting the Initiative address the many educational challenges facing Hispanics is the Inter-Departmental

Council on Hispanic Educational Improvement. The Council—composed of high-level federal agency

representatives—is responsible for overseeing government-wide efforts to provide greater opportunities for

Hispanic Americans to participate in and benefit from federal programs designed to improve educational

attainment. The Council meets three times a year and relies on structured working groups to develop

interdepartmental strategies and programs.

Accelerating the educational success of Hispanic Americans is among the most important keys to America’s

continued success. Please join us in ensuring educational excellence for all Americans.

The White House Initiative Staff

Sarita E. Brown

Executive Director

 Deborah A. Santiago Maribel Rodriguez

 Deputy Director Hispanic-Serving Institution Program Manager

 Richard Toscano Julie S. Laurel

Special Assistant for Interagency Affairs Policy Analyst
For more information, please contact:

White House Initiative on Educational

Excellence for Hispanic Americans

400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.

FB-6 Room 5E110

Washington, D.C. 20202-3601

Phone: (202) 401-1411

 Fax: (202) 401-8377

E-mail: white_house_init_hispanic_ed@ed.gov

Web page: www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/Hispanic