Session Date: August 17, 2005

Annual Meeting Session Summary: Engaging Latino Communities for Education

By Lilia Nieto-Torres
Communications Specialist, House Democratic Caucus

This summary is provided for information purposes only. NCSL does not endorse any views it contains.

SEATTLE – In a session sponsored by the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, legislators and legislative staff from across the nation learned about the successes of the Engaging Latino Communities for Education (ENLACE) program in New Mexico. The session was one of 150 that took place during the National Conference of State Legislatures’ 2005 Annual Meeting.

ENLACE, launched in 1997, before Census data confirmed that Hispanics are the nation's largest ethnic group, is a multiyear initiative to strengthen the educational pipeline and increase opportunities for Hispanics to enter and complete college. By 2007, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation is expected to invest more than $35 million in the initiative. 

ENLACE consists of 13 partnerships in seven states that are working to increase the number of Latino graduates from high school and college. In Spanish, "enlace" means link or weave together in such a way that the new entity is stronger than its parts. ENLACE partnerships include universities, community colleges, K-12 schools, community-based organizations, students, and parents.

Historically, formal education has not always been viewed positively in rural areas, speakers at the session said. For many, education meant that students had to leave their families and communities for urban areas – never to return. Some viewed higher education as a tool of forced assimilation, serving to relocate youth and undermine traditional cultural beliefs and values. 

“Parent and family involvement are crucial to young people's educational success, but there are often barriers such as language and culture, so it’s not rare for Hispanic families to feel intimidated by school officials,” said María Hines, ENLACE New Mexico Family Centers Coordinator, “ENLACE brings the families into the loop.”

The mission of ENLACE is to increase academic, social, and family support to Hispanic students by promoting leadership development for students. These leadership activities focus on families and communities.

“There’s still a lot of work ahead,” said Karen Sánchez-Griego, ENLACE State Director, “because statistics show that Hispanic students drop out at a rate of 45 percent. This is unacceptable. Through ENLACE we’re increasing the graduation rates of Hispanic students, and eliminating the achievement gap."

Hispanics make up the fastest-growing segment of the nation's college-age population (ages 18-25). With a total population approaching 40 million, they will comprise one-fifth of the nation's workforce by 2025. Session speakers said preparing students for success in the workforce is critical. 

ENLACE has evolved in three phases:

• In Phase 1, 18 higher education institutions received one-year planning grants of $100,000 each to respond to the needs of students and families by developing action plans based on best practices as well as local contexts.
• For Phase II, 13 partnerships received grants ranging from $1.4-$2 million to implement their plans over four years. Implementation funds end with the 2004-05 school year.
• A final phase will seek to sustain promising practices and ENLACE principles for the benefit of more Latino communities and underserved student populations.

For more information, visit the ENLACE Web page at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation’s site: http://www.wkkf.org/Programming/Overview.aspx?CID=16.

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