National and state leaders should adopt the effective educational and support strategies of colleges and universities near the U.S.-Mexico border in order to accelerate the academic progress of more Hispanic students, say authors of a report unveiled on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

Eight Texas postsecondary institutions have developed “acceleration plans” to help more Hispanic students enroll and graduate from those colleges and universities. As a result, these public colleges are posting a 35 percent jump in enrollment — higher than the state average — and are awarding 30 percent of all degrees and certificates earned by Hispanics in Texas.

The report from Excelencia in Education, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit, says the eight institutions have become “effective laboratories” to evaluate what works with Hispanic students. Specifically, they have narrowed enrollment and graduation gaps between Hispanics and other groups through several strategies:

n       Collaborating with high schools to improve college readiness;

n       Creating “early warning” systems to help students at risk of dropping out of college;

n       Providing grants to students that encourage on-time graduation; and

n       Making a commitment to keep tuition low despite limited state funding.

“This is a moment where business as usual won’t do the job,” said Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education.

In “Accelerating Latino Student Success at Texas Border Institutions: Possibilities and Challenges,” the organization examined practices at four public universities — Texas A&M International University; the University of Texas at Brownsville; the University of Texas at El Paso; and the University of Texas-Pan American — as well as four community colleges: Laredo Community College; Texas Southmost College; El Paso County Community College District; and South Texas College.