Together, these institutions plan to increase the number of awarded degrees and certificates by more than 90 percent from 2005 to 2015, the report said. This rate is more than double the 40 percent increase projected for all public colleges in Texas, a state undergoing substantial population growth and demographic change.
The report recommends that Texas develop a statewide acceleration plan for Hispanic students similar to the border institutions’ model, and the same strategy also may work at the federal level as well. “We’ve got to find ways to bring these programs up to scale,” said Deborah Santiago, chief author of the report.
The study also recommends an expansion of need-based financial aid to help more students gain access to higher education.
But while more money was a popular topic at the Washington, D.C., conference to unveil the report, participants also expressed concern about the harmful effects of possible education budget cuts in state houses nationwide.
“We must put our resources where we know they can make a difference,” Santiago said. But with states likely to cut education spending, the programs most at risk may be student support initiatives such as those documented as effective in this study. “Don’t cut outreach and student service programs,” she added.
The report is part of the group’s Accelerating Latino Student Success project. More information about the study is online at www.edexcelencia.org.
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