Excelencia Offers Specific Strategies For Boosting Hispanic College Enrollment
By Blair S. Walker
For California to remain economically competitive, higher percentages of Hispanic students must begin attending Golden State colleges and universities, says a recently released study that provides 17 specific recommendations for making that a reality.
Produced by a consortium of education activists, the position paper offers a laundry list of potential remedies that were expected to be presented to California legislators and public university heads. The recommendations, which have already caught the attention of other states, are seen as potential remedies for what is a national problem: ensuring that the next generation of workers, large numbers of whom are Hispanic, are educated.
The initiative was spearheaded by Excelencia in Education, a nonprofit Hispanic education organization based in Washington, D.C. Excelencia collaborated with the California Policy Research Center and the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute to produce a 24-page study titled “Moving Beyond Research: California Policy Options to Accelerate Latino Student Success in Higher Education.”
The study came up with 17 proposals for attracting more Hispanics into California colleges and universities over the next 15 years. The proposals fall under three areas:
– Helping Hispanic students and parents fully appreciate the importance of higher education.
– Making a college education affordable.
– Boosting the numbers of California Hispanics earning postsecondary degrees.
One of the study’s proposals calls for higher education students to receive financial incentives to stay continuously enrolled until degree completion.
