What Works for Latino Students in Higher Education: 2009 Compendium--Profiles of Selected Programs. Examples of iExcelencia!

By 2025, 22 percent of the U.S. college-age population will be Latino, a level already exceeded in four states: California, Florida, New York, and Texas. However, today, only seven percent of Latinos ages 18 to 24 have an associate's degree or higher compared to 9 percent of African Americans, 16 percent of white, and 25 percent of Asians of the same age cohort. Given the importance of college degree completion for U.S. society and economic competitiveness, meeting the country's future human capital and workforce needs make it imperative to improve outcomes for Latino students. As public attention is focused on achievement gaps in education, educators and policymakers search for what they can do to improve education outcomes for Latino students. Finding the right solutions can be difficult. "Excelencia" in Education responds to this challenge by linking research, policy, and practice that supports higher educational achievement for Latino students. Premier in this effort is Examples of "Excelencia," a national initiative to systematically identify and honor programs and departments boosting Latino enrollment, performance and graduation. This compendium is a central component of the Examples of "Excelencia" initiative. By sharing best practices, the authors hope to prompt educators and policymakers to challenge the current state of Latino achievement in higher education and inspire them to work to increase Latino student success. All the programs profiled in this compendium are at the forefront of meeting the challenge of improving higher educational achievement for Latino students and the authors congratulate them for their current and continued efforts. (Contains 4 footnotes.) [This paper was compiled with the assistance of Estela Lopez and Maureen Skoloda. Additional funding for this paper was provided by Diverse Issues in Higher Education and Univision Communication. For the 2008 edition of this report, see ED540161.]