On July 9, 2003, the formation of an historic collaboration, Partners in Hispanic Education, was announced in Washington, D.C. Based on the recommendations issued by the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, this effort brought together the office of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans and some the nation's leading Hispanic organizations, corporate leaders and national private entities for the purpose of improving education for Hispanics in the United States.
The overall goal of the pilot program was to empower Hispanic families by equipping them with educational tools and resources afforded them under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to assist them in becoming stronger advocates for their children's education. To achieve this goal, the partners worked with local communities to reinforce positive expectations, including: educational excellence; academic attainment; parental involvement and awareness; academic preparation; mentorship; engagement of the business community; accountability; and enrollment in college. Partner organizations committed to hosting education programs in seven cities over a period of several months. These programs involved events such as town hall meetings and conferences.
A bilingual town hall meeting was held in some of the cities to allow the partners to hear directly from community members about local education needs. These meetings also served as forums for educating the community about NCLB. Panelists responded to questions from the audience about NCLB and other educational issues and concerns. In addition, White House Initiative and U.S. Department of Education publications, as well as education-related partner publications, were distributed. Participants included public officials, prominent Hispanic role models, local businesses, community and education leaders, and Hispanic parents and students.
A one-day education conference was held in each city to educate community members about NCLB, place education tools in the hands of parents, and raise awareness about local and national programs available to help Hispanic students in the area. The conferences were conducted along with concurrent strands, each directed toward a different stakeholder, such as students, parents, educators, education administrators, and community and business leaders.
As part of the education conferences, financial aid seminars were held to inform middle and high school students and their parents about saving for college and leveraging financial aid resources. Speakers included personnel from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Financial Student Aid, as well as independent experts.
The Partners in Hispanic Education pilot program included the following organizations:
Seven cities—representing the East Coast, West Coast and the Southwest—were chosen for this pilot effort. Cities were selected using an information matrix that took into account several factors, including: the percentage of schools in need of improvement; the percentage of Hispanic students enrolled in local school districts; the change in Hispanic population from 1990-2000; the percentage of English language learners enrolled in local school districts; the percentage of schools with a Free or Reduced Lunch Program (as a determinant of low-income families); and whether partner organizations had a local presence.
In each city, various partner organizations shouldered the responsibility of being "lead partner(s)" and, in concert with local community leaders, coordinated the planning and implementation of the educational events. Local steering committees were formed in each city to ensure that the events were informative and met the educational needs of each community. Through these steering committees, community members were not only actively engaged in the planning of events, but were actively involved in disseminating information about local education opportunities and organizing follow-up events for local partners based on identified needs.
San Diego release
Date: Nov. 21-22, 2003
Site: San Diego State University, KPBS
Lead partner(s): MANA, A National Latina Organization, and Girl Scouts of the USA
Miami release | program [PDF, 2.5M]
Date: Dec. 5-6, 2003
Site: Miami Dade College
Lead partner(s): NCCEP and USHCC Foundation
The Bronx, N.Y. release | program [PDF, 2.6M]
Date: Feb. 6-7, 2004
Site: Hostos Community College
Lead partner(s): USHCC Foundation and NCCEP
Tucson, Ariz. release | program [PDF, 792K]
Date: March 5 & 6, 2004
Site: University of Arizona
Lead partner(s): USHCC Foundation
Albuquerque, N.M. release | program [PDF, 177K]
Date: March 19-20, 2004
Site: University of New Mexico
Lead partner(s): NCCEP
El Paso, Texas, and Las Cruces, N.M. release | flyer [PDF, 1.2M] | program [PDF, 126K]
Date: April 24, 2004
Site: University of Texas at El Paso
Lead partner(s): MANA, A National Latina Organization, Girl Scouts of the USA, and State Farm Insurance Companies