Lumina Foundation for Education Awards $533,000 Grant To ENLACE Florida

~Grant will support a statewide college-readiness campaign and development of college-access and policy network~

Tampa, FL-ENLACE Florida was awarded a $533,000 grant today from Lumina Foundation for Education to support the expansion of KnowHow2GO Florida, a statewide college-readiness campaign targeting first generation and limited-income students in grades 8 through 10. . “We are honored by Lumina’s recognition of our efforts of promoting college-readiness, access, and success for underrepresented students in Florida. Their partnership and support allows us to build upon our work and strengthen our statewide network, designed to support our most vulnerable communities,” said Paul Dosal, Ph.D., Executive Director for ENLACE Florida. The investment will support ENLACE Florida’s work in the development of a college-access and policy network designed to inform education stakeholders and support community-based organizations delivering important college-access services to students in target communities. “We look forward to partnering with organizations throughout Florida who share our mission of promoting a college-going culture in high-minority and impoverished communities,” said Anh-Kay Pizano, Project Coordinator for ENLACE Florida. In partnership with Lumina Foundation for Education, the American Council on Education, and the Ad Council, the KnowHow2GO Florida campaign summarizes the college-going process and delivers the message through creative television and radio public service announcements as well as outdoor advertisements while providing non-profits with support in delivering college-access services within high-need communities. The Lumina Foundation has adopted a big goal of increasing the percentage of Americans with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by the year 2025. A recent report released by ENLACE Florida indicates Florida can reach the big goal by increasing the annual rate of growth for associate and bachelor degree production to 5.7% among all sectors of higher education. At current rates, Florida is expected to fall approximately 391,000 degrees short of new economic demands. “One critical outcome that KnowHow2GO seeks to deliver that will help lead to the achievement of the goal is making sure students are prepared academically, financially and socially for success in education beyond high school,” said Pizano.
For more information on ENLACE Florida, visit www.enlaceflorida.org

Fl Needs 5.7% Annual Growth In College Degree Production To Meet New Economic Demand, Report Says

~Florida must produce or attract 2.3 million more individuals with an associate degree or higher by 2025~

College Students To Convene & Debate The State Of Public Education In Florida

~The 2nd Annual Florida Student Education Policy Conference will be held at the University of South Florida ~

Thirty-six Organizations Came Together To Help Limited-Income Students Find Money For College

~Students received FREE expert advice and help completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid~

Tampa, FL- Thirty-six organizations came together to host College Goal Sunday Florida on January 31, 2010 from 2pm-5pm at thirty-six locations throughout the state. The one-day event is designed to help limited-income college-bound students pay for college by helping them complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. “We have seen a tremendous response from community organizations and leaders throughout Florida who have offered to help in this initiative,” said Braulio Colón, assistant director for ENLACE Florida. “These organizations know the challenges many students face preparing for college and have all come together to help students and families successfully complete a form that can be very intimidating,” said Colón. The form known as the FAFSA, is used to apply for federal student aid such as the Pell grant, work-study aid, and loans. A report released by the Florida Board of Governors in 2009 concluded that nearly a quarter of eligible undergraduate students statewide who are eligible for Pell grants failed to obtain them. “College Goal Sunday is an event designed to reach the most vulnerable families and students by providing free expert assistance completing the appropriate forms at a location in their community,” said Colón. The FAFSA also helps students become eligible for most state and some private aid. For more information on College Goal Sunday, please visit: www.collegegoalsundayflorida.org

College Goal Sunday Florida is coordinated by ENLACE Florida with support from the National YMCA, Lumina Foundation for Education, and USA Funds.

AP Program Is Not Florida’s College-Readiness Solution, Report Says

~Group urges education policy makers to increase high school standards and grad requirements~

Too Many Students Not Passing Math In College, Report Says

~At some universities, as many as 66% of students are not passing key math courses ~

Tampa, FL-In a report released today by ENLACE Florida, over 20,000 state university students in Florida either withdrew or did not receive a passing grade in key math courses required for them to fulfill university requirements during the 2007-2008 academic year. At some institutions such as Florida International University and Florida Gulf Coast University, students are more likely not to pass than succeed in College Algebra and Trigonometry; the same holds true for Florida Atlantic University’s Math for the Liberal Arts course. “Improving student performance in these gatekeeper courses constitutes an important part of a much larger effort to improve graduation and retention rates throughout the state and nation,” said Paul Dosal, Ph.D., Executive Director for ENLACE Florida. ENLACE Florida’s big goal is to help increase the percentage of Floridians age 25 and older with a post-secondary degree to 60% by 2025. In the report, ENLACE Florida examines State University System (SUS) data on student performance in mathematics and revealed that 37% of SUS students enrolled in a Math gatekeeper course during the 2007-2008 academic year did not pass. “While some professors may argue that this is a reasonable rate of failure in difficult classes, when rates approach 65%, we should all begin to wonder why fewer than four out of every ten students manage to pass a course,” said Dosal. The new report calls for deans, department chairs, and professors to take a comprehensive look at the factors that might contribute to such disappointing rates, such as the class size and structure, curriculum, and the pedagogical methods of the instructor. The University of Florida, Florida State University and the University of Central Florida tend to post the lowest math course failure and withdraw rates in the state according to the report. To encourage and facilitate independent analysis, ENLACE Florida has posted their database on their Web site. ENLACE Florida encourages institutions within the SUS to conduct a comprehensive analysis of their gatekeeper math courses and professors including a careful review of student preparation, test scores, class size, teaching methods, and curriculum by course. ENLACE Florida stands ready to assist with research and analysis at any institution.

College Students with Disabilities Report Barriers to Success in Higher Education

~New report highlights challenges to enrollment and retention among students with disabilities in Florida ~

Tampa, FL- A report released by ENLACE Florida offers recommendations on how Florida can reduce barriers for students with disabilities pursuing higher education. Students with disabilities currently enrolled in institutions of higher education in Florida were surveyed and asked to share systemic challenges they may have faced—both during the enrollment process and today as they pursue success. Here are the common barriers to enrollment and retention indentified by students with disabilities:

White House “Community Conversation” on Latino Education   Sept. 22

TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 4, 2009) – The University of South Florida is an important stop in an expanding nationwide “community conversation” about Latino education spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Juan Sepúlveda, director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. The full-day open dialogue between Sepúlveda, the White House Initiative team and members of the local Tampa Bay community takes place Sept. 22 in two sessions, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and from 12:45 to 2:45 p.m. at Traditions Hall in the Sam & Martha Gibbons Alumni Center on the Tampa campus.

Facilitated by ENLACE Florida, Sepúlveda’s trip to Tampa includes visits with community leaders, elected officials and educators. The town hall-style community conversations are gaining public input on the status of Hispanic education prior to updating the Executive Order that produced the initiative later this year.

Attendees will be able to voice their concerns about two primary points:

The information gleaned from these sessions will serve as the foundation for the new presidential executive order that will be signed by President Barack Obama and govern the White House Initiative henceforth.

“USF is a logical destination for this important tour because we have many projects that engage the Hispanic community involving education,” said USF President Judy Genshaft. “In recent months Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine recognized USF in its annual list of the Top 100 U.S. institutions that conferred the most college degrees on Hispanic students and named USF’s College of Medicine one of the country’s top 25 medical schools enrolling Hispanic students. USF is the home of ENLACE Florida, a statewide network promoting college readiness and success for Latinos and other underrepresented students and our USF Latino Community Advisory Committee has raised more than $4 million for scholarships. We’re dedicated to all efforts that promote educational excellence.”

ENLACE Florida Executive Director Paul Dosal, who was instrumental in having USF included in the tour, added, “This is truly a two-way conversation. Participants will have an opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns about the policies that impact educational opportunities for Hispanic students at all levels. I believe the feedback gathered on such critical issues as college preparedness and financial aid will play an integral role in future policy development.”

The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans was created by Executive Order Sept. 24, 1990 to improve Federal efforts to promote quality education for Hispanic Americans. The series of community conversations began in Texas in July, will continue through early October and take in 18 states and Puerto Rico.

“Education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity and success, it is a prerequisite for success. We need to hear from and meet the needs of all students of all ages and eliminate the gaps in achievement between children of different backgrounds,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “My hope is that Juan Sepúlveda helps us connect more closely to the Hispanic community and understand the challenges families face, so we are better able to provide clear paths to college and careers.”

ENLACE Florida, invites you to participate in a White House Initiative Community Conversation from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or from 12:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, in Traditions Hall at the Gibbons Alumni Center at the University of South Florida, located at 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, Fla.

Please select only ONE session, either morning or afternoon, to attend and RSVP to Anh-Kay Pizano, ENLACE Florida, at 974-6429 or apizano@enlace.usf.edu.

We look forward to seeing you at this exciting event!

View images on flickr

For more information on the White House “Community Conversation” on Latino Education visit :
http://www.wusf.usf.edu/radio/program/university_beat/episode/2009-11/student_tutors_re-broadcast_hispanic_education_convers

Education Policy & Advocacy Group Plans To Launch College-Readiness Movement

~KnowHow2Go Florida is a grassroots and media campaign targeting students in grades 8-10 ~

Tampa, FL- ENLACE Florida today announced that it plans to launch a new statewide college-readiness campaign in 2010 designed to inform and encourage students to prepare for college. In partnership with Lumina Foundation for Education, the American Council on Education, and the Ad Council, the group will lead a grassroots and media campaign called KnowHow2Go Florida. The statewide effort will target first generation college-going students in grades 8-10 and deliver four steps summarizing the college-going process through television, radio, and outdoor advertisements. The KnowHow2Go Florida campaign will also build partnerships with non-profit youth-serving organizations in an effort to supplement local program delivery while informing and connecting communities to Florida’s PreK-20 education policy debate. “The big goal here is develop a statewide coordinated effort to increase the percentage of Floridians with high-quality degrees and credentials to sixty percent by 2025,” said Paul Dosal, Executive Director for ENLACE Florida. “Today we’re at about thirty-three percent,” said Dosal. According to the Florida Department of Labor, 4 out of 5 new jobs created in Florida will require some form of postsecondary education. “In order to meet the future workforce demands of a knowledge-based society and economy, we are simply going to need more low-income students and students of color entering into and succeeding in college,” said Braulio Colón, Assistant Director for ENLACE Florida. “We expect KnowHow2Go Florida to help build a grassroots demand for higher standards in K-12 and greater access to higher education,” said Colón. During the next four months, ENLACE Florida will host a series of focus groups around the state for individuals and organizations interested in partnering with the campaign. For more information on KnowHow2Go Florida, or for information on how to become a partner, visit www.knowhow2gofl.org

Group Calls For Deeper Focus On Student Success In Higher Education

~New report highlights “opportunity gaps” and a framework of essential elements to improve student success~


Tampa, FL- A report released today by ENLACE Florida calls for institutions of higher education to double their efforts to improve student success rates and to not rest on their laurels following recent justifiable praise from national organizations. On June 24, the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) ranked Florida’s community college system first in the nation with a three-year graduation rate of 30%, 10 points above the national average. About the same time, the National Academic Advising Association awarded its prestigious Pacesetter Award to Larry Abele, Provost and Vice President of Florida State University, in recognition of his leadership and commitment to student support programs that have boosted graduation and retention rates at FSU.



“While Florida’s College System and the State University System have earned these high marks by making student success a priority, the challenges and opportunities we face moving forward require all institutions to reexamine their student support strategy and to maintain focus,” said Dr. Paul Dosal, Executive Director for ENLACE Florida. Only three institutions in the Florida State University System posted six-year graduation rates higher than the national average: University of Florida, Florida State University and the University of Central Florida. Moreover, behind the great news that the Florida College System leads the nation in graduation rates, one should note the broad range of graduation rates statewide, from a high of 50.9% at Chipola College to 22.1% at Broward College. The new report by ENLACE examines the data on graduation rates and other indicators of student success in the Florida College and State University Systems while highlighting “opportunity gaps”—disparities between institutions and student groups that show significant room for improvement statewide. For example, 72% of African American students graduate in 6-years from Florida State University—34 percentage points higher than Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, and University of West Florida. At the University of North Florida, the African American female graduation rate is 24 points higher than the African American male grad rate on the same campus. And at Lake City Community College, African Americans graduate at a rate of 34.4% in three years while whites at Lake Sumter Community College graduate at a rate of 9.3%. “By any number of measurements, our colleges and universities have done a first-rate job in helping students earn their degrees, however, high graduation rates at a few selective institutions, or an above average time-to-completion rate do not necessarily indicate that our higher education systems are doing everything possible to promote student success,” said Dosal. With an emerging national consensus that institutions of higher education must increase the rate of college degree completion if the U.S. workforce is to remain globally competitive, the report urges the Florida Department of Education, the Board of Governors, colleges, and universities to apply a comprehensive and coordinated student success strategy that uses all the tools available to it, including housing, curriculum, financial aid, support services, campus life, recruitment, and even athletics; the strategy should be built on the principle that deep and broad institutional commitments and change, driven and informed by student achievement data, is critical to the success of all efforts to boost graduation and retention rates. The new report provides a list of essential elements, produced by Watson Scott Swail of the Educational Policy Institute, that all colleges and universities should consider when developing a student retention program. “Every administrator, professor, counselor, advisor, or office manager must act on the premise that the institution places such a high priority on student success and timely graduation that the failure of any student is unacceptable,” said Dosal. “To any skeptic who argues that we cannot raise graduation rates of poorly-prepared, limited-income minority students, let them take a careful look at the experience of CARE at FSU.”


For a copy of the complete report and for more information on ENLACE Florida, visit www.enlaceflorida.org