Located along the U.S.-Mexico border in the southernmost part of Texas, the Rio Grande Valley is home to more than 320,000 students in the public school system. According to statistics from the Texas Education Agency, in a typical high school classroom of thirty students, twenty-nine would be Hispanic, twenty-five would be considered economically disadvantaged, and nineteen would be at-risk of dropping out of school.

In order to address the critical circumstances of education in the Rio Grande Valley, the Texas Valley Communities Foundation (TVCOF) and its Engaging Communities for College Readiness (ENCORE) Program have developed an initiative that will help break the cycle of poverty and lack of educational access that have stifled promising talent among our youth. Through the ENCORE Career Awareness and Mentorship (CAMP) Program, students in the Rio Grande Valley will be empowered with the knowledge and resources they need to graduate from high school and successfully attain a college degree, many for the first time in their families.

The ENCORE Program is based at Texas Valley Communities Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for families in the Rio Grande Valley. TVCOF act as an on-site direct service provider at every school where the ENCORE CAMP Program is implemented. TVCOF work with students to successfully complete their secondary education (or re-enter secondary school) and prepare them for postsecondary education, thus serving as the bridge from middle school to high school graduation and advancing to college.

In late 2007, TVCOF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation began discussions regarding a community engagement initiative designed to promote college readiness throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

In 2008, with the financial assistance of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, TVCOF conducted an extensive research study. It assessed the community's perception of what college readiness means and the level of community engagement in preparing youth to pursue higher education by examining the experiences and attitudes of students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community leaders. While the report's findings indicated that there is a strong desire among students and their parents for youth to continue their education beyond secondary school, participants were vocal about their need for assistance in understanding the college readiness process.

These discussions led to the development of the Engaging Communities for College Readiness (ENCORE) Initiative, which would help find positive solutions to increase the number of students who would graduate from Rio Grande Valley high schools fully prepared to succeed in college, work, and life.

The first task for TVCOF and its ENCORE Program was to inform the local community about the importance of preparing all students for postsecondary education. ENCORE has served as a catalyst for change as it laid the groundwork for mobilization and community engagement in support of college and workforce readiness. Additionally it has:

• Given communities the tools they needed to advocate, support, and work with school administrators in the implementation of existing and new reform efforts;
• Provided strategic direction to guide the execution of grassroots efforts;
• Supported the development of an advocacy infrastructure by providing resources and capacity building assistance, and lastly;
• Collaborated with education, business and community leaders to achieve its goals.

ENCORE has been working diligently for years to serve thousands of secondary school students, teachers, administrators, and board members to create a college-going culture in the Rio Grande Valley. We have developed committed partnerships with private foundations, Fortune 500 corporations, community-based organizations, higher education institutions, media, and local school districts to develop active and vocal constituents in support of college and career readiness. ENCORE and its partners have built a strong advocacy infrastructure in collaboration with education, business, and community leaders to serve as a catalyst toward increasing the numbers of secondary completion and college-going rates among Rio Grande Valley students.