ENCORE brings College Readiness Family Sessions to McAllen and Edinburg Schools
By: Nadia Tamez-Robledo

EDINBURG, TEXAS - It starts with a sketch: big house with a smiling family gathered in the living room or sitting around the kitchen table or playing together outside. The colorful homes drawn by the parents and children in the McAllen and Edinburg school districts are more than just doodles. They're the beginning of a conversation that Valley leaders in education hope will help more students graduate from high school prepared for a college education.

Engaging Communities for College Readiness (ENCORE) kicked off its first round of parental involvement workshops in Edinburg and McAllen in October 2011. ENCORE staffers brought a wealth of information about higher education to parents and their children at four Upper Valley middle schools during the ENCORE College Readiness Family Sessions, which were designed to facilitate a dialogue among families about the importance of postsecondary education.

The sessions - which are conducted concurrently in English and Spanish - explained the quality-of-life benefits that earning a college degree can afford students in the long run. They also educate families on the available types of financial aid and scholarships, college entrance exams and entry requirements.

"I try to come to all these sessions so that (my children) can feel more informed," said Diana Moya, a parent of a seventh-grader at Cathey Middle School in McAllen. "They provide material so we can help our children succeed."

Each session culminates with the story of the "Grey House," which illustrates how the cycle of poverty continues through generations, and uses a hands-on activity to help families create a plan to carry on the college readiness discussion at home. They learn about the Grey family, who neglect to discuss expectations about college as they get tied up in their daily life routines. Parents and their children share their strategies for opening the lines of communication about their future, a regular fixture around the dinner table.

"I really enjoyed the Grey House activities. It got to me a lot because it's true. It happens to all of us," said Zoila Acosta, a parent at Fossum Elementary School in McAllen. "A lot is going to change. We are going to motivate [our children] a lot more in the form of education. We want them to succeed and for them not to fall behind here and there. We want them to go forward and become professionals."

ENCORE, a branch of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation (TVCOF), created the Family Sessions following a 2008 study it conducted on the perception of college readiness in the Rio Grande Valley. Students who participated in focus groups overwhelmingly identified their parents as having the greatest impact on their post-high school plans, making parents key figures in increasing college-going rates in South Texas.

The McAllen ISD Family Sessions were made possible by a second-year grant from Wells Fargo as part of the bank's efforts to support organizations that are geared toward improving the quality of life among Valley residents.

"At the end of the day, what we want is to improve the quality of life in our communities," Alma Ortega-Johnson, president of the Wells Fargo Bank Upper Valley Division, said. "It has been demonstrated that when people are more educated, that is going to improve the quality of life for that individual and definitely for that community."

The Family Sessions being hosted across Edinburg CISD campuses were brought with funding of State Farm Insurance, also in its second consecutive year of supporting the mission of ENCORE.

"The ENCORE Family Sessions, as we have seen, have been very successful, and now there's dialogue between the child and the parent and the school to ensure success," said State Farm agent Raul Resendez said. "We want to ensure that we live in vibrant communities [and] that everyone gets an opportunity to get that possible dream of a higher education."

Wells Fargo Bank and State Farm have partnered with ENCORE not only by providing funding to support the ENCORE Family Sessions but also by having their company representatives become mentors for CAMP scholars, which help them realize the importance of a college education and introduce them to careers in business, science and technology. Wells Fargo and State Farm are invited as guest speakers to the ENCORE CAMPs where they share their personal experience and motivate CAMP Scholars to become college and career ready.

"We are very proud and grateful to have wonderful partners such as Wells Fargo Bank and State Farm Insurance that allow us to bring these Family Sessions to McAllen ISD and Edinburg CISD Parents," said Dr. Roland Arriola, TVCOF President.

"I learned how to guide my children and how important it is to make the decision to go to college," said parent Guadalupe Gonzalez, whose son is in seventh grade at Brewster School in Edinburg. "To talk more to my kids to have more of a dialogue, to motivate them so that they don't doubt [that they will] going to the university...and so they can become someone in life for themselves."

ENCORE College Readiness Family Sessions are precursors to the ENCORE College Awareness and Mentorship (CAMP) Program, which will be implemented in the McAllen, Edinburg and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school districts throughout the academic year. CAMPs combine hands-on activities and interaction with industry professionals and university students to help ENCORE Scholars learn about careers in science, engineering, technology, business and more.

"The ENCORE Family Sessions have been designed to promote the importance of a college education to our parents in the valley and provide them with the support and resources necessary to prepare their children to become college and career-ready" said Ernesto Villarreal, ENCORE Program Director.

For more information about ENCORE, please contact us at 956-903-4231 or via email at encore@tvcof.org.