ENCORE 2010 Subgrantes

Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District

Intended Program Outcome: Texas Valley Communities Foundation (TVCOF) presented board members from Edinburg CISD with a check for a second consecutive year to fund higher education awareness programming that will help students, parents and community across the school district explore the benefits of attending college. The school district was awarded based on its continual efforts to encourage and facilitate students and parents' ambitions to pursue university degrees.

Texas Valley Communities Foundation (TVCOF) awarded Edinburg CISD $20,000 to bring ENCORE College Readiness Family Sessions to families from six middle schools and 26 elementary schools. The program is aimed at helping parents and students navigate the road to higher education.

PSJA Independent School District

Intended Program Outcome: ENCORE awarded Pharr-San Juan-Alamo CISD a second $10,000 grant to implement College Readiness Family Sessions, programming designed to bring families of students across the school district knowledge on the benefits of completing a postsecondary education.

An initiative developed by ENCORE, the ENCORE Family Sessions is a program that highlights the advantages of obtaining a college degree and provides families with the information they need to become actively involved in their children's academic achievement. The College Readiness Family Sessions will serve parents from three PSJA middle schools and one high school in this district.

ENCORE awarded PSJA based on the district's record of facilitating access to high education for its students. In 2008, PSJA received a $10,000 ENCORE grant to develop a parent outreach pilot program at the T-STEM Early College High School, which promotes the importance of rigorous high school courses for college success and gives students the opportunity to earn up to two years of college credit while completing high school.

ENCORE 2009 Subgrantes

Valley Interfaith Parent Engagement & Student Readiness Project

Intended Program Outcome: Valley Interfaith's mission is to build power for sustainable social, economic and political change. This is accomplished through institutional-based leadership development and action.

Valley Interfaith will work with schools in the Rio Grande Valley as we work to increase the number of students on a pathway to college. Valley Interfaith will focus on developing a community of parents and educators at the elementary, middle and high school level in the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District that work to improve student achievement, high school readiness, improved high school graduation rates and college readiness improving the education outcomes for Rio Grande Valley children and their families.

Home for Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngster (HIPPY) College Readiness Begins at Home

Intended Program Outcome: The mission of HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) is to provide parent involvement and school readiness intervention in order to break the cycle of poverty by empowering parents to prepare their own children for school success. As of 2007/2008 school year Edinburg CISD had a student population of 29,847 and continues to grow at a rate of approximately 5% annually. Of these, 10,240 lack a high school diploma and 3,395 have less than a 5th grade education. Many of these people must be assumed to be parents of young children.

There are 4,053 families in the area with children who live at 185% of the poverty level. Our goal as an organization is to work with the Promotoras and Edinburg CISD to apply prevention services to the children who are most likely to struggle in school. Both common sense and research tell us that there is an inexorable link between poverty and education. The HIPPY*RGV staff has developed CAMP HIPPY in order to be implement to those residing in the Edinburg CISD service area. The 8 CAMPs combined will service 1,200 parents and children in the areas of San Carlos, La Blanca, Hargill, and La Hielera.

Our goal is to hold the camps at areas in the communities, such as parish halls, in order to remove some of the anxiety, allusions, and misconceptions surrounding the act of attending or volunteering at your child's school.

All parents attending will develop an action plan on how to get more involved in there child's school, an introduction of what it means to be college ready, and activities.

Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District ENCORE Parent College Readiness Forum

Intended Program Outcome: ECISD will utilize funds under the ENCORE Grant Program to implement the "ENCORE Parent College Readiness Forum" Program that will provide students and parents of the ECISD with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to inform and prepare students to be career and college ready.

ECISD along with ENCORE, South Texas Promotores Association (STPA), and HIPPY-RGV, will provide training to approximately 550 students and parents from local colonias surrounding Edinburg.

ECISD will implement an array of services that will assist in providing academic success, parental involvement, providing highly effective teachers with continued staff development, forming partnership with universities and community involvement. These resources will provide the tools necessary for students to successfully graduate from high school and continue into the post-secondary education of their choice.

The ECISD parents will consult with STPA and HIPPY-RGV, community based organization groups to coordinate community walks and orientations to the citizens of Edinburg on the importance of acquiring a high school diploma and continuing their post-secondary education.

ECISD and STPA will implement parent night sessions on the importance of the high school recommended and distinguished graduation plans and stressing the importance of continuing with a post-secondary education.

Rio Grande City ISD Ninth Grade Transition and Intervention Program

Intended Program Outcome: The Ninth Grade Transition and Intervention Program developed and implemented by the Rio Grande City CISD is designed to serve at minimum one hundred eighth graders transitioning to the ninth grade. All students identified for participation are identified as being at-risk of dropping out.

The goals of the proposed Summer Transition Program are as follows:

• Decrease the number of students in need of remedial and developmental interventions and coursework during their ninth grade year in high school.
• Increase the number of students promoted to the next grade on time and on grade level.
• Increase student planning and preparation for transitions to high school.
• Increase student and parental knowledge of rigorous high school and college standards, available programs and activities, school policies and procedures, postsecondary academic and career opportunities, and other activities designed to increase student completion and success.

The proposed goals meet the requirements outlined for this proposal by properly preparing selected and identified students, along with their parents, to effectively transition from middle school, into a high school environment.

During a proposed four week period in the summer, selected students received six hours of daily instruction in the areas of mathematics and reading.

The district is ready to enhance parental and community presentations to target migrants; provide an ACT and SAT preparation course specifically aimed at migrant students; and promote high quality universities and post secondary institutions to migrant students via materials and parents.

Donna Independent School District Donna 3-D Academy

Intended Program Outcome: Donna ISD will utilize funds under the ENCORE Grant Program to implement programs that will provide students and parents of the 3-D Academy with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to inform and prepare students to be college ready.

Students attending the Donna 3-D Academy are recovered drop-outs identified At-Risk. Because of this, the Donna 3-D Academy has implemented a college readiness program which provides students with the skills and resources necessary to begin their post secondary education. Students are enrolled in a College Success class that assists students with the skills needed to be successful in a college setting. While attending the 3-D Academy students are also enrolled in dual credit courses at South Texas College providing students the college experience and ability to explore a variety of college career courses. The Donna 3-D Academy is a Quick-THEA test site that offers students the opportunity to take the required college entrance exam as well as providing a Quick THEA camp to prepare for mastery of the assessment. Students and parents of the 3-D Academy are assisted in completing the FASFA as well as on-line enrollment applications to the college or university of their choice.

The goals of the program is to provide drop-out students and their parents with the knowledge, skills and resources necessary for success in post-secondary education. This will be accomplished through the community walks and school orientations.

South Texas Promotores Association Adelante, Bienvenido al Colegio

Intended Program Outcome: STPA strives to expand educational opportunities available to promotores to strengthen their practice and to enhance the development and well-being of the communities served by promotores. STPA counts with an existing membership of more than 140 promotores and a prospective membership of more than 200 promotores.

STPA is one of the most appropriate agencies in the Rio Grande Valley to implement this initiative. STPA has a long and strong history of working with communities, reaching out to the hard-to-reach population, linking them to available resources and support services, bringing services to the communities, organizing health fairs, disseminating education, and advocating to build individual and community capacity by increasing knowledge and self-sufficiency. STPA will build on existing capacity to develop and support the ABC initiative to successfully mobilize ENCORE's college-readiness efforts in the Rio Grande Valley through outreach, awareness, and promotion of postsecondary education.

The Adelante, Bienvenidos al Colegio program will outreach to 300 parents who live in three Colonias in Edinburg. Those parents' children must be attending middle and high schools in Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District. Parent will receive education on the importance of post-secondary education, how to participate in the schools to help prepare their children to finish middle and HS and to start their post-secondary education.

ABC will provide outreach, awareness, and promotion on the importance of increasing interest in postsecondary education among Colonia residents who are parents of students attending middle and HS education. Through these activities ABC will help increase interest in parents of middle and HS children to help them be college-ready to pursue post secondary education. The initiative will also increase the number of Hidalgo County Colonias' residents who will become knowledgeable on college careers.

ABC's targeted actions include 1) Outreach to Colonia residents, 2) Raising Awareness to help people understand that post-secondary education is reachable and convenient, and 3) Promote education and availability of post-secondary programs.

The goals of this program are to promote greater interest in post-secondary education and make it more accessible, affordable, and connected among middle and high school-aged Latino students and their parents. To that end, the ABC initiative will encourage and support economically disadvantaged parents to instill in their middle and high school children to acquire the essential readiness skills/preparation to successfully pursue post-secondary education.

ENCORE 2008 Subgrantes

La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) Al Colegio: Si Se Puede!

Intended Program Outcome: Dissemination of college readiness information and promoting the importance of post secondary education to low-income communities.

LUPE is widely recognized throughout the Rio Grande Valley as a leader and advocate for low-income communities. Through the Al Colegio: Si Se Puede! initiative, with the support of ENCORE, LUPE will utilize its public presence to disseminate college readiness information to the community in support of students to pursuing post-secondary education. LUPE's Outreach Specialists will encounter approximately 11,000 low-income community members a year with the message of support for student college preparation. Serving as a resource for informative materials and trainings, ENCORE's support will assist LUPE's objectives and accomplish its mission.

Additionally, the Al Colegio: Si Se Puede! initiative, will sustain a series of activities to enhance the community's awareness in regards to college readiness. LUPE will devote a segment of each of its monthly General Membership meeting to issues associated with public education, where ENCORE will provide LUPE informative materials on college readiness to attending participants.

El Vuelo del Aguila, LUPE's monthly newsletter, will feature an article in each issue discussing the topic on education presented at its General Monthly meeting. Furthermore, LUPE will sponsor a financial aid fair at the San Juan office, where ENCORE and local colleges representatives will participate and reinforce the message that post-secondary education is a realistic goal for all students who finish high school, and that it is a critical first step to a satisfying career.

Valley Alliance of Mentors for Opportunities and Scholarships (VAMOS) VAMOS College Readiness Marketing Campaign

Intended Program Outcome: Raise college readiness awareness throughout a grass-root marketing campaign in the Rio Grande Valley.

In efforts to bring relevance to the importance of a post-secondary education across Rio Grande Valley families, ENCORE will coordinate marketing efforts with VAMOS. Through an earned media strategy, VAMOS' goal is to increase the public awareness regarding the importance of college readiness by means of grassroots marketing efforts.

With a strong network of leaders in education, business and community, VAMOS will serve as a powerhouse to disseminate critical information to numerous audiences throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

UTPA - Valley Outreach Center The Mother Daughter Program & Collegiate G-Force

Intended Program Outcome: To promote STEM careers to female middle school students and their mothers; and to support operations of college-going centers and the training of college student mentors throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

ENCORE in partnership with UTPA Valley Outreach Center will increase parental involvement and enhance peer mentorship to better prepare middle and high school students for a post-secondary education. UTPA Valley Outreach Center is carrying out its efforts throughout two great programs, the Mother Daughter Program, and the Go Center/Collegiate G-Force.

The Mother Daughter Program (MDP) of The University of Texas-Pan American is a unique intervention program for females who are currently in the seventh or eighth grade levels and their mothers. The program helps MDP "teams" (mothers and daughters) recognize the benefits of higher education through a support network of school counselors, community leaders and members, and professional role models. During the Summer 2009, MDP is implementing a residential summer camp, GAMES (Girls Adventuring in Math, Engineering, and Science), which will allow participants to experience college life while learning about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) career opportunities. ENCORE will allow the GAMES camp to be extended for an additional day, and implement activities that promote 21st century skills in the daughters and mothers.

The Go Center program is being implemented in communities across the state to help recruit students into higher education. Go Centers foster a college going culture, through the promotion of college access resources to aid students in continuing their education and encouraging an attitude of succeeding in post-secondary education.

The Collegiate G-Force (CGF), a key element of the Go Center, is a group of college students who are committed to achieving a college-going culture by supporting the Go Center efforts. They serve as mentors to middle and high school students by raising awareness of the value of a higher education and by showing students and parents how to better prepare academically and financially for a college education. ENCORE's partnerships with VOC enhances the availability of a well-trained and educated High School G-Force, and are able to mentor their peers, friends and family members.

Llano Grande Center for Research and Development College Access for Parents and Students (CAPS)

Intended Program Outcome: To enhance academic support, understanding of the college application process, leadership development, and identity building for students and parents.

The Llano Grande Center for Research and Development college readiness program, College Access for Parents and Students (CAPS), is a character development program that instills leadership skills emphasizing on student's intellectual and social development through an exploration of self and community along with mentorship support.

Through the ENCORE and Llano Grande Center partnership, students will be provided the resources to focus on the four major pillars of the CAPS program: academic support, understanding the application process, leadership development, and identity building. CAPS integrates these four pillars into a family learning environment where every one of the 1500 high school students and their parents are invited to prepare for college matriculation, and more importantly, college graduation. The mastery of these pillars is congruent to the overarching goal of college readiness that ENCORE strives to accomplish in the community.

ENCORE's support will increase the number of mentors that are available to students after school that currently provide tutoring and college mentoring. These mentors work directly with students and parents to ensure that they are well equipped with the knowledge and resources to get them prepared for postsecondary education.

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (PSJA) Independent School District) T-STEM Early College High School Academy

Intended Program Outcome: To promote to parents in the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo area the importance of completing a rigorous curriculum and the opportunity for students to complete up to 2 years of college while in high school.

ENCORE supports programs like the T-STEM Early College High School Academy at PSJA to promote the importance of completing a rigorous curriculum in order for students to achieve college success. In partnership with South Texas College, PSJA provides underserved students an opportunity to achieve, at no cost, as much as two years of college credit or an associate degree at the same time they are earning a high school diploma. STC will administer the ACCUPLACER to determine college readiness. Students who do not meet the college readiness standard will be assessed each summer.

Students at the Early College High School Academy will utilize the KUDER-Education and Career Portfolio to allow students to plan coursework and track educational progress, guide education and career planning, explore careers by clusters, explore college major and college searches, financial aid and scholarship searches, and for building resumes. Students in the T-STEM ECHS Academy requirements include taking rigorous courses in mathematics, science, and general education liberal arts course.