Growing What Works

Growing What Works is a national initiative offered by Excelencia in Education to use and replicate programs and strategies with evidence of effectiveness in accelerating Latino student success in higher education. Begun in September 2009, the GWW Initiative includes a searchable database and a group of 20 institutions chosen through a national review to receive a $50,000 Walmart SEMILLAS grant to replicate promising programs on their campuses in 2009-2010. SEMILLAS is the Spanish word for seeds, and is an acronym for "Seeding Educational Models that Impact and Leverage Latino Academic Success."

Initiative goals

• Catalog promising practices improving Latino success in higher education at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels.
• Mobilize institutional leaders searching for institutional practices supporting Latino student success in higher education.
• Adapt and replicate promising practices with evidence of effectiveness in improving Latino student success in higher education.
• Inform public policy at the institutional, state, and national levels with efforts improving Latino success in higher education.

Characteristics of SEMILLAS Institutions

• Associate and baccalaureate, accredited, degree-granting institutions
• Institutional commitment to accelerate Latino student success
• Knowledge of current institutional student data and demographic trends
• Commit to maintain the use of the effective program beyond the 2009-2010 academic year

WalmaRT SEMILLAS 2009-2010

Click here to view the list of the 2009-2010 Walmart SEMILLAS recipients.

Areas of Focus

These institutions will work with Excelencia in Education staff and the members of the Growing What Works initiative to replicate promising institutional practices addressing one of the following four areas:

A. Engaging and enrolling  first-generation, low-income Latino students and their families in college going through strategies that eliminate barriers to college entrance including partnerships with public schools, support for students earning college credits while enrolled in high school, and family outreach that  demystifies the pathway of earning a college education.

B. Integrating services such as advising, supplemental education, student services or academic support to improve retention for first-generation Latino college-goers.

C. Promoting seamless transfer for Latino students moving from two-year to four-year institutions through effective student and academic support services.

D. Developing and sustaining academic programs and practices designed to engage Latino students in the learning process for successful completion.

Growing What Works Initiative Timeline