AM Alert: Excelencia in Education

A report out today called "Latino College Completion: California" shows some progress in the number of Latinos earning undergraduate degrees -- and a couple who won the lottery last year are working to move that along.

Jacki and Gilbert Cisneros, who won $266 million last year after buying the right MEGA Millions ticket in Pico Rivera, are funding a "Generation 1st Degree" program in that town by contributing $1.25 million to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

The effort aims to get at least one member of every household to earn a college degree.

Excelencia in Education, a national group working on the project, says its report shows the number of Latinos earning undergraduate degrees in California between 2006 and 2008 grew by 13 percent. Other groups saw an 8 percent increase.