The Enlace Program

Institution:

Evergreen Valley College

Academic Level:

Associate

Issue Area:

Retention

Issue Area:

Transfer

Year:

2007

Designation:

Examples of Excelencia

Designation:

Honoree

Key Personnel:

Regua, Richard

Address:

Evergreen Valley College

Address 2:

3095 Yerba Buena Rd.

Address 3:

Roble Building (R5-132)

City:

San Jose

State:

Zip:

95135

Website:

The Enlace Program

The Enlace Program, in collaboration with its Community Advisory Board and Mentor Advisory Council, the program offers an academic, counseling, and mentoring model that emphasizes a culturally responsive approach to Latino/a students' navigation between their homes, community, and Evergreen Valley College. Enlace offers courses in developmental and college level English, Math, and Science - disciplines at the heart of students' academic success in college. In addition, it offers a guidance course for first semester students and one for transfer students. In total, Enlace offers 20-24 classes each year, with an enrollment of approximately 700 students. Approximately 90% of the students enrolled in the Enlace classes are Latino/a students. Two instructional assistants and several peer student tutors provide supplemental instruction. Over 65 Latino/a community professionals participate as mentors.

Goal/Mission:

Enlace has six primary program goals: 1) to successfully matriculate and retain Latino/a students, 2) to enable Latino/a students to successfully complete the Enlace English, Math, Science, and Guidance courses, 3) to mainstream Latino/a students into the general education and transfer curricula, 4) to increase the number of Latino/a students who graduate with an Associate of Arts or Associate of Sciences degree, 5) to increase the number of Latino/a students who transfer to four-year colleges and universities, 6) to create a cadre of student leaders.

Outcome:

From Fall 2001 to Fall 2004, 893 Enlace Latino/a students had a 76% course success rate. During the same period, 2,321 Latino/a students enrolled in non-Enlace courses had a success rate of 55%. Furthermore, the Spring 2006 district generated data demonstrate that the overall Enlace Program success rate for Spring 2006 was 82% while the success rate for all other students enrolled in similar courses was 55%. For Spring 2006, the Enlace success rate for Math 13, Intermediate Algebra, was 78%; the success rate for the comparison group (Latinos enrolled in non-Enlace Math 13 courses) was 44%. The Enlace success rate for Math 11A, Introductory Algebra, was 73%; the comparison group's success rate was 40%. The Enlace success rate for English 1A, college composition, was 72%; the comparison group's success rate was 52%. The Enlace success rate for English 104, Developmental Composition, was 80%; the comparison group's success rate was 51%.