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
| 2009 |
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| September |
Walmart SEMILLAS announced |
| October |
Growing What Works orientation |
| December |
Join Action Network |
| 2010 |
|
| February |
On-line conference organized by promising practice areas |
| |
Interim progress reports submitted |
| July |
Phone conferences to discuss campus sustainability plan |
| September |
Final progress report submitted |
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Final expenditure report submitted |
| October |
Campus assessments completed |
| |
Phone conferences with presidents and campus teams |
| December |
Campus and assessments posted at www.EdExcelencia.org. |
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Growing What Works initiative assessments posted at www.EdExcelencia.org |
