Growing What Works is a national initiative offered by Excelencia in Education, supported by major national foundations, to replicate programs and strategies with evidence of effectiveness in accelerating Latino student success in higher education. Begun in September 2009 with support from the Walmart Foundation and expanded in 2010 with support from the Kresge Foundation, the GWW Initiative includes a searchable database and institutions selected through a national review to receive SEMILLAS grants to replicate promising programs on their campuses. 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 programs after the SEMILLAS grants end
