Institution The University of Texas at El Paso State Texas Academic Level Baccalaureate Issue Area Access Website https://www.utep.edu/student-affairs/motherdaughter/about/deans-welcome.html Key Personnel Josie Tinajero Program Focus Females/Latinas, Parental/Family Engagement Overview The Mother-Daughter program organizes activities for the girls and their mothers around four broad goals. The first goal is to build the girls' self-esteem, encouraging them to complete high school and raising their expectations to attend college. Second, provide orientation to support higher education attainment and professional careers. Third, improve the quality of academic preparation and life-skills training. Lastly, to create a more equitable representation of Hispanic women in professional careers through higher education. Program Description The Mother-Daughter Program organizes activities to help girls and their mothers work together to set goals that will lead to academic and career success for the girls. The Mother-Daughter Program involves Hispanic mothers and daughters in monthly educational career and cultural activities for an entire year and follows up with workshops and seminars in subsequent years. It also recruits school, community, and college student volunteers as role models and mentors. The program considers the most important role model for young girls, especially in the Hispanic community, is found within the family system, and connects program resources/activities to the mother-daughter team as one of its founding philosophies. Outcome Longitudinal studies have shown that of the 1,800 mothers and daughters who participated in the program between 1986-1993, fewer girls (than those in the comparison group) dropped out of school or got pregnant than did non-participants from similar backgrounds. Participants were also more likely to enroll in advanced courses, earn higher grades and outscore their peers on state achievement tests. For example, 98 percent of the girls in the first two cohorts – 1986 and 1987 – were still in school in 1992; 62 percent were enrolled in college preparatory courses; and almost 50 percent were enrolled in honors courses. Learn more about Latino College Completion in Texas Return to Growing What Works Database
