Gina Rodriguez to join Hispanic Scholarship Fund Board of Directors

Impremedia — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 19:03:00 +0000

Golden Globe winner actress Gina Rodriguez has won our hearts as she continues to do ever more for the Hispanic community. Rodriguez is now a…

Obamas free college tuition plan sends a powerful message

Impremedia — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 14:01:00 +0000

President Barack Obamas new proposal to make two years of community college free for millions of students across the country sends a powerful message, Latino education advocates say. I think its such a powerful, good message that college is possible and can be covered, Deborah Santiago, chief operating officer and vice president for policy at Excelencia in Education, said in an interview with VOXXI. The proposal is dubbed Americas College Promise. But before the initiative can be implemented, Obama needs to get the approval of Congress. If approved, the plan could potentially benefit up to 9 million students of all ages, saving them an average of $3,800 in tuition per year. To qualify, students would need to attend community college at least half-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA and make steady progress toward their degree. SEE ALSO: Closing educational achievement gaps would grow the U.S. economy However, Santiago pointed out that undocumented students would likely not benefit given that federal funds would cover three-quarters of tuition under the plan, while states would pick up the rest of the tab. Under current law, undocumented students are not eligible for federal financial aid. I do think they should benefit, Santiago said, referring to undocumented students. The more educated our citizenry, the better. When asked if undocumented students would benefit, an administration official told VOXXI the presidents plan is the start of the conversation on how to make two years of college the norm the way high school is the norm. We still need to work with Congress on the details of this proposal but the goal is to provide as much access to higher education as possible, the official said in an email. And we still need comprehensive immigration reform that fixes our immigration system and provides an earned path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants to ensure that all students have the opportunities they need to succeed. Obama announced the new proposal through a White House video posted on Facebook Thursday evening. He planned to discuss the details of the proposal alongside Vice President Joe Biden and second lady Jill Biden during a visit to Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tenn., on Friday. What Id like to do is to see the first two years of community college free for everybody whos willing to work for it, Obama said in the video filmed on Air Force One. Its something that we can accomplish, and its something thatll train our workforce so that we can compete with anybody in the world. SEE ALSO: Miami Dade College president has the formula to boost graduation rates The presidents proposal comes as welcoming news for Latinos, many of whom begin their higher education journey at a community colleges. According to a fact sheet by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), 51 percent of Hispanic undergraduate students attend two-year institutions, compared to 41.7 percent of all undergraduates. The group also noted that of the 370 Hispanic-serving institutions in 2012, an estimated 48 percent were public two-year institutions. Antonio Flores, president and CEO of HACU, said he applauds Obamas new plan to offer a free community college education for all eligible students. Investing in this initiative would strengthen the country’s workforce and increase opportunities for underrepresented populations to seek a college education, Flores said in a statement to VOXXI. Hispanics would particularly benefit from such initiative as a majority of those in college attend community colleges. Like Flores, Santiago also said many Latino students would benefit from this new opportunity. But she also said students need to keep in mind that other costs of going to collegelike housing, transportation and bookswouldnt be covered by this new proposal. I do want to make sure that students understand that sometimes the cost of going to college arent just tuition and fees, she said. Often, those bigger costs are everything else. SEE ALSO: Student loan debt weighing down young Latinos

The post Obamas free college tuition plan sends a powerful message appeared first on Voxxi.

Teach For America: Latino education needs to happen now

Impremedia — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 17:10:00 +0000

Teach For America (TFA) ended Hispanic Heritage month last week with an impressive Teach Orgullo. Create Oportunidad Google+ Hangout to discuss not only the importance…

Hispanic Center of Western Michigan helping Latino youth get to college

Impremedia — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 11:10:00 +0000

Empowering Latino youth is often easier said than done. However, there are programs nationwide that may go under the radar but are having dramatic results.…

Excelencia in Education: Promoting Hispanic excellence in school

Impremedia — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 17:10:00 +0000

So much of the conversation regarding the education of Latinos in America is negative these days; however, non-profit group Excelencia in Education is actively attempting to…

Common Core standards may barely be helping Hispanic students

Impremedia — Sun, 14 Sep 2014 18:09:00 +0000

If some early reports on the controversial Common Core Standards are an indication, Hispanic students in the U.S. are falling behind on the very curriculum…

Education All-Stars: Rolf Metral, from ELL student to innovator

Impremedia — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 17:06:00 +0000

There are many nuances to the life of the ELL student. Someone who experienced this firsthand is Rolf Metral, who currently teaches fifth grade at…

The childcare connection that voids Latinas from going to college

Impremedia — Thu, 29 May 2014 10:05:00 +0000

In addition to skyrocketing tuition, there are many ancillary costs associated with going to college. One area where community college students are finding increasing difficulty…

El Diario NY