Ford Motor Company Fund and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) today announced the 2014 Ford Driving Dreams Through Education grantees, as they work together to reduce the high school dropout rate among Latinos, the fastest-growing segment of public schools.
Eight LULAC councils around the country will each receive a $20,000 grant over two school years to implement a high school dropout prevention program in partnership with an educational entity. Additionally, two 2012 grantee recipients were selected to receive a $10,000 grant to continue their programs. All council grantee recipients were announced at LULAC’s 86th Annual National Convention in New York City.
“Education has been a top priority for Ford Fund since its start more than 60 years ago,” said Joedis Avila, manager of community outreach, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “For the fifth consecutive year, Ford Driving Dreams Through Education will continue to make a life-changing impact on our young people and ensure that they have the education necessary to compete in our global economy.”
Through a previous Ford Driving Dreams Through Education 2011-2013 grant awarded to Council #2848, Anaheim High School established an Independent Learning Center (ILC), which uses an independent study approach to educate and graduate at-risk and disengaged students who have dropped out of school by finding resources, speakers, purchasing food, and attending monthly assemblies. The new $20,000 grant from Ford will help this LULAC Council to continue the ILC program.
“We are proud to receive the $20,000 grant from Ford Driving Dreams,” said Yvonne Gonzalez Duncan, President of the LULAC Council #2848 in Anaheim, California. “We have a lot of work to do to help our children achieve academic success. In California, only 70 percent of Hispanic students enrolled in public high schools graduate and 54 percent, finish college. Better preparation, access to education resources, and support from the community are key for our young Latino men and women to become well-rounded individuals who can make a meaningful contribution to society.”
A recent study from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) from 2014 indicates that while high school dropout rates are decreasing and college enrollment is increasing for Hispanics, Hispanic youth continue to lag behind white youth in both measures. According to NCES, Hispanic students are the fastest-growing segment of the public school population; nearly one in four students is Hispanic and more than 12 percent of them drop out of high school. Given that Latinos are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population and are expected to more than double from 53.3 million to 128.8 million by 2060, their educational development is essential to our nation’s growth and success.
Ford Driving Dreams Through Education started in 2010, and to date 44 grant recipients have worked to keep more than 1,000 students on the road to graduation. The grant selection process considers the best practices for engaging students, including mentorship programs, after-school volunteer and extracurricular programs, and parental involvement. The winning programs also must be sustainable, reflect the local education landscape, and rely on partnerships with local education institutions. The eight new LULAC council grantee recipients will begin to implement their programs this fall, and the two model councils will continue their existing programs with Ford support for one additional school-year. For more information on Ford Driving Dreams, visit www.lulac.org/ford.
