University of Arkansas Latino College-Readiness Program Awarded Grant

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A $121,520 grant from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education will help University of Arkansas officials in the office of diversity affairs better understand why fewer Latinos than Anglos in Arkansas are prepared for college and then set out to close that gap. The funding comes from a sub-grant of the U.S. Department of Education College Access Challenge Grant.

“In Arkansas, Latinos place significantly below Anglos in college readiness indicators such as the ACT,” said Luis Restrepo, assistant vice provost for diversity and the director of the recently formed office of Latino academic advancement and community relations. “However, we do not have the whole picture because statewide only 50 percent of Latinos take the ACT, compared to nearly 80 percent for Anglos. Why do we see this gap and how do we close it?”

Many factors might contribute to this: educational barriers, socioeconomic differences, language, immigration status, etc., Restrepo said. “However, we need to know if and how the schools’ institutional cultures are related to the low percentage of Latino students taking the ACT.”

The grant will support ongoing efforts by Restrepo’s office to hold meetings with school officials, teachers, counselors, experts and parents to identify barriers in the public schools that might prevent students from preparing for college. Is there something in the school’s culture, for example, that contributes to the lack of Latino students taking the ACT? The goal of these meetings is to help the schools develop policies that lead to more Latino students taking the ACT and increased college readiness in the state.

The grant will also enable the university to counsel Latino families about ACT preparation and financial planning for college. In addition the university will develop a service learning and peer mentoring course in which Latino high school students will engage with the University of Arkansas and students in the Latin American studies program during the school year. The college students will take a course on social justice, educational issues today and literacy training. This service-learning component is complementary to the first component of the grant.

“Since the course requires college students in the program to research and reflect on their work with Latino students and their families, participating college students will provide valuable information for the schools,” Restrepo said.

“We are grateful to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education for helping us meet this important need in our state, and we look forward to implementing this program,” Restrepo said. Robert Maranto, professor of education reform in the College of Education and Health Professions, and Bryan Hembree, co-director of the university’s College Access Initiative were also instrumental in securing this grant.

As reported by the 2010 Census, Latinos are the fastest growing demographic sector of the United States and in Arkansas.

This past fall, the University of Arkansas enrolled 1,068 Latino students, a 24 percent increase over the previous year.