About ENLACE
The ENLACE model seeks to facilitate Latino professional leadership by promoting educational success. Thus, the improvement of the Latino education pipeline and leadership development occurs simultaneously by preparing a cadre of change agents who will influence institutional policies and practices that affect the enrollment and achievement of Latinos along the K-20 continuum. This is accomplished by working with partners in creating new programs and supporting existing efforts that have proven to be successful.
An Educational Policy Report based on the work funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Illinois Board of Higher Education provides policy recommendations aimed at improving the Latino educational pipeline in this region.
Vision
The ENLACE Leadership Institute seeks to assist Northeastern Illinois University by reaching out to schools, community partners, and ENLACE alumni to foster educational opportunities and build leadership capacity within the Latino community to improve K-20 attainment. In so doing, ENLACE programs help to advance NEIU’s mission and strategic goal in becoming a model Hispanic Serving Institution for the nation, demonstrating what a university can do to support and improve the educational pipeline for Latinos.
Achievements
Over the past 10 years, Chicago ENLACE Partnership (Leadership Institute) has accumulated a long list of accomplishments. Among these can be included:
- Outreach to more than 19,000 undergraduate, high school, and middle school students and their families as well as other community stakeholders.
- Over 139 presentations by ENLACE Peer Mentors attended by over 4,500 students in 4 Illinois counties.
- Thirty college visits attended by over 1,500 students at 4 colleges/universities.
- Forty-five parent workshops that reached over 1,300 parents.
- A total of 30 Fellows have achieved their master’s degrees at NEIU and 10 more are expected in December 2010.
- Development of three Future Leaders Camps for adolescents and a national ENLACE training camp for college students serving over 130 participants.
This community-wide, comprehensive effort is an indication of what can be accomplished when people come together and focus their attention on a critical need: the success of young people and the advancement of our city, region, and nation. Through the powerful collaborations formed by ENLACE, leadership has been nurtured and alumni positioned to influence public policy. In 2009, for instance, four ENLACE Fellows were appointed to serve on the Illinois Community College Board’s Latino Advisory Committee. Fellows typically develop their leadership skills through ENLACE initiatives such as practicum experiences, participation in Future Leaders Camps and mentoring. The exciting possibility of an ENLACE AmeriCorps project in collaboration with ENLACE New Mexico is expected to further expand leadership development opportunities for NEIU students.
NEIU’s ENLACE projects have brought considerable national and international attention to the University. An initial $1.5 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as part of a National ENLACE Initiative is what launched this Chicago ENLACE Program. During the last 10 years, ENLACE has developed productive partnerships with the community, released policy briefs to public officials focused on the 6 gaps of the K-20 educational pipeline and carried out various leadership development initiatives. ENLACE students, faculty and staff have presented at conferences at various locations throughout the world.
History
ENLACE or the ENgaging LAtino Communities for Education program began as a national initiative of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to strengthen and improve the educational pipeline and increase opportunities for Latinos to enter and complete college in 13 sites across the Continental United States. This Northeastern Illinois University grant for ENLACE was the only one funded in the Midwest. Additional financial and in-kind support has been secured ever since the inception of the program in 2000, with NEIU institutionalizing some aspects of the program, including the Fellows Program.
From the beginning the Chicago ENLACE Partnership (Leadership Institute) recognized that there were gaps in the K-20 educational pipeline for Latinos and that there was a need to involve the community and focus on creating leaders who advocate for change. Because the educational pipeline consists of different types of institutions that operate independently and often with little parent, student or community involvement, there has been a growing focus on creating opportunities for cross-institutional and community collaboration. It is through such collaboration that gaps in the education pipeline will be closed so that students can transition successfully from one level to the next.
Over the years, ENLACE has been building opportunities for developing leadership through collaboration so that the educational pipeline at each of the transition points from one level to the next, will not have a gap while improving retention and graduation rates from all institutions.
A Policy Report was created from a deliberately paced five year process of examining gaps in the educational pipeline for Latino student success and the policy opportunities that this program believes are inherent in order to sustain the progress.
ENLACE Leadership Institute Office
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 N. St. Louis, LWH 3036
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 442-4735
College of Education
Administrative Team
Diane Ehrlich
Professor and
Graduate Advisor
Higher Education Leadership
ENLACE Fellows Advisor
Francisco X. Gaytán
Assistant Professor
Social Work Program
Victor M. Montañez
Special Projects
Coordinator NEIU/
GEAR UP Curie High School Site Liaison
Mireya Rivera
Program Coordinator, ELI
773-442-4735
Richard Rutschman
Administrator, ELI
Program Director, CTC
College of Education
773-442-4694 or
312-563-7156
Joaquín Villegas
Associate Professor
Coordinator Bilingual Bicultural Programs
Bilingual Education