ENLACE: Success Rates Compared to Success Rates of Other Chicano/Latino Students in the Same Courses, Spring 1993. Research Report #722

The mission of the ENLACE Program at Evergreen Valley College and San Jose City College is to increase the educational success, retention, and transfer rates of Chicano/Latino students. Now in its tenth year, ENLACE is an academic program emphasizing the successful completion of the cognitive core areas of general/transfer education. The program currently serves over 150 students per semester through a model combining instruction, counseling, and mentoring. The model has shown significant results and promises even greater success. In spring 1993, ENLACE sections were offered of ENGL 330 (two levels below Transfer Composition); ENGL 104 (one level below Transfer Composition); ENGL 1A (Transfer Composition); MATH 12 (Algebra); and NATURAL SCIENCE 10A. Students in the ENLACE sections were compared to all other Chicano/Latino students and all other students enrolled in the same courses. Study findings included the following: (1) the 180 ENLACE students had a 66% overall success rate compared to 54% for the 464 other Chicano/Latino students in the same courses and 58% for all other non-ENLACE students in the same courses; (2) ENLACE ENGL 1A students had a success rate of 71%, compared to a 54% success rate for all other Chicano/Latino students in ENGL 1A and a 62% success rate for all ENGL 1A students; (3) students in two ENLACE ENGL 104 classes had a combined success rate of 72% compared to 68% for other Chicano/Latino students in ENGL 104 and an overall 66% success rate for all ENGL 104 students; (4) ENLACE students' success rates were also higher than non-ENLACE Latino/Chicano students in MATH 12 and NATURAL SCIENCE 10A. These results support the kinds of interventions that are being used in the program. (KP)