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The Puente ProjectThe Puente ProjectBridging Classrooms & Communities

Since 1981

Frank Garcia, Executive DirectorUniversity of California, Office of the President

American Policy Youth ForumWashington DC

November 17, 2010

2009 Winner

1998Harvard University

Kennedy School of Government

Celebrating 30 years of Service

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Who We ServeWho We Serve

• Puente serves 120,000 students each year—14,000 of them directly as Puente students, others through Puente training

• 59 community colleges• 34 high schools

To increase the number of educationally To increase the number of educationally underserved students whounderserved students who

• Enroll in four-year colleges and universities

• Return to the community as leaders and mentors

• Earn college degrees

The Puente Project MissionThe Puente Project Mission

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The Puente HS Model:The Puente HS Model:Three ComponentsThree Components

Counseling Teaching

Mentoring

Professional DevelopmentCommunity College Training Team

Regional Center SupportRegional Project Coordinators (RPCs)

Puente‘s Support for CC Teams

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• Foundational-Puente Summer Institute• Ongoing: team regionals, components, modeling,

coaching• Research-based• Experiential• Led by experienced practitioners and content-

area experts

Professional Development

Regional Program Coordinators • At least two comprehensive site visits per year• Additional visits and communications as necessary• Team budget approval and support• Connections with community members and organizations• Coordination and support for mentoring activities

Regional Support

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Puente Model:Puente Model:

Community College ProgramCommunity College Program

• Pre 1A and 1A Puente English Courses• Puente Personal Development Class

• Family and community involvement

• Intensive Academic Counseling: Transfer and Retention

• Professional Mentors

The Puente CounselorThe Puente Counselor

• Motivates students to pursue further education

• Actively involves family and community

• Helps navigate the college application process and college-prep/transfer curriculum

• Monitors and reports their progress

• Recruits students

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The Puente English ClassThe Puente English Class

• Creating family in the classroom

• Rigorous, process-centered literacy instruction

• Integrating Mexican-American/Latino Multicultural literature

• Community-based writing assignments

Puente Mentors:Puente Mentors:

• Share his or her own personal, academic, and career experiences

• Introduce students to professional workplaces and organizations

• Serve as models of success from within their community

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Program Highlights Program Highlights

• Students assigned to same counselor• Puente English class curriculum includes

Chicano/Latino & multicultural literature• Exposure to leadership and volunteer opportunities

(60 students participate in week-long residential leadership training at UC Riverside

• College and cultural field trips• Inclusion of family in academic experience

Additional Benefits to Participating Additional Benefits to Participating

Community College Community College StudentsStudents

• Participation in Community College Transfer Conference• Puente investment in training of program site teachers and

counselors

• Access to statewide network of experts

• Trained Puente team members that will share best practices with other members of the cc campus community

• UC application participation bonus

• Opportunity for expansion at new sites

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Puente DataPuente Data

Fall 2008 to Fall 2009 College Persistence Rates of All California Community Fall 2008 to Fall 2009 College Persistence Rates of All California Community

College (CCC) Students Statewide by Ethnicity and of Puente StudentsCollege (CCC) Students Statewide by Ethnicity and of Puente Students

Puente achieves notable success in fostering studen t persistence in college. Most recent data reveal that for a majority of Puente students, program participation is ensued with

sustained enrollment in college. More than eight i n ten, or 81%, of Puente fall 2008 participants persisted in college until the followi ng fall 2009 term. According to the

California Community College Chancellor’s Office (C CCCO), that one-year persistence rate for all CCC students statewide is 70%.

76%

61%

70%67%

81%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Asian African-American White- Non Hispanic

Hispanic Puente

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SixSix--year California Statewide Transfer Rates of all CCC Educationally year California Statewide Transfer Rates of all CCC Educationally

Disadvantaged Students, all CCC Students, and Puente StudentsDisadvantaged Students, all CCC Students, and Puente Students

40%

54%

31%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

All CCC-Educationally Disadvantaged Students

All CCC Students Puente Students

The proportion of Puente students who participated in 2003-04 and transferred to four-year colleges and universities by 2008-09 is 54%. The r ate Puente achieved compares favorably to CA

statewide results which show that the transfer rate for all CCC students statewide and CCC educationally disadvantaged students is 40% and 31% , respectively. [CCCCO, National Student

Clearinghouse, Puente Project]

University of California Graduation Rates for All University of California Graduation Rates for All CCC CCC Transfer Students Transfer Students

by Ethnicity and for Puente UC Transfers, 2005 Transfer Yearby Ethnicity and for Puente UC Transfers, 2005 Transfer Year

An evaluation of long-term data on graduation from four-year colleges illustrates that a majority of P uente students maintain the benefits of program participation, and are nearly as apt to attain undergraduate degrees as students of ethnic groups with well-established patterns of aca demic achievement. Of the Puente students who tran sferred to UC in 2005, 85% graduated within four years. The g raduation rates for all CCC Asian and all CCC White students

who transferred to UC the same year are 85% and 86% respectively . [ UC Office of the President Corporate Student Syst em Data Warehouse, Puente Project]

85% 87%

77%83%

86% 85%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

UC- All CCC Transfer Students

UC- Asian or Pacific Islander

UC- African-American

UC- Hispanic UC- White UC- Puente

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California State University Graduation Rates for All CCC Transfers California State University Graduation Rates for All CCC Transfers

by Ethnicity and for Puente CSU Transfers, 2005 Transfer Yearby Ethnicity and for Puente CSU Transfers, 2005 Transfer Year

About 7 in 10, or 68%, of Puente students who trans ferred to CSU in 2005 attained undergraduate degrees within four years. According to the CSU Chancellor’s Office data, the degree completion rates of all CCC transfer stu dents is 65%, and 68% for CCC White

transfer students. [ CSU Chancellor’s Office, National Student Clearingh ouse, Puente Project]

65% 63%

53%

62%

68% 68%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

CSU- All CCC Transfer Students

CSU- Asian or Pacific Islander

CSU- African-American

CSU- Hispanic CSU- White CSU- Puente

SixSix--Year Nationwide FourYear Nationwide Four--Year Public College Graduation Rates of Year Public College Graduation Rates of

All U.S. Students by Ethnicity and Puente Students, 1998 and 1999 College Entry YearsAll U.S. Students by Ethnicity and Puente Students, 1998 and 1999 College Entry Years

An evaluation of long-term data on graduation from four-year colleges illustrates that a majority of P uente students maintain the benefits of program participa tion, and are as apt to attain undergraduate degree s as

students of ethnic groups with well-established pat terns of academic achievement. Of the Puente stude nts who entered four-year public colleges in 1998 and 1999, 67% and 65% respectively, graduated within six yea rs. The nationwide graduation rates for first-time students who entered college in 1999 is 63% for Asian stude nts and

56% for White students. [National Center for Education Statistics, National Student Clearinghouse, University of California Co rporate Student System, Puente Project]

53%

62%

39%

56%

43%

67%

54%

63%

40%

56%

45%

65%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Nationwide-All Students

Nationwide-Asian/ Pacific Is-

lander

Nationwide-Black

Nationwide-White

Nationwide-Hispanic

Puente Students

1998 first-time students, graduating by 2003 1999 first-time students, graduating by 2004

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In summary: Challenges to OvercomeIn summary: Challenges to Overcome

• With the economic downturn, Counseling has suffered tremendously with cuts in time and services. It is has become more difficult to meet Puente’s minimum counseling requirements.

• In light of national trends for high stakes testing API accountability – Puente is able to advance students by concentrating on rigorous curriculum vs. remediation.

• Puente’s approach integrates the personal and familial aspects of a student’s life and the academic, using culturally responsive curricular practices. Anti-immigrant policies and sentiments present a challenge.

“High School and Community College Puente have much to offer the “High School and Community College Puente have much to offer the

college and high school reform movement in terms of what it takes to college and high school reform movement in terms of what it takes to

promote access, transform nontraditional students into powerful promote access, transform nontraditional students into powerful

learners, promote learning communities, and create validating in and out learners, promote learning communities, and create validating in and out

of class, learning environments that foster academic success and of class, learning environments that foster academic success and

personal growth. Puente continues to overturn decades of educational personal growth. Puente continues to overturn decades of educational

neglect and eradicate exclusionary practices and policies that have neglect and eradicate exclusionary practices and policies that have

restricted access for working class students…”restricted access for working class students…”

““Puente is an example of the mantra that Puentistas refer to as: SPuente is an example of the mantra that Puentistas refer to as: Síí Se Se

Puede .. It Can Be Done”Puede .. It Can Be Done”

Dr. Laura RendDr. Laura Rendóón: n: Community College Puente: A Validating Model of Education. Community College Puente: A Validating Model of Education. Educational Policy Educational Policy

2002:16:642.2002:16:642.