The Northern New Mexico ENLACE Project is a collaboration of community colleges, a university, high schools, and community organizations designed to produce more Latino and Hispanic high school and college graduates across a diverse region of five counties.

Northern New Mexico ENLACE will target high school and college students in five counties-Santa Fe, Taos, Mora, Rio Arriba, and San Miguel. The K-12 school population ranges from 68 to 94 percent Hispanic. Northern New Mexico is a very diverse region of cities and rural communities. The predominantly Hispanic population includes Mexican-Americans and descendants of settlers from Spain who have lived here for hundreds of years.

The project will target approximately 300 students. These students attend two community colleges and a university, as well as high schools. Each high school site will reach 40 students in grades 9-12. The lead institution is Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) in Santa Fe. Other key partners are Northern New Mexico Community College (NNNCC), which is located in Espanol and El Rito, and New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) in Las Vegas. These post-secondary institutions are linking to public schools, regional education networks, and community-based organizations such as La Jicarita Enterprise Community.

In the State of New Mexico, 1 of every 5 residents lives at or below the poverty level. Northern New Mexico is the poorest region in the state. In fact, the area has the highest rates of rural student poverty in the United States.
Educational achievement mirrors these statistics. Northern New Mexico students have higher school dropout rates than the rest of the state. Higher education enrollment in the region is declining. Fewer than half of 12th graders apply to college. If they do attend a community college, fewer than 15 percent of students transfer to four-year universities.
Historically, formal education has not always been viewed positively in rural, northern New Mexico. For many residents, education meant that students had to leave families and communities for urban areas-never to return. Some people have viewed higher education as a tool of forced assimilation, serving to relocate youth and undermine traditional cultural beliefs and values. This legacy of mistrust of education has many consequences today.

The partnership will increase academic, social, and family support to Hispanic students primarily by promoting leadership development for students. Leadership activities also will focus on families, communities, and educational institutions.

The goal of NNN ENLACE is to see a 20 percent increase in Hispanic graduation rates at the three post-secondary institutions that are partners. Additionally, each institution will link with one or more local high schools, where activities will target 40 students per high school-10 in each grade 9-12. These students will be identified by teachers and others as having the potential to succeed but needing extra support and encouragement. For a total of 300 Hispanic students to be reached over four years, the goal is 100 percent retention and graduation.

Student leadership activities include peer mentoring, where high school seniors will tutor and counsel younger students. At Santa Fe Community College, activities will build on the college's Youth Leadership Academy curriculum and other culturally based models. Students and teachers will attend annual leadership conferences as part of efforts to infuse learning with culturally relevant coursework and teaching practices. Retention efforts will include increased student orientation.

NNN ENLACE also will engage families and communities in the education process. Community members will advise efforts to make curriculum more relevant and responsive. Community member will provide mentoring, job shadowing, volunteering, and service learning opportunities for students. The project will increase parent orientation, forums, and intergenerational educational activities that include extended families.

A project Web site and bilingual newsletters will enhance communication among schools, students, families, and communities across the region. Northern New Mexico ENLACE seeks to build upon successes and assets. In the past two years, K-12 student retention has improved. Additionally, the project promotes the region's cultural values and traditions, including extended family support, spiritual beliefs, cultural identity and pride, and a motivation to use education to help families and communities.

More than 300 residents participated in 12 community forums during 2000. The planning efforts were funded by a $100,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The dialogues, surveys, and focus groups resulted in a regional, four-year plan that was implemented in Spring 2001. It is one of 13 projects nationwide that is part of the ENLACE initiative to increase Latino educational opportunities. The sites are community partnerships in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, and Texas. With funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the ENLACE initiative is scheduled to run through 2004.

• Santa Fe Community College
  
• Northern New Mexico Community College
  
• New Mexico Highlands University
  
• New Mexico Northern New Mexico Network for Rural Education
  
• Los Alamos National Laboratory
  
• La Jicarita Enterprise Community
  
• Sangre de Cristo Community and Schools Consortium
  

• Santa Fe Community College-5,275 students, 38 percent Hispanic (99-00)
• Northern New Mexico Community College-6,065 students, 63 percent Hispanic
• New Mexico Highlands University-2,516 students, 58 percent Hispanic
  
• Mora County Schools-939 students, 94 percent Hispanic
  
• Rio Arriba County Schools-6,522 students, 92 percent Hispanic
  
• San Miguel County Schools-5,924 students, 90 percent Hispanic
  
• Santa Fe County Public Schools-18,342 students, 68 percent Hispanic
  
• Taos County Public Schools-4,794 students, 72 percent Hispanic