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The Sallie Mae Fund awards grant to the National Council of La Raza's Parents as Partners Initiative; program promotes parental involvement to ensure Hispanic-American students' academic success

RESTON, Va., Oct. 10, 2002—The Sallie Mae Fund today announced that it has awarded a $50,000 grant to the National Council of La Raza for its Parents as Partners in Education Initiative. This initiative works to build community-school education links, to strengthen the quality of education for Hispanic students, and to more effectively involve Hispanic families in the K-12 education of their children. This grant will benefit pre-K through 12th grade students and their families who are served by parental involvement programs through community-based organizations as well as alternative and charter schools. The Sallie Mae Fund is the charitable arm of Sallie Mae, the nation's leading provider of education funding.

The U.S. Department of Education has found that children are more apt to perform well academically, attend school regularly, complete their homework, graduate from high school, and enroll in higher education if families are meaningfully involved in their education. The Parents as Partners in Education program was built upon this premise.

"By providing Hispanic-American parents the necessary guidance to help them prepare their children for school, the achievement gap between children who arrive at school underprepared and those of their peers quickly narrows," said Anthony J. Colón, Vice President, Center for Community Educational Excellence, National Council of La Raza. "The Parents as Partners in Education Initiative is unique in that it works in the area of family involvement by encouraging and supporting parents' own educational goals and leadership skills as a vehicle for personal empowerment."

In many cases because of their recent arrival in the U.S. and their lack of English-language proficiency, Latino families feel a sense of urgency to immerse their children in English-only teaching environments. This can quickly create a disconnect between children's school and home environments and prevents many parents from becoming actively involved in their child's education.

"Approximately 44% of 13-year old Hispanic-American students are performing one or more years below expected grade level, and a great number of these students never graduate from high school and pursue a higher education," said Albert L. Lord, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sallie Mae. "Academic performance plays a major role in ensuring that students can avail themselves of the benefits of continuing their education. By supporting the Parents as Partners in Education program and getting parents more involved in their children's K-12 education The Sallie Mae Fund hopes to improve the academic performance of Hispanic- American children."

For more information, contact:
Stephanie Tew
703/810-6810

The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, achieves its mission—to increase access to a post–secondary education for America's students—by supporting programs and initiatives that help open doors to higher education, prepare families for their investment, and bridge the gap when no one else can. For more information visit www.salliemaefund.org.