In 2002, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), in collaboration with and through the support of PepsiCo Foundation and PepsiCo, Inc., created the Escalera Program:  Taking Steps to Success to promote economic mobility for Latino youth by increasing educational attainment, career planning, and access to information about advanced careers.  The program aligns with NCLR’s goals to eliminate barriers to employment and economic mobility while increasing the capacity of NCLR Affiliates to provide effective workforce development, education, and leadership services for Latino youth.  The intent of the Escalera Program is to design a replicable program model for serving Latino youth that can be implemented by NCLR Affiliates throughout the country.  The program’s principal components are career exploration, leadership development, personal development, and academic enrichment.

NCLR, with its Affiliates, has customized the Escalera model to address various youth population needs and create awareness about high-demand careers.

·         Adjudicated Youth Model:  AltaMed Health Services Corporation.  This Los Angeles–based program was customized to serve adjudicated youth and help students obtain their GED, secure employment, and/or graduate from high school and enroll in postsecondary education.

·         Disconnected Youth Pilot:  HELP-New Mexico, Inc.  NCLR has partnered with the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions and Commission for Community Volunteerism to design, test, and refine a pilot model of the Escalera Program that serves disconnected Latino youth in rural areas.

·         Early Escalera Pilot:  Instituto del Progreso Latino.  In partnership with the Best Buy Children’s Foundation, NCLR has piloted an Early Escalera Program to serve high school sophomores in Chicago and monitor the impact of earlier intervention.

·         Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Model:  Knowledge is Power Program, Inc. (KIPP).  NCLR has partnered with Shell Oil Company to fund and implement a STEM-focused program model in Houston.

Impact

·         The national high school graduation rate for Hispanics is 58%.  To date, 92% of students who have enrolled in the Escalera Program have successfully completed the program and graduated from high school.

·         The national average of Hispanic college enrollment is a meager 58%.  To date, 89% of Escalera Program graduates have chosen a path to upward economic mobility by enrolling in postsecondary institutions, and 99% of the 2008 Escalera graduates persisted in college past year one.

·         By 2010, the NCLR Escalera Program has served 1,200 Latino youth.

Program Successes

·         The Escalera Program was presented at the 2009 Youth Symposium of the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals.

·         In February 2010, NCLR will publish Beyond the Classroom: Creating Pathways to College and Careers for Latino Youth, a comprehensive evaluation of the Escalera Program.  This two-year study compares the college and career preparation of Escalera and non-Escalera students.

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For more information contact:

fmedellin@nclr.org