The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics (WHIEEH) launches its 2014 National Policy in Action Forums with the National Forum on Integrated Student Supports (ISS) in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 27. The WHIEEH team and its President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics (Commission) will highlight the importance of ISS in improving educational outcomes for minority and low-income students. Panel discussions throughout the day will focus on how ISS is working in communities and the need for increased investment by all stakeholders in the education of our young children.
Integrated Student Supports (ISS) is a school-based approach to promoting students’ academic achievement and educational attainment by coordinating a seamless system of wraparound supports. According to a recent study from Child Trends, ISS programs serve more than 1.5 million students in nearly 3,000 elementary and high schools across the country. Almost all of these programs target at-risk children. Child Trends estimates that Hispanic and black students account for more than 75 percent of the students enrolled in ISS programs.
The WHIEEH's 2014 National Policy in Action Forums will take place across the country and will cover many of the WHIEEH's cradle-to-career priorities which include early learning; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education; teacher recruitment; family engagement and college access, affordability and completion. The forums' framework will highlight research on the particular topic, bright spots—evidence-based programs or models that are showing positive outcomes for the Hispanic community—and how partnerships and philanthropy are investing in these topics.
In order to improve opportunities for Hispanic students, President Obama signed Executive Order 1355 on Oct. 19, 2010, renewing the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. This executive order demonstrated the president’s strong support for the critical role Hispanics play in the overall prosperity of the nation and highlights the administration’s commitment to expanding educational opportunities and improving educational outcomes for all students.