The Lumina Foundation for Education is turning its attention to a segment of the population projected to be a key driver in meeting the nation's college-completion goals: Latino students.
At more than 50 million, Latinos represent the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the United States. Half of the nation's workers will be of Latino descent by 2025, the foundation says.
The foundation announced on Monday that it would provide $7.2-million over four years to 12 partnerships in 10 states with significant and growing Latino populations. The grant money is designed to strengthen projects in key metropolitan areas that show promise in improving the college-graduation rates of Latino students. Among the states selected are Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
The project is part of Lumina's Goal 2025 effort, which aims to increase the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by the year 2025.
