Community Minute: Scholarships And Academic Assistance For Latino Students In D.C.

Between 1980 and 2009, the dropout rate for Hispanic students dropped from more than 35 percent in to more than 17 percent.* In an effort to further reduce that percentage, one organization is working to provide academic and financial support to Hispanic students in the District.

The Latino Student Fund Scholarship Program (LSF) was founded in 1994 by community leaders, educators and parents who recognized the need to combat dropout rates in the Latino community. LSF administers a scholarship program to provide Latino students with necessary funds to attend a private or charter school to and to participate in higher education. In addition to the scholarship program, LSF operates a tutoring program to provide supplemental academic support to at-risk and underprivileged Latino youth. In the tutoring program, each student is tutored individually, and parents and family members of the student are offered two levels of ESL classes. LSF also provides workshops, speakers and informational services to students and their families. In 2011, LSF supported 94 students in grades PreK-12, representing over $100,000 in supplemental financial support.

For more information, contact:
Latino Student Fund
P.O. Box 5403
Washington, D.C. 20016
202.244.3438
programs@latinostudentfund.org

*Statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics.

This Community Minute is part of American Graduate on WAMU 88.5. "American Graduate:  Let’s Make It Happen," a public media initiative supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help local communities across America address the dropout crisis.