School Choice & Charters

Immigrant Grads Get Charter’s Help

By Mary Ann Zehr — October 08, 2004 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Educators at a charter school in California have gone to extra lengths to make sure that undocumented immigrant students who graduate from the school receive financial support to go to college.

The Animo Leadership Charter High School in Inglewood, Calif., one of five charter schools run by the nonprofit organization Green Dot Public Schools, has raised $31,000 in private money plus $30,000 in scholarships so that 19 undocumented students in the school’s first graduating class can attend college.

Those students, who graduated in a class of 125 students last spring, are college freshmen this year. “Between the students, the families, and us, for this first year, we have them covered,” said Mara Simmons, the vice president of education for Green Dot. “Our challenge is next year.”

California is one of a few states in which undocumented students can pay in-state tuition at public universities. But those rates—up to $12,000 a year in California—are out of reach for many undocumented youths, said Ms. Simmons. Many scholarships aren’t available to them, and they can’t get jobs legally, she said. Moreover, they can’t receive federal financial aid.

One of the undocumented students, last year’s valedictorian, received a four-year scholarship to attend Loyola Marymount University, a private, Roman Catholic university in Los Angeles. Three others received $10,000 scholarships from the Oscar De La Hoya Foundation in Los Angeles, at the request of the charter school. The school also raised money from private donors for the other students.

Ms. Simmons noted that passage of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act by the U.S. Congress would enable many undocumented youths to attend college. The bill, which hasn’t yet been approved by the Senate, would permit such youths who have succeeded in U.S. high schools to gain legal residency and qualify for in-state tuition.

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Achievement Webinar
Student Success Strategies: Flexibility, Recovery & More
Join us for Student Success Strategies to explore flexibility, credit recovery & more. Learn how districts keep students on track.
Content provided by Pearson
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Shaping the Future of AI in Education: A Panel for K-12 Leaders
Join K-12 leaders to explore AI’s impact on education today, future opportunities, and how to responsibly implement it in your school.
Content provided by Otus
Student Achievement K-12 Essentials Forum Learning Interventions That Work
Join this free virtual event to explore best practices in academic interventions and how to know whether they are making a difference.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Choice & Charters Opinion Teachers Might Embrace Private School Choice. Here's Why
School choice is often discussed in terms of student impact. But what's in it for teachers?
10 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
School Choice & Charters Private School Choice Will Keep Expanding in 2025. Here's Where and How
The conditions are ripe in at least a dozen states for proposals to invest public dollars in private educational options for families.
12 min read
budget school funding
iStock/Getty
School Choice & Charters Trump Wants to Expand Private School Choice. Does the Public Agree?
Both fans and opponents of private school choice argue that public sentiment is on their side.
4 min read
Artistic image of multiple paths leading to a school building.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
School Choice & Charters Voters Rejected Private School Choice. A Trump Administration May Push It Anyway
Pro-school choice initiatives failed in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska.
6 min read
Photo illustration of school building and check boxes.
Education Week + Getty