LULAC National Educational Service Center of Dallas

Since its inception in 1998, LNESC Dallas has established partnerships with governmental, educational, corporate, nonprofit and community partners to provide pre-collegiate TRIO Program Services, sponsored by grants from the US Department of Education, to serve one hundred and eighty-five (185) high school students attending any one of our target high schools: W.H. Adamson, Thomas Jefferson, Moises E. Molina, Dr. LG Pinkston Sr., and Sunset in Dallas ISD.  

LNESC Dallas operates two federally funded Upward Bound (UB) and one Upward Bound Math/Science (UBMS) TRIO projects, which provide support to participants as they prepare to graduate high school, ready to apply for a college/university of their choice with the financial aid/scholarship package needed to finance their education with a minimal loan award.  Participants are provided opportunities to succeed in their pre-college performance and ultimately in their higher education pursuits. Upward Bound serves high school students from low-income families and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from postsecondary institutions.

LNESC's Upward Bound projects provide academic instruction in mathematics, laboratory sciences, composition, literature, and foreign languages. Tutoring, counseling, mentoring, cultural enrichment, work-study programs, education or counseling services designed to improve the financial and economic literacy of students; and programs and activities previously mentioned that are specially designed for students who are limited English proficient, or supporting students with disabilities, students who are homeless or are in foster care, or are aging out of foster care system or other disconnected students are automatically eligible to be served.

Currently, LNESC Dallas receives $907,581 annually from the US Department of Education to support the UB/UBMS projects and $71,395 in supplemental funding from our corporate, foundation, and private funders for our outside programs, including citizenship training for Dallas County Adult Permanent Residents seeking to become US Citizens. This program is completely free for aspiring citizens and is delivered in partnership with UNT-Dallas and other organizations, including Proyecto Inmigrante and many others. The Citizenship Project serves between 100 and 150 participants annually and, in some years, celebrates the new citizenship of 75 to 85 new U.S. Citizens per semester.

LNESC Dallas impacts between eight hundred and one thousand students annually who are motivated to become "Life-Long Learners and Life-Long Leaders".

Our Needs

LNESC Dallas has identified several needs:

CAPITAL NEEDS - LNESC has set a short-term goal to raise $175,000 to meet its capital needs. These include about $125,000 for building improvements to its main office complex in Oak Cliff. Currently, we have secured $66,000 in donations toward that goal and are hoping to secure the balance to complete the exterior refurbishment of our nearly 2,000-square-foot building.

PROGRAM NEEDS - LNESC Dallas Advisory Board and Community Needs assessments have identified an urgent need to develop Low-Income, "First-Generation-In-College" Youth and Young Adults into 21st-century leaders prepared to lead in a rapidly evolving AI environment. LNESC is determined to meet this need by providing leadership programs at area high schools that prepare participants for these future challenges and opportunities.  LNESC is now seeking to develop a $275,000 program fund to sustainably implement these services in a coordinated fashion that provides the wrap-around services that our families need.