Seal of Excelencia Framework

Excelencia's framework featuring 3 pillars: data, practice, and leadership

Excelencia in Education established the Seal of Excelencia, a rigorous, data-driven certification framework that requires colleges and universities to show intentionality and measurable results for student success. Institutions earn this standard of excellence through an intentional alignment of data, evidence-based practices, and leadership, all resulting in students’ educational and economic success.

The Seal of Excelencia framework reinforces essential components of a comprehensive perspective on higher education value based on student success: 1) Ensuring all students succeed; 2) Whole institution transformation; 3) Economic and social mobility; and 4) Effective use of public funds. This framework represents Excelencia’s learning from over 20 years of working with higher education institutions and is informed by Excelencia’s research, identification of evidence-based practices, and extensive collaboration with a large network of leaders committed to the common cause of Latino, and all, student success.

Excelencia is committed to significantly increasing the number of students attaining college degrees by 2030 in partnership with institutions to share and learn strategies that align data, evidence-based practices, and leadership as a community of learners to accelerate student success. The Seal is a tool to drive excellence at institutions for Latino students, knowing that an intentional and mission-driven investment in serving Latino students would ensure that all students, and their communities, are served.

The Seal of Excelencia framework has three core components: data, practice, and leadership.

DATA

Institutions collect, disaggregate, and analyze 3-5 years of data for impact in six key data areas:

Enrollment of Latino, and all, students;
Retention of Latino, and all, students;
Transfer in and out of Latino, and all, students;
Financial support of Latino, and all, students;
Representation of Latinos, and all, in administration, faculty, and staff to further model success; and,
Degree completion of Latino, and all, students.

PRACTICE

Institutions intentionally implement and advance at least three evidence-based programs and policies with data on impact in six key practice areas:

Enrollment of Latino, and all, students;
Retention of Latino, and all, students;
Transfer in and out of Latino, and all, students;
Financial support of Latino, and all, students;
Representation of Latinos, and all, in administration, faculty, and staff to further model success; and,
Degree of Latino, and all, students.

LEADERSHIP

Institutions demonstrate intentional commitment to improve student success in five leadership areas tied to their strategic plan:

Mission and strategy – where aspects of the institution’s mission and strategy are articulated and implemented to intentionally include Latino students’ success.
Data and practice – how disaggregated data (by race and ethnicity) and institutional practices are aligned to inform initiatives that improve Latino, and all, student success.
Human resources – how recruitment, onboarding, and professional development (especially for faculty) articulate serving Latino students and the institutional community while serving all.
Communications – where internal and external communications are leveraged to share information making the intentionality to serve Latino students, amongst all, clear. This can keep momentum building toward goals set by the college and across the institution and community.
Institutional culture – how the institution articulates authentically its intentionality in SERVING Latino students, including how students are cultivated and supported overall.