Description
The High School Equivalency Program (HEP) is designed to assist migratory or seasonal farmworkers (or immediate family members of such workers) to obtain the equivalent of a secondary school diploma and subsequently to gain improved employment, enter military service, or be placed in an institution of higher education (IHE) or other postsecondary education or training. The program provides financial assistance to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) and private nonprofit organizations to operate HEP projects. Key objectives of the program include:
* Providing educational services to migratory or seasonal farmworkers and their immediate family members to help them obtain a high school equivalency diploma
* Assisting students in gaining improved employment, entering military service, or being placed in an institution of higher education or other postsecondary education or training
* Fostering partnerships with local educational agencies, community-based organizations, adult learning providers, and postsecondary education institutions to provide comprehensive services to students and their families
* Promoting multilingualism to equip participants with language skills necessary to thrive in a globalized world
Some of the key features of the program include:
* Competitive preference priority for projects that demonstrate prior experience in implementing an expiring HEP project
* Invitational priorities for projects that focus on meeting students' social, emotional, and academic needs, and promoting multilingualism
* Performance measures to evaluate the overall effectiveness of HEP, including the percentage of HEP participants exiting the program having received a high school equivalency diploma, and the percentage of high school equivalency diploma recipients who enter postsecondary education or training programs, upgraded employment, or the military
* Annual targets for performance measures and student enrollment targets
* Requirements for grantees to submit annual performance reports and final performance reports, including financial information
* Open licensing requirements for grant deliverables created with Department grant funds