Transcript College Knowledge Challenge Overcoming the 3 Roadblocks to Getting to and Through College Dr. Keith Frome Ed.d Co-Founder, College Summit, Inc. Washington, DC Headmaster, The King Center Charter.

College
Knowledge
Challenge
Overcoming the 3
Roadblocks to Getting
to and Through College
Dr. Keith Frome Ed.d
Co-Founder, College Summit, Inc.
Washington, DC
Headmaster, The King Center Charter School
Buffalo, NY 14226
[email protected]
What is
COLLEGE
SUMMIT?
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Founded in 1993, College Summit partners with high schools in
low income communities to provide curricula, professional
development, technology, peer leadership training and milestone
and outcomes data to increase postsecondary success rates
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The College Access Issue:
“In today’s economy, a college degree is in greater demand than
ever before. Unfortunately, issues such as rising tuition costs and
confusion about complex college admission and financial aid
processes keep many qualified students from entering college.
Many of those who do enroll face additional challenges finding the
support and resources they need to graduate. These factors have
left today’s young Americans less likely to obtain college degrees
than members of their parents’ generation.”
THE NATIONAL COLLEGE ACCESS NETWORK
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The Current State of Postsecondary Access
Definitions: When we use the term “college” we mean any
postsecondary education with value in the market-place. “College”
therefore refers to community colleges, 2-year colleges, 4-year
colleges, technical and vocational schools.
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The College Graduation Trajectory of High Income vs. Low Income Kids
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College Going Changes Families and Communities
Those who have attended college:
•
Are more likely to be employed and have higher wage jobs
•
Report increased job satisfaction
•
Are more likely to volunteer for youth, civic, or community organizations
•
Are more likely to read books at home three or more times/week
Children of college-educated parents:
•
Are more likely to graduate from high school and continue on to college
•
Are more likely to enjoy higher cognitive development
•
Daughters of college-educated mothers are considerably less likely to
become unmarried teen parents
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If college is so important, why aren’t
more low income students enrolling and
graduating from college?
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Roadblocks for College Entrance
and Completion for Low-income Students
PLANNING
Strong college planning skills
Strong career planning skills
INFORMATION
PEERS
Information on college
selection, admissions, and
financial aid requirements
and processes
Positive influence from
college-going peers
Information on college transfer,
scholarship, and graduation
requirements and processes
Connection and modeling
from successful college
attaining peers
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What makes
A DIFFERENCE?
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PLANNING
Successful College and
Career Planning
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Successful College Planning
PLANNING
•
Establishing emerging career goals and envisioning a positive future
possible self
•
Navigating curricular requirements for college admissions from 9th
through 12th grades and developing a comprehensive college-ready
course of study, including honors, A.P. and I.B. courses
•
Preparing for SAT and ACT, including taking the PSAT
•
Building a strong high school resume, including extra-curricular
activities, athletics, work, internships, and community service
•
Identifying teachers who can write strong Letters of Recommendation
•
Developing a relevant college List
•
Creating a transition plan and budget for college, including an
understanding of how to sustain financial aid once in college.
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Successful Career Planning
PLANNING
•
Charting the pathway(s) from college major to career, including work
experience and graduate school
•
Tapping into campus resources for help with academics as well as
personal and career development
•
Establishing strong time and money management skills
•
Considering the practical, financial, and educational implications of
college major options
•
Tracking remedial, distribution, and major course requirements, and
sequencing courses into a four-year graduation plan
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INFORMATION
Essential College Enrollment
and Persistence Information
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Essential College Enrollment
and Persistence Information
INFORMATION
Students need to know:
•
When are college application deadlines, and what is required to be
competitive for admission(individual or common application?)
•
When are FAFSA and State aid application deadlines, and what
information/documentation is required? How to adjudicate FA and
admission offers? How to develop a plan to sustain FA once enrolled in
college.
•
What is expected on the College Application essay and how to write a
compelling statement?
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Essential College Enrollment
and Persistence Information (cont.)
INFORMATION
•
What colleges have high retention and graduation rates for lowincome, minority students?
•
When (and how much)is the deposit required for enrollment, and when
will first semester tuition be due; when and how should freshman
register for their first semester?
•
Which majors lead to which careers?
•
What academic and time requirements are necessary for the
successful completion of an intended degree?
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Essential College Enrollment
and Persistence Information (cont.)
INFORMATION
•
What is required to sustain the financial aid package throughout
college; what additional aid/scholarship opportunities are available for
performing, enrolled students?
•
How do I access support on a college campus to ensure graduation?
•
What is required to transfer from a two-year to a four-year institution?
•
What are the starting salaries and longer-term salary ranges for
various career options; what are the graduate school and
internship/experience requirements for identified careers?
•
What is the monthly debt service on the student loan and how does
that relate to the expected monthly salary?
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PEERS
College-Going Peers
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The Power of Peer Support and
Social Networks for College Success
PEERS
• Harness the positive influence of peers in students’ imagining of what
is possible for themselves
• Create opportunities for peers to demonstrate, practice, and grow
their grit and advocacy skills with one another
• Explore the possible pathways from high school to and through
college to career
• Generate opportunities for students to in turn to their peers when
obstacles appear on their path to college
• Encourage students to participate in a college bridge and/or
orientation program
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The Power of Peer Support and
Social Networks for College Success (cont.)
PEERS
• Create information sharing networks about financial, academic, extracurricular and career opportunities
• Orient and Motivate students to engage with campus advising
resources
• Get Students involved in campus extra-curricular activities
• Connect students with major- and aspirational career- aligned mentors
• Generate opportunities to overcome obstacles through help from others
who have faced and surmounted similar obstacles.
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What Drives Postsecondary Success?
Information: Provide Accurate, Accessible, Easy-to-Access, Easy-to-Use,
Relevant and Sensitive Information about Navigation and Possibility
Training: Train users to access and employ and follow through on college
navigation information; build the capacity to use the information to
maximize its impact on the trajectory of a student’s life
Management: Provide on-going coaching so that students are nurtured
and nagged to follow through on necessary tasks to enroll in and graduate
from postsecondary institutions
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Current Platform: The Schools Themselves
What Successful Schools Are Doing to Increase Postsecondary Achievement
•
College-Going Culture: College is the default expectation for all students
•
Focus on Freshman: College planning and college-ready academic
remediation begin immediately for high school freshmen; colleges ensure that
first-year students are well supported and guided
•
Postsecondary Success Metric: College Achievement is the ultimate metric
of success
•
Universal Support: Academic rigor is a necessary but not sufficient condition
for college success; college navigation support is provided for all students
during the school day and on campus
•
Peer Leadership: Students use organizing and social networking techniques
to create college going and college success culture for their schools
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Implementation Management: College navigation programs are measured
for milestone achievement outcomes
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A New Platform: The College Knowledge Challenge. Mobile
Apps Available for All Students
Collegeknowledgechallenge.org
Targeted Innovation: Apps focus on one or more of the three major roadblocks
(e.g. planning, information, or peers)
• Understanding: Apps understand the realities of 1st generation students
• Interactivity: Deliver a user-friendly interface that provides information AND
support/coaching to students
• Social Engagement: Social networking drives engagement and impact
• Accessibility: Apps are accessible to 1st generation students, in terms of pricing
and distribution
• Data: Apps yield insight into what drives application, enrollment and persistence.
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Your Questions?
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