Low Income Students

Informing Low-Income Students About Their College Options

June 30, 2013

Many high performing students from lower income backgrounds are failing to recognize the huge advantage they have in gaining admissions into highly selective colleges and universities.

In the article, Elite Colleges Struggle To Recruit Smart, Low-Income Kids, Shankar Vedantam notes the challenges faced by top colleges and universities to identified qualified candidates from lower income backgrounds:

“If this is like most years, administrators at top schools such as Harvard and Stanford will try hard to find talented high school students from poor families in a push to increase the socioeconomic diversity on campus and to counter the growing concern that highly selective colleges cater mainly to students from privileged backgrounds.”

Although the information and support we are providing through our partnership with the Turner Chapel AME Church Education Ministry is being replicated by organizations in other parts of the country, there are still far too many students lacking access to the necessary support. For example, In the Houston Public Radio article, Ivy League 101: Helping More High Achieving, Low-Income Students Apply to Best Colleges, Laura Isensee notes how the Houston Independent School District’s Emerge program is expanding college access for students from lower income families by working with over 300 students from 12 Houston high schools:

“We have students at Harvard, Tufts, Dartmouth,
Oberlin, and MIT.”

The research paper by Caroline Hoxby (Stanford University) and Sarah Turner (University of Virginia) of The Hamilton Project, Informing Students about Their College Options: A Proposal for Broadening the Expanding College Opportunities Project, provides insight into the need for closing the widely research “College Knowledge Gap.”

“Most high-achieving, low-income students do not even
apply to selective colleges despite being highly qualified
for admission and success at these institutions. Because they
do not apply, these students forgo the generous academic
resources, increased financial aid, and better collegiate
and career opportunities that selective schools offer.”

Professors Hoxby and Turner discuss the “Expanding College Opportunities (ECO) Project” and cite four important elements their research addresses, which has been validated in a variety of research studies pertaining to:

Undermatching
The College Knowledge Gap
Graduation rates for high achieving, low-income students attending selective colleges and universities is substantially higher than the graduation rates of such students attending colleges where they are “undermatched”
Such students receive greater amounts of scholarships and grants, and lower amounts of student loan debt when attending selective colleges and universities

However, their research also addresses an important fifth element that is missing in many other research studies—the impact on low-income communities:

“High-achieving, low-income students are the natural role models for their
communities. High-achieving, low-income students are potentially the greatest
future college ambassadors to low-income students. Their authentic
experience of a life transformed can make them powerful advocates
and policy leaders who understand the issues that plague low-income
students who are striving to obtain a world-class education.”

In our work with students, this little researched aspect of expanding college admissions and scholarship opportunities, represents perhaps THE most significant element. Expanding the opportunities of students from low-income backgrounds, low-performing schools, and from families where students are the first in the family to attend college has a profound impact on family and community constructs regarding postsecondary pathways.

Organizations such the Gates Millennium Scholars, Posse Foundation Scholars, and Simon Scholars are having profound impact on students, families, schools, and communities each year. For example, not only do the students who are selected as one of the 1,000 Gates Millennium Scholars each year provide hope for their communities, students who are not selected are enriched through the process and end up applying to highly selective colleges and universities. The same is the case for both students who are selected as Posse Foundation Scholars and those who apply, but are not selected. Here in Atlanta, Gates Millennium Scholars who attend the Atlanta University Center work with Atlanta Public Schools students each year in preparing their GMS applications. Their efforts have significant as Atlanta Public Schools students lead the state in the number of students selected as GMS recipients. Through these and other volunteer efforts they are having a profound influence on the community as they continue expanding their own leadership capacity.

Although students certainly should be aware of the following four programs, there are many more local, state, regional, and national programs counselors and organizations should identify:

We are also working with students as 11th and 12th grade cohorts in college application packaging, scholarship research, essay writing, résumé writing, interviewing, and college research. Through this process we have gained perspective into what Professors Hoxby and Turner propose in their study. We believe that the ECO Mailing Packet they propose expanding in their paper can certainly be helpful for students. However, that is not enough as we believe that the information must be supported by the type of grassroots organizations that have been working with such students for many years and who have been experiencing measurable success in widening the postsecondary pathway for such students.

The formation of our 11th and 12th grade cohorts is in response to our experiences in which high performing students continued to make poor college choices and to miss out on important scholarship opportunities, despite being presented with all of the necessary information. Providing the information is an important element, however, connecting students to people willing to guide them through the process is critically important.

Their paper goes on to reinforce other research indicating some of the challenges confronting high achieving students from low-income backgrounds:

Students are poorly informed about the application strategies typically used by students who generate a strong portfolio of admission offers.
Students are poorly informed about what college will actually cost.
Students are poorly informed about the differences between colleges.
Students are not aware that they are eligible for testing and application fee waivers.

Responding to these challenges will require “Information” and “Guidance Through the Process.” Additionally, it will require interventions during elementary and middle school if we are to substantially increase the number of students from low-income backgrounds who among raise to the ranks of high achieving students who are qualified for admissions to selective colleges and universities.

Students from low-income families may have many college options available to them if they can navigate the oftentimes difficult, time consuming, and tedious college admissions process to selective colleges and universities. However, if students are willing to commit the time to researching colleges and to preparing quality college admission packages, there could be tens of thousands of dollars in financial aid awaiting.

The Washington Post article, “Getting more poor kids into college won’t fix income equality” points out some of the benefits of President Obama’s push for colleges to expand the admissions pathway for students from low-income backgrounds (Obama proposes college-rating system in bid to increase affordability) through increased accountability in such areas as average tuition, percentage of low-income students enrolled, and the amount of student loan debt accumulated by students. More information about colleges would be available on the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard website.

In an attempt to expand the college pathway for low-income students, the University of Chicago is simplifying the application process, eliminating the expectation that students work during the school year, providing summer internship opportunities, expanding their career counseling support, and no longer require submission of the CSS/Financial Aid Profile.

The U.S. News and World Reports listing of “Economic Diversity Among the Top 25 Ranked Schools” provides insight into those colleges that may have the most supportive policies and programs for students from low-income backgrounds.

Click here for the U.S. News & World Reports listing of the 100 most selective colleges and universities in the United States.

Simon Scholars Program

June 30, 2013

Simon Scholars Program

The Simon Scholars Program, funded by the Simon Family Foundation is currently operating in California, New Mexico, Georgia, and Washington D.C. It is a 6-year scholarship program that begins during a student’s junior year in high school and continues throughout the student’s 4 years of college. The program requires students to maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA by the end of their junior year of high school. Students are provided with a cash stipend, a computer, social skills training, academic support, leadership training and community service activities. Students also receive college-preparatory assistance through ACT and SAT courses, college tours and assistance in the application process from college coaches. Upon graduating from high school and being accepted into college, students receive a $16,000 college scholarship ($4,000 per year).

While the Simon Scholars Program provides a much smaller scholarship amount than the Gates Millennium Scholars and Posse Foundation Scholars Programs, the Simon Scholars Program works with students over the course of their final two years of high school providing much needed assistance in helping students to qualify for a broad range of college scholarships and expands students’ college admissions options to highly selective colleges and universities with generous need-based financial aid policies. Increasing students college readiness and expanding students’ sources of financial aid provides further evidence of the research findings pertaining to students’ college success and campus involvement:

86 percent of Simon Scholars who have started college are still enrolled or have graduated
97 percent of Collegiate Simon Scholars are actively involved in campus life
65 percent of Collegiate Simon Scholars are involved in community service on campus

I recently had the opportunity to speak to a group of Simon Scholars, both recent high school graduates and students currently attending college. Among the group of high school graduates were 3 Gates Millennium Scholars and many of the current college students were attending highly selective colleges and universities.

Click herefor information about current high schools participating in the program.

Parent Involvement is the Clearest Predictor of College Access

October 4, 2012

The Texas Comprehensive CenterBriefing Paper on Parent and Community Involvement in a College/Career-Ready Culturenotes:

“The literature on parent and community involvement is extensive. However, there is little rigorous, experimental research; rather, the literature consists primarily of descriptive case studies or correlation studies, along with numerous studies involving survey data. The same holds true for research around development of career and college readiness. Furthermore, there is very little to be found on the combined topics of parent/community involvement, college/career readiness, and student achievement.”

Some of the key findings of available research indicate that students with involved parents, no matter what their income or background, are more likely to:

Earn high grades and test scores and enroll in higher-level programs
Pass their classes, earn credits, and be promoted
Attend school regularly
Graduate and go on to postsecondary education
Although parental involvement is important through all the years of school, it changes as children develop; therefore, a student in middle or high school benefits from a different type of parental involvement than does an elementary school student
the most consistent finding in studies of parental involvement was “the importance of parents’ educational aspirations for their children”

Similar research findings are reported in, Succeeding in the City: A Report from the New York City Black and Latino Male High School Achievement Study, where young men of color note the importance of parent expectations pertaining to their academic achievement:

High expectations for school success were conveyed in myriad ways. Most common was parents’ dissatisfaction with grades they believed were unreflective of their children’s full potential.
In several interviews, young men recalled how they felt good about earning 90% on tests, but their parents’ reaction was “why didn’t you get a hundred?”
Some had proven their academic aptitude in elementary school, but their grades declined in middle school. Their parents refused to excuse this change and instead nagged the teens, found ways to get them tutor-ing and other forms of academic support, and punished them by taking away privileges they had come to enjoy.
One young man recalled a pivotal moment in his academic trajectory. He started getting 70s and 80s on report cards, instead of the 90s he had consistently earned prior to middle school. His dad took him on a long car ride outside of the city to express two things: (1) how he believed the young man was capable of doing better; and (2) why B’s and C’s were unacceptable. Concerning the second point, the father told his son that he expected him to be someone great in life, to go to college; accordingly, mediocre grades would not get him there. That car ride resonated with this young man from that point onward.
Others remembered specific things family members and others said to them at various junctures in their educational trajectories that helped them realize how great they were destined to be.

Despite these two research studies profiling students and parents in two different states (Texas and New York), parent expectations is an important component in the academic outcomes of their children. It is clear that parents should engage in:

Communicating expectations for achievement and value for education
Fostering educational and occupational aspirations
Discussing learning strategies
Preparing and planning for the future

To best ensure a successful transition to college or a career parents should:

Know about college admission or career requirements so that they may appropriately guide their children’s courses and activities
Understand student assessments that will allow them to track progress toward meeting the requirements
Understand financial aid options
Understand the application process

Cultivating home-school partnerships requires that educators understand that the lack of parental involvement of African-American, Hispanic, and low-income parents is not so much attributable to shortcomings of parents themselves as they are to structures and policies, which create invisible walls and inhibit interaction with schools such as:

Inflexible work schedules
Language barriers
Lack of comfort with school staff
Conditioned mistrust

Overcoming these barriers requires:

Obtaining input from families regarding information and resources they need to support their children’s college aspirations
Familiarizing families with services that provide academic support and college planning and provide these services in a family-friendly environment
Ensuring that families from all cultural, social, linguistic, and community backgrounds are included in outreach efforts
Partnering with faith-based, community organizations, and institutions of higher education to provide college planning and financial aid information

Research indicates that for low-income families, information on financial aid is extremely important, and parents need the information early in their child’s education so they can build and reinforce his or her aspirations to attend college.

Succeeding in the City: A Report from the New York City Black and Latino Male High School Achievement Study, notes that even schools that successfully cultivate college-bound cultures can lack sufficient insight and understanding of the full range of needs of students who will be the first in their families to attend college or who are living in high poverty communities:

“This is like a small college,” one young man said of his high school. Others described college-going cultures that had been fostered in their respective buildings.
There were poster-sized spreadsheets on a bulletin board in the guidance counselor’s office at East Bronx Academy for the Future that listed each graduating senior’s name in one column.
Other columns were used to track whether students had taken the SAT; applied to CUNY, SUNY, and other postsecondary institutions; submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), as well as applications for scholarships and other forms of financial aid (e.g., New York State’s Tuition Assistance Program); and had been accepted to college.
Students received big checkmarks in each column after one of these college-related activities had been completed. Fascinating to us was that almost every student listed on the spreadsheet had a near-complete row of checkmarks next to her or his name.
We also thought compelling that the spread-sheet was so large and so public. The guidance counselor explained that teachers, parents, and peers often interact with the bulletin board; if they see that a student has not done something on the list, they would ask (and some-times harass) her or him about it.
In that same office was another bulletin board that included college-related terms and their definitions. Students who would be first in their families to attend college probably would not have other-wise known the meanings of certain terms on the bulletin board (i.e., early decision, AP course, FAFSA, TAP, EOP, HBCU, and Bursar’s Office), hence its importance.
Participants at the 40 high schools frequently noted how teachers doubled as college advisors who offered assistance with the college choice process, admissions and scholarship applications, SAT prep, and financial aid documents.
“Did you see the signs above the classrooms?” one young man asked. “We are encouraged to talk to teachers about where they went to college; they help
Copies of college acceptance letters were stapled to bulletin boards and taped to walls in several other schools we visited.

However, although students at many schools are being inspired to pursue college, the report notes that even these schools are failing to provide students with pertinent information pertaining to financial aid and scholarships:

Despite their academic performance, few participants planned to finance their college education via scholarships and merit-based awards.
Although some expected to receive Pell Grants and awards from the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), an alarming number of students planned to finance college through student loans and working off-campus jobs.
We occasionally asked if they knew about the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, income threshold and no-loans financial aid policies at elite private colleges and universities, or the Posse Foundation’s scholars program (financial aid initiatives for which their grade point averages and socioeconomic statuses would likely qualify them); their answers were almost always no.
One young man planned to simultaneously work full-time and be a full-time college student. Although his socioeconomic status would surely qualify him, he had never heard of on-campus employment opportunities via the Federal Work Study Program.

Schools must do more to foster a culture of high expectations, make parents feel welcomed, provide parents with the information and resources they need to encourage their children’s aspirations early during their schooling, and expose students to the wide range of scholarship and financial aid opportunities based on their gifts, talents, and family circumstances.

Need-Based Financial Aid

March 9, 2012

Harvard University has a very generous need-based financial aid policy. According to the Harvard Office of Financial Aid website:

“All of our financial aid is awarded on the basis of demonstrated financial need—there are no academic, athletic or merit-based awards, and we meet the demonstrated need of every student, including international students, for all four years. We do not consider home equity or retirement accounts as resources in our determination of a family contribution, and aid packages do not include any loands. A typical student may receive over $15,000 in Harvard scholarship assistance over four years and the majority of students receiving scholarship are able to graduate debt-free. Our program continues to be generous for students across the economic spectrum, with more than two thirds of those receiving scholarship assistance coming form families with incomes greater than $60,000.”

Other needs-based schools, include:

There are many more colleges and universities to consider. A good place to begin is with Kiplinger’s Best Values in Private Colleges, which compares the top 200 values in liberal-arts colleges or private universities.

Increasing Black Male College Access and Success

March 4, 2012

The illustration above is from the National Black Male College Achievement Study by Penn University Professor Shaun R. Harper, Ph.D., “Black Male Student Success in Higher Education.” The study provides a different research perspective as to the plight of Black males in gaining access to, and succeeding in, higher education. As opposed to a deficit-based perspective seeking to identify all of the challenges to Black male educational attainment, Dr. Harper examines the support mechanisms and assets of Black males who have successfully navigated P-16 education into advanced degrees and a broad range of careers.

Dr. Robert M. Franklin, President of Morehouse College, is quoted as noting the importance of the 5Ms, “Messaging, Mentoring, Monitoring, Ministering, and Money,” as representing important areas of strategic thinking for policymakers:

What are the messages being sent to Black males as they navigate their P – 16 journey through higher education?
What type of mentoring are they in need of as they progress through early adolescence, puberty, and into manhood?
What monitoring mechanisms are needed to monitor their academic achievement, social development, intellectual and creative development?
What type of ministering to their sense of social, community, spiritual, and humanitarian consciousness is needed?
And finally, what type of financial support, i.e., money, will they need to gain access to, and support themselves, through college degree attainment?

Dr. Harper provides important insight into how reframing deficit-oriented questions such as:

Why do so few Black male students enroll in college?
What are Black male students’ grade point averages often the lowest among both sexes and all racial/ethnic groups on many campuses?

to:

How were aspirations for postsecondary education cultivated among Black male students who are currently enrolled in college?
What resources are most effective in helping Black male achievers earn GPAs above 3.0 in a variety or majors, including STEM fields?

I was particularly pleased to note that the Pre-College Socialization and Readiness questions reflected in Dr. Harper’s Anti-Deficit Achievement Framework are being addressed through our work at the foundation and through our partnership with the Turner Chapel AME Church Education Ministry. As a result of Dr. Harper’s research, we now have plans to incorporate additional questions pertaining to college achievement and post-college success into our College Panel Discussions. Parents and students should incorporate such questions into their college research and evaluation efforts:

What transition support does the college offer for incoming freshmen who may not have had adequate preparation in their secondary schools?
Are class sizes, student-faculty ratios, and campus culture best suited to student needs?
What opportunities are provided for students to foster relationships with instructors?
What opportunities are provided for students to engage in research and internships?
What support and encouragement is provided to stimulate and nurture students’ degrees beyond the baccalaureate?

While raising such questions is important for all students considering their many postsecondary opportunities, there is a critically important question that parents of Black males, and students themselves must consider, “How will the institution treat me while I am there and how will the institution prepare me for the type of racism I am likely to encounter as I pursue graduate or professional degrees and enter the post-college workplace?” Answering this question was important in guiding the college choice of our older son, who ultimately chose Amherst College, and in part, guided our younger son in narrowing the list of colleges to which he has applied:

Important findings for parents, educators, and policymakers to take into consideration are:

When asked, “Did you always know you were going to college?” the overwhelming majority of students responded, ‘Yes—it was never a question of if, but where.’ From boyhood through high school, parents and other family members reinforced to the achievers that college was the most viable pathway to social uplift and success. Interestingly, nearly half the participants came from homes where neither parent had attained a bachelor’s degree. Although they had little or no firsthand experience with higher education, these parents cultivated within their children a belief that college was the only allowable next step after high school.

When asked what differentiated their own paths from those of their peers who were not enrolled in college, the participants almost unanimously cited parenting practices. Their friends’ parents, the achievers believed, did not consistently maintain high expectations and were not as involved in their sons’ schooling. By contrast, most of the achievers’ parents and family members more aggressively sought out educational resources to ensure their success—tutoring and academic support programs, college preparatory initiatives, and summer academies and camps, to name a few.

Some of the key recommendations from the study are:

Importance of consistently high parent expectations
Equipping Families with College Knowledge
Culturally sensitizing teachers, counselors, and postsecondary faculty to the practices and processes that are harmful to student achievement and aspirations
Importance of college preparatory experiences
Removal of financial barriers
Importance of summer bridge programs
Assuming institutional responsibility for Black males student engagement

Much of what is echoed through the reflections of the young men in the study as well as the key recommendations are reflected through our work with students and families:

Closing the college-knowledge gap
Assisting parents and students in identifying summer and pre-college programs
Developing writing and communication skills
Engaging in college research
Identifying sources of financial aid
Identifying the best college choice
Preparing quality application packages to be considered for admissions into highly-selective colleges and universities
Providing academic tutorial support
Developing a sense of social and community consciousness

Perhaps most importantly, reinforcing the message, “It is not if you are going to college, only where are you going to college!” We are eagerly anticipating Dr. Harper’s forthcoming book, “Exceeding Expectations: How Black male Students Succeed in College.”

Many of the factors articulated as having contributed to the success of the Black men interviewed in Dr. Harper’s research are reflected in research findings from Ivory Toldson, Ph.D., in, “Academic Success for School-age Black Males” and in The Journal of Negro Education issue, “Academic Success for School-age Black Males”:

Importance of parents and family as an important contributor to Black male achievement
Importance of educational institutions in involving parents in school readiness and collaborating with parents to ensure nurturing and supportive actualizing school-based experiences for Black youth
Benefits of an authoritative parenting style on Black male behavior and academic achievement
Impact of after-school programs, tutoring, social skills training/group counseling, recreational, and cultural activities on strengthening Black male academic achievement
Types of classroom environment and learning experiences cultivated by classroom teachers
Impact of race-related experiences on Black male achievement
Importance

Another important recommendation is:

“Religiously affiliated institutions should provide tutoring, mentoring, preparatory workshops for college entrance tests, scholarship for the talented but underprivileged, assistance with college applications, youth summer jobs/programs, assistance to poor families, and spirual services and assistance to Black male inmates and to former inmates who have transitioned back to the community.”

There is clearly a role that faith-based and community organizations must accept if we are to increase the numbers of academically successful Black males.

Click here to for the research study…

Click here to download Superintendent’s Conference Presentation…

Marva Collins Video…

Morehouse College Video…

Complete Your FAFSA by the Deadline!

January 17, 2012

All high school seniors who are planning to enter college in the fall will need to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) before they can be considered for financial aid. Many colleges have a deadline of February 1, so it is critically important that students complete their FAFSA. If your parents have not filed their Federal Income taxes, then use the amounts from the previous year federal income tax returns as an estimate to answer the questions on the FAFSA application. You can always return to the FAFSA website at any time to update the amounts.

Students who are planning to attend private colleges and universities may also be required to complete the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE at the CollegeBoard website. You must do this in addition to the FAFSA and you must do so by the deadline established by the college or university that you plan to attend and to receive financial aid from.

Although there are a number of websites that will assist you with completing your FAFSA for a fee, you can simply go to the official government FAFSA website and complete the application at no charge. Any websites that charge you a fee, will still have to go to the government website to complete the official FAFSA application.

Be sure to file your completed FAFSA, keep track of your User ID, Password, and PIN. You will have to complete your FAFSA each year that you are in college and requesting financial aid.

Following are the important links:

Programs That Are Making A Difference

December 18, 2011

The programs listed below provide unique opportunities for students in various areas of the country, from various demographic backgrounds, and from various levels of schooling. The programs have a variety of selection criteria and deadlines.

A Better Chance

The mission of A Better Chance is to increase substantially the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society. They carry out their mission through their College Preparatory Schools Program, which annually recruits, refers and supports about 500 Scholars at more than 300 Member Schools in 27 states. They have been opening the doors to greater educational opportunities since 1963 and more than 12,000 alumni have now gone on to distinguished careers as physicians, artists, educators, lawyers, politicians and corporate executives.

Prospective applicants should get started early; late applications are not encouraged as they severely limit opportunities for placements. Further, the application process begins one year prior to enrolling. For example, if a student is currently in the 8th grade, she or he would be applying for the 9th grade.

There are three major stages to the application process, each consisting of several small steps. Please go to the “How to Apply” page and follow each of the required steps.

The application deadline for the College Preparatory Schools Program is October 1.

Arkansas Commitment

The Arkansas Commitment Program attempts to identify academically talented African-American high school students throughout central Arkansas and assist these students in acquiring the knowledge, skills and professional experience necessary for effective community leadership. African-American students, 8th grade or higher, with a minimum 3.0 grade point average or above are invited to apply. The Program is open to African-American students from all high schools and school districts in the Central Arkansas area.

If you are currently in the 8th, 9th, or 10th grade, click here. If you are currently in the 11th or 12th grade, click here.

ASPIRA

ASPIRA is a national organization working to further the interest of Hispanic youth. The ASPIRA Association, Inc. does not currently provide financial assistance, but attempts to direct Hispanic youth to organizations that might be able to help. If you an Hispanic youth and live in or near Miami, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Newark, New Jersey;Bridgeport, Connecticut; New York, New York, or Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico; you may want to contact the local ASPIRA offices in those cities. They may be able to provide you with more specific information on scholarship and financial possibilities.

Breakthrough

The Breakthrough Collaborative is devoted to preparing high-achieving middle-school students, most of whom are of color and from low-income families, to enter and succeed in college-preparatory high school programs. Breakthrough also recruits and trains outstanding high school and college students to become Breakthrough teachers and build an interest in careers as educators.

Breakthrough students usually enter the program in the summer of their 7th grade year and continue until they graduate from high school. The student experience includes two 6-week, academically intense summer sessions, year-round support and tutoring, and ongoing-college preparation and assistance. Most Breakthrough students attend public schools.

Bright Prospect

Bright Prospect is located in Pomona, California and is focused on increasing the number of low-income students who enter and graduate from four-year universities. Their programs provide the counseling and guidance students need to gain admission to the best colleges they are qualified for with the financial aid they need, and also provide a comprehensive support system throughout students’ college years so that they graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

Center for Student Opportunity

The Center for Student Opportunity is focused on empowering underserved, first-generation college students to and through college by providing critical information, guidance, scholarships, and ongoing support.

Students wishing to become Opportunity Scholars can complete the CSO College CenterConnectNow student profile to get involved.

Opportunity Scholars can also be nominated by high school counselors and teachers, community-based organization staff, and college access professionals that work with these students.

To nominate a student, please complete the Opportunity Scholars Nomination Form.

Chicago Scholars

The Chicago Scholars Program identifies energetic and promising high school juniors like who are determined to make the most of their college experience. After students are accepted into the program during their junior year of high school, the program will begin from the college admissions stage through college graduation, laying the groundwork at length for success in the professional world or in graduate study.

Click here to become a Chicago Scholar!

College Bound

College Bound a Washington, D.C. based program that offers public and public charter school students in grades 8-12 academic enrichment and resources to prepare for and succeed in college. The organization offers tutoring, mentoring, ACT/SAT preparation, and academic and career guidance free-of-charge to assist students in the District of Columbia metropolitan area in meeting their postsecondary educational goals.

You are eligible for the program if you are:

A Public/Charter School student in the DC Metropolitan area
Enrolled in a grade between 8-11
Committed to going to college
Committed to attending weekly meetings
Committed to working with a partner (mentor)

College Forward

College Forward is a college access program that provides free college access services to motivated economically-disadvantaged Central Texas students. Participating students receive one-on-one support through every aspect of the college application and financial aid process from the beginning of their junior year in high school until they earn a four-year college degree.

High School Juniors attending selected schools in the Austin area who want to earn four-year college degrees are invited to apply to the College Forward program if they are in the top 60% of their high school class and either qualify for the National School Lunch Program or would be the first in their families to graduate from college.

College Horizons

College Horizons is a pre-college program for Native American high school students open to current sophomores and juniors. Each summer students work with college counselors and college admissions officers in a five-day “crash course.” The individualized program helps students select colleges suitable for them to apply to, get admitted to, and receive adequate financial aid. Students research their top 10 schools; complete college essays, resumes, the Common Application, and the preliminary FAFSA; receive interviewing skills and test-taking strategies (on the ACT and SAT) and financial aid/scholarship information.

College Match

College Match identifies low-income high school sophomores with strong academic records in the Los Angeles, California area, and provides each of them (on an individualized basis) an intensive array of services comparable to what affluent students receive at elite private schools. These students and their families receive counseling and support to make them competitive in the college application process.

College Track

College Track is an after-school, college preparatory program for high school students offered in various cities throughout the United States. Their four core service areas are:

Academic Affairs reinforces high standards and accountability that enable our students to enter college and succeed in life.
Student Life provides students the opportunities, resources, and tools to explore their passions and constructively engage in their communities.
College Affairs guides students in all aspects related to college admissions and helps students find college scholarships.
College Success provides support to our college students through academic advising and help finding financial aid.

Early Academic Outreach Program

EAOP is a state-wide college preparatory program sponsored by the University of California. For over 30 years, EAOP has helped students prepare for college by creating a community of young scholars and offering college-preparatory advising and academic enrichment opportunities. EAOP at UC Berkeley currently serves approximately 3,000 students from San Francisco, Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

Students who are enrolled at an EAOP Partner School and maintain a 2.8 GPA or higher in their college preparatory coursework are eligible to apply to the program. Priority is given to students from low-income families and/or students who will be the first in their family to go to college.

In general, students are invited to apply during the spring of their 9th grade year.

Educational Talent Search

The Educational Talent Search prepares academically qualified limited income, first generation New Hampshire youth to complete secondary school and enroll in and complete a program of postsecondary education by providing academic advising, career, college, financial literacy and financial aid information.

EOP/HEOP at Cornell University

Currently, EOP has a presence on 45 campuses across New York State with HEOP operating on 57 campuses. To be eligible for admission to EOP you must be:

A New York State resident for 12 months prior to enrollment;
Require special admissions consideration; and
Qualify as economically disadvantaged according to the guidelines. In selecting students for the program, priority is given to applicants from historically disadvantaged backgrounds.

EOP/HEOP at Cornell University, through the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) facilitates students whose financial and academic environments have not allowed their potential to come to fruition. H/EOP gives students who have the ability for academic success, but not the requirements for regular admission, the chance to attend Cornell University. The programs allow students eight to ten semesters to successfully complete a degree.

EOP serves students enrolled in one of the contract colleges at Cornell:

HEOP serves students enrolled in one of the endowed colleges at Cornell:

HEOP at State University of New York provides access, academic support and financial aid to students who show promise for succeeding in college but who may not have otherwise been offered admission. Available primarily to full-time, matriculated students, the program supports students throughout their college careers within the University.

Fiver Children’s Foundation

The Fiver Children’s Foundation takes its name from a fictional character of the Richard Adams novel Watership Down. Fiver is the name of a small rabbit who has a vision to create a better future for his community and the courage to carry on after confronting seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The Fiver Children’s Foundation is a youth development organization based out of New York City, that organizes year-long programming in addition to hosting children ages 8 to 18 at a summer camp.

Fulfillment Fund

The Fulfillment Fund is a college access organization working closely with partners in the schools and the community to provide first-generation, low-income students with the support necessary to graduate from high school and go on to college. High school seniors who are currently enrolled in a Fulfillment Fund program are eligible to apply for one of our competitive need-and-merit based college scholarships, renewable for 2-4 years of undergraduate study.

I Have A Dream Foundation

The I Have A Dream Foundation sponsors cohorts of students in under-resourced public schools or housing developments, and work with these “Dreamers” from early elementary school all the way through high school. Upon high school graduation, each Dreamer receives guaranteed tuition assistance for higher education.

While each “I Have A Dream” program is localized to meet the specific needs of its Dreamers, all programs share common elements and take two basic forms, school-based and housing-based.

Currently, more than 3,158 Dreamers are on the way to college in 17 states, Washington, D.C., and New Zealand, following some 12,000 Dreamers who came before them.

Johns Hopkins CTY Scholars

The Johns Hopkins CTY Scholars CTY Talent Searches identify, assess, and recognize students with exceptional mathematical and/or verbal reasoning abilities. Students may participate in Grades 2-6 or Grades 7-8. Participation in the CTY Talent Search comes with a wealth of benefits.

Students interested in applying should:

Read the 2012 Talent Search brochure
Apply online or by paper (“fillable” pdf)
Locate the school code needed for your application
Access test center lists for all grades
Learn about your CTY test options
Testing information for students with disabilities

Let’s Get Ready

Let’s Get Ready is focused on expanding college access for motivated, low-income high school students by providing FREE SAT preparation and college admission counseling through college student volunteers who serve as “Coaches,” mentors, and role-models to provide not only SAT instruction and college admissions guidance, but the encouragement and inspiration students need to succeed.

Link Unlimited

The Link Unlimited College Readiness programs provide students with in-depth exposure to higher education and one-on-one counseling that complements the advisement that they receive at their respective high schools. During the fall of their senior year all LINK Scholars participate in one-on-one college counseling with LINK Unlimited staff. During these hour-long sessions scholars, along with the LINK staff member, talk through the students school options and create a list of 5-7 schools for the scholar to apply to.

LINK has established partnerships with over 43 colleges and universities. These schools give LINK scholars access to their campus, students and administrators to answer questions and give students relevant information about their school. Bowdoin College, DePauw University, Union College, Pomona College, Colorado College, Denison University, Stanford University, Vanderbilt University, Emory University, Washington University in St. Louis, Hamilton College and Colgate University are a few of our partner schools. We are constantly increasing our partnerships especially with smaller top-ranked schools. These schools post high minority retention rates, offer generous financial award packages, and have high numbers of alumni who attend graduate school.

Application criteria:

The student must be an African American 8^thgrader (students who have already started high school are not eligible to apply).

The student must reside in theChicagoland area and plan to attend a tuition-charging (private, parochial, or Independent) high school in the Chicagoland area.

The student must be highly motivated as evidenced by strong academic potential. Academic potential is determined by reviewing the student’s 7^th and 8^th grade report cards along with standardized test scores and teacher letters of recommendation. Strong candidates have achieved mainly As and Bs in core subjects, have a proven track record of strong study habits, and have test scores that show strong academic ability, achievement, and aptitude. We are seeking students who have the potential to succeed in a challenging academic environment.

If you are a grammar school teacher/administrator, church, community based organization, etc., and would like to have a representative from LINK Unlimited come out to speak to a group of your students about this scholarship opportunity, please contact Tiffany McQueen, Director of Educational Programs at 312-225-5465.

Making Waves

Making Waves propels urban, low-income children to the highest levels of academic achievement and helps underserved students gain acceptance to college and graduate with a bachelor’s degree. Through Making Waves Academy in Richmond, California and the Making Waves Education Program in Richmond and San Francisco, Making Waves provides rigorous academic training, critical support services, and options to attend challenging schools to youth in fifth through twelfth grades. We also provide scholarships and counseling to our Wave-Makers throughout the college years, as well as professional mentoring and career advice to our alumni.

Minds Matter

Minds Matter serves high-achieving, low-income students in cities across the United States. Minds Matter is a meritocratic organization that rewards hard work, dedication and achievement, and does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or physical ability. To ensure that Minds Matter reaches the most dedicated, talented, and deserving students, acceptance into Minds Matter is dependent on a rigorous and highly competitive application process.

Students are accepted into the Program as sophomores and juniors in high school; the average incoming GPA is 3.4 (on a 4.0 point scale) and the average adjusted family income is approximately $25,000. Many students are the first person in their family to attend college, and virtually none of them have parents who are college graduates.

All of Minds Matter’s sophomores and juniors attend academic summer programs at colleges and prep schools like Cornell University, Harvard University, and Philips Exeter Academy, as well as abroad in countries like Morocco, South Africa, and Spain. Because Minds Matter helps students apply for financial aid awards and raises funds to supplement financial aid, the program is of no cost to the students, their families, or their schools.

National College Advising Corps

National College Advising Corps, with headquarters at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, works to increase the number of low-income, first-generation college and underrepresented students who enter and complete higher education.

By hiring and training recent graduates of partner college and universities as full-time college advisers and placing them in underserved high schools, the Advising Corps serves communities across the country to provide the advising and encouragement that many students need in order to navigate the complex web of college admissions, secure financial aid and raise the college-going rates within those schools.

To date, the Advising Corps has served more than 189,000 students since its inception in 2004. In school year 2011-2012, 321 advisers representing 18 institutions of higher education in 14 states will reach over 110,000 students in 368 high schools.

Next General Venture Fund

Next General Venture Fund invests in academically talented young people by offering financial help and academic resources to qualified eighth-grade students, and continues to provide such services through their remaining pre-college years.

NGVF is a joint venture of:

Students who score at or above the 95th percentile on standardized tests normally taken in school are invited to participate in CTY’s Talent Search, during which they take an additional set of above-grade-level tests used to measure mathematical and verbal reasoning. Qualifying students may choose to enroll in CTY programs including summer residential programs, online courses, and one-day conferences. CTY also publishes Imagine, an award-winning periodical that is full of opportunities and resources for gifted students.

Academically eligible students are invited to participate in one of Duke TIP’s two annual Talent Searches which allow students to take above-level standardized tests to learn more about their intellectual abilities. Qualifying students may participate in Duke TIP Residential Summer Programs or e-Studies Programs which offer gifted students challenging courses suited to their advanced intellectual capacity and motivation. Duke TIP also offers Learn on your Own workbooks (grades 4-12) and CD-ROM Enrichment courses (grades 7-12) for self-paced, challenging independent study. In addition, participants receive a variety of academic resources including the Duke Gifted Letter , a newsletter for parents of the gifted, and the Educational Opportunity Guide , a directory of over 400 educational programs for gifted students.

Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development (CTD) provides a variety of rigorous programs for academically talented youth in grades PreK to 12: summer residential and commuter programs, distance-learning options through Gifted LearningLinks, enrichment and credit-bearing courses at three Chicago-area sites through its Saturday Enrichment Program, and a citizenship and service-learning program, Civic Leadership Institute, located in Chicago.

Students qualify for programs and parents and educators get a more accurate understanding of students’ potential though CTD’s Midwest Academic Talent Search (MATS), an above-grade-level testing program for academically talented students. Every year nearly 31,000 students use MATS to help them understand their abilities and plan for their futures.

The Center for Bright Kids is the Regional Talent Center for the Rocky Mountain area. This seven-state region includes Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, New Mexico, Montana, and Wyoming. CBK offers K-12 enrichment and acceleration programming for high interest and high ability kids. Our focus is not only on how kids think and learn, but how they discover ways to navigate the world while thinking and learning differently. CBK is focused on providing safe spaces for kids to laugh and play while being intellectually challenged with intensive academic experiences and actively engaged in meaningful, authentic learning experiences.

NFTE

NFTE teaches entrepreneurship to young people from low-income communities to enhance their economic productivity by improving their business, academic, and life skills. Since 1987, NFTE has reached over 140,000 youth and trained more than 3,700 Certified Entrepreneurship Teachers. Currently NFTE has active programs in 31 states and 13 countries.

Oliver Scholars

Oliver Scholars selects highly motivated 7^th-grade students of African-American and Latino descent and offers them the support and guidance they need to gain admission to some of the Northeast’s best independent schools and continues to support them through the college admissions process. Oliver Scholars attend two Summer Immersion Programs: one between 7th and 8th grade and one between 8th and 9th grade. These programs are designed to develop the academic, social, and leadership skills the Scholars will need to succeed in independent schools.

Philadelphia Futures

Philadelphia Futures prepares students from low-income families to enter and succeed in college by providing mentoring, academic enrichment, college guidance, and financial incentives. The Sponsor-A-Scholar (SAS) provides students from Philadelphia’s neighborhood high schools with the support and resources they need to achieve their dream of a college education. Beyond the SAS Program, Philadelphia Futures publishes the annual Step Up to College Guide – an invaluable resource for thousands of students across Philadelphia.

The POSSE Foundation

The POSSE Foundation identifies, recruits and trains public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential to become Posse Scholars. These students—many of whom might have been overlooked by traditional college selection processes—receive four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships from Posse’s partner institutions of higher education. Most important, Posse Scholars graduate at a rate of 90 percent and make a visible difference on campus and throughout their professional careers.

If you are a high school or a community-based organization that works with high school juniors/seniors in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York or Washington, D.C., and you are officially registered with your local Posse office, then you can nominate your students as early as their second semester junior year, in high school. Note that for each Posse location/city, the nomination process may begin in the spring. Please make sure you contact your local Posse office for details at the beginning of every year.

Each fall, students are nominated by high schools and community-based organizations for their leadership and academic potential. Posse partner colleges and universities award merit-based leadership scholarships to multicultural teams of 10 students each. These teams (Posses) attend college together.

Learn About the Nomination Process

Prep for Prep

Prep for Prep develops leaders through access to superior education and life-changing opportunities by identifying New York City’s most promising students of color and preparing them for placement at independent schools in the city and boarding schools throughout the Northeast. Once placed, Prep offers support and opportunities to ensure the academic accomplishment and personal growth of each one of our students.

Prep for Prep provides every student with an array of leadership development opportunities. These opportunities broaden students’ aspirations and awareness of life’s possibilities, while building each young person’s sense of self and personal potential.

Project Grad

Project Grad is a national nonprofit education reform model serving more than 134,000 economically disadvantaged youth in 213 schools across the nation. GRAD’s mission is to ensure a quality public education for economically disadvantaged students so that high school graduation and college entrance rates increase dramatically. GRAD follows a preK–16 comprehensive model of reform, bringing together technical, curricular, and professional development support to its partner school districts. GRAD provides a guaranteed college scholarship for all graduates of GRAD high schools who meet the following criteria:

Graduating in four years,
Maintaining a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above, and
Successfully completing two Project GRAD-sponsored Summer Institutes with partner colleges and universities.

For more information on Project GRAD USA, please visit www.projectgrad.org.

Project Seed

Project Seed works in partnership with school districts, universities and corporations using mathematics to increase the educational options of urban youth, the program is still on the cutting edge. Project SEED employs highly trained mathematicians and master teachers who use a unique Socratic method of instruction to teach higher mathematics to entire classes of low-achieving students. Simultaneously, they provide teachers with state-of the-art professional development based on modeling and coaching.

Questbridge

Questbridge connects bright, motivated low-income students with educational and scholarship opportunities at some of the nation’s best colleges and universities. The QuestBridge college application process is the national expansion of an eight-year QuestLeadership Program which helps students gain admissions to top colleges as well as helping them through college and into their first jobs, graduate schools, and professional experiences.

QuestBridge is the provider of the College Prep Scholarship, the National College Match, and the Quest for Excellence Awards programs. Please read below for more information. QuestBridge’s goal is to reach every high-achieving, low-income student in America. Often, exceptional students remain separated from opportunity by a simple lack of information. QuestBridge, with your help, can find these students and connect them with opportunities that will enhance their futures.

Click here to refer a student. Application deadline for students is in September of each year.

Rainer Scholars

Rainer Scholars invites 60 promising students of color each year to embark on an 11-year, life-changing journey. Each November, fifth grade students of color in the Seattle Public School District who passed the reading portion of their fourth-grade WASL exam receive a special letter—one inviting them to a meeting where they can learn about being a Rainier Scholar.

The Rainer Scholar program recruits students who have the greatest number of barriers to a college education. More than 80% of scholars qualify as low income. More than 85% come from households where they will be the first generation to attend college.

In addition to students who are invited to apply, students nominated by an adult may also apply. Students primarily live within the boundaries of the Seattle Public School District, but students who live outside the district may apply as well, provided that their families can provide them with transportation to Rainier Scholars classes, meetings, and events.

For more information, please contact Bob Hurlbut, Director of Recruitment at bobhurlbut@rainierscholars.org.

Schuler Scholars

Schuler Scholars accepts applications from students in the spring of their 8th grade year in school. Selected scholars receive an additional year of programming while in high school. A Schuler Outreach Coordinator serves as a liaison between the college scholars, Alumni and staff and provides guidance to the scholars as they navigate life in a place far from home.

SEO Scholars

SEO Scholars is a year-round, out-of-school, academically rigorous program that prepares motivated urban public high school students to earn admission and succeed at competitive colleges and universities. The Scholars Program adds the equivalent of 60 school days to the NYC public school calendar for its students each year. Scholars dedicate 80% of their time at SEO to academics, with the remaining 20% spent on enrichment and leadership activities.

Please click here to view a video about the Scholars Program.

Student Search Service (SSS)

The CollegeBoard’s Student Search Service (SSS) helps introduce students to higher education and opportunities by offering them the ability to provide personal and preferential information to colleges and scholarship programs that are looking for students like them — all at no cost to the student.

When students take a College Board exam, they can choose to participate by actively opting in to SSS during the registration process. The vast majority of exam-takers opt in to SSS to receive information about admissions, financial aid and other postsecondary opportunities without being solicited by commercial entities.

College Board exams with SSS opt in options:

PSAT/NMSQT^®
SAT^®
AP^® (Advanced Placement)
SAT Subject Tests™
PSSS (Preliminary SAT Scoring Service)

More than 1,100 colleges, universities and scholarship programs use SSS every year to find the right students for their programs, scholarships and special activities.

Summer Search

Summer Search identifies resilient low-income high school students and provides year-round mentoring by full-time trained staff builds students’ resilience, helping them learn to cultivate relationships, become self-reflective, and navigate the challenges in their lives. Provides full scholarships to summer experiential education programs like Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School strengthen students’ follow-through, leadership, and problem solving, all of which translates to success in high school and college.

The Teak Fellowship

The Teak Fellowship accepts 6th grade applicants who participate in a comprehensive six-month process, where applicants participate in several rounds of screening that include a financial assessment, diagnostic tests, a written application, and interviews. TEAK Fellowships are awarded based on both academic merit and financial need.

Eligibility criteria includes:

Be enrolled in sixth grade at the time of their application
Attend a public or parochial school in one of the five boroughs of NYC and be a NYC resident
Earn a scaled score of 690 or above on the 5th-grade NYS ELA exam and a scaled score of a 700 or above on the 5th-grade NYS math exam and/or scored in the 90th percentile on other standardized tests
Earn 90% or above in all classes

Each spring, TEAK accepts a 6th grade class into the Fellowship. They begin programming in the summer after sixth grade and attend intensive after-school and Saturday classes during their seventh grade year, participate in the Summer Institute following their seventh and eighth grade school years, and begin the High School Placement process by attending after-school and Saturday activities during their eighth grade school year. Fellows enter the Post-Placement program during high school and continue their Fellowship until they go to college.

If your child is currently in the 6th grade, and you would like additional information on how to apply to TEAK, please call the TEAK Admissions Inquiry line at (212) 288-6678 x290 or fill out the Admissions Info Request Form.

Venture Scholars

Venture Scholars is a national membership program designed to help underrepresented and first-generation college-bound students interested in pursuing math- and science-based careers link to information, resources, and opportunities that will help them successfully pursue their career goals.

The Program collaborates with colleges, universities, professional associations, and organizations nationwide (VSP Partners) and offers a variety of tools to link students to the partners’ information, resources, and opportunities. The Program also invites parents/guardians and guidance counselors to receive these resources, too!

White-Williams Scholars

White-Williams Scholars participate in the College Connection program offered to Scholars who wish to devote more time to exploring as well as strengthening their future pursuits. The program’s purpose is to engage these bright, motivated students during the pivotal and transitional year of ninth grade, and to keep them on track for graduation from high school and preparation for college.

QuestBridge: College Opportunities for Low-Income Students

November 8, 2011

QuestBridge: College Opportunities for Low-Income Students

The National College Match application opens in August and closes in September.

A note from us: You may find the prospect of applying to the National College Match a bit overwhelming. Rest assured; you are not alone. The college application process can be challenging and stressful to virtually everyone who goes through it. But remember that it also can—and should—be exciting: it is a time to focus on your future, reflect upon your past, your strengths, and your passions, and keep yourself organized in the present so that you put forward the best applications you can.

Top colleges reach out to low income students…

Harvard reaches out to low income students…

Questbridge and Posse students at the University of Virginia…

You May Apply Through QuestBridge in Two Ways

The National College Match application requires you to provide extensive information on your academic accomplishments and financial background, as well as write three essays, complete short answer questions, and gather three letters of recommendation, a transcript, and test score reports.

The National College Match allows you to apply to up to 8 of our partner colleges by using one application. You will be asked to rank these colleges in order of your preference. The National College Match application is due on September 30.

The QuestBridge Regular Decision process allows you to apply to any or all of our partner colleges through a traditional regular decision process. You may choose not to rank colleges for the College Match process and only apply to our partner colleges for Regular Decision. Or, if you apply for the College Match and are not selected for a match scholarship, you can request to have your application forwarded to our partner colleges for Regular Decision.

In order to participate in the Regular Decision process, you must submit your National College Match application by September 30.

Opportunities for High School Dropouts

October 25, 2011

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program

The National Guard Youth Foundation (NGYF) supports the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program by providing scholarships, training, and workforce transition assistance to graduates of the ChalleNGe Program.

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program provides opportunities to young people who have dropped out of school or who are at risk of dropping out of school. Founded in 1993, the program gives troubled youth the opportunity to turn their lives around. Sixteen- to18-year-old male and female high school dropouts are eligible to apply for the 17-month program, which includes a five-month residential phase followed by a 12-month mentoring phase.

“On Wednesday, May 18, 2011, one of Charles Wilson’s dreams became a reality.

A former high school dropout, Cadet First Class Wilson walked across the stage at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy last week to receive his diploma and shook hands with the President of the United States.” Read more…

The ChalleNGe Program operates in 27 states and one territory. A few states without programs arrange to send students to bordering state programs. For example, students from DC can attend the Maryland ChalleNGe Program and students from Nevada can attend in Arizona.

Eligibility Requirements:

16 – 18 years of age and enter the program prior to the 19th birthday
A high school dropout/expellee
A citizen or legal resident of the United States and resident of the state in which the program is conducted
Unemployed
Not currently on parole or probation for anything other than juvenile status offenses. Not serving time or awaiting sentencing, not under indictment or charged, not convicted of a felony or capital offense.
Drug free

See the states offering programs…

The Job Corps

The Job Corps is a free education and training program that helps young people learn a career, earn a high school diploma or GED, and find and keep a good job. For eligible young people at least 16 years of age that qualify as low income, Job Corps provides the all-around skills need to succeed in a career and in life.

Go to the Job Corps website…

Go to the follow website to find a Job Corps center near you…

Pick a Box!

August 26, 2011

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is an important effort to move states in the direction of developing a common curriculum and shared expectations in what students should learn, know, and be able to do. The initiative states:

“Building on the excellent foundation of standards states have laid, the Common Core State Standards are the first step in providing our young people with a high-quality education. It should be clear to every student, parent, and teacher what the standards of success are in every school.

Teachers, parents and community leaders have all weighed in to help create the Common Core State Standards. The standards clearly communicate what is expected of students at each grade level. This will allow our teachers to be better equipped to know exactly what they need to help students learn and establish individualized benchmarks for them. The Common Core State Standards focus on core conceptual understandings and procedures starting in the early grades, thus enabling teachers to take the time needed to teach core concepts and procedures well—and to give students the opportunity to master them.

With students, parents and teachers all on the same page and working together for shared goals, we can ensure that students make progress each year and graduate from school prepared to succeed in college and in a modern workforce.”

However, the real challenges of teaching and learning will not change, nor will they be solved by simply adopting a common curriculum. Teachers will still have to teach effectively and students will still have to apply themselves to learning what is being taught. In this regard, my starting point as a teacher is not to begin with telling students what I am going to teach, but asking students where they want to go, in essence, “Pick a Box.” This illustration outlines the general choices after high school that every young person will be confronted with, e.g., will you go to work, go to college, or enlist into the military? The salary is the median salary for each level of education, i.e., high school diploma, 4-year college degree, graduate degree, etc. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2010).

Raising this question and getting students to affirm where they believe that they wan to go is as important for the kindergartener as it is for the twelfh-grader, perhaps even more so. The kindergarten student who affirms that he or she wants to become a doctor has 12 years to place learning within that context. He or she must apply his or herself to math and science, not to simply learn, but to know! If he or she is affirming that he or she wants to pursue a law degree, then developing language, critical thinking, debate, and an expanded vocabulary makes sense long before he or she begins prepping for the SAT or ACT as a high school student.

Once we better understand where students think that students want to go, then we can better connect them to the curriculum, albeit the Common State Standards or what is currently being taught. Interestingly, the vast majority of students affirm that they want to attend college as they enter elementary school, however, few students are prepared for college as they exit high school. The conversation is long overdue… “Pick a Box!”

Download the Slide…

Download the Illustration…