Helping Low Income Students Enter College
We have long known of the huge gap between low and upper income students, commonly referred to as the “college-knowledge gap.” Not only must low income prepare themselves academically for college, they must navigate the college admissions maize with little support from both their homes and their schools. School counselors are overwhelmed with the sheer number of students whom they must coax through high school graduation that they frequently do not have sufficient time to provide adequate support to assist students researching colleges, applying for scholarships, or putting together college application packages (See the California Opportunity Report: Roadblocks to College).
Nonprofit foundations like ours, faith organizations, like Turner Chapel AME Church in Marietta, Georgia, and even booster clubs are stepping forward to provide needed assistance to students. Not only must students receive the necessary support to complete their college admission packages, students must be assisted with making the right college choice. The wrong choice could result in not only the student failing to receive his or her degree, but incurring thousands of dollars in debt.