College Guidance, Preparation, and Success

ThroughCollege and the Greater Beloit, WI Help Yourself Programs are now working together to help students from 145 families (4th-12th graders) with preparation, admission, and success in post-secondary education programs.

What are Help Yourself Programs?
The Help Yourself Programs (HYSP) are a Beloit College community outreach
initiative for youth in the Greater Beloit area. The initiative is comprised of a set of
unique, comprehensive academic and cultural enrichment programs and
educational support services to supplement the curriculum in public and
private schools.

Objective of the Programs:
The main objective is to intervene early in the academic lives of
disadvantaged youth by empowering them with the basic tools they need to
enter and succeed in post-secondary education.

PRE-COLLEGIATE PROGRAM
The Pre-Collegiate program was the first of Beloit College community
outreach programs; it began in 1986 to provide high school students with
educational opportunities designed to prepare them for college. The program
emphasizes the development of critical and analytical thinking skills in the
core academic areas: Science, Math and English, and the integration of these
skills with cultural and artistic experiences.

On December 8th, 2008, The Gates Foundation announced a new initiative focused on helping low-income colleges students complete their studies. The focus is on getting youth to and through college. In addition to the student funding, Gates has also granted MDRC to serve as an evaluator of the Performance-Based Scholarship Demonstration initially piloted in Louisiana. Read more at: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/low-income-postsecondary-degree-081209.aspx

A new report from the Data Quality Campaign notes the need for longitudinal research in order to track student progress in college prep programs. In particular, the report focuses on several core questions schools should focus on in regard to their prep courses. Available at http://www.dataqualitycampaign.org/files/publications-dqc_college_prep_courses-101308.pdf

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have announced a change in their grant-making strategy, adding more resources toward two core tracks - College Readiness for High School Students and Life Beyond High School. Both programs serve to support all students’ college prep from middle school years to and through college. For more information, including Gates’ speeches, education plans, visit: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/united-states/Pages/united-states-education-strategy.aspx

This seminal report, published earlier this week, tracks progress of Latino families and their access to higher education over the last thirty years. The report indicates widening disparities in family income, declines in relative participation of Latino males in American colleges, declines in first choice college attendance, and rising concerns about financing college. However, the report also note that despite these barriers to access, Latino/a population remain passionate about education, have a strong drive towards post-secondary success, and have remained committed to strong values and career-oriented goals. To learn more, visit http://www.heriucla.edu

NCAN has announced this week its 2008 Awards of Excellence, which include: Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Champion of College Access Award; Ohio College Access Network, College Access Organization Award of Excellence, Virginia Donohue, Executive Director of On Point in College in Syracuse, New York for the Executive Leadership Award of Excellence. Congratulations to all the winners!

The Education Commission of the States has just come out with a new policy brief addressing early college high schools, how they differ from traditional dual enrollment programs, provide research to support the positive impact these models have on student learning, and to set forth state policy standards to fund and support early college opportunities. To learn more visit: http://www.ecs.org

Center for Student Opportunity has released in the early October a new “College Access & Opportunities Guide” designed to provide a comprehensive guide to first-generation college students. Developed in collaboration with KnowHow2GO, the guide offers financial aid assistance, college program ideas, information about the application process, and critical considerations students need to account for in their college prep. The guide also provides practical questions students should discuss with their guidance counselor and mentors. To learn more, visit http://www.guideorder.csopportunity.org/

The U.S. Department of Education has launched college.gov designed to inform students and parents about the college access process. The web addresses issues on why to go, what to do to prepare, and how to pay for higher education. It allows students to create their own customized college road map and provides helpful links that support families and schools in the process. For more information, visit http://www.college.gov

A new powerful documentary on first generation college students is a must see. The documentary follows six Philadelphia inner city students on their path to college. For more information, visit http://firstpersondocumentary.org

In addition, the Annenberg Institute for School Reform has published a report “Building College Pathways Takes a Village” that tracks the difficulties of getting to and through college, by assessing the Philadelphia schools on several dimensions: education and academic support; mentoring and social supports; competent organizations and programs; financial assistance; and neighborhood leadership. To read the report, visit http://www.annenberginstitute.org/pdf/CollegeAmbassadors.pdf