Helping Students Get Ready for College: Resources, Access, Equity

ASPIRA Training – Part 1November 2012

Agenda

• Education Demographics• Five Ways Education Pays• YouCanGo! & BigFuture• A Few Resources • Questions & Answers

Education Demographics

Adriana Flores Senior Director, Diversity

Initiatives

Latino Students and College

• In a 2010 survey, 87% of the Latinos surveyed said a college education is extremely important or very important.***

• Census figures show that only 19.2% of Latinos had an associates degree compared with 41.1% among Americans overall in the 25-34 age group.**

• Latino students have a much higher dropout rate than African Americans or whites. Some 41% of Latino adults age 20 or older do not have a regular high school diploma, compared with 23% of black adults and 14% of white adults.*

Sources: *Hispanics, High School Dropouts and the GED, May 13, 2010, Pew Hispanic Center**U.S. Census***National Center for Educational Statistics, U.S. Department of Education

Latino Student Transition to College

Latinos are less likely to graduate from high school on time, and those who do are less likely to go straight to college.

1.NCES Public School Graduates and Dropouts from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2007-08

All Hispanic White Black Asian AI/AN

75%64%

81%

62%

91%

64%

Public High School Average Freshman Graduation Rate 2007–

20081

All Hispanic White Black

67%61%

70%

56%

Percentage of High School Gradu-ates Enrolled in Two- or Four-Year

Colleges Immediately After Gradua-tion 20072

Five Ways Ed Pays

Annika Many Senior Director, Advocacy

College Board Advocacy & Policy Center

Education Pays 2010The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society

• Part of Trends in Higher Education Series• Focuses on nonmonetary benefits in addition to the

financial returns of higher education• Research Highlights:

– Individuals with higher levels of education earn more and are more likely than others to be employed.

– The financial return associated with additional years of schooling beyond high school and the gaps in earnings by education level have increased over time.

– College-educated adults are more likely than others to receive health insurance and pension benefits from their employers and to be satisfied with their jobs.

– Adults with higher levels of education are more engaged citizens than others.

– College education leads to healthier lifestyles, reducing health care costs for individuals and for society.

– College-educated parents engage in more educational activities with their children, who are better-prepared for school than other children. 8

How can we inform parents and students about the full benefits of earning a college degree?

• Translate Education Pays:– Deliver compelling messages to parents– Create a vision for students — particularly first-generation, minority, and

low-income — that college will change their life.

• Strengthen college aspirations and parental support for children’s educational plans

• Use language and graphics that connect with younger students and their families– English and Spanish

Five Ways Ed Pays Parent Student Campaign

• Research translated into a parent and student communication

• Poster series• Brochures for counselors and parents• Ad series for school buses and mass transit• Houston Pilot Campaign• Online Toolkit

Play Video

Five Ways Ed Pays Resources

• Free Campaign Materials – Brochures, posters, 1-pagers; everything in English and Spanish

• Five Ways Ed Pays Campaign Overview Presentation– For use with your community

• Five Ways Ed Pays Campaign Video

• Five Ways Ed Pays Campaign Toolkit – Everything you need to launch your own campaign

• Contact information for regional support from the College Board

www.collegeboard.org/fivewaysedpays

YouCanGo! & BigFuture

Laura BarnesSenior Director, Digital

College Planning Products

A Little Background…

Three years ago, the College Board set out to create new college guidance websites in order to democratize access to college-going information for all students.

Vision and Purpose:

Create a comprehensive and innovative online resource that helps all students aspire, find, connect, and enroll in the right

college that sets them on the path for success in life

Strong focus on meeting needs of underserved and low-resourced students

Collaboration and Research

• We partnered with the Education Conservancy , a non-profit organization committed to improving college admission processes for students, colleges and high schools

• The collaboration is also guided by an advisory board of education practitioners (who represent a broad cross-section of education)

• And it is strongly influenced by continued research, conversations, and collaboration with educators, educational organizations, and students. This includes a large amount of primary research with lower-resourced students: – Interviews– Focus groups– Surveys– User testing– Collaborative brainstorming

Guiding Principles

• Be educationally driven and student-centric

• Reach more underserved, under-resourced students

• Help students for whom the college planning process is confusing, intimidating and too costly

• Support college planning as a student-directed process

5 Key Messages

1. College matters – for life

2. College is possible for most students

3. It’s important to find colleges that are the right fit for each student

4. College is probably more affordable than many families think

5. It’s important to start planning now

So, what did we make?

• Free • Inspiration• Simple guidance• Practical Support• Great Place to Start• Simple, short college plans• Target: lower-resourced students

• Free• Step-by-step guide to college• Comprehensive guidance• Many ways to get started• Many ways to search for college• Customizable college plans• Target: All students

[live demo]

A Few Resources

Resources for Spanish-Speaking Families

Mentors play a vital role for students when they:• Meet with students regularly and often • Begin discussions early on in the high

school career • Provide resources for financial aid process

Resources to support counselors:1. Major national campaigns:

– Univision’s Es El Momento– Telemundo’s Saber Es Poder– Hispanic Scholarship Fund’s Your

Words Today

2. Professional development opportunities3. College Board programs and services

ASPIRA’s College Board Webpage

http://lp.collegeboard.org/aspira

Questions & Answers

For Additional Questions and Information

ASPIRA@collegeboard.org

Thank You!We’ll see you again Dec 7 for Part 2!