Does your organization help low-income youth access and complete college or vocational degrees?
You may be eligible for financial support to help you reach more students.
The Evergreen National Education Prize—launched by The Greenwald Family Foundation in conjunction with the Nudge4 Solutions Lab at the University of Virginia—will award $125,000 to an organization that can demonstrate evidence of increasing college or vocational success for low-income students and that has a plan to scale its program’s impact.
A little over half of all students who were eligible for the Pell Grant were selected for verification in 2015-16.
The procedure, which requires students to submit additional paperwork to prove their income, inserts an extra step into the financial aid process. And in an op-ed published by The Hill this week, Justin Draeger—president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators—voiced concerns that verification keeps some students from attending college.
Financial assistance is crucial to the academic success of low-income college students, but according to new research, family support may be even more influential.
A study published recently in Research in Higher Education showed that students with a strong familial cheering section did better at navigating college life and classes.
What’s one thing this year’s high school grads would do differently if they had the chance to go back in time?
According to a new survey from Seventeen magazine and the College Board, a whopping 68 percent of students said they wish they had spent less time worrying during the college application process.
Do you work with students who feel pressured by their families to add out-of-reach schools to their college lists?
NACAC member Beth Slattery has some insight that may be helpful to share with parents. Her advice? Ask moms and dads to consider what their suggestions signal to students.
“I don’t believe parents are intentionally trying to send the message that they are disappointed in their child when they suggest out-of-reach colleges. Most of them believe they are expressing confidence in their child’s ability, but that isn’t how the child hears it,” Slattery wrote in a recent post published on the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS) Admit All blog. “The student hears that the parent is disappointed in the colleges that they can get into. The student hears that the parent wishes they were the kind of applicant who had a shot at that type of school.”
Many students with disabilities can graduate from high school and go on to college, yet an investigation by The Hechinger Report reveals that a disproportionate number of young people on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) suffer from low expectations when it comes to postsecondary planning.
“Interviews with more than 100 parents, students, advocates, and experts across the country painted a picture of a special education landscape where transition planning and services are largely neglected,” reporters Sarah Butrymowicz and Jackie Mader wrote in an article published late last year. “Students with disabilities who could pursue higher education or meaningful employment are instead living at home and working low-wage jobs.”
Others are unemployed or pushed into professions that don’t match their interests.
NACAC issued a statement this week, noting that the association is “firmly opposed” to the Trump administration’s decision to reverse Obama era guidance on race-conscious admission policies.
It may be summertime, but the search process continues for college-bound teens.
From visiting campuses to taking time to reflect on academic interests, the summer months provide an opportunity for students to refine their college lists.
Three NACAC members recently shared their insights into the process at a Bates College (ME) alumni event.
Does your organization help low-income youth access and complete college or vocational degrees?
