Beyoncé and Jay-Z have become two of the world’s best ambassadors for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
In 2018, Beyoncé became the first black woman to headline Coachella and she used the opportunity to take concertgoers – and those watching at home – to school, celebrating HBCUs on the main stage.
Waiting in the Lexington, KY airport terminal for my flight home from the Rural College Access and Success Summit, I can’t help but reflect on the past few days meeting educators dedicated to rural issues.
I was heartened by the work of GEAR UP advisors from multiple states encouraging college aspirations among rural middle schoolers, but I was also reminded of the challenges our most remote counselors and students face, be it transportation issues, lack of curricular options, fewer students going on to college, or retention of teachers. For sure, unique barriers in rural spaces persist, and we must tackle them head-on.
Continue reading SIG Focus: Rural and Small Town Special Interest Group
Nearly all roads leading toward improving schools and student outcomes require investment, especially for disadvantaged and low-income students.
The newly released School Finance Indicators Database School Year 2015-2016 report shows that states vary widely in their distribution of educational resources.
“Resources in most states tend to be allocated non-progressively or even regressively, that is, higher-poverty districts do not receive more funds — and in some cases receive substantially less — than do lower-poverty districts, even controlling for factors that affect costs, such as regional wage variation, district size, and population density,” the report finds.
Continue reading Report: State School Finance Systems Underfund Highest Poverty School Districts
NACAC CEO Joyce E. Smith plans to retire after 30 years of service to the association and more than 40 years in the college admission profession.
Smith will step down in summer 2020 upon successful appointment of NACAC’s next CEO.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on Admitted in May 2018. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series and in celebration of National Teacher Appreciation Week. Teacher Appreciation Day is May 7 and Appreciation Week runs through Friday, May 10.
We hear about all the great teachers in the counseling office. The one who set the times tables to the tune of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy,” ensuring kids will remember them forever, even if it will take a while to get to eight times nine. Mr. Jones, the history teacher who dressed up like Benjamin Franklin for an entire week and never once broke character. The 10th grade English teacher who finally explained “i after e” in a way that made sense. When you put that much thought into a lesson, it makes for memorable teaching.
More than 400 colleges and universities still have openings, financial aid, and housing available to qualified freshman and/or transfer students for the Fall 2019 semester, according to NACAC’s 32nd Annual College Openings Update.
Both public and private colleges and universities are included on the list.
Continue reading Spots Still Available for Students at More Than 400 Colleges
The school year is almost over and motivation for many high school seniors is quite low.
Commonly known as “senioritis,” this is the time after college acceptances arrive and high school seniors start to feel like school isn’t important.
Senioritis often has a negative connotation. But past #NACACreads author Ned Johnson thinks the term and the feeling need a rebrand.
Continue reading The New ‘Senioritis’: Finding Your Motivation
Former First Lady Michelle Obama celebrated student success at Reach Higher’s fifth annual College Signing Day event Wednesday.
“I want you all to know, personally, you are about to make the best investment that you can possibly make. And that’s true whether you are going to a trade school or to the military or to a community college or to a four-year university,” Obama said to loud cheers.
Continue reading Michelle Obama Celebrates College Signing Day in LA
For non-native English speakers, figuring out the college admission process often has an additional layer of challenges.
Robbie Cupps, a college and career counselor at Capital High School (ID), works in the Boise School District, which has a significant population of Spanish-speaking students.
Working with these students, she knew she had to take a different approach and a grant from the NACAC Imagine Fund helped make it possible.
Continue reading Imagine Grant Supports College Admission Program for Non-Native English Speakers
Higher education is often a pathway to finding a job, owning a home, and earning higher wages throughout a person’s lifetime.
But access to higher education for the nation’s prison population has faced significant challenges over the past few decades.
A new bipartisan bill making its way through Congress would restore Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals, giving many the ability to pay for higher education and workforce training.
Continue reading Bipartisan Bill Supports College Access for the Incarcerated
