LearnmoreMN Blog

Minnesota College Knowledge Month provides support to increase college access

By Chris Franken, September guest blogger

College Knowledge Month — a statewide effort to help high school seniors explore, plan and apply for college will occur during the month of October. For the past three years, I have had the opportunity to represent the Minnesota Association for College Admission Counseling (MACAC) on the MN College Knowledge Month (CKM) Steering Team. The steering team is comprised of individuals who represent a broad network of Minnesota educational institutions, agencies, organizations and non-profits. First launched in 2011, the initiative evolved in 2012 to include 106 registered high school sites and nearly 200 volunteers impacting approximately 16,000 students.

There are 109 sites registered to participate in CKM events and activities for fall 2013. CKM steering team members helped craft a calendar of exploration, planning and application resources to benefit students throughout the month. Application fees and fee waiver information for Minnesota colleges and universities have also been compiled.

College Knowledge Month aims to:

• Help schools establish and/or build upon a culture of college-readiness.
• Communicate to all students the importance of preparing for and applying to college.
• Engage and inform underrepresented students (first-generation college students, students of color, and low-income students) about postsecondary opportunities, culminating in the application process.
• Provide a statewide message and excitement about exploring and planning for college.
• Increase the number of Minnesota seniors who apply to college.

A month-long effort will allow students to do more than just submit an application. Applying is only one step of the college application process — the result of thoughtful exploration and planning. Within this expanded time frame, students can participate in the application process at their own pace — and find the best college fit for them. Counselors and high school staff will have more time to draft recommendations, secure transcripts and/or application fee waivers and support underrepresented students. Schools can build upon or establish a college-going culture by utilizing the college exploration activities that already take place in the fall of the academic year. October is a natural time for this to occur, since there are already college exploration opportunities taking place across the state (i.e. NACAC National College Fair, local MACAC college fairs, early application deadlines, college visits).

The impetus for improving college access in Minnesota by launching a college application initiative is an effort to address challenges faced by our state. Changing demographics suggest a majority of projected growth among Latino and African-American students. These same students are often first-generation and may come from lower-income families. Rising college costs and financial aid issues, as well as perceptions of students themselves all play a role in creating barriers. Although there is likely no aspiration gap among underrepresented students, without role models or supportive adults to help guide them, many of these students may feel as if college is not a realistic or attainable goal.

College matters. It matters to our nation, our state, and our communities. And, it matters to our students. Through MN College Knowledge Month, representatives from institutions, agencies and organizations will collaborate at a very local level in an effort to remove barriers and increase access — because college matters.

Dreams coming true

By Juventino Meza, May guest blogger

Gov. Mark Dayton will sign the Higher Education Omnibus bill that included the Minnesota Dream Act. This is a historic day for Minnesota. It took more than a decade to pass this legislation; we are the 15th state to do so and only the 4th one to provide state financial aid.

The Minnesota Dream Act will:

• Allow students to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities if they meet certain requirements, regardless of their immigration status
• Make state higher education aid available to all students who meet residency requirements, regardless of immigration status
• Allow public institutions (MnSCU and the University of Minnesota) to use private funding as financial aid for all students, regardless of immigration status
• Create a Minnesota financial aid application specifically for these students that delinks federal and state financial aid.

The Minnesota Dream Act has broad support. The Citizens League supported it based on its 2009 study of immigrant students' access to higher education in Minnesota. The bill was also backed by community groups (Mesa Latina, Centro Campesino, Chicano Latino Affairs Council), all major higher education institutions (U of MN, Minnesota Private College Council, MnSCU), business and labor groups (Education Minnesota, Chamber of Commerce, SEIU Local 26, Agri-Growth Council), superintendents around the state, Republicans and Democrats, rural and urban. And obviously, Gov. Dayton and Larry Pogemiller, director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, supported it as well. This truly was a collaborative victory for Minnesota!

I went to ask the authors what they thought. “I am thrilled that after a decade of effort by immigrant students and their allies, their ‘dream of a college education’ became law when Gov. Dayton signs it, said Sen. Sandy Pappas. “I look forward to the talents and energies of these bright young people serving the economic future of our great state.”

It’s estimated that if 500 students benefit, it will “bring $1 billion in new earnings to the Minnesota economy over their lifetime. ($1.8 million is the lifetime earnings of an associate degree; $2.4 million for a bachelor’s degree).”

This legislation is about equity, but it also is about closing the opportunity and achievement gap. It will ensure that all students in Minnesota have equal access to higher education and that Minnesota is ready to compete in the world economy with the future workforce we will need.

“It’s an honor being part of this historic legislative proposal,” said Representative Carlos Mariani, who sponsored the legislation in the House. “I have been fighting for this for more than 10 years. This affirms the dignity of undocumented people in Minnesota. Congratulations to everyone who faithfully and strategically worked to make this law. DREAMers inspire us to be a better people. On-forward!”

Marco Loera, a soon-to-be college student from Rochester, Minn. was equally enthusiastic. “I can finally see my future; I can finally say that equality for all Minnesota students is closer now. This is my state and these are my dreams; now, no status will keep me from being the best I can be.”

Find information about the process here. We know that we have a lot of work ahead, especially in high schools and colleges to make sure everyone has the right information. Can you help us spread the word? Organize a group of students, families or staff and invite NAVIGATE MN to do a presentation about how students can benefit from the Minnesota Dream Act.

Moving forward, looking back

First-generation college students reflect on their college journey

By Rashné Jehangir, February guest blogger

Retaining students in that critical first year of college warrants the attention and resources that most campuses invest in — particularly when we know first-generation students are nearly four times as likely to drop out of college after their first year, compared with their more traditional peers. But there is an increasing call to consider the experience of these students throughout the college journey.

In my last post I wrote about the importance of creating classroom spaces for students to share their narratives. To extend that conversation, I would like to share some preliminary results of a current research project in which I conducted focus groups with first-generation, low-income students who were juniors, seniors and recent graduates in Minnesota. The intent of the study was to understand how these students — these so called “success stories” — had navigated the academy to make the progress they had. Several key themes have emerged in early analysis and I will highlight two below:

Visible/Invisible: Students were acutely aware of grappling with their multiple identities throughout their college careers. They talked about feeling at once isolated and singled out, particularly those low-income, first-generation students who were also students of color or immigrants. As one student, Monica, said:

“Coming into college was really hard for me to find people that looked like me. I was scared of what the classes would look like. I came from a Saint Paul public school, and I would look around and I would know that half of those students were in private schools, they have a better education then I do, they come from better families, so it was really intimidating like I didn’t know if I could be as good as they were."

Perpetual Border Crossers: Students also talked a lot about the chasm between their home world and the world of academia. This chasm was complicated by parental expectations of success in college while still maintaining familial roles, responsibilities and cultural perspectives. Dawb, an immigrant first-generation student said:

“Sometimes you have to abandon some of who you are and adopt to some of who they are in order to have more access and more opportunities, so you have to adopt the culture… and give up some of your culture. But when you do that, people from your culture think differently from you.”

They described their place in college as a burden of privilege where they were both excited by the opportunities ahead and overwhelmed at being the constant role model for their family and community.

Students also talked about how they sought to manage this constant ambivalence by seeking out safe places and allies who understood the tightrope they walk as they tried to make sense of their own identities. Many students noted that summer bridge programs were the most meaningful and useful conduit to academic and social integration in college. TRiO programs and multicultural offices with staff who understood their lived experience also got high marks. They had several suggestions for faculty and administrators — a common one was a creation of some sort of safety net for mistakes — the kind that parents of students whose parents went to college have in the form of financial support and advocacy. The other suggestion was for staff and faculty that reflect the changing demographics of the study body. Finally, prior to making policy decisions about first-generation students, they asked that institutions find a way to listen to their needs.

As David put it: “just listen, and think about what it’s like to be in our shoes.”

There is a lot more to add, but this is all I had space for today.

Telling stories in school

By Rashné Jehangir, February guest blogger

Last year my 5-year-old kindergartener came home from school and proudly proclaimed: “We are writing personal narratives in class!” I tried to contain my glee and asked for an explanation of these big words. She said matter of factly: “Well, it a story about your life that you write and then share with your class.” From what I heard, this assignment generated a great deal of excitement in her classroom in St. Paul. Stories matter — whether you are 5 or 55, the opportunity to tell your story is powerful. Yet, so often in academia, we implicitly ask students, particularly first-generation, low-income students — to leave their stories outside of the classroom. Instead, what if we as educators intentionally designed opportunities for this new majority of students to share their personal narratives in class and integrate this type of reflection into course objectives?

We often celebrate this expression of voice in young children but the space and time to do the same in higher education is limited. In some cases, the value of narrative is undermined as “anecdotal” and contrary to the real academic work that happens in college classrooms.

Here’s the rub: The composition of our college campuses is changing — and with it the narratives that shape how and which students get to college. What will sustain them through the journey is changing too. Today more and more students who are first-generation and low-income are getting to college, but it is well documented that (Engle & Tinto, 2008) a disproportionate number leave without a degree and with considerable debt (NYTimes.com). We know that financial constraints, perceived and real gaps in academic preparation, family commitments and distance both literal and metaphoric between campus and home worlds contribute to the lack of belonging. To challenge these issues requires creativity and a shift in what we consider valuable in the academy. And this is one place where the stories come in.

For the past 10 years I have been researching first-generation students’ perspectives about spaces that allow them to give voice to their own experiences. This research has been imbedded into my teaching with an effort to intentionally design opportunities for students to share their lived experiences as a means of deepening written and oral skills as well as expanding their perceptions of the diversity in their classrooms.

In the excerpts below, two first-generation low-income students describe their participation in a Biographical Object assignment where students write about a meaningful object in their lives while also sharing the story in class:

“When we shared our biographical objects, I feel that we share about our past, ideals, ambitions and values. We are more in tune with each other and how it relates to what we are learning in class.”

“I have been trying to fit in this society since the day I got here, to be able to succeed and be part of this country that has too much to offer. When we did this activity I realized how everyone is the same. We all have memories that make us remember who we are and what we are fighting for. I felt how I was part of the class and part of the university and its students… I am not so different.”

For these students the narrative medium invited them to the center of the classroom experience and created space for reflection on self while also connecting more deeply with content material and the experience of others.

It is critical to know and understand the stories that constrain the first-generation journey in college. We can use these lived experiences as a means of informing practice and policy on campus. But it is equally important to ensure that this narrative of limitation is not the primary and defining story of who first-generation students are. If your story already defines you based primarily on your perceived deficits, it is harder to feel like a full citizen on campus. Nigerian author Chimamanda Adiche describes this as “the danger of the single story” — a narrative that collapses and flattens who you are. First-generation students are not a homogenous group and giving them intentional spaces to tell their own stories can go a long way in cultivating a sense of full citizenship in the academy and teaching how we can better support them.

Academic success depends on being valued

By Alissa Case and Asma Haidara, December guest bloggers

On Nov. 13, approximately 300 educators and youth came together to discuss issues of equity in education at an event called “Missing Voices,” held at Saint Mary’s University. One of the predominant themes of the day was how important the voices of students are to creating more equitable environments in our schools, though they are often absent from the conversation. In the spirit of collaboration and seeking multiple perspectives, we have decided to co-write this month — as a Saint Mary’s University staff member and Blake School student — on a few of our deeply held beliefs pertaining to our passion for the success of all students.

On a daily basis, students attend school gearing up to deal with a variety of scenarios and to make countless decisions. Whether it’s “will my clothes look good” or “will I fail my test” or simply “will I get a ride to the game,” there are a litany of questions filing through a student’s head at any given moment. Teachers hope that each of their students comes to school prepared to learn and participate. However, they rarely have the time to give attention to the many stresses that students carry with them. For some students, these stresses are compounded by the numerous interactions throughout the day that undermine and attack their very identity. These interactions are called microaggressions.

Simply stated, a microaggression is any instance where one person’s identity is demeaned whether intentionally or unintentionally. Those who experience these constant social cuts most often come from marginalized groups. It can look like this:

• “Am I in the right class?” (a student to a teacher upon entering an honors class and noticing the only students present so far are students of color).
• “Why do you act so white?” (white student to black student).
• “I didn’t know people like you were into sports” (straight student to gay student).
• “Where did you learn English? You speak it so well!” (teacher to student).

Why should educators be highly tuned in to these types of remarks? Because our students’ success absolutely depends on it. Every seemingly small comment that is made continues to tear down a student’s self-image and makes them question their abilities in class. How can students ever reach their full potential if their psyche and esteem are being destroyed throughout their educational experiences?

One of the major tenets of culturally responsive teaching is the idea that in order to succeed, a student must be validated and affirmed. This is not just a soft, feeling-oriented concept, but a skill that requires constant self-reflection and practice. In order to effectively advocate for our students and interject in scenarios like those mentioned above, educators need to be aware of their personal bias, what kind of environment they are creating in their classrooms/schools, and how their students are present in both explicit and implicit curriculum (i.e. where and how does each student see a mirror of her/himself in what you are doing?).

In order to build this skill we suggest that educators reflect on the following questions:

• What are my expectations and assumptions of individual students when I first meet them?
• Where are my expectations and assumptions rooted?
• How do I check my own assumptions that may hurt my students’ opportunity to learn?
• How open am I to engaging in conversations with students on topics that make me feel uncomfortable?
• How do I intentionally engage/include each of my students in my daily objectives?
• How does each of my students know they are valued?
• How do I facilitate an environment of trust and safety?

We are curious to hear your input. We invite you to share your stories, either as an educator or a student, of how your personal identity was honored or dishonored in a given space. How was the situation handled? What was the impact of how it was handled? How could reflecting on the above questions provide you with a different strategy in future scenarios?

Transforming education so all kids succeed

By MayKao Hang, June guest blogger

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan calls education the civil rights movement of our generation. "I think the dividing line in our country today is so much around educational opportunity. And we have to close that divide." In Minnesota, we pride ourselves on being progressive, focused on academic success, and being ahead of the curve. But, we are doing worse than other states in closing the achievement gap. In fact, recent data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show Minnesota has the worst gap in the U.S. between white and African American students, falling behind Washington D.C., Alabama, and Mississippi.

One of 21 cities across the nation to receive a federal Promise Neighborhood Grant, Saint Paul is working to close the divide by organizing the community toward one common vision: that children are successful from cradle-to-career. We decided to look at the achievement gap as an opportunity gap. Let’s start with the premise that all children can be successful academically and work from there by setting the expectations high.

The Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood is a transformational opportunity to remove school success barriers. Spanning a 250-block area in the Frogtown and Summit-University neighborhoods, including two public elementary schools — Jackson and Maxfield, the area is young, with 32% of residents under age 18. It is poor; 56% of households have incomes below $35,000 and 89% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Poverty is a leading indicator for who will fall into the achievement gap. Children who are sick, tired, hungry or fearful are not able to be attentive in the classroom.

Our approach with the Promise Neighborhood is to organize the community and create the will and means to realign education, health, public safety and human services to create an environment that supports all our children to achieve academic success. We have conducted a community assessment, and since fall, six Solution Action Groups — each made up of 20-25 Promise Neighborhood residents, service providers, educators and others — have been developing a plan of action.

We have learned from years of delivering direct services and through research that none of us can do this work alone. We must integrate the assets of the private and public sectors and use them to fuel academic success. Addressing the needs of a child is not enough — to be successful we must address the needs of their families, neighborhoods, and the environment in which children live and grow.

Since 1997, The Amherst H. Wilder Foundation has been a key partner with the Saint Paul Public Schools on the Achievement Plus program where we have successfully developed a standards-based curriculum, extended learning opportunities for students, and offered learning supports for students and families. At Dayton’s Bluff Elementary School, one of our Achievement Plus schools, Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) test scores rose from 12% to over 60% in a 10-year period. The investments we make now in programs like Achievement Plus and Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood help remove barriers to learning and build a stronger Minnesota with well-educated and engaged citizens and a productive workforce. Children are our future; they deserve our best effort.

Partnering on learning opportunities

By Mayor Chris Coleman, February Guest Blogger

Just over a month ago, I began my second term as mayor with an inauguration ceremony. During my speech, I described how important it is that we in the Twin Cities evolve to think of ourselves as partners in an effort for regional growth and prosperity. This means that we must stop fighting each other and position ourselves to face global competition. Saint Paul can no longer compete against Bloomington or Minneapolis. Our future depends on our ability to compete with Shanghai or Stuttgart, Seoul or Sao Paulo.

This effort necessarily begins with education. A well-educated workforce is vital to attracting, retaining and expanding businesses in Saint Paul. We are fortunate to have a wealth of college presidents, corporate executives and church leaders who recognize this fact. Our partners in higher education, business and nonprofit training programs are developing fine-grained models that match people with training opportunities designed for specific jobs. In the next four years, we’ll continue to work together to demonstrate how cities and school districts can share the responsibility of providing high-quality learning opportunities for all children.

This approach requires us to work across barriers that have prevented us from forming partnerships that could help students. The Kellogg Foundation has recognized the city’s role in expanding the quality of and access to learning opportunities for all of our students. Thanks to Kellogg’s support, my office has launched the Learning in Cities Project, a partnership with the Center for Democracy and Citizenship. This initiative will allow us to expand the definition of youth success beyond the math and reading test scores mandated by No Child Left Behind. Our long-term goal is to create an organized system of after-school learning opportunities throughout the city that will allow young people to develop the skills — academic and otherwise — that they need to meet the expectations of 21st century workplaces and communities.

As one outgrowth of this work, the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers and Saint Paul youth workers will have the opportunity to engage in professional development side-by-side for the first time ever. As part of the federation’s annual Professional Development Conference, the talented individuals who work with students during the school day will learn more about the talented individuals who work with youth when they’re not in school. Youth workers and teachers are being asked to participate as speakers and presenters, so that all can benefit from the knowledge and skill-sets that each exemplifies.

Motivating kids is key to their success

By Kent Pekel, September guest blogger

How does Minnesota move beyond admiring the problem of the gaping gaps in educational achievement and attainment that persist in our state along racial and socioeconomic lines? That was one of the questions I had the opportunity to pose last night to more than 100 community members who gathered to watch a preview screening of a new TPT documentary, “Challenging Expectations.” The program offers a compelling overview of the urgent need to put students from groups that have long been underrepresented in higher education — especially students of color and low-income students — on the path to success at technical, community and four-year colleges.

The program describes many of the changes that schools, colleges and community partners need to make to reach that goal, from increasing access to challenging high school classes to providing mentors and support systems for students who face challenges beyond the classroom. Carlos Mariani Rosa — legislator and head of the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership — spoke about the need for systemic responses combined with individual commitment and community leadership. He also suggested that we need many more non-profit organizations like Admission Possible and publicly supported initiatives like the federal TRiO programs.

I agree with Carlos about the need for systemic reforms and supports, but I was most struck by the conversation afterward about another critical part of the formula for academic success: student motivation. Time and again, we heard students who were succeeding against the odds say they had a fire in the belly to make their way to college and a career. Some of those students said that motivation came from a family member, others drew it from a mentor or teacher and still others had no idea where it originated.

As I reflected last night on my years as a K-12 teacher and administrator, I realized that despite the fact that my colleagues and I were deeply committed to student success, no school or district I worked in had a formal strategy to increase and sustain students’ motivation to succeed in school. Instead, we assumed that strong relationships and good teaching would result in the motivation to learn. For many students, those things are enough. But my experience in recent years and the “Challenging Expectations” program reinforce my sense that schools and organizations that work with youth now need to put in place proactive and powerful strategies for motivating students to succeed in school and progress toward higher education and high-skill employment.

And so the question in my mind today is this: what would that look like? How can we do more than hope that students develop the persistence to work through academic and personal challenges to reach their goals? How can we help young people who tweet and text all day develop the willingness to undertake the “boring” work that is required to learn to perform a science experiment, write a great essay or create a great work of art?

What programs and educators are already doing this, what can we learn from them and how do we replicate them across Minnesota? We need to stop admiring the problem of the achievement gap and start solving it at scale for all of our students and in all of our communities.

Keeping kids focused on the destination

By Kathleen O'Donnell, July guest blogger

In late June, while most kids were just settling into summer, Destination 2010 students came together to prepare for the final leg of their K-12 journey. Their third annual summer weekend retreat was held at Camp Saint Croix with the theme of Rising to the Challenge and Exceeding Expectations.

Destination 2010 is an initiative of The Minneapolis Foundation designed to help a cohort of students graduate on time (in 2010) and pursue higher education — while sharing lessons learned along the way. Instead of creating new programs, the initiative weaves together existing resources to provide information, opportunities, and support to the students, the majority of whom are low-income students of color, and many of whom will be the first in their families to attend college. The program also conducts campus tours, connects kids with summer enrichment activities (and underwrites the costs), and offers many other activities to keep kids involved, focused, and achieving year round.

It’s an unusual program for its size and scope — launched in 2001, every 3rd grader in seven struggling Minneapolis and Saint Paul public schools was invited to participate. Every student who remained continuously enrolled in the two districts would receive a $5,000 or $10,000 scholarship to pursue post-secondary education. As they prepare to enter their senior year, 185 students remain in the program. This includes 40% of the original 364 students, along with students in another program who merged with Destination 2010 midstream.

The high attrition rate underscores the fact that mobility has posed the same challenges to Destination 2010 as it has to the school system itself. And the effect on the students can be devastating. We’ve witnessed first-hand the corrosive effects of mobility on relationships over time, on access to information and opportunities, and on academic success.

On the flip side, one of our greatest successes has been the ability to keep students on our radar who might have otherwise fallen off. For many students, the identity of being in Destination 2010 has transcended time and place. We’ve been able to maintain relationships with some students through homelessness, multiple moves, family upheaval, and time in the juvenile justice system.

Another significant challenge has been the need to constantly combat the pull of low expectations — both from external sources and within the students themselves — especially among so-called ‘average” students. Generally speaking, high-performing low-income students (those who are “beating the odds”) garner attention. Students viewed as average or underperforming often pass under the radar of efforts to nurture college aspirations. Yet even as Destination 2010’s approach has been to set the same high goals for all students, that vision hasn’t necessarily taken root for every single student or family.

And, honestly, for some students, the barriers can seem overwhelming. It can be very challenging to continue to hold high expectations and demand accountability for our students, when we’re aware of the difficulties and instability in their personal lives. It’s a balancing act for everyone who teaches young people to strive to achieve amid stressful circumstances.

Fortunately, we work in close partnership with the families, community programs, and school leadership and staff. To connect most effectively with the students and their families, a group of Destination 2010 liaisons who reflect the diversity of our students serve as the primary contacts. The liaisons have built relationships that open the door for tough conversations about what it will take to get into higher ed. They work with the students, but also help families navigate the roadmap to higher education (financial aid applications, appropriate pre-college class selections, etc.). They even keep family phone numbers current...not a small task. They keep our students encouraged and connected; keep the families informed, involved, and empowered; and have helped make Destination 2010 a diverse yet cohesive community of students striving to achieve.

Destination2010 student Rakeem has reflected, "I have been through a lot of programs in my life due to certain circumstances, but D2010 is by far my favorite. I look forward to seeing my friends and fellow students doing something productive and so serious about their lives to come. I see so many of my peers throwing their lives away with drugs and what not. I have made the choice to do something better and I feel that the decision I have made is the right one. Well, I am aware of my surroundings and I am capable of getting to my destination, are you?”

Question to readers: What strategies have you found to be successful in keeping students connected through achievement programs that aren’t necessarily focused on a specific school, neighborhood, or activity?

Your take: what organizations can do

We asked a number of people to take a short survey about the Vanishing Graduates show and  received some interesting responses to this question: Given the challenges that the program raises, what are some actions that organizations could take?

Here are some of the actions you suggested:

• Federal grants and loans availablity. It's scary: how will government continue? The clients they serve will only be increasing, special interest groups always want increased services, (contrary to popular belief) many government jobs ARE complex and require a college degree and there will be fewer workers demographically, and far fewer educationally qualified...we will either have to curtail services, rely on technology to be a substitute for people, and/or tap a qualified people supply from outside the U.S.
• We need to get out in the high schools and middle schools and entice/tout/advertise about how there's a place waiting for them in our workforce, and take steps to ready themselves.
• Entering into partnerships with government, business and educators to provide additional resources for schools and support for families.
• REQUIRED college preparatory curriculum, no matter how long it takes a student, when they moved to this country, or what their native language is. We fail our students every time that we do not require them to achieve at the minimum level expected by college admissions offices. MUCH GREATER funding for guidance counselors. Our counselors work too hard, and it is embarrassing that this great progressive state is not taking better care of its students as they prepare for college. Statewide PR campaign to raise awareness. Greater support of college access programs, with long-term funding opportunities, NOT short-term grants.
• Businesses who are affected by these trends on the post-college end of the spectrum would help make the crisis more real for most people. Many folks tune out the non-profit, social service, educational sector's advocacy because we're always pushing for one need or another. I'm sure resources are limited, but it would be helpful to combine this with a major PR push throughout the state — billboards, mailings, commericals, etc. This is a defining issue of our time, and nobody really knows about it.

If you would like to share your opinions about the program, take the survey.