Archive for June, 2011

US Department of Ed creates new College Affordability Center

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

This new site will help students and parents find out:

  • What colleges have the highest and lowest tuitions, and net prices?
  • How much to career and vocational programs cost?
  • How fast are college costs going up?

Check it out online here: http://collegecost.ed.gov/catc/Default.aspx

Closing Digital Divide, Expanding Digital Literacy

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

During his term as president, Bill Clinton condemned what he called the “racial digital divide” and pledged to connect each classroom to the Internet by 2000. New studies now show that black and Latino youth have found their own way online through cellphones. To learn about this trend, guest host Tony Cox speaks with Craig Watkins, a sociologist who studies minorities’ digital experiences in America.

Read more here.

KIPP, UNCF, CFED Launch $7.5 Million Partnership for College Completion

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

Posted on June 27, 2011

KIPP, UNCF, CFED Launch $7.5 Million Partnership for College Completion

The Knowledge is Power Program, the United Negro College Fund, and the Corporation for Enterprise Development have announced a new partnership that that aims to boost college completion rates among students from low-income communities.

Anchored by $7.5 million in initial funding from Citi and the Citi Foundation, the Partnership for College Completion (PCC) seeks to provide students with incentivized savings accounts, financial and college-readiness education, and scholarship assistance through pilot programs at KIPP charter schools in Chicago, Houston, New York City, the San Francisco Bay area, and Washington, D.C. The partnership aims to serve more than six thousand students at twenty-eight KIPP schools by the end of 2012. According to UNCF, only 8 percent of U.S. students in low-income communities complete college by their mid-20s.

Underpinning PCC’s educational efforts will be a special savings program created by Citi Microfinance and Citibank that will provide program participants with $100 in savings account seed money and matching contributions of up to $250 per academic year. According to the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis, students with savings accounts in their name — regardless of the amount saved — are seven times more likely to attend and remain in college compared to their peers without savings.

“Our goal is to dramatically increase the number of first-generation students — and those from low-to moderate-income families — who obtain a college degree, while also bringing their families into the financial mainstream,” said Citi Foundation president and CEO Pam Flaherty. “This groundbreaking partnership is not only an investment in talented students, but an investment in our country’s ability to remain economically competitive and vibrant.”

“KIPP, UNCF and CFED Launch Partnership for College Completion.” Corporation for Enterprise Development Press Release 6/22/11.

 

Primary Subject: Education
Secondary Subject(s): Higher Education
Location(s): California, Chicago, Houston, Illinois, National, New York, New York City, San Francisco Bay Area, Texas, Washington, D.C.

Michelle Obama Urges Students To Consider Career, College Options

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

From Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama urged high school students on Wednesday to think about their career goals and the job market before deciding what type of education to pursue.

Obama was speaking at Ballou High School in southeast Washington as part of a Women’s History Month mentoring program. Responding to a question from a student about what she would tell a teen mom who wants to go to college, the first lady said she would tell the teenager “good for you.” But she also told students they needed to have a plan and think about what kind of job training they need for the career they want.

“College is no joke because it is so expensive,” Obama said during a question-and-answer session with about 30 students.

The president’s wife said that she took out loans to go to a private college, Princeton University, but she knew there was “probably a job waiting” when she finished.

Obama said students these days need to worry more about the job market but also need to be prepared to take advantage of opportunities by not messing around in school.

She said her 12-year-old daughter is already thinking about what classes she needs to take and how to get into the best schools.

“Get it together now,” she urged students.

Later Wednesday the first lady hosted a dinner at the White House as part of the mentoring program where high school girls got to dine with guest mentors – celebrities and successful women including actresses Geena Davis and Hilary Swank, astronaut Ellen Ochoa and Grammy-nominated songwriter Ledisi.

The first lady urged the kids to understand that all the women present achieved their success through hard work and help from others. “None of us here were handed anything,” the first lady said. “All of these women here earned every single honor they have.”

OnTrack! Program’s Final Report Now Available

Monday, June 13th, 2011

Read the Full Report here: CCC Final Report (2010-2011)

Highlights include:

After participating in Unit 1, youth demonstrated measurable progress towards the OnTrack!’s self-awareness learning objectives. Youth were better able to connect their skills and interests to a viable job or career after the completion of the unit.  Specifically,

  • After the OnTrack! program, there was a 38% increase in the number of students able to logically connect their skills and interests.

In addition, the OnTrack! program helped students who were not able to identify skills, interests, or potential careers that interested them at the beginning of the year.  Specifically,

  • After the OnTrack! program, there was a 60% decrease in the number of students unable to list any skills or interests.

After participating in Unit 2, youth demonstrated measurable progress towards the OnTrack!’s career learning objectives.  Specifically, there was a:

  • 43% increase in the number of students able to list at least one educational goal.
  • 35% increase in the number able to list at least one job they wanted to have in the future.

Overall:

  • 84% of students effectively described how at least one job they listed used the skills they correlated with those jobs
  • 80% of students were able to name a future educational goal and 74% of students named a specific job they want in the future
  • 76% of students correctly identified the minimum education required for at least one of their listed careers.

After participating in Unit 3, youth demonstrated measurable progress towards the OnTrack!’s educational program goals and learning objectives.  Specifically, there was a:

  • 267% increase in the number of students able to name two types of financial aid.
  • 205% increase in the number of students able to name at least 3 parts of a college application

After participating in Unit 3, youth demonstrated measurable progress towards the OnTrack!’s program goals and learning objectives: Specifically, there was a:

  • 99% increase in the number of students able to identify a hard skill needed in the workplace. Students were also able to identify soft skills like respect, communication, and hard work that are necessary to succeed in the workplace.
  • 180% increase in the number of students able to define what it means to advocate for oneself.

 

Ward 7 & 8 Unemployment Rates Highest in Nation

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

The jobless rate in the poorest part of the District of Columbia is higher than in any U.S. metropolitan area with a labor-force of comparable size, according to figures released by the city government.

CCC’s mission is to effect a radical transformation in the aspirations and capacity of youth from Washington DC’s low-income communities to graduate from high school and pursue higher education.  CCC achieves its mission by offering early exposure to college and careers to eighth and ninth grade students in DC’s Wards 7&8 – ultimately, this will help turn around these staggering unemployment rates.

 

CCC Helps Students Set Goals

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

A student’s ability to set and achieve realistic goals is linked to higher grades, lower college-dropout rates and greater well-being in adulthood.

The Wall Street Journal writes about the importance of students and goal-setting, “Making Kids Work on Goals (And Not Just In Soccer)“.  CCC’s OnTrack! program’s final unit is dedicated to helping students develop Skills, both hard skills and soft that will help them succeed in high school and beyond.