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CollegeKeys Compact: An Action Plan to Remove Barriers to College Access for

Students from Low-Income Backgrounds

Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators

November 20, 2008

Don Honeman, University of Massachusetts DartmouthLinda Dagradi, The College Board

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Task Force on College Access for Students from Low-Income

Backgrounds

Created By Board of Trustees in 2005 to:

• Address concern that students from low-income backgrounds do not attend college in proportion to their number, even when academically prepared

• Use this focus as an important way to advance the mission of the College Board

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Task Force Purpose

Forge a collaborative agreement between the College Board & its members on a commonly accepted definition of “low-income”

Seek to remove all identifiable barriers, including non-financial barriers, to college access for students who meet that definition

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Task Force Membership

• Trustees and former trustees

- High school counseling coordinators

- Admissions and financial aid officers

- University vice chancellors

- Community college presidents

- Non-profit organization leaders

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National Challenges

• Numerous reports have noted U.S. competitiveness depends on our ability to be more productive educationally

• U.S. has slipped from pre-eminent position on several measures of comparison

• Low-income students frequently have been unsuccessful accessing & completing college

• Growth of minority populations presents a special challenge since educational systems historically have not traditionally served them well

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National Challenges cont.

• If U.S. is to be competitive in the future, we need a means to integrate populations traditionally overlooked in our expectations for success

• To our traditional moral imperatives have been added a powerful economic motive

• Changes will take extraordinary effort; the CollegeKeys Compact™ begins to respond to that challenge

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• A research-based

call to action

• A vision for the future

• Adopted by Trustees

in Sept. 2007

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CollegeKeys CompactTM

• A collaborative agreement between the College Board and its 5,200 institutional members

• Mobilizes member resources and talent to prepare students for low-income backgrounds for college success

• Involves mutual expectations, commitments & responsibilities for all parties

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Description of “Low-income” Students

•Students whose families receive or are eligible to receive economic subsidies targeted to families with low income, including students who are:

- Eligible for free or reduced lunch program- Members of a family receiving public assistance- Residents of federally subsidized public housing

-OR-

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• Students enrolled in schools with large numbers of students from low-income backgrounds or enrolled in schools with low college-going or high dropout rates

-OR-

• Students in foster care, wards of the court, or homeless

-OR-

• Students who will be first generation college attendees (neither parent has a degree) and require some or all of the services needed by the students identified in the previous three descriptions

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Focus Areas for Action

• Getting Ready: Preparation and Planning

• Getting In: Admission and Financial Aid

• Getting Through: Achievement and Success

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Belief Statement: Getting Ready

We believe that all students are capable of being prepared for postsecondary education and that educators, families, communities, and policymakers have the responsibility to ensure that all students, including those from low-income backgrounds, graduate from high

school ready for college success.

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Belief Statement: Getting In

We believe that all qualified students from low-income backgrounds should receive particular consideration in recruitment, admission, and financial aid and that colleges and universities should make every effort to meet the financial need of this population in ways which make enrollment and full participation in the college

experience life possible.

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Belief Statement: Getting Through

We believe that colleges and universities have a responsibility to provide essential academic support, financial aid, and targeted social and emotional support to ensure that all enrolled students will have every chance to succeed in their

chosen academic programs.

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CollegeKeys CompactTM

Pledge

1. Indicate agreement with Trustee Belief Statements

2. Conduct the CollegeKeys inventory of current initiatives supporting college readiness, achievement & success of students from low-income backgrounds

3. Engage senior institutional leaders in identifying ways to expand efforts to increase students’ college success

4. Monitor & publicly report progress in achieving institution’s CollegeKeys goals

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CollegeKeys CompactTM

Partners

• The College Board

• Schools & School Districts

• Colleges & Universities

• State Education Agencies

• Nonprofit Organizations

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College Board’s Commitment1. Implement & maintain the Compact

2. Establish a goal of eliminating all fees associated with admissions & financial aid for income-eligible students

3. Build on research-based effective policies & practices

4. Support peer review & evaluation to affirm & improve partners’ efforts

5. Serve as a relentless advocate at national, regional, state & local levels

6. Provide incentives to higher education Institutions to undertake new & creative programs to increase access & Success

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College Keys Inventory

• Research-proven strategies for improving college access & success among low-income students

• Assessment of current efforts to address students’ needs & to identify strengths and gaps

• Data to support planning for future initiatives

• Options to be tailored to institutional circumstances

• Tools for educating the institution’s broader community & constituencies

• Forum for peer sharing of “best practices”

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Implementation Progress • Building & maintaining infrastructure

• Developing & initiating outreach strategies

• Building advocacy partnerships

• Establishing recognition processes

• Using data from the Compact™ to build on & create effective policies and practices

• Developing metrics to measure success

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CollegeKeys Compact: Benefits for All• Students & Families: Decision-making structures &

frameworks that students from middle & upper income already have

• Schools: More help with best practices, additional mentors to support students, new partnerships with higher education

• Colleges & Universities: expanded pool of well-prepared students to recruit, improved achievement & graduation rates for students from low-income backgrounds

• State Education Agencies: increased support for policies & resources promoting college success for underserved groups

• Non-profit organizations: Stronger partnerships with schools & colleges, more effective programs, increased college-going and success rates among their students.

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Questions and Comments

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Discussion Questions• What responses do you think your CEO and other

institutional leaders would have to a request to sign the Compact Partners’ Agreement?

• What challenges would your institution face in committing to participating in the Compact?

• Who should be on the team to complete the inventory and establish Compact goals for your institution?

• How would your institution benefit from participating in the Compact?

• What thoughts and suggestions do you have about the Compact?