Institute for a College-going Commonwealth: Creating Community Partnerships to Increase Financial Awareness & Readiness for College Roland O’Daniel with CTL

Engage schools in creating a college-going environment that will significantly impact student achievement and college readiness

Session Standards As a result of today’s session, participants will: Apply an informed process for creating effective partnerships to increase financial awareness & readiness for college Understand the attributes of the  Institute for Higher Education Policy’s Guidebook for Ensuring College Readiness

What does it mean to be financially ready for college?

Interview w/ Denver Scholarship Foundation “Through a lot of work and an amazing, talented program team, we made it clear that we’re not successful without our partners; none of us will succeed without the other.”

with information about potential financial aid awards.” The FAFSA Project “… helping families fill out the FAFSA and providing them with information about potential financial aid awards.” https://www.hrblock.com/get-answers/taxes/filing/college-financial-aid-10843

Additional Resources

Examples of Partnerships Share an example of bundled/integrated services for students, where two or more services are connected or provided together. Or, share an example of a campus service (beyond traditional forms – grants, loans, scholarships, work study) that addresses students’ financial stability concerns.

Know Your Students Needs What quantitative and/or qualitative data do you currently collect about financial challenges faced by your students? What data can you currently collect about the impact of these financial challenges on student progress and postsecondary completion? If you are not able to answer, who in your district might be better positioned to address them?

Supports for Students to Overcome Barriers What types of services do you think your students most need? How do you know? What services and supports do you already provide to your students? Do students who need them know how/when/where to access these services? How do you know?

Leveraging Community Partners Which financial needs (e.g. tuition, food, housing, childcare) are addressed through current partnerships? Which needs are not currently being addressed? Which current relevant partnerships can be leveraged or expanded? How can critical connectors (e.g., Superintendent, School Board, Community Organizations, alumni) help strengthen these partnerships?

End in Mind…