Power of YOU First year progress report Irene Kovala, Ed.D. Beth Yeh, Ph.D. Minneapolis Community and Technical College

wilderresearch.org Acknowledgements Dan Mueller and Jennifer Lee Shultz of Wilder Research conducted the evaluation and provided many of the slides in this presentation Special thanks to the POY staff for their work on collecting the data needed for the evaluation Additional special thanks to community partners (i.e., Hospitality House, Achieve!Minneapolis, YMCA, etc.) who have supported the POY effort through financial support and community outreach

wilderresearch.org Power of YOU Institutions Minneapolis Community and Technical College ─ Type: Comprehensive college ─ Location: downtown Minneapolis ─ Credit headcount FY07: 11,888 St. Paul College ─ Type: Comprehensive college ─ Location: downtown St. Paul ─ Credit headcount FY07: 7,645 Metropolitan State University ─ Type: State university ─ Locations: Minneapolis & St. Paul ─ Credit headcount FY07: 9,184 Source: MnSCU Management Reports

wilderresearch.org Educational context “only 3% of Minnesota’s African American and American Indian 9 th graders, and 5 % of the Latino 9 th graders, are projected to complete a bachelors degree before they are 25 years old” ─ Trouble on the Horizon, Citizens League Minnesota ranks among the bottom five states in its graduation rates for African American and Asian students ─ Diplomas Count: Ready for What?, Education Week

wilderresearch.org Power of YOU Goal: To increase the college enrollment and success of underrepresented students Minneapolis and Saint Paul public high school graduates Free tuition to: ─ Minneapolis Community & Technical College (MCTC) ─ Saint Paul College ─ Metropolitan State University (joining fall 2007) Specialized curriculum and student support services

wilderresearch.org Power of YOU Components Removing Financial Barriers Support At-Risk College Students for Success Reach Out and Raise Expectations Public Policy Advocacy

wilderresearch.org Impact on enrollment: MCTC and Saint Paul College InstitutionTotal Power of YOU Non-Power of YOU MCTC Saint Paul College Total Power of YOU students represent nearly 60% of 2006 Minneapolis and Saint Paul public high school graduates who enrolled in the fall Fall 2006 enrollment numbers

wilderresearch.org Impact on enrollment: MCTC and Saint Paul College Enrollment of Minneapolis and Saint Paul public high school graduates doubled in fall 2006 compared to fall 2005

wilderresearch.org Impact on enrollment: Student characteristics Large increases in underrepresented students compared to previous two years: ─ Low-income ─ ESL ─ Black ─ Male A somewhat higher proportion of Power of YOU students took developmental courses (75-81%) than their classmates (60-68%).

wilderresearch.org Survey Item Had Difficulty prior to POY (% of respondents) Received Help from POY staff (% of those indicating difficulty) How to apply for financial aid 52 (41%)37 (71%) How to cover your living expenses while in college 70 (57%)38 (54%) How to cover college expenses (e.g., tuition, books, etc.) 101 (79%)82 (81%) Source: Web-based survey of Power of YOU students, spring 2007 Note: N=128 for survey, both MCTC and St. Paul College students included Financial barriers to enrollment: Student perceptions

wilderresearch.org Retention and academic standing POY students had an overall retention rate fall to spring of 85%, higher than their classmates and prior cohorts POY students had a fall 06 to fall 07 retention rate of 64%, according to preliminary analysis POY students’ GPA tended to decrease from fall to spring semester, with an average GPA at the end of the first year of 2.3

wilderresearch.org Retention and academic standing At the end of spring semester, 62% of POY students were in good academic standing POY students earned an average of 19.6 credits in their first year Percentage of credits earned out of credits attempted at the end of the first year was about the same for POY students and their classmates (71%).

wilderresearch.org Successes and challenges Successes ─ Increased enrollment of underrepresented groups ─ High first year retention rate Challenges ─ Inadequate preparation for college ─ Decline in academic performance after the first term

wilderresearch.org Selected program recommendations Strengthen relationship with high schools Increase assistance for students related to personal finance (e.g., living expenses) and personal issues Balance pre-enrollment and post-enrollment services Further develop the community partnerships supporting the program

wilderresearch.org What’s happening this fall? New Fall 2007 Power of YOU cohort ─ MCTC has 241 POY participants ─ St. Paul College has 164 POY participants ─ Metropolitan state has 18 POY participants

wilderresearch.org Immigrant student interface with Power of YOU POY program initially required completion of federal financial aid forms ─ Undocumented students excluded New legislation allowed 7 MnSCU institutions, including MCTC, to pilot a single tuition rate (resident tuition rate) In addition, the MCTC Foundation fundraised to provide private financial support to undocumented students to participate in POY

wilderresearch.org Questions? Power of YOU Evaluation Interim Report and executive summary, created by Wilder Research is available at: and