posted September 17, 2007
The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga has announced a three-year grant to the Public Education Foundation to guarantee funding for a comprehensive college counseling program in all 16 of Hamilton County High Schools. The $122,000-per-year gift will enable the continuation of the college counseling program that was started as part of the “Schools for a New Society” initiative.
The Public Education Foundation and the College Access Center will also be making contributions to the program. The College Access Center will contribute $94,000 and PEF will add $53,000. Added to the Community Foundation’s gift, the private contributions will more than match the $150,000 being budgeted by Hamilton County Schools.
“This wonderful public/private collaboration will allow us to continue working toward the goal of making college accessible to every student in Hamilton County,” said Dr. Jim Scales. HCDE’s strategic plan identified college access and college-going as key objectives.
Peter Cooper, president of the Community Foundation, echoed Dr. Scales’ comments. “The Community Foundation is very much focused on partnerships. Our board believes that collaborations extend everyone’s reach, and this is a perfect example of how pooling resources can produce a powerful result,” Mr. Cooper said.
Charlotte Smith, executive director of the College Access Center, says that college advisors are among the important resources for high school students navigating the college application process. “Students often need guidance on which schools to explore, how to file applications and what kinds of financial aid may be available to them. This program provides more of that support,” said Ms. Smith. The college advisors will be employed by the College Access Center, which was created in 2002. The first college advisors were placed during the 2003-04 school year, and have done much to increase the number of Hamilton County graduates enrolling in college. That number rose from 1,324 in 2005 to 1,499 in 2006, with 2006 graduates enrolling in 141 colleges in 28 states.
In addition to the college advisors, the initiative will provide extensive professional development for all high school guidance counselors and college advisors through a PEF-led Learning Network. The grant will also allow the school system to continue its subscription to Naviance, a data system that provides accurate information about all aspects of the college admissions process to any interested Hamilton County high school student.
Jamison Lanum, who graduated from Sale Creek High School last year and is currently enrolled at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, credits the college counseling program with helping him navigate the admissions process successfully. “I’m not sure I would be enrolled this fall if my college advisor hadn’t been there to answer my questions last year. The direction I got made a big difference for me when I was trying to keep up with my school work and get my college applications done on time,” said Mr. Lanum.
PEF president Dan Challener emphasized the fact that this grant is about building a school’s capacity to deal with students interested in continuing on to college. “We want to provide students with lots of support, and we want that support to be sustained over time so that we really change the collective culture about pursuing a college degree. This initiative will get teachers, principals, counselors all involved in the college admissions process,” he said.
The partners plan to measure the success, having incorporated goals that include increasing the number of students who apply to college and the number who are accepted and awarded scholarships. The initiative will also measure the college persistent rate by tracking the number of students who return for their second year.
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