Our Members
Member Spotlight
February 2012 Member Spotlight: College Possible™ (formerly Admission Possible) - Saint Paul, MN
Interviewees:
Emily Jacobs, Communications Manager
Traci Kirtley,
Director of Programming and Evaluation
Snapshot:
Date founded: 2000
Number of Staff: 35 full-time staff across all sites, including the national office
Total number of students served annually: nearly 8700 [1900 11th and 12th grade students in the core high school program, 3200 students in the college program, and 3500 9th and 10th grade students served by college planning workshops]
Percentage of students of minority background: 91%
Percentage of students admitted to college: 98%
Percentage of students who persist and graduate from college: Nearly 80%
Other interesting/notable facts: College Possible more than doubles the chances a low-income student will enroll in a four-year institution. A 2011 Harvard study compared College Possible students to very similar students from the same high schools who did not participate in the program.
Questions? Email Traci Kirtley, Director of Programming and Evaluation, or contact her by phone at (651) 917-3525.
College Possible in the news:
• Watch College Possible’s 2011 Mutual of America Community Partnership Award video.
• Education Week featured College Possible (formerly Admission Possible) as one program making an impact on low-income students.
Q: What is the mission/vision and what are some of the primary goals of College Possible?
College Possible envisions a day when the future of America’s children is determined solely by their potential and effort. The College Possible model, designed to help low-income students obtain a college education, helps reduce the achievement gap that persists today along socioeconomic lines and acts as a multi-generational barrier to prosperity for families in poverty. By creating a pipeline of qualified students for colleges and universities and providing support through graduation, College Possible also helps provide the future leaders and college educated workers needed by the United States in a globally competitive economy.
College Possible’s mission is to make college admission and success possible for low-income students through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support. As the first organization in the country to leverage the AmeriCorps national service model for college success, we are able to provide the intensive intervention required in helping low-income students overcome significant barriers to a college education at impressive cost-efficiency allowing for rapid scaling.
Q: Can you tell me more about the recent name change from Admission Possible to College Possible? How has the program evolved and changed over time, and what are the organization’s plans for growth?
College Possible has grown nearly 250-fold since our founding from a pilot program of 35 students to serving nearly 8,700 low-income young people annually. The organization has successfully replicated programming in 29 high schools in three metro areas, with college program services now reaching students enrolled at 200 college campuses nationwide. Our growth plan calls for us to reach 20,000 students annually in 10 markets across the country by as early as 2015, and certainly by 2020.
It was this growth that led us to our recent name change. In 2000, when founder Jim McCorkell launched Admission Possible from the bedroom of his apartment with the help of his wife and friends, the work of changing lives was focused entirely on helping low-income students access college. As the organization grew, so did our focus and programming in support of students once they were in college. We knew we had the expertise to see them through to the ultimate goal – a degree.
As our program continued to build a successful track record of replication we knew we needed a national expansion strategy to help this program reach more students, and with that, we also knew it was time for a new name. Becoming College Possible not only better recognizes our work in both college access and success, it is also a name we are now trademarking to ensure our single 501c3 organization will be able to grow into any community where we are needed, under the name that symbolizes our vision that when college is possible, anything is possible!
Q: Who does College Possible serve? How are students selected for the program?
The College Possible model targets low-income high school students in the ‘academic middle’ who have the potential for college but who would be unlikely to succeed without significant support. We are currently working in 29 schools in total – 19 in the Twin Cities, eight in Milwaukee, and two in Omaha. Program eligibility requirements are:
- High school sophomore. Students apply as sophomores and enter the two-year program as juniors.
- Low-income. This is determined by median household income in city/county and by free and reduced lunch eligibility.
- GPA of 2.0 or above. This is a guideline. Some students may be accepted with a lower GPA.
- Application and interview. Completing this process provides reviewers with additional family background, academic preparation and aspirational information about the students.
Students currently in the College Possible program have an average family household income of less than $25,000.
Q: Can you tell me about the various phases and program components of College Possible’s high school and college programs?
High School program:
College Possible’s core programming is delivered during the students’ junior and senior years of high school by recent college graduates serving as full-time, near-peer mentors and AmeriCorps members. The comprehensive two-year, after-school curriculum includes academic support through SAT and ACT test preparation services, college admissions and financial aid consulting, and guidance in the transition to college. Students meet after school with their coach for two-hour sessions twice weekly in small groups of 10-15. Coaches are AmeriCorps members, typically recent college graduates, who serve one to two-year terms of service with College Possible. The cohort size and consistent meeting schedule allow students to build a peer group of support. Throughout the course of the program, students spend 320 hours of time on task, working through a copyrighted curriculum that covers topics addressing the academic, financial, psychological and informational gaps that are key barriers for low-income students.
- Building a foundation- Students learn about the benefits of college and its accessibility to them, breaking down psychological barriers to college pursuit often found in students from low-income, first-generation backgrounds.
- Providing academic support- Each coach provides individual and group academic support, including English, math, science, reading, and writing support needed to help students master crucial knowledge and skills that are important not only for score increases on the ACT exam, but also for preparedness for the rigor of college-level courses.
- Preparing for the test- Most of the junior year is spent on intensive ACT test preparation and reinforcing academic content knowledge, including four full-length practice exams prior to the official exam administered in April.
- Selecting target schools- In their senior year, students receive individual support in finalizing a list of schools with which to begin the college admissions process. Research shows that low-income students tend to select colleges not rigorous enough for their academic abilities.
- Preparing applications- Most of the senior year is spent preparing college applications. This includes helping students prepare essays and working with teachers to write reference letters.
- Consulting on financial aid- Each student is given intensive support identifying and applying for a wide range of financial aid, including extensive scholarship searches.
- Guidance in transition to college – Senior year, students learn about reading financial aid packages, balancing a budget, managing time, and navigating campus resources.
College planning workshops for underclassmen:
College planning workshops are delivered to 9th and 10th grade students by high school seniors supported by their AmeriCorps coaches. These workshops leverage the near-peer mentorship model to encourage early planning school-wide in partner high schools and help create a college going culture across the school. College planning workshops for sophomores are tied to College Possible information sessions during student recruitment season. Workshops also provide a key leadership development opportunity for seniors in the program.
College program:
Upon completion of the high school program, students become part of College Possible’s college program, which employs a similar, but less intensive coaching model to help ensure college retention and graduation of College Possible students. College coaches utilize a structured curriculum to focus on academic, financial and cultural factors that research has identified as barriers to college success for low-income students. Coaches work to connect students to their campus resources, to each other, and to potential employers in order to help build a network that will support them as they make the difficult transition from high school to college and beyond. Helping students on college campuses nationwide, college coaches also provide targeted troubleshooting using Web 2.0 tools, one-on-one assistance (in person and by phone), group workshops and on-campus support. The college program works with students for up to six years, or longer if they are continuing to actively pursue their degree.
Q:
What partnerships and/or collaborations has College Possible developed with other college access programs, organizations, national associations, or schools to further the organization’s work?
College Possible’s core high school program is school-based. We work closely with our partner high schools who provide College Possible coaches office and classroom space after school in which to conduct lessons. We have program coordinators who work with two to four schools, depending on the size of the program and the school. They are full-time staff assigned to oversee the AmeriCorps members and maintain long-term relationships with the school while the Corps members serve just one-year terms. Principals, teachers and counselors at partner schools support the program by referring eligible students and helping to reinforce a college-going culture within the school. In return, College Possible’s services are provided at no cost to the school.
College Possible’s relationship with AmeriCorps is vital to the way we operate. AmeriCorps attracts energetic, idealistic young people who are committed to changing the world and making their community a better place. Their enthusiasm is a key part of what makes this model work. The fact that they are close in age to the students also makes them effective because the students find them believable. Approximately 85 AmeriCorps members serve with College Possible this year through AmeriCorps State, National Direct, and VISTA, and this number is growing annually.
Within a school site, we work closely with fellow service providers to ensure no duplication of services to maximize impact for students. We are members of state and national college access and success networks including NPEA, NCAN, NACAC, as well as several national coalitions working to educate elected officials and the public on issues of concern such as support for national service and social innovation as key solutions to so many of our nation’s challenges. Those include Voices of National Service, ServiceNation and America Forward.
Q: How does College Possible evaluate and measure success? Can you talk about the recent 2011 Harvard comparative study featuring Admission Possible?
College Possible is committed to both internal and external evaluation of its efforts and has systems in place for closely monitoring programmatic outcomes in real-time. All students have a unique record for tracking in the web-based student database Naviance. Coaches for both high school and college students store all programmatic data there, including ACT scores, college and scholarship applications and acceptances, and college enrollment data. We pull reports weekly to evaluate current results against historically-informed organization benchmarks for these outcomes. Results are shared through team meetings and with senior management, allowing for immediate intervention where needed as well as best practice sharing.
A 2011 Harvard study by Dr. Christopher Avery found that College Possible has a clear impact on enrollment. Dr. Avery analyzed historical data comparing College Possible students with peers who did not participate in the program, and found that students participating in College Possible are 140% more likely to attend a four-year college than their peers (see the student here: http://www.CollegePossible.org/Reports.html). To provide further evidence of the effectiveness of the College Possible model, the organization has launched a two-year study with Dr. Avery, funded by the Spencer Foundation. This randomized controlled trial, considered the “gold standard” of techniques, will follow two groups of students: one participating in the program and a similar group that will not. The results of this study will be available in 2013.
Q: How have you benefited from being a member of NPEA?
Regular communications about developments in the field and the impressive work of fellow providers is of enormous value to us and our commitment to continuous improvement of our program. We are not a large enough organization to be able to expend significant resources in this way and having access to the conferences, member organizations, and other tools is something we have valued since becoming an NPEA member organization. It also provides us with an outlet for what we continue to learn about trends in our own programs and the research-validated techniques that are working.
