Birmingham, AL- The U.S. Department of Education last week unveiled a new tool to help high schools better track how many students are completing federal financial aid forms.

School and local leaders can now track how many students in each high school across the country are submitting and completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the new FAFSA Completion Tool website, http://federalstudentaid.ed.gov/datacenter/fafsahs.html

Only 9,893 out of 49,510 Alabama high school seniors, or 19.98 percent, completed the FAFSA as of March 13, 2012. Previously, high schools estimated their FAFSA completion rate using self-reported surveys, which are typically unreliable.

Research shows a strong correlation between FAFSA completion and college enrollment.

“FAFSA completion helps students and their families access federal and most state financial support, including grants, scholarships, the lowest-cost student loans and work-study opportunities. The federal deadline for completing the FAFSA is June 30; however, many colleges’ priority deadlines have already passed,” said Kristina Scott, Executive Director of the Alabama Poverty Project.

Alabama’s median household income is $9,508 less than the national average. According to the Southern Education Foundation, 60 percent of that gap is due to Alabamians’ low educational attainment. For every dollar earned by individuals with bachelors degrees, high school dropouts only earn 32 cents and high school graduates only earn 51 cents.

College graduates elevate their personal earning capacity and bring nearly $1 million in spending power back to their local communities. Educational attainment is also a key factor in employers’ site location decisions, which in turn can create a healthier economy statewide.

The FAFSA Completion Tool will be updated every two weeks.

About the Alabama Poverty Project (APP):
Alabama is the nation’s third poorest state. Nearly 19 percent of Alabamians – and more than 27 percent of children – live below the poverty line. The Alabama Poverty Project (APP) is a nonprofit resource center that mobilizes Alabamians to reduce poverty via strategic partnerships with higher education institutions, community partners, policymakers and faith-based organizations. Founded in 1993, APP equips Alabamians to increase college access, fight hunger through learning and service, and one day end systemic poverty in Alabama. For more information, visit http://www.alabamapossible.org

Recently they posted these Spotlight discussions on education reform, educational equity, and poverty:

Spotlight Webcast: Education, Equity and Poverty from Spotlight on Vimeo.

Spotlight Webcast: Education Reform and Poverty from Spotlight on Vimeo.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Why?  Alabama leaders have long promoted low-skill, low-wage, non-union workers as our state’s primary draw for employers. As a result our economy depends on industries such as lumber, construction, and textile manufacturing to employ our workers. Yet in the current recession, these industries have declined steeply since 2007.

Meanwhile, higher-skilled jobs in car manufacturing and professional services are going to our neighbors in Tennessee and Georgia.

One explanation? Low educational attainment. Alabama’s high school drop out rate is over 39 percent, and only 23.1 percent of Alabamians have a bachelor’s degree. Our college enrollment rate has “dropped by double digits since the early 1990s.” According to the Southern Education Foundation, if more Alabamians had high school diplomas and college degrees, Alabama could attract more employers from a wider array of industries, including high-skilled manufacturing and professional services sectors.

The good news: as bleak as these numbers are, some cities in Alabama are showing notable job growth. A Moody’s index reported by The Economist ranks several Alabama towns as job hot spots. In a list of 384 metropolitan areas, Huntsville ranked number one in potential job growth, followed by the Auburn-Opelika area in second, Columbus-Phenix city seventh, and Mobile twelfth.

An Economist map of Alabama jobs shows growth in metro Huntsville, Auburn, Phenix City, and Mobile

These areas have attracted jobs by focusing on high-skill, high-wage jobs. Huntsville earns its number one slot thanks to the defense and aerospace industries; Auburn has a thriving university; Phenix City has the Kia plant and Fort Benning; and Mobile benefits from ongoing Katrina reconstruction and the ThyssenKrupp elevator plant.  These cities have also been able to take advantage of funding from the federal stimulus package.

In order to remain competitive, we need to develop a skilled workforce.  That’s why APP created the Blueprints college access program to equip Alabama high school students to attend college and compete for the jobs of tomorrow.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Read the full story here.

These statistics closely correlate with the number of students on free- or reduced-lunch plans, which is one measure of poverty.

To add insult to injury, kids who struggle with reading are frequently asked to leave school when they turn 16.  That just continues the cycle of poverty.  Instead, we should be creating a nurturing, supportive environment that recognizes that every child can and should learn how to read.

Read the complete analysis – and learn about possible solutions here.

Posted by Kristina Scott