APP is recruiting two AmeriCorps*VISTAs to work with our Blueprints College Access Initiative. This is a great way to get real job experience in a supportive environment, work with high school students, and promote a college-going culture.
The job description is posted here and you can find out more about the AmeriCorps*VISTA program here.
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
WHAT: Financial Aid/FAFSA Help Night
WHEN: Tuesday, February 28, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Woodlawn United Methodist Church, 139 54th St N, Birmingham, AL 35212
BIRMINGHAM - Woodlawn High School students and their families will get hands-on help completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on Tuesday, February 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Woodlawn United Methodist Church.
“The process of applying for and paying for college can seem complicated. This FAFSA completion event will help students and their family access federal and most state financial support, including grants, scholarships, the lowest-cost student loans and work-study opportunities. We want to turn Woodlawn students’ college dreams into reality,” said Kristina Scott, director of the Blueprints College Access Initiative.
The Woodlawn FAFSA Help Night is a free program to connect high school seniors and their families complete the FAFSA with expert advice from volunteer financial aid counselors from Birmingham-area postsecondary institutions, including the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Samford University, and Virginia College.
The FAFSA Help Night is co-sponsored by the Woodlawn High School Alumni Coalition, the Blueprints College Access Initiative, and Woodlawn United Methodist Church.
About the Blueprints College Access Initiative:
The Blueprints College Access Initiative equips 21st-century high school students to graduate from high school college- and career-ready by building partnerships with area higher education institutions and community organizations. Blueprints builds a college-going culture by demystifying the college-going process and connects high school students with an information-rich network of support student coaches and adults who can help them navigate the admissions process.
Blueprints is an initiative of the Alabama Poverty Project. Alabama has the third-highest poverty rate in the country, and educational attainment and income are closely related. According to the Census Bureau, college graduates’ median income is $46,931, while the median for workers with a high school diploma is just $27,381.
For more information, visit www.blueprintsalabama.org
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Dear Friends,
During 2011, faith and individual donors like you contributed $12,964 to the Alabama Poverty Project. That means we are nearly 75 percent of the way to our 2011 goal of $17,500. Thank you!
We are immensely grateful to partners like you. You inspire us and constantly remind us that, together, we have the power to end poverty and hunger in Alabama.
We hope that you had a chance to join us at one of our programs this year. The highlights included:
• The Blueprints College Access Initiative, which worked with 246 students at seven high schools across Alabama. Blueprints increases college access by supporting families in college and career planning, financial aid literacy, and ACT preparation. Thank you for helping equip students to pursue their college dreams.
• Celebrating the publication of APP Co-Founder Wayne Flynt‘s memoir, Keeping the Faith: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives. Wayne challenges and inspires us to keep fighting for a more just Alabama. Thank you for helping us keep his flame going.
• Alabama Possible Community Conversations, which bring together Alabamians to talk about our aspirations for our communities, the barriers we face in achieving those aspirations, and what actions individuals, leaders, and communities can take in turning possibilities into reality. Thank you for helping us listen to the dreams of everyday Alabamians.
• July’s Tornado Recovery Workshop and September’s Lifetime of Learning Conference, which brought together students, educators, and community partners to talk about poverty and long-term tornado recovery. Thank you for ensuring that the structural causes of poverty are addressed in rebuilding efforts.
We have just 5 more days to raise $4,536. Please ensure that we have the resources to continue our work together by making a contribution today.
Thank you,
Kristina Scott
Executive Director
Alabama Poverty Project
Here’s a guest post from Blueprints founder Nicole Bohannon:
Earlier this month, Kristina, Hannah, and I had the opportunity to attend the National College Access Network’s (NCAN) annual conference in St. Louis to share experiences from Blueprints College Access Initiative and learn from other college access providers around the nation.
From breakout sessions sharing best practices for assessment and sustainability to inspiring plenary sessions and networking opportunities, the conference provided for an incredible time of learning and growth that will undoubtedly prove valuable as we work to deepen the relationships with our Blueprints partners and their communities.
During the conference, we also had the privilege of presenting Blueprints at NCAN’s Best Practices Gallery, which focused on best practices in helping diverse student groups access and success in college. We were thrilled to share information about what Blueprints is doing in Alabama with over 600 conference attendees.
One of the most important things we learned was the power of state and local college access networks. These networks work to get more 21st century students into and through college, and by leveraging their collective impact they are able to create large-scale social change for student success. Alabama does not currently have a college access network, and that is something we aim to change over the next year.
The NCAN conference was a wonderful learning opportunity, but even more so, a motivator to see the ground we must make up in college attainment in the state of Alabama. Increasing college access is vital to fighting poverty in Alabama, and we couldn’t do it without your help.
Want to learn more about best practices to increase college access? Some of the conference sessions are posted in the virtual conference section here, and many of the presentation handouts are available here.
Want to get involved with Blueprints? Here’s how:
This past Friday we took a trip to check out one of our Higher Education Partners, Wallace State University-Hanceville. We’ve continually heard of their academic, health and technical programs and were eager for a closer look.
Dr. Tomesa Smith, Vice President of Student Affairs, welcomed us and gave us a brief history of Wallace State. Afterward, Ms. Jennifer Hill, Director of Enrollment Management, gave us a campus tour while catching us up on Wallace State’s expansion of health professions and broadening of technical programs including culinary studies, dental hygiene and cosmetology.
The tour ended with a walk-through of the welding department. The program boasts a 100 percent employment rate for its graduates. Jim Thompson, the Welding Department Head, showed us around the facilities, pointing out various welding machinery, and he even demonstrated a water-powered materials cutter to make us some souvenirs!
Mr. Thompson informed us about the vast employment opportunities for a welder and about a national shortage of people seeking work in the welding professions. He also referenced a recent Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute (ACRI) commercial that aired during the Iron Bowl. The commercial, featuring Mike Rowe, stressed the importance of workforce development under the label of “Go Build Alabama.”
The Huntsville Times recently quoted the commercial and some ACRI statistics- “A third of Alabama’s skilled tradesmen are over 50, and they’re retiring fast,” Rowe said in the new PSA. “Guess who’s replacing them? No one.” According to the ACRI, for every four people retiring from the construction trades nationwide, only one is stepping up to take their place.
The highlight of the day was listening to Mr. Thompson describe acting out his life’s calling while helping others find theirs. He kept coming back to a central point he has experienced throughout his teaching career, “We take that person that had no skills…when they strike that first arc, it’s like a light switch came on,’This is what I’m supposed to be doing!’” Students find an interest they never knew they had. This spark serves as the motivation for these students to excel and perform on a higher level. Mr. Thompson recalled the passion and excitement some students had to learn as much about their trade as possible. He mentioned some of his past star students, such as Joey Foster, who won technical contests on a national level.
Thanks, Dr. Smith, Ms. Hill and Mr. Thompson for welcoming us to your campus!
Posted by T.C. McLemore
We recently reported on two studies about education: one shows that Alabama lags behind in higher educational attainment, and another shows that by 2018, nearly two-thirds of new jobs will require some form of higher education.
Meanwhile, Alabama’s biggest obstacle to economic development is low educational attainment, reports the Southern Education Foundation.
We know that low educational attainment is linked to high rates of poverty. In Alabama, over 1 in 4 high school dropouts live below the federal poverty line, and 1 in 7 of high school graduates who lack a college degree live in poverty.
The story is much more positive for college graduates. Only 3.4 percent of Alabamians with a college degree live in poverty, and college graduates bring over $1 million in spending power back to their communities.
Our partner Alex Steinmiller (pictured above) gets it. As director of Holy Family Cristo Rey high school in Ensley, he oversees a program where each student participates in a paid corporate internship during high school. Each of his students comes from a household living below the poverty line, and every graduate of the program has gone on to be accepted to college.
Father Alex connected with us at our Lifetime of Learning Conference and at our recent Alabama Possible Summit. “I see our college prep and workforce development programs as part of our response to poverty,” he says. Read more about Father Alex here.
How does the Alabama Poverty Project promote educational attainment?
Your gift makes a big difference. As the year ends, we are still facing a budget shortfall of $3,447. Can you give?
Your tax-deductible gift will enable us to continue our work mobilizing Alabamians to eliminate poverty.
Thank you for your continued support. With your help and partnership, it is possible to end poverty in Alabama.
-Track our fundraising progress at alabamapossible.org/fundraiser
The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity has posted another stellar discussion about college completion. This time, Stan Jones of Complete College America talks about some of the challenges that low-income and first-generation college students face when entering higher education.
We know that increased college completion is vital to reducing poverty in Alabama. According to the Center for Education and the Workforce:
Want to know more? Listen to the discussion below, and ask yourself: how can I increase the potential for Alabama students to get a higher education?
Complete College America from Spotlight on Vimeo.
Posted by Robyn Hyden
Monday’s Alabama Possible summit was all about transforming lives through relational ministry. In this week’s Alabama Possible spotlight, we look at one minister who brings this strategy to his daily work.
Father Alex Steinmiller is someone who knows about relational ministries, because he sees them transforming students every day. He is a founding organizer and president of Holy Family Cristo Rey High School in Ensley, Birmingham.
As a part of the Passionist order of the Catholic church, Father Alex is called to serve those living in poverty. He grew up in downtown Chicago, and he can still remember the day he first felt called to be a priest. “A Passionist missionary came to speak to our class and said people can be changed by the love of Christ on the cross. I had never heard that before.” This idea changed his life.
After he was ordained in 1970, Father Alex went to Detroit to work with young gang members. He saw white flight happen right before his eyes, and whole neighborhoods were abandoned by the middle class. “I realized that the best way to help at-risk youths is to relate them with a high-achieving peer. I didn’t have one class in the seminary that prepared me for this,” he laughs. Those years of experience “walking the streets of Detroit,” he says, convinced him that relationships could transform lives.
Working now with youth in Ensley, Father Alex sees this model in action every day. “Since 2007, every single one of our graduates has been accepted to college,” he brags. This is especially notable given their neighborhood, their household income, and the education levels of their parents. So what is Cristo Rey doing that other programs could replicate?
Cristo Rey is “the school that works” – literally. Like all 24 Cristo Rey schools across the country, they employ all of their 174 students in corporate internships. Students work 1-2 days a week to earn a portion of their tuition. They compensate for time spent outside the classroom by going to school for extended days the remainder of the week (8 am – 3:30 pm) and for a longer school year. This program gives the students the opportunity to both afford a private education and to get valuable work and mentorship experiences in high school.
“Jobs really make the most difference. Students get to form adult relationships, and to get that affirmation from adults. I hear them say all the time ‘I can do this, Father.’ That’s such a great breakthrough.”
Students and faculty pose in front of the Honor Society wall.
Applicants must have a combined household income of less than $38,000/year, and the school offers significant financial aid through the work-study program. Students must also meet nine other requirements before starting at the high school, including an interview with both the student and parents, an essay submission, teacher recommendations, and placement testing. “We accept students who are up to two years behind grade level if we believe they have potential,” he says. Holy Family ultimately hopes to sponsor up to 300 students with corporate internships, but they need more support from local businesses to make that happen.
Father Alex connected with APP through our 2010 Lifetime of Learning conference and the Alabama Possible summit, where he shared resources and experiences with others fighting poverty through education and ministry.
How can you bring relational ministries to your community?
People like Father Alex are engaging poverty in Alabama every day. Know someone showing what is possible? Nominate them for the Alabama Possible Spotlight.
Posted by Robyn Hyden
A report on al.com Tuesday, “Alabamians lag on college degrees,” summarized the findings from a recent Lumina Foundation study, A Stronger Nation Through Higher Education (PDF).
Namely, we rank below the national average in higher educational attainment. 68.4 percent of working-age Alabama adults have no college degree. 8 percent have a 2-year associate’s degree, while 24 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
This means that we’re less competitive with neighboring states for economic development, and our workers are less equipped for the future job market. According to a recent study by the Center for Education and the Workforce, Help Wanted: Projections on Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018:
As we have said before, low educational attainment hampers our ability to attract economic development. We also know that college graduates bring over $1 million in spending power (PDF) back to their home communities.
A college degree is one of the fastest routes for an individual to move out of poverty into the middle class – and a strong, stable middle class benefits us all.
What is the good news?
What can you do? Stay informed. Stay engaged. Help create a college-positive culture in your community (see page 12 of our annual report). And advocate for increased access to higher education through financial aid, mentoring programs, and improved college preparation.
Posted by Robyn Hyden
