Hannah, Kristina and Nicole at the Blueprints table in NCAN’s Best Practices Gallery

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 21^st 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:

• Organize college visits with local high school students: email Hannah Selles to get started.
• Become a mentor: connect with Blueprints programs currently underway in Tuscaloosa (at the University of Alabama), Marion (through Judson College), Montevallo (at the University of Montevallo) and Birmingham (with UAB).
• Help cover the costs of materials and staffing with your financial gift.
  

Hannah, Kristina and I recently attended the David Mathews Center’s “Making Community Decisions About Alabama’s Dropout Situation” at Auburn University Montgomery.

I learned that high school dropouts earn $10,000 less a year than high school graduates and $1,000,000 less over a lifetime than those with a bachelors degree.

And 75 percent of all state prison inmates dropped out of high school.

Hannah was there to present our Blueprints College Access Initiative along with our partner University of Montevallo Service-Learning Coordinator Dr. Hollie Cost, and I visited with other community-based programs targeting educational attainment.

Two words stood out throughout the day: engagement and innovation.

Most programs engage others to keep kids in schools. What surprised me was that they all do it differently.

• Some engage students by helping and inspiring them to graduate and go to college, like the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Lee County.
• Others engage parents and equip them to help their child, like First Teachers@home.
• Many engage schools and inspire them to become something better, like Winterboro High School.
• Still others engage entire communities and hold everyone accountable for their public schools, like the Montgomery Education Foundation.

Innovation was also a common theme. The problems facing our schools are not simple, so we must be creative and adapt to a new generation of students.

But for a moment, I doubted if all of this work actually made a difference.

Then Keynote Speaker Dr. Tommy Bice told us that Alabama had the nation’s fourth largest gain in graduation rates between 2002-2008.

This stuff does work.

We talk a lot about how our Blueprints initiative increases college access for low-wealth communities.

Now we want to show you by introducing you to people involved in Blueprints. Students like Justin, an aspiring meteorologist, are learning how they can plan for the future, prepare for graduation, go to college and pursue their dreams.

Watch the video to hear from Justin and other students participating in Blueprints at one high school in Birmingham:

Want to help create a college-positive culture for students in your community?

• Find our Resources on education, mentoring and college access.
• Join in Partnership with the Alabama Poverty Project.
• Give now to help us continue our college access work with students like Justin.

Thank you for your continued support!

Posted by Robyn Hyden

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?

• visit the Alabama Possible Summit event page to learn more about bringing relational ministries to your community
• read more about Mentoring and Youth Development in our web resources
• contact Scott Meinberg about opportunities to partner with Holy Family for corporate internships.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

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:

• by 2018, nearly two-thirds of jobs will require some form of higher education
• over the next 10 years, new jobs in Alabama requiring post-secondary education will increase by an estimated 132,000, while other jobs will increase by only 89,000
• currently, 55 percent of all jobs in Alabama require some form of post-secondary training

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?

1. Our Higher Education Alliance and other K-12 and college programs are using innovative programming to educate our children and increase access to higher education. We talked about some of these initiatives at our recent Lifetime of Learning Conference.
2. Our state gubernatorial candidates are publicly debating the role of the state in college access and funding for higher education, which means that people are starting to pay attention.

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

Alabama’s median household income is $9,443 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 a bachelor’s degree, 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. (The Big Payoff, US Census Bureau – PDF)

A college-going culture includes the environment, attitudes, and practices in schools and communities that encourage students and their families to obtain the information, tools, and perspective to enhance access to and success in post-secondary education.

How can you create a college-going culture in your community?

1. Have high expectations. Young people will follow your lead and work to meet your expectations.
2. Share your passion/vocation. Teens are often conflicted about the career path they wish to pursue. Share your story about why you picked the career you did, how you got there, and what you hope to see in the future. This simple act can serve as an invaluable resource to a teenager struggling to choose a career path.
3. Utilize your business or occupation. Invite local teens to shadow you or your colleagues for a day. Giving young people the opportunity to experience a career they may have not have ever considered could be one of the biggest gifts you can give.
4. Mentor a young person. Children that come from homes without a college-educated parent often do not see the value of a college education. By sharing your educational experience and encouraging a young person to pursue post-secondary education, you will dramatically increase her chances of being exposed to new opportunities.
5. Answer questions. Young people can be timid and may not always ask the questions they need to. Answering what seems like simple questions may turn into a larger conversation and guide young people to a more successful future.
6. Participate in or produce a college or career fair. Hosting a fair could be one of the most beneficial activities that you can provide for your community.
7. Contribute to initiatives already underway. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel, and by financially supporting organizations already undertaking initiatives, you allow them to increase their impact.

Check out our page on the Blueprints college access initiative for more information on why increasing college access for all Alabama students matters.

Posted by Kristina Scott

Nearly half of kids born into poverty will remain persistently poor throughout childhood, meaning they spend at least half of their childhood at or below the poverty line.

And 32 percent of persistently poor children will remain impoverished into adulthood. They are also more likely to become unwed teenaged parents, drop out of high school, or have a spotty employment record – all of which significantly impact their economic status.

“Because poverty status at birth is linked to worse adult outcomes, targeting resources to children born into poverty and their families would help particularly vulnerable people,” the authors of the study note. In Alabama, 22% of Alabama children live in poverty, and over 1 in 10 live in extreme poverty.

And we still have a racial divide: “Black children are roughly 2.5 times more likely than white children to ever experience poverty and 7 times more likely to be persistently poor.”

What can you do?

• Build relationships – mentor a child or young adult. Encourage them to pursue education and work experience, and serve as a positive role model. Sometimes, students just need to hear that success is possible.
• Provide for immediate needs – children who lack basic necessities are less likely to have positive outcomes. For example, hungry children are much less likely to succeed in the classroom.
• Support working parents – 32 percent of children living in poverty have at least one parent who is working outside the home, and over over 45 percent of households headed by a single female live in poverty. These parents may need help with transportation, tutoring, or child care.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

I am so impressed with the hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm of our Blueprints mentors, students, and partners this semester. It wouldn’t be possible without them!

Thanks also go to the generous donors who made this semester possible. By sustaining the Blueprints initiative, we can continue building our relationships in these communities and help even more Alabama high school students start to think about college as a realistic option.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Alabama ranks 37th in reading proficiency, reports the Annie E. Casey Foundation. And according to The Literacy Council, approximately 1 in 4 of all Alabama adults is functionally illiterate.

Why are we concerned about this? Not because of road signs. Literacy and poverty are directly linked: 43% of adults with low literacy skills live in poverty (Birmingham Metro, “Illiteracy’s Devastating Impact on Alabama”). And our literacy woes are directly related to our education system. In a 2007 assessment of 8th graders’ reading levels nationwide, the average student score in Alabama was lower than 48 other states.*

This video from the Literacy Council shows the impact of illiteracy on individuals:

How do we solve this problem?

• Mentoring can make a difference in the life of one child or young adult. Mentors can help identify literacy problems early, encourage a love of reading, and read aloud to younger children.
• Public libraries play a large part in helping young kids to read. Birmingham’s Mayor William Bell recently proposed closing public libraries as part of budget cuts, and school and public libraries across the state are facing financial woes. Support your local library by joining their library guild or Friends of the Library program.
• Become a literacy tutor. The literacy council identifies 90,000 adults who need help improving their reading skills.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Above: Montevallo High School freshmen visit the University of Montevallo with mentors from UM and APP.

“I learned today that I can afford to go to college when I thought I couldn’t!” -Francis-Marion High School Blueprints Student