First Graduate Case Statement - College Access and Success

OUR COLLECTIVE CHALLENGE

HIGHER EDUCATION LEADS TO BETTER OUTCOMESEducational attainment is highly correlated with future earnings…

<HS HS/GED BA

$23K

$29K

$45K

2007 US median individual income, by education level

Source: National Center for Education Statistics “Condition of Education: 2008” (2009); College Board “Education Pays: 2007” (2007)

During their working lives, typical

college graduates earn over 60 percent more than typical high school graduates,

and those with advanced degrees earn two to three times as much as high school graduates

Both annually… …and over lifetimes

HIGHER EDUCATION LEADS TO BETTER OUTCOMES…and a variety of other positive outcomes

Source: T. Gylfason and G. Zoega “From Education to Equity and Growth: theory and evidence” (2004); Stephen Earl Bennett and Linda L.M. Bennett, “Reassessing Higher Education’s Effects on Young Americans’ Civic Virtue” (revised paper originally delivered at the International Conference for Civic Education Research, Nov. 2003); OECD “Measuring the effects of education on health and civic engagement” (2006)

GDP

HealthCivic

engagement

BUT PARENTS’ EDUCATION DRIVES KIDS’ OUTCOMESParents’ educational attainment is a major predictor of their children’s attainment

Note: Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS):1988-2000Source: S. Choy. Students Whose Parents Did Not Go To College: Postsecondary Access, Persistence, and Attainment (NCES 2001-126) (2001)

Children’s enrollment in 2- or 4-year institutions, by parents’ education attainment

Parents who have a BA or higherParents who have no college expe-rience

Do not enroll

Enroll

Parents’ education level remains a significant predictor of enrolling in post-secondary education and for persistence and bachelor’s degree attainment at 4-year institutions,

even after controlling for other important factors, including income, educational expectations, prior academic preparation and achievement, parental involvement, and peer influence

Enroll

Do Not Enroll

…AND THIS IS TRUE EVEN IN OUR OWN BACK YARD We are not immune; the national trends are replicated in San Francisco’s public schools, as well

Out of every 100 first generation* students inSan Francisco…

…57 will graduatefrom high school

…34 will enroll in post-secondaryeducation

… and 4 will earn their bachelor’s degrees within 5 years

Note: * Describes a student from a family in which neither parent attended college. Figures are estimates based on rates of progression through high school and college pipeline, as presented in research cited belowSource: Swanson (2009); Choy (2002); Nunez, Cuccaro-Alamin, and Carroll (1998)

STUDENTS WHO ARE FIRST IN THEIR FAMILIESSo what about those students whose parents did not attend college?

first gen•er•a•tion adj. |`fərst jə-nə-`rā-shən|1: describes a student from a family in which neither parent attended college 2: 1 out of 6 college students in the United States

Note: Data from the Higher Education Research Institute’s (HERI) Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) from 2005; these CIRP surveys of freshmen at four-year institutions have been conducted annually since 1966Source: John Pryor et al. “The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2005” (2005)

THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE NEWEST GENERATIONWho is most likely to be “first generation” today?

Of all first-generation students in a nationally representative study conducted between 1988 –and 2008, 85% had family incomes below $50,000

% of first-generation students, by family income

< $25,000 $25-49,999 $50-74,999> $75,000

Note: National study cited is the National Education Longitudinal Study (1988-2000)Source: C.Tym, R. McMillion, S. Barone, J Webster “First Generation College Students: a literature review” (2004); S. Choy. Students Whose Parents Did Not Go To College: Postsecondary Access, Persistence, and Attainment (NCES 2001-126) (2001); Higher Education Research Institute “First in My Family: a profile of First-Generation College Students at 4-year Institutions since 1971” (2007)

% of all first-time, full-time freshmen in 4-year colleges who are first-generation (2005)

Latino38%

African American23%

White, non-Hispanic

13%

Asian American19%

In a nationally representative sample of students conducted between 1988 and 2000, 60% of first-generation students were female

60%40%

Female Black or brown Poor

A UNIQUE CHALLENGE, FACED BY MANYWhat challenges do these “first generation” students face at school and at home?

Note: ELL = English Language LearnerSource: C.Tym, R. McMillion, S. Barone, J Webster “First Generation College Students: a literature review” (2004)

Poorer academic preparation in terms of course-taking, rigor

More likely to have to negotiate cultural differences between home and school

Less family support for, and understanding of the

college experience

Less experience navigating the higher education

bureaucracy

More often placed in vocational, technical, and/or remedial course programs that inhibit access to 4-year institutions

Less information about the college experience (e.g., how to manage time

and budget, build relationships with peers and professors)

Poorer language mastery among ELL* students

Less information on college admissions, financial aid;

less internet access inhibits research

OUR SOLUTION

relationships academics enrichment

case management

career information

OUR SOLUTION

OUR MISSION IS TO HELP STUDENTS FINISH HIGH SCHOOL AND BECOME THE FIRST IN THEIR FAMILIES TO GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE

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The math is as simple as…

Parents’ education is a major predictor of whether a child will graduate from college2

Greater educational attainment leads to positive individual and societal outcomes

+

=

RIGOROUS PROGRAM MODELOur program model is grounded in the best academic research and builds on years of experience in the field

RESEARCH

PROGRAM

MODEL

6th grade 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 1st year college 2nd 3rd 4th

Mitigate the “summer slump” by increasing time spent on academic study during the summer; increase learning time during school year

Manage smooth 8th-9th grade transition

Enroll in college prep courses; maintain steady credit

accumulation towards graduation

Maintain supportive peer, parental, other adult relats. that reinforce college-going aspirations, expectations, norms

Acquire info on reqs., apps., fin. aid

Acquire necessary info to ensure good high

school placement

Enroll in credit-bearing classes; avoid remedial classes

Acquire financial aid; minimize employment hours

Academic instruction, tutoring, and support, including rigorous 5-week summer session and 35-week school year session

College counseling for parents and students,

including test prep, application and financial aid assistance, summer

enrichment offerings

High school counseling, including selection guidance sessions for

parents

Engage parents in activities around high school and college choice; long-term mentoring by a college graduate role model

End of summer retreats, winter reunion, regional networking events

Annual college scholarships of a minimum of $1,000 for 4 years

Bi-weekly or monthly check-in calls

Participate in career training, work placement (particularly valuable for young men of color)

Provide career exploration programming (e.g., career days, job shadowing)

Assistance with targeted internship / job placement activities

DEMONSTRATED RESULTSOur students excel on numerous measures

High school GPA

College acceptances

Enrollment, retention

73% of First

Graduate students in the class of 2011-2012 maintained a GPA of 3.0 or higher

92% of all First

Graduate high school graduates are eligible for California State University campuses

27% maintained

a GPA of 3.5 or higher

57% are eligible

for University of California campuses

80% of all First

Graduate high school graduates are accepted to a 4-year college

100% of all First

Graduate high school graduates enroll in a 2- or 4-year college and return for their 2nd year

ROBUST THEORY OF CHANGE (SIMPLIFIED)Our work and partnerships will sow the seeds of change in our community and beyond

y

School districts

College prep programs

Other direct service providers

Other organizations replicate key FG program components

F RST GRADUATE

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FG partners with others to raise awareness around first

generation issues, needsFG serves increasing numbers of first-generation

youth in San Francisco with high quality services

additive…

multiplicative…

exponential...

A generation of new graduates

…impact

OUR FUTURE

OUR GOALTransforming the academic and life outcomes of the first generation students we serve

Out of every 100 First Graduate students who enter the pipeline…

…80 will remain in the program through high school graduation

…80 will enroll in post-secondary education

…and 64 will earn their bachelor’s degrees within 5 years

Note: Student icons colored black represent the current number of students who make it throughthat stage in the pipeline under the current conditions in San Francisco’s public schools (see slide 13) . Student icons colored blue represent the additional number of students who will make it through that stage in the pipeline under First Graduate’s program goals

THE MOMENT IS NOW…We are poised at a crucial moment that will determine the future of education, and that of our country

Strong consensus that education is the key to our nation’s economic

security and prosperity; education reform is focus of calls for action from both within and outside the political system

Increasingly, business and political leaders are sounding the call for improved education and training in order to regain solid economic footing and reclaim our competitive edgeMiddle / upper middle class parents are increasingly concerned and pushing for reform, bringing greater attention to the issue of insufficient college readiness among today’s youth

Government, philanthropy poised to push for significant reform

Stimulus package passed in early 2009 contained unprecedented sums for education reform and innovation, particularly focused on efforts that improve college readiness for those youth under-served by the current systemMajor philanthropists are backing this “college-ready” agenda with both voice and funding

Emerging consensus around the need to support disadvantaged students through college completion

Reform community initially backed efforts that supported high school graduation among disadvantaged students, then expanded focus to college access, and is finally coalescing around the need for supports that focus on college completion

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WHAT YOU CAN DOHelp us reach our goal of doubling the college graduation rate among underserved young people in San Francisco – shaping our families, communities and businesses for years to come.

Invest Volunteer Create Opportunity

FirstGraduate.org/donate

First Graduate depends on the time, knowledge and expertise of hundreds of volunteers each year to help us fulfill our mission.

FirstGraduate.org/volunteer

Launch a Career. Make an Impact.

Hire a First Graduate college intern. Help students develop the tools they need to launch trail-blazing careers through a summer internship.

To learn more, contact Laura Brief at 415-447-7170 [email protected]

See a Return on Your Investment. Think big.

Give Your Time and Talent.Mentor, Tutor or Coach.

$100 = Training for 25 volunteers to support students' academic progress.

$500 = Books for all 90 middle school students.

$1,000 = Parent workshop to provide the tools and skills so parents can help ensure their children’s success.

$15,000 = laptop computers to help support our academic programming activities such as writing college application essays.

Thank you!

LAURA BRIEFDIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS 415-447-7170 [email protected]

Stay Connected.

Visit our blog, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn for regular updates from inside the program & learn more about our students’ experiences on the road to college graduation and beyond.

http://www.firstgraduate.org