Program: Developing Community Partnerships as a Strategy to Promote College Access and Success

Building Community Partnerships to Support the College Aspirations of Young People Presented to National Partnership for Educational Access April 2010

Experts in Room!
Name:
Organization:
One thing your organization does exceptionally well:

Overview of Session
ACCESS Overview
Introduction: ACCESS Community Engagement Strategy
Philosophy: Working For Working With
History and Evolution
Community Partnership Program Overview
Program Overview
Key Partners
Partnership Model
Preliminary Results
IV. Success Boston Overview
Program Overview
Key Partners
Partnership Model
Preliminary Results
V. Strategies for Success & Potential Pitfalls
VI. Questions & Takeaways
What was not covered today, that I can make sure to get back to you on?
Any other ways ACCESS can help support the growth of your community partnership efforts?

Mission: ACCESS works to ensure that all young people in Boston and Springfield have the financial information and resources necessary to achieve their dream of a higher education. Vision and Mission Vision: We imagine a day when every young person in Boston and Springfield reaches their fullest potential by graduating from college, regardless of their family’s financial capacity or college experience.

ACCESS’s Current Programs
Early Awareness & Community Outreach Program. This program aims to educate younger students and their families about the many resources available to help pay for college. By building partnerships with Boston schools and community-based organizations, Early Awareness expands ACCESS’s reach to new populations of students and parents.
High School Advising Program. ACCESS provides expert financial aid advice to high school seniors in every neighborhood in Boston. The program employs a multifaceted approach, incorporating one-on-one advising, small-group workshops on specialized topics, and large-group presentations on the basics of financial aid.
Last Dollar Scholarships. Last Dollar Scholarships range from $200 to $2500 and are renewable for up to six years. They often make the difference between students attending the college of their choice or not attending college at all. Students advised by ACCESS who demonstrate unmet financial need are eligible.
Postsecondary Success. The Postsecondary program provides financial aid advising and support once Boston students have reached postsecondary education. It is designed to ensure that students overcome any financial obstacles that might prevent them from completing higher education.
ACCESS runs a continuum of programs focused on young people beginning in 7th grade and stretching until they graduate from college. Our programs include:

Working For Working With
Community Engagement & Partnership
When multiple groups or agencies work together for mutual benefit of the greater community.
Why this is important:
Reach larger populations
Avoid duplication of efforts
Make better use of resources
Deal more effectively with the issues that face our communities

Levels of Partnership
Level 1
Networking: The mutual sharing of information between groups of agencies.
Level 2
Coordination: The sharing of information and altering activities for mutual benefit.
Level 3
Cooperation: The sharing of resources and information and altering activities for mutual benefit.
Level 4
Collaboration: The sharing of resources, information, and altering activities to enhance the ability of other partners for

History & Evolution of Community-Based Work at ACCESS
2005-2008
Disparate relationships with roughly 100 community organizations throughout Boston
Limited programmatic offerings; typically one-time introductory workshops presented to large groups
Limited tracking of outcomes
2008
ACCESS goes through strategic planning process, identifies the need to coordinate and collaborate with CBO’s, rather than just be a service-deliverer
2008-2010
Community Partnership Program created and piloted
Success Boston created & piloted

Community Partnership Program: Overview
Fifteen high impact CBOs selected as partners:
High quality programming
Collaborative organizations, those likely to be flexible and willing
Demographic focus is “on target”
Community profile / brand strength
Sufficient scale (# of students/families served)
DIRECT DELIVERY
On site workshops
1-to-1 advising
CAPACITY BUILDING
Professional Development & Training
Curriculum Design & Support

ACCESS CPP: Key Partners

ACCESS CPP: Program Model Level 2 Level 1 Level 3 Direct Service (1 to 1 Advising, Group Workshop, Data Tracking) Organizational Capacity Building (Staff Training & Curriculum Development)

Example: Steppingstone/ACCESS Partnership
I. Participation in Steppingstone Conferences (October & February)
-Access staff will lead a workshop (or 2) at each conference with a target audience determined by grade level. Sample topics suggested below (taken from draft of ACCESS/West End Partnership Program)
II. Connecting Steppingstone Seniors to ACCESS counselors to complete financial aid forms
-Steppingstone to market and encourage/require Scholars attending ACCESS partner schools to utilize the services of an ACCESS counselor
-How to track whether or not Scholars are utilizing these services?
-Figure out way to connect Scholars that do not currently attend ACCESS partner schools (independent schools, METCO, etc) to ACCESS services
-Have them attend ACCESS “office hours”?
III. Staff Training
-Have ACCESS train our Support Services staff to have a basic understanding of financial in order that they may talk about it intelligently with families. Will refer families to ACCESS for the majority of financial aid related direct services.

Success Boston: Overview
November 2008 - Getting to the Finish Line: College Enrollment and Graduation released
Key findings include:
64% of the Class of 2000 enrolled in college
35% of the Class of 2000 had graduated by 2007; exclude exam school graduates and that number drops to 24%.
Mayor Menino announces city-wide college completion initiative and issues challenge to double the college graduation rate for BPS Class of 2011.
“ We are proud that Boston sends more graduates to college than just about any city in the country, but we must do more to ensure success once they are there.” - Mayor Thomas C. Menino
Response: November 2008 – Present Task Force of city-wide leaders created -> Nonprofit partners selected -> Class of 2009 Pilot recruited and summer programming begins -> 2009 pilot cohort begins college, groups involved continue collaboration -> Class of 2010 recruitment begins
Student Demographics
59% female 41% male
96% students of color
85% first generation college students
45% at 2 year colleges 55% at 4 year colleges and universities
85% are PELL eligible

Success Boston: Key Partners
Getting Ready : Boston Public Schools
BPS work to ensure that students are academically prepared to succeed in college. Getting Ready component led Marsha Innis-Mitchell, Director of College Readiness Initiatives.
*Getting In : Transition Organizations
Six area nonprofits work together to help students apply for and gain access to higher education, including applying for financial aid.
Getting Through: Local Colleges and Universities
The schools which BPS graduates attend at the highest rates partner to assure students receive the supports necessary to earn a degree and are prepared to enter the workforce.
2 year : Bunker Hill CC, Roxbury CC, Mass Bay CC, and Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology
4 year : UMass Boston, Suffolk University, Northeastern, and Salem State University

Partnership Model
ACCESS is
A service provider
We do the “same” things for each organization, although those things may appear slightly different from one group to the next.
 FAFSA completion
 1 to 1 Financial Pulse Checks with members of the pilot
 Distribute “Scholar Dollars” to students in fall and spring semesters
 Conduct financial workshops (e.g. budgeting) for partner organizations
A link within the initiative
We facilitate the monthly transition organization meetings and have regular meetings with Boston Public School staff and higher education partners.
 Work with all partners to organize cohort-wide events.
 Work with all partners to assure that our database is up to date.
 Work with primary funders to compile reports from that data.
 Work with all involved stakeholders to create and distribute regular communication to the students involved.

Partnership Model
Details
Frequency and location of meetings:
Pilot Implementation Group (transition organizations) meets once a month
Pilot Planning Group (key partners) meets once a month
Location of meeting changes so that all organizations become familiar with each other's neighborhoods, facilities, and missions.
Support within the partnership
Professional development at each Pilot Implementation meeting led by a different organization
Support outside the partnership
Attend and assist at one another at events (unrelated to SB)
Examples: Freedom House Symposia, College Day at BPS high school, ACCESS’s Center for College Affordability opening

Preliminary Results
Initiative-Wide
Retention & Recruitment
96% of cohort returned for 2 nd semester
Recruitment underway for Class of 2010, high numbers expected
Collaboration
Frequent communication between pilot partners
New partnerships built and current ones strengthened with area colleges and universities
BPS reveals new college readiness tools – early placement tests, college tracking tool
ACCESS
Helped over 200 students complete their FAFSA
Developed multiple new postsecondary workshops (i.e. Your College Budget) per student and organization needs
Built user-friendly “home” for Success Boston data and worked with SB partners to make it user-friendly and effective.
Led coordination efforts of 2 highly successful cohort-wide student events

Common Challenges
1.) Communication Breakdown
Common with differing organizational cultures and personalities
2.) Privacy Concerns
Sensitivity to information about students & families
3.) Reactionary Nature of Our Work
Building systems to anticipate the unanticipated

Strategies for Success
Everyone shares a commitment to a common vision
Put agendas and needs (personal and organizational) out in the open, they do not need to be identical, but should be compatible
Be sensitive to the needs, styles, and limitations of other collaborators
Maintain frequent and open communication
Be sure everyone understands expectations, especially concerning responsibilities and tasks
Sharing of resources and expertise
Building trust for the long haul

Adam C. Reinke Director of Community Engagement [email_address] Claire Dennison Director of Postsecondary Success [email_address]

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Program: Developing Community Partnerships as a Strategy to Promote College Access and Success

by Marissa Lowman on Apr 12, 2010

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