The document discusses the College Promise Campaign, which aims to make the first two years of college as universal, free, and accessible as public high school was in the 20th century. It notes that while a high school diploma is no longer sufficient for most 21st century jobs, only 40% of US adults have a post-secondary degree or certification. The campaign promotes "College Promise" programs at the local, state, and regional levels to increase college access, affordability, and completion rates, especially for low-income students. It provides examples of existing programs and argues they provide significant returns on investment through increased tax revenues and reductions in social costs from college-educated individuals.

1. The College Promise Campaign
Making the Promise of College Real
America’s Promise Alliance Community Convention
Dr. Martha J. Kanter, Executive Director
October 10, 2016
www.collegepromise.org

2. The College Promise Campaign:
Making the Promise of College Real
CHALLENGE
How can we put students who need someone
who believes in them at the center of our work
in the 21st century at all levels of education?
www.collegepromise.org

3. The College Promise Campaign:
Making the Promise of College Real
CHALLENGE
Students from low-income families earn
bachelors’ degrees at one-eighth the rate
of their more advantaged counterparts —
9% compared with 75% by age 24!

4. The College Promise Campaign:
Making the Promise of College Real
 Do we want our nation to benefit from a middle class
in the 21st century?
 Low income and first generation students lag behind their
more advantaged peers in college enrollment by more
than 30%
 100 years ago we made high school available for everyone.
 We’re 12th in the world for college graduates.
We used to be #1.
www.collegepromise.org

5. Why a “College Promise” ?
 A high school education no longer is sufficient to prepare workers for 21st
Century jobs.
 More than 6 out of 10 jobs will require students to increase their
knowledge, skills and training beyond what they learned in high school.
 Yet, only 40% of U.S. Adults have a post-secondary degree or
certification. Community colleges educate half of America’s
undergraduates
 If we don’t provide more education and workforce training beyond a high
school education, our nation won’t be able to fully compete with other
countries who are investing in their higher education for 21st Century jobs.
www.collegepromise.org

6. What is a “College Promise”?
 It’s a 21st Century promise to make the first two years of
college – at a minimum - as universal, free, and accessible
as public high school was in the 20th Century.
 It’s a promise to prepare students for the 21st Century
workforce and the pursuit of the American Dream without the
burden of exorbitant college debt.
 Key components:
- “Place-based” (a college, a city, a region, a state)
- Guarantee of Financial Support for College
- Evidence & Performance-Based
- Financially Sustainable
www.collegepromise.org

7. College Promise Programs
www.collegepromise.org

8. What is the College Promise
Campaign?
What
 To build widespread support, the Campaign uses
three strategies:
o Communications and Advocacy
o Cross-sector Leadership Development
o Research, Policy and Practice
Why
 To increase college access, student learning and
college completion:
o Optimizes local, state, and federal funds
o Leverages and promotes evidence and performance-
based incentives and interventions.
www.collegepromise.org

9. We Pay for What We Value
Our challenge is to implement a reasonable,
sustainable College Promise that includes the right
combination of:
 Stakeholder Leadership
 Educational interventions
 Behavioral incentives
 Financial support
that can be leveraged to increase economic, social
and civic opportunity in the lives of all Americans!
www.collegepromise.org

10. The College Promise Campaign:
Making the Promise of College Real
COLLEGE PROMISE DESIGN CHALLENGES
 Increase high school and college graduation rates
 Close the achievement gap
 Increase college readiness for two-thirds of new freshmen
 Leverage cognitive science and technological tools.
 Give every student 24 x 7 advising, mentoring, tutoring, and
counseling
 Create and sustain a long-term, stable financial model
www.collegepromise.org

11. Wabash County Promise
http://www.wabashcountypromise.org/

12. Wabash County Promise
http://www.wabashcountypromise.org/about-the-promise

13. The Oakland Promise
http://www.oaklandpromise.org/about-the-oakland-promise.html
The Oakland Promise is a
cradle-to-career initiative that
aims to triple the number of
college graduates from
Oakland within the next
decade.
To achieve this, four
initiatives have been
launched:
Brilliant Baby, K2College,
Future Centers, and College
Scholarships & College
Completion.

14. Oakland Promise Initiatives
Through a two-generational approach, babies
born into poverty in Oakland will have a college
savings account of $500 opened in their names,
setting an expectation for college from birth.
​New mothers and/or fathers will benefit from
parenting support, financial coaching, and the
opportunity to earn financial awards as they take
steps to promote their children’s well-being.
Brilliant Baby launched as a pilot in Fall 2016,
and served 250 families in the first year. Within
the next decade, the vision is to serve all of the
most vulnerable families in Oakland.
BRILLIANT BABY
K2COLLEGE
The Oakland Promise established a universal
college savings program in Oakland public
schools, setting college as an expectation for
all. Students from low-income backgrounds
who have a college savings account in their
name are four times more likely to graduate
college. By 2020, every Oakland student
entering kindergarten will have a college
savings account of $100 opened in his or her
name. School and community-based
activities will encourage saving and promote
a college-going culture.
http://www.oaklandpromise.org/about-the-oakland-promise.html

15. What is the ROI?
Return on Investment
 College graduates earn more, are healthier and happier.
 The likelihood of being out of the labor force is 74% less.
 College graduates contribute hundreds of thousands of
dollars more over a lifetime in local, state and federal taxes.
 College graduates utilize about 39% fewer government
resources (e.g., emergency assistance and jails)
 College graduates report having “good” or “very good” health
44% more than high school graduates
 College graduates are nearly 5 times less likely to be jailed
or imprisoned than those who have no college experience.
www.collegepromise.org

16. The College Promise Campaign:
Making the Promise of College Real
 In the last year, more than 150 local communities,
community colleges and universities in 37 states have
launched a College Promise from a wide range of public
and private funding sources. (College Promise Campaign,
2016)
 To date, 23 state legislatures have reviewed 38 different
College Promise measures. (ECS, March 14, 2016)
 The White House reported that new College Promise
programs have invested more than $150 million for
community colleges to serve at least 180,000 students.
(U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Under
Secretary, The America’s College Promise Playbook ,
Washington, D.C., 2016.)
www.collegepromise.org

17. • Increase the performance of all students at all
levels
• Improve and accelerate remediation
• Shorten time to degree
• Reduce and bring back college drop-outs
The College Promise Campaign:
Making the Promise of College Real
2020-2025
Graduate
www.collegepromise.org

18. The College Promise Campaign:
Making the Promise of College Real
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
www.CollegePromise.org
www.HeadsUpAmerica.us
@HeadsUp_America
Martha@CivicNation.org
www.collegepromise.org