A recent commentary in Education Week asked the question, “who is more responsible for ensuring student academic achievement, schools or families?” When parents and teachers were asked in separate focus groups who was most responsible for improving achievement, each group tended to answer, Not me, I’m doing all I can. It’s the others who need to work harder.
That is not what we are hearing from the families in FUEL.
Last week at the Chelsea Savings Circle we held a raffle for a $500 scholarship voucher for families with good attendance at the monthly meetings. The mother who won the scholarship said that through the knowledge she has gained in the program she has become the top motivator in her daughter’s education and college planning process. Her daughter spoke briefly about gaining college knowledge at school, but that she also wants her mom to remain informed in order to keep her on track to achieving a higher education.
FUEL families know that we are all responsible for student achievement. Parents are the first, constant and most influential teachers. It is in the home that the family provides the motivation and support for our inherent need to learn. Parents also convey the expectation, through their own behavior, that learning is a natural part of life both in and out of school.
In school, motivated, well-trained and dedicated teachers are responsible for building on that foundation. And in many cases, a good and perceptive teacher can provide the spark that ignites a love of learning in a less-motivated or less-prepared student.
Schools, teachers, community organizations and families each have a role to play in academic achievement. Recognition of that can ensure a much-needed supportive partnership among all of us. We owe that to our children, rather than reinforcing a counterproductive divide by asking who is more responsible.
As many of you know, financial aid is generally not available for undocumented students. That is because the majority of student aid, including federal student aid, requires you to be a US citizen, a permanent resident or an eligible non-citizen. However, that doesn’t mean that undocumented families have to shoulder the burden of college costs all on their own.
While federal law prohibits it, there are now a dozen states that provide in-state tuition benefits to undocumented students who have attended and graduated high school in the state. And, though Massachusetts is not yet one of them, Governor Patrick is in favor of legislation to make it available and we may soon see a positive change there.
Given this situation, though, what can undocumented students and families do? How can the cost of going to college be reduced? And what about the FAFSA?
My advice is, yes, go ahead and fill out a FAFSA form. At worst, your request for federal financial aid and student loans may not be accepted. But on the positive side, most student non-federal loan programs require you to complete a FAFSA form anyway, and many colleges and universities use the FAFSA information to award their own institutional grants and scholarships.
You should get in touch with the schools you are interested in to see what types of financial assistance may be available to you. Their financial aid counselors are aware of your situation and will undoubtedly try to help you in any way they can.
Next, check out as many of the other resources you can find for undocumented students. I just googled “undocumented student financial aid” and found a bunch of websites that looked very helpful. For example, on Get Ready for College, I found a long list of scholarships for undocumented students. There are a number of private scholarships and loans available to help pay for college that do not require the student to be a US citizen or resident or have a social security number.
Another possibility that often escapes attention is the availability of college night school courses that offer valuable education often at or below in-state tuition. Students pay fees rather than tuition which require little identification. Registration in these classes also qualifies students to apply for student visas. You can earn a night school degree (I have one from George Washington U), and if the state or federal Dream Act passes, you could then transfer your night school credits to an affordable four-year day school program.
For most students, about two-thirds of the cost of college is paid for from family savings, income and loans. That is no different for undocumented families. Start saving money in secure savings accounts as early as possible and carefully research and consider the affordability of loans for college.
Don’t be discouraged. These may be tough times but I am confident that with the resources available at FUEL and at other institutions and organizations, financial aid and scholarships can be found. They’re out there.
Ever since the test results from the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed U.S. high school students lagging behind other industrialized countries in science, math and reading, I have read (and written about in this blog) one article after another that has attempted to find the key factor that might ensure future improvement in our school system.
We have been told to look at Finland or Canada or Germany or South Korea for the answer. So far, while each country’s system has some valuable features to consider, it wasn’t until I read about Mexico’s education system in The Economist that I found the solution that has been staring me right in the face – and that we’ve been employing on a micro-level at FUEL.
While the characteristics, challenges and strengths of educational systems are as varied as the countries themselves, there is one thing about children in school that is universal. They all have parents or guardians of some sort. Children are in school because their parents send them out the door every day. They send them with the hope, the belief, that they will learn the information, skills and attitudes that will help improve their lives.
In Mexico, while student performance on the PISA tests is below the U.S. and the average for all countries, it is showing improvement. And one factor that seems to be making a difference is parental involvement in school. They are involved in school budget committees and they make decisions about funding and teacher evaluations; they help fund special projects through grants; they volunteer in school activities; and they get to know the teachers, administrators and unions. They also get to learn about the process of education and what they can do at home to help their children.
In Mexico, as in Boston, Lynn, Chelsea and every other city and town in the U.S., many families struggle to pay their bills, working long hours and several jobs. They may not have gone far in school themselves. They may not speak English fluently or feel welcomed by the schools. But, as many schools and parents all over have learned, families are the one constant key to success.
I bet that if there were a PISA score for family involvement in the schools, we might find the evidence we need to make increased parent involvement and engagement in the schools a priority in education reform.
If there is one thing I can say with confidence about the U.S., it is that we put a high value on opportunity. When President Obama spoke about education in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, he was all about aspiration and opportunity.
The programs and policies he outlined, which ran the gamut from kindergarten through college, all had the same goal: making education more effective and more accessible to low-income families. According to my count, President Obama identified eight different proposals that would make college more affordable and accessible – turning aspiration into action.
The first was putting pressure on colleges to hold down their tuition costs or risk decreased federal funding. That, of course, will also transfer some of the burden to the states to increase their financial support. But there was nothing said about college fees, which are in addition to tuition and make up a large portion of college costs. We should make sure they are reviewed and reduced along with tuition.
A proposal to prevent students from dropping out of school before they graduate or turn 18 makes some sense, but should be looked at more carefully. If we don’t improve the aspirations of our students then keeping them in school will frustrate everyone and accomplish little. So, we must make high-performing schools and teachers the norm rather than the exception. More students would then graduate with the desire and ability to do college-level work.
Proposals to stop the doubling of the student loan interest rate, scheduled for July, extend the tuition tax credit, and double the number of work-study jobs, are all great. Increasing partnerships between community colleges and local businesses is also a good suggestion. I would also like to see more working relationships between community colleges and high schools, and coordinated oversight within the community college system to promote equity among the schools.
Finally, supporting the Dream Act, which would make going to college a path to citizenship, will help make college more accessible to many capable students. The alternative of making undocumented students self-deport to countries they may have never known would be cruel and unusual punishment.
There are now some truly turning point proposals out there. All said, we are in a good position to convert aspiration into greater college accessibility and affordability for all. Let’s not lose the opportunity to make it happen.
Unless there are some groundbreaking economic and policy changes that none of us can foresee in 2012, the tough times facing state colleges and universities will continue, if not worsen.
The top 10 higher education state policy issues for 2012 is a report by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) that predicts the challenges ahead, including increased enrollment demand, decreased state funding to colleges and families, and increased tuitions and fees.
When you have a list with such issues, what is a college to do? More importantly, what are we to do?
We need to focus on what will increase our students’ chances for getting into college and succeeding there.
Colleges are feeling the crunch of doing more with less, so students need to prove their readiness for college. You will be a better candidate if the college you choose doesn’t have to use resources to prepare you further once you enroll. College administrators want to count on you to graduate from high school, so take advantage of every in-school and after-school program and opportunity for extra academic help.
Community colleges are a fantastic option for many students, especially those unsure of a future career path and with lower incomes, who can benefit from going to a local college. Learn as much as you can about the schools in your area before ruling them out.
Public colleges and universities still offer the most education for the lowest cost. Applicants with a grant or scholarship in hand will be more attractive to colleges. The less the colleges have to pay out of pocket for students, the better it is for their bottom line. Talk with guidance counselors, community advisors, and FUEL staff about scholarships and grants that might be available to you. Careful selection of loans, and planning to work and save while in college also make a big difference in whether a student decides to complete his college education.
The demand for increased college accountability means that the school will do as much as they can to help each student graduate. But students need to take advantage of the academic and counseling services that are available.
FUEL is invested in helping families make college a reality. To do that, we all have to face the realities of the current college crunch and make the most of the resources we have. These bits of advice could make all the difference.
In his State of the Commonwealth address, Governor Patrick made it clear that workforce development and increased support of the 15 Massachusetts community colleges are his first priority for 2012. You do the math – with 240,000 in the state currently unemployed and 120,000 unfilled jobs requiring specific training and skills, a strong and unified community college system is the answer.
Since FUEL began helping low-income families send their children to college, we have recognized that community colleges are perfectly positioned as a gateway to both jobs and four-year colleges. This is why we fostered the Chelsea Compact, an aspirational scholarship program which includes a select number of full scholarships for qualified high school seniors in Chelsea so they can attend Bunker Hill Community College. We believe in the ability of the community colleges to meet the educational needs of our students.
That belief, though, has not been without some realistic criticism and the governor’s plan addresses these problems. Along with an overall increase of $10 million in funding for the colleges (to be matched by $10 million from the business community), there is a plan to create a more unified system. The new centralized system would incorporate a core curriculum which includes increased attention to science, technology, engineering, and math. Technological training for many of the state’s unfilled middle-skill jobs requires knowledge of these so-called STEM subjects.
A common core curriculum at all community colleges also makes it easier for a student to go to school near home or work, rather than travel long distances to find the necessary classes. It should also reduce the potential for academic inequities among the various colleges.
Another benefit of the unified approach is a plan to review and streamline the transfer of credits from one community college to another as well as to four-year schools. This will make it easier for students to transfer from one college to another so they can take advantage of academic programs or respond to changes in their personal lives.
I am happy to see the governor’s focus on the community colleges and I encourage the college presidents and our legislators to enact the proposed changes.
The debates, discussions, forums and arguments about school reform in the U.S. most often include some reference to Finland. Why, you ask? Well, year after year Finnish 15- year-old students score at or near the top on the international survey of reading, math, and science test scores in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Meanwhile, American students are scoring somewhere in the middle of the pack.
For some involved in the U.S. school reform debate, winning an international competition like PISA is an obvious goal. So let’s talk about Finland – what we can learn from their educational system, as well as what works there but might not work in U.S.
According to the articles I’ve read, The Children Must Play from The New Republic and What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland’s School Success from The Atlantic, there is a broad and balanced curriculum that includes labs, art, music, physical activity, along with math, science and reading. All students take the same broad curriculum, without tracking, until they choose to enter a university preparation curriculum.
No children must stay back a grade if they struggle, but instead are given extra tutoring help by specialized teachers. Those teachers are required to have a master’s degree and must pass rigorous certification standards. They are paid well, teach in small classes with plenty of time for preparation, and are given the freedom to design lessons and testing based upon their own creativity.
Something that stood out most to me when reading these articles is that there are no standardized tests to establish accountability. As a matter of fact, I learned that there is no word for “accountability” in Finnish. Finland also has no private schools; parents can choose the school their children attend, but all the schools are of the same level of quality. Regardless of where children live or their socioeconomic level, they all have access to a high-performing public school.
Like Finland, we need highly trained professionals and skilled workers in our educational system, and should reform our schools with the goal of removing inequality in education.
But, we cannot ignore our differences either – we are the direct opposite of Finland in terms of the demographic makeup of our students, which is much more diverse than Finland’s population. And if it is true that FAMILIES and not schools ultimately determine the educational destiny of our children, we face very different problems than Finland.
Perfect schools will not fix the influences of poverty. But they serve us well if you want to learn algebra. Apparently Finland excels at that.
On New Year’s Day, I read the Boston Globe Magazine article about the Bostonian of the Year 2011 and it got me thinking about you – our FUEL families. I really do mean that. I was thinking about what makes a person like you a success. What defines success for you? Overcoming adversity? Making a name for yourself that others recognize? Making a lot of money? Raising a healthy and happy family? Doing the kind of work you love?
I know that for many of you, doing well in school or making sure that your child has the opportunity to go to college are important steps to success. And if you have to overcome some adversity to make that happen, there is an added feeling of accomplishment. And then, if you find work that you love to do and it results in helping other people, then that’s probably even better.
Massachusetts US Attorney Carmen Ortiz, this year’s Bostonian of the Year, is by all measures a success; though my guess is that being recognized as a success is not the only thing that is important to her. I want you to know a few things about her that made me think of you – our families.
Her parents moved to the US from Puerto Rico. Carmen was born here and like many other first-generation immigrant children had to overcome a number of obstacles. She went to school in New York, her parents choosing to send her to a parochial school because they thought it would give her a good education. She did well there, learned English, went to college and then to law school on a scholarship. She didn’t come from a wealthy home, but her parents gave her all the support and encouragement she needed. She studied hard and held jobs while in school and it all paid off. She became a lawyer. A good one. And the rest is a story of dedication, hard work and doing the best job you possibly can.
Change a few of the details and her story could be your story. Whether you become a lawyer or the Bostonian of the Year is not important. What is important is that you give yourself every opportunity to become the success you can be, however you define it.
Massachusetts US Attorney Carmen Ortiz - Boston Globe Magazines "2011 Bostonian of the Year"
We are deep into the era of accountability and the “bean counters” rule – not just in finance, but in all sectors, including higher education.
The success of a community college has typically been measured by graduation rates and, by that measure, community colleges have not fared well. I’ve never been comfortable with that because I know the vital role they play in our higher education system. Students in community colleges are unique. They may take a few courses on a part-time basis while working. They may be full-time. They may need time to figure out what field of study is right for them. And they may decide to transfer laterally to another community college or to a four-year college before graduating. This flexibility is one of the community college’s most valuable and forgiving features.
It is good to know that others are now recognizing this flexibility and building that into the bean counting. Joan Jacobs, in a recent posting on the Community College Spotlight, reported that the federal Department of Education Advisory Committee on Measures of Student Success has recommended including part-time degree-seeking students, along with full-time students, in its database.
The committee also recommended that student transfers, both lateral and to four-year colleges, be included in the measure of success of the community colleges. The American Association of Community Colleges estimates this will nearly double the success rate, from about 22% to a 40% graduation rate.
FUEL has long supported the importance of community colleges in our educational system. We have, as many of you know, created the Chelsea Compact with Bunker Hill Community College to provide scholarships for up to five to qualified students in our Chelsea program.
The evolving view of community colleges as institutions that provide multiple pathways for students to gain the higher education best suited to them will go a long way toward encouraging high school students and their families to explore them as an option, when they otherwise may not have pursued a higher education at all.
BHCC Scholarship winner Alvaro Pleitez and his mother Melida Martinez pose with FUEL's Laura Assade after he was awarded his Certificate of Completion from FUEL
At a time when many students are home from college for winter break, there are some who, unfortunately, will have to face the reality that they cannot go back to campus when the break is over. This situation may be especially difficult for those students who are the first in their families to be accepted to college.
Recently I saw a statistic that around 85% of those first-generation students won’t receive a college degree within six years. This is a harsh figure. FUEL is all about helping low-income families save money and plan their future for the goal of getting into college. And, I am happy to say that we have an excellent record of success.
It is clear, though, that the job is nowhere near over at the start of freshman year in college. That same work and planning that helped families get there needs to be redirected at staying in college and getting a degree. What makes this so hard?
Well, according to a recent radio program on NPR, Tell Me More, hosted by Michel Martin, there are a few things that work against first-generation-to college students. For example, a college campus is a very unique environment. There are certain expectations and ways of doing things that aren’t spelled out in the college catalogue. Some simple things, for example, like knowing who, when, and how to ask for help in classes. Another one that seems so basic is how to ask for help finding resources at school. These may seem like simple issues, but these students have parents who never experienced these situations and cannot pass along that knowledge and information.
There are also social situations that may cause a bit of stress to first-generation-to-college students, such as feeling out of step with a new culture, planning for unexpected expenses, or knowing how to handle the social pressures on campus. These may put a strain on finances and create stress, making it hard to study, work on long-term projects or manage having a job and going to classes.
Fortunately, there are now some people who have learned how to help keep first generation students on track. In an article in US News Education, I found a few tips that may help. First, recognize that going to college is like going to a foreign country. There is a new “language” that students need to learn. Most colleges now have offices on campus that provide academic, financial and social support for new students, and though you may not feel comfortable with asking for help, it could mean the difference between staying in and failing out.
Second, look for every opportunity to “network.” I don’t just mean with friends, I mean with faculty, students and administrators. Believe me, the connections you make in college are possibly even more important than the stuff you learn in class.
Third, find a mentor or a group of students who can provide support. Join clubs or study groups. Get involved with life on campus. Often, upper classmen – juniors and seniors – can teach freshmen valuable information because they were recently in the same position.
And finally, keep open lines of communication between yourself and your family. Remember, they helped you get there and they are your best supporters. If you are doing well, they want to know about it, and if you’re having difficulty, they want to be there for you. No one knows you better and no one cares more.
FUEL helps underserved families realize their dreams of a higher education and break the cycle of poverty.
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