Double the Numbers. for College Success. A Call to Action for the District of Columbia

Double the Numbers for College Success A Call to Actio for the District of Columbia DC College Access Program DC Educatio Compact DC Public Schools DC State Educatio Office October 2006

Why This Report? The purpose of this aalysis is to create a kowledge base that allows the may committed DC stakeholders to prioritize ad combie their efforts to help may more DCPS ad public charter school studets succeed i high school ad college. Rather tha wait for a multiyear, logitudial study performed by academics, we have gathered the best available data o what happes to a specific group of 9th-grade studets across their high school ad postsecodary careers. This type of cohort aalysis allows us to follow the path of idividual studets over time. Although we recogize that may studets take loger tha five years to fiish college, we have used the five-year time spa for two reasos: it provides the greatest opportuity for atioal compariso, ad most fiacial aid packages last this log. We hope that others will refie, modify ad cotiue to improve this aalysis. For our part, we are plaig a compaio aalysis to better uderstad what happes to the majority of DC public school studets who choose or ed up at work or o some other pathway after high school. Despite the limitatios of our approach, we believe the data i this report illumiate may of the critical eeds of District studets ad poit the way toward may beeficial itervetios. Our research already has helped us focus the efforts of our ow orgaizatios. Although the curret situatio is ot acceptable, there is a path forward. Importat improvemets have bee made, ad may plas i place today will create greater chage tomorrow. Much more eeds to be doe. As educatioal leaders ad others commit to additioal iitiatives, we hope that this report will serve as a platform to brig people together ad as a resource to guide the difficult choices ad deep ivestmets eeded to help our childre succeed.

Table of Cotets Double the Numbers for College Success 2 Fallig off the Path to Success: A Soberig Reality 4 A 10-Poit Pla for Helpig DC Studets Succeed 6 Strog Support: Put Resources ad Systems i Place for Chage High School Success: Icrease the Number of High School Graduates Ready for College ad Other Postsecodary Optios College Erollmet: Help Studets Make the Trasitio from High School to Postsecodary Educatio College Success: Help More Studets Succeed i Postsecodary Educatio 8 10 12 14 Makig It Work i the District 16

Double the Numbers for College Success Postsecodary educatio, particularly college, is movig from beig a hoped-for opportuity to a ecessity. A high school diploma aloe is o loger eough: Earig a family-supportig wage meas havig a postsecodary educatio. The average male college graduate ears 70 percet more tha a high school graduate, while female college graduates ear early 80 percet more. 1 Eighty percet of the fastest-growig jobs i the ew, kowledge-drive ecoomy require some postsecodary educatio. 2 Share of ew jobs, 2000 10 Jobs that require at least some postsecodary educatio will make up more tha two-thirds of ew jobs. 22% High school diploma 10% High school dropout 31% Bachelor s degree 36% Some postsecodary educatio Despite the growig importace of additioal learig after high school, oly oe i four Americas who eter 9th grade successfully attais a college degree. This is a atioal challege ad should be a wake-up call for ayoe iterested i the civic ad ecoomic health of our atio. Africa America studets face eve loger odds i this coutry: Of 100 studets sittig at their desks durig their freshma year of high school, fewer tha 11 ultimately graduate from college o time. I the District of Columbia, the situatio is eve bleaker. Oly 9 percet of icomig 9th graders complete college o time (see data, page 4). The remaider the more tha 90 percet who leave the high school system, ever start college or fail to fiish their degree will face a future of dimiished opportuities ad low-wage jobs. Creatig opportuities for all studets to graduate from high school ad atted college if they choose to is the cetral challege for leaders, educators ad residets of the District of Columbia. Source: Carevale, Athoy P., ad Doa M. Desrochers, Stadards for What? The Ecoomic Roots of K 16 Reform, Educatioal Testig Service, 2003. 2 Double the Numbers for College Success

College or Work? Studets Should Have a Choice The aalysis ad recommedatios i this report focus particularly o the college optio. Yet we kow that other highquality optios will meet the eeds of may studets: skilled jobs, appreticeships, military traiig ad similar pathways that do ot require a college degree. Eve if the District triples the umber of postsecodary graduates i the ext decade, more tha 70 percet of DC studets still will ot attai college degrees o time. Ideed, the DC Educatio Compact, DC Public Schools ad others have made stregtheig career ad techical optios a importat priority to help prepare a diverse ad qualified workforce. Withi the ext 12 moths, the Double the Numbers coalitio will be developig a compaio research report o postsecodary workforce pathways. The bottom lie: DC studets should have a choice. Research by the America Diploma Project, ACT ad others shows that high school graduates eed basically the same skills, whether they go to college, a specialized traiig program or work. Those who wat to atted college ad large majorities of high school studets say they do should be prepared to do so, should have the resources to do so ad should be fully supported oce they are o campus. Their high school educatio should ot preclude them from pursuig better careers ad better lives. A good educatio is particularly essetial i the DC area. I 2000, more tha half the jobs i the District of Columbia were held by employees with a bachelor s degree or higher, almost twice the atioal average. 3 Moreover, the DC metro area raks sixth i the atio i the New Ecoomy Idex, which looks at the cocetratio of maagerial, professioal ad techical jobs, accordig to a report from the DC Workforce Ivestmet Coucil. 4 These treds may help explai how the umber of good jobs i the District ad uemploymet for DC residets ca be risig simultaeously. 1. Webster, Bruce H., Jr., ad Alemayehu Bishaw, U.S. Cesus Bureau, America Commuity Survey Reports, ACS-02, Icome, Earigs, ad Poverty Data from the 2005 America Commuity Survey. Washigto, DC: U.S. Govermet Pritig Office. 2. Employmet Outlook: 2004 14: Occupatioal Employmet Projectios to 2014, Mothly Labor Review (November 2005), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Washigto, DC: U.S. Govermet Pritig Office. Risig to the Challege I respose, over the past six moths a group of DC educatio leaders has developed a pla to at least double the umber of DC public high school studets who graduate from high school ready for college ad work ad who complete college. Represetatives from the DC College Access Program (DC-CAP), the DC Educatio Compact (DCEC), DC Public Schools (DCPS) ad the DC State Educatio Office (SEO), with support from The Bridgespa Group ad the Bill & Melida Gates Foudatio, have: Reviewed ad aalyzed the data o studet outcomes i the District of Columbia to idetify leverage poits for improvemet, Outlied elemets of a strategy for dramatically icreasig the umber of DC studets who graduate from high school ad college, Started to mobilize the key actors i the District behid a commo pla of actio, ad Established a baselie agaist which future progress will be evaluated. These efforts are merely a prelude to the broad-based ad sustaied actios that will be required to provide DC studets with the opportuities ad optios they deserve. The good ews is that the respose has bee overwhelmigly positive from the mayor s office to Capitol Hill, there is a powerful cosesus aroud the eed for actio. 3. Reducig Poverty i the District: A Strategy for Growig the Middle Class from Withi, Greater Washigto Research Program, The Brookigs Istitutio, September 2006. 4. The District s State of the Workforce Report, DC Workforce Ivestmet Coucil, Jauary 2003. Double the Numbers for College Success

Fallig ov the Path to Success: A Soberig Reality The bottom lie is distressig. Based o a detailed aalysis of our cohort, of every 100 studets who eter 9th grade i DCPS ad DC charter schools: 43 graduate from high school i the District withi five years, 29 eroll i postsecodary educatioal programs withi 18 moths of graduatig high school, ad 9 attai a postsecodary degree withi five years of erollig i college. Note: DC high school graduatio rates iclude ayoe who will graduate high school i five years, based o a likely icrease i rates by allowig for a additioal year. DC postsecodary erollmet rates withi 18 moths assumes a icrease of 21 percet of postsecodary erollees at two-year colleges ad a 6 percet icrease at four-year colleges from 12 moths to 18 moths after high school graduatio. DC graduates from postsecodary educatio withi five years is measured as of sprig graduatio. U.S. high school graduatio rates use the Cumulative Promotio Idex. U.S. postsecodary erollmet rates are iflated to 18- moth rates usig a DC iflator. Associate of arts (AA) degree attaimet is estimated based o six-year rates; certificates excluded. Sources: SEO Audited Erollmet Logitudial Database; Natioal Studet Clearighouse; UDC; Triity; DC-CAP; The Class of 2002 Fial Logitudial Report: A Three-Year Follow-up Study, NYC Departmet of Educatio; Urba Istitute, Who Graduates, Who Does t? ; Natioal Ceter for Educatio Statistics (NCES), The Coditio of Educatio ; NCES, Postsecodary Logitudial Study ; NCES, Erollmet i Postsecodary Istitutios, Fall 2004. Few DC studets i our cohort succeed i high school or postsecodary educatio 43% 68% Graduate from high school withi five years 29% 48% Eroll i postsecodary educatio i 18 moths 9% DC Uited States 23% Graduate from postsecodary educatio withi five years These rates are cosiderably below the atioal average, eve if oe looks oly at low-icome or Africa America studets. I some sectios of the city, the situatio is eve more desperate: For istace, of those attedig high school i Wards 7 ad 8 from our cohort of studets, oly oe i three fiishes high school, ad oly oe i 20 ears a college degree. Additioally, the oft-oted gap betwee males ad females is clearly preset i the District; a female startig 9th grade is twice as likely to attai a postsecodary degree o time as her male classmate. Moreover, with a few otable exceptios, such as Triity Uiversity, the 10 colleges most atteded by DC studets have low graduatio rates compared to similar colleges ad uiversities. May colleges are ot successfully addressig the academic ad social challeges that may DC studets brig to campus, give their level of K 12 preparatio. As importat, most of the Washigto, DC, cosortium colleges, with the exceptio of the Uiversity of the District of Columbia (UDC) ad Triity, eroll very few public school studets from DC. The good ews is that some of these colleges already are makig efforts to improve. 4 Double the Numbers for College Success

What s Workig? What s Not? Some DCPS ad DC charter high schools serve their studets well. For istace, all 82 seiors at Bejami Baeker Academic High School i the class of 2005 graduated ad applied to college; 74 of them erolled. The seior class received more tha $4 millio i scholarship offers. At other schools, the picture is quite differet. Oly 45 of the 184 studets who etered Aacostia High School i fall 2001 graduated from high school, ad of those, oly 32 erolled i a postsecodary program withi 18 moths. The problems are ot cofied to schools like Aacostia. At Wilso High School, for istace, 72 percet of eterig 9th graders i our cohort ear a diploma, but oly 79 percet of them eroll i college ad 39 percet of those graduate withi five years. Of every 100 9th graders at Wilso, oly 22 receive their postsecodary degree o time. Too may DCPS ad DC charter high schools have similar, dishearteig outcomes. About the Data To develop a iitial strategy for improvig college attaimet, we eeded to aswer oe cetral questio: Out of a group of 9th graders, how may evetually will graduate from college? Ufortuately, curret data systems i DC do ot allow for such a calculatio, ad therefore assemblig the aswer required the close collaboratio of early every major educatioal istitutio i DC. The resultig aalysis is ot perfect but is sufficietly rigorous to set priorities ad establish a baselie agaist which future progress ca be measured. This aalysis takes a cohort of actual DCPS ad public charter school studets who were i 9th grade i the 2001 02 academic year. Usig data from the aual erollmet audit of the SEO, we tracked actual, idividual studets through the public school system, icludig trasfers betwee DCPS ad public charter schools. We the used data from the Natioal Studet Clearighouse (which verifies erollmet iformatio for 91 percet of America college studets) as well as specific iquiries to UDC ad Triity, which do ot participate i the Clearighouse to see which graduates erolled i college withi 18 moths. To estimate how may studets graduate from college withi five years, we used a separate aalysis of how well a previous cohort of DC studets who etered college i 2001 performed at their schools, which we triagulated across three data sets (DCPS, DC-CAP ad SEO/DC-TAG). For example, because 51 percet of previous DC erollees at Triity have eared their degrees, we projected that roughly half of the studets from our group who erolled i Triity would evetually graduate from college. Ecouragig Sigs These gaps are ot ew ad have ot goe uoticed. I fact, the District has a demostrated capacity to address the college challege. I the late 1990s, a study o DC college erollmet helped to galvaize the city s leaders ad Cogress, leadig to the formatio of the DC Tuitio Assistace Grat program (DC-TAG) ad the foudig of the DC-CAP, as well as may other efforts aimed at improvig college attedace. The result has bee othig short of trasformative. DC studets ow eroll i postsecodary programs at twice the rate they did previously, ad a area of weakess has become a comparative stregth. Coditios are ripe for eve more dramatic improvemet. The DCPS Master Educatio Pla (MEP) promises to alter the face of K 12 educatio i the District, with dozes of far-reachig programs to stregthe academic offerigs (icludig major improvemets i career ad techical educatio); improve the quality of teachig ad leadership; ad provide all studets with the idividualized support they eed to succeed, whether they go straight to college or work. Similarly, the leadership of UDC recetly has embraced a ambitious turaroud pla to stregthe its academic ad studet support programs. Ad the District is fortuate to have capable leaders across the Several otes are importat to keep i mid whe comparig our high school public, private ad social sectors who are ow uited behid a visio graduatio umbers to others that have bee reported. First, this is a sapshot for fudametally alterig the curret situatio. that may cotai oe-time aomalies. Secod, our data are based o studets who were i 9th grade i fall 2001; thus, ay subsequet improvemets i high school or college performace that did ot affect this group will ot be reflected i this aalysis. Third, our aalysis is based o followig a group of specific studets whom we tracked by ame, usig idepedetly geerated raw data from the SEO. Most other calculatios use self-reported iformatio ad do ot track actual studets. Fourth, we could ot completely accout for studets who trasferred from DCPS ad public charters to private schools or schools outside the District. Ad lack of accurate historical data limited our aalysis of charter school performace. Double the Numbers for College Success

A 10-Poit Pla for Helpig DC Studets Succeed Doublig the umber of studets who graduate from high school ad college requires focused ad strategic work at multiple levels. Each studet eeds support throughout the educatio process whether it is passig 9th grade, graduatig from high school, learig about college or other high-quality postsecodary optios, avigatig scholarships ad aid programs, or gettig help i a tough subject i college. This level of idividualized attetio will require the combied efforts of program, school, district ad commuity leaders. Actio, resources ad systems must support the work, ot get i the way. This 10-poit pla does just that, helpig studets stay o the path to success through high school, ito college ad through college. It also requires our leaders to rise to the challege, puttig the political support, fiacial resources ad systems i place to make studet success happe. STRONG SUPPORT PUT RESOURCES AND SYSTEMS IN PLACE FOR CHANGE 1. Actively egage leaders ad the public to commit resources, time ad support i a visible ad a active campaig focused o studet success, startig with a assurace that all high school graduates are ready for college ad work. 2. Put systems i place to moitor studet progress, ad use the data to target assistace ad hold istitutios more accoutable for studet success. 3. Create a strog coordiatig mechaism to put appropriate policies i place ad alig school-based ad citywide efforts, all with a uyieldig focus o studet success. 6 Double the Numbers for College Success

HIGH SCHOOL SUCCESS INCREASE THE NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES READY FOR College Ad other POSTSECONDARY optios 4. Implemet the far-reachig recommedatios of the DCPS MEP, which iclude a college-ready curriculum, stroger career ad techical offerigs, alterative educatio ad dropout prevetio programs, ad 9th grade academies. Support similar efforts i public charter high schools. 5. Aggressively work to prevet dropouts ad help out-of-school youth get back o track. 6. Stregthe ad support the expasio of prove systemic ad school-level college access programs. COLLEGE ENROLLMENT HELP STUDENTS MAKE THE TRANSITION from high school TO POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION 7. Educate DC studets ad families about the prerequisites of college ad the value of a degree. Overhaul the studet support system so that couselors, teachers ad pricipals focus o helpig studets ad their families better uderstad ad prepare for their postsecodary optios. Esure that studets ad families kow that college is affordable ad grats ad loas are available. 8. Remove fiacial barriers to esure that all qualified studets ca afford postsecodary educatio. Work with colleges to cut costs ad provide greater aid for DC residets. COLLEGE SUCCESS HELP MORE STUDENTS SUCCEED IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION 9. Esure that the colleges with the highest DC erollmet are providig studets with the academic ad other supports they eed to succeed. 10. Expad DC studets optios by workig closely with additioal four-year colleges ad stregtheig the pathways from twoyear commuity colleges to four-year degrees. The 10 poits are ot meat to be a project or a program, but rather a joit commitmet by multiple parties to focus itesively o this critical challege, ow ad i the future. This work must cotiue over may years to reach the goal of doublig the umbers so that at least 18 percet of the class of 2010 (studets who etered the 9th grade i 2006) will fiish high school ad graduate from college withi five years. For the class of 2013, the commuity should aim to triple the umber of college graduates. Double the Numbers for College Success

Strog Support: Put Resources ad Systems i Place for Chage The first priority is to be cadid about where the city stads ad to mobilize the District s political, educatio, busiess ad commuity leaders to respod. The publicatio of this report ad formatio of a Double the Numbers coalitio are importat early steps. To make iformed decisios, the city eeds a streamlied data system to track the performace of DC studets all the way from preschool through college. Are we losig studets i certai grades or for certai reasos? Whe? Why? Are some schools ad colleges doig better tha others? Do certai courses or itervetios lead to success more tha others? How are studets performig over time i school, i college or o the job? Other states ca aswer questios such as these, but it is very difficult ad time cosumig to do so i the District. Iformatio is cotrolled by differet agecies ad groups, from DCPS ad SEO to DC-area colleges ad the College Board. The time it takes to lear how may studets graduate from high school ad eroll i college Moreover, although these orgaizatios ad others are workig hard to help high school studets successfully trasitio to college, their efforts are ofte ucoordiated ad occasioally duplicative. I some cases, turf wars get i the way of servig studets, ad there is o comprehesive record of the services ad supports received by each studet. Miami, FL: Less tha oe hour Housto, TX: Less tha oe hour Washigto, DC: 4 moths 8 Double the Numbers for College Success

Goig forward, leaders from all sectors must be ivolved i developig a multiyear actio pla for sustaiig chage. Amog other challeges, policies are eeded that will allow our strategy to succeed, icludig: A umbrella coordiatig orgaizatio whose primary activities will iclude shared goal-settig ad regular commuicatios; A shared P 16 data warehouse that will give educators ad policymakers istat access to key iformatio about the performace of studets ad istitutios; Cotiued fudig of the very successful DC-TAG, which provides up to $10,000 i aual fiacial aid to help DC youth afford tuitio i public colleges ad uiversities outside the District, ad DC Leveragig Educatioal Assistace Partership (LEAP), which helps studets access federal aid; ad Sufficiet resources to implemet the DCPS MEP, which is committed to preparig all studets for college ad work, ad improvemets to UDC. Just as importat, leaders must help studets ad parets recogize that college is ot just for someoe else but is withi reach for them. Postsecodary erollmet of graduatig DCPS seiors has rise sharply sice DC-CAP ad DC-TAG lauched Erollmet rate, 12 moths after high school graduatio (percetage of graduates) 30% 50% 53% 57% 58% 60% 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Note: Excludes alterative school graduates; erollmet after 12 moths i college. Sources: DC-CAP iteral data. Double the Numbers for College Success

High School Success: Icrease the Number of High School Graduates Ready for College ad Other Postsecodary Optios The greatest barrier o the pathway to college is high school, where we lose more tha half the studets. The tragedy is exacerbated by the may DC studets who arrive at college uprepared academically or socially for college-level work. This lack of preparatio limits their choices ad udermies their chaces of success. I fact, some colleges report that up to 75 percet of their DC studets require sigificat remediatio. I respose to these challeges, the DCPS MEP, released i February 2006, offers a comprehesive, multiyear strategy for improvig the performace of DC studets. May of the school system s recommedatios aticipate ad reiforce the Double the Numbers ageda, icludig: Stroger academic stadards i all core subjects, with aliged curricula ad icreased graduatio requiremets; 9th-grade academies; 8th-to-9th-grade summer trasitio programs; Studet support teams ad improved guidace couselig; Expaded Advaced Placemet, Iteratioal Baccalaureate ad dual-erollmet programs; Stroger career ad techical educatio offerigs for all studets, particularly those who will choose ot to go straight from high school to college; ad Stroger accoutability, icludig better data systems. Oe of the MEP s top priorities is implemetig the atioal Jobs for America s Graduates (JAG) program, which has bee very successful i prevetig studets from droppig out, brigig dropouts back ito the system ad helpig graduates start careers. Give that early 10 Double the Numbers for College Success

Level of attaimet differs by type of high school atteded ad ward Percetage of 9th graders from our cohort earig postsecodary degrees 28% DCPS maget schools 7% DCPS traditioal schools 5% Ward 7/8 schools 60 percet of DC 9th graders leave DC high schools before fiishig, the successful rollout of JAG is essetial. But eve whe the program is fully i place by SY2009 10, it will serve oly about 960 studets, less tha oe-third of those cosidered most at risk. Goig forward, top priorities are to esure the successful implemetatio of the MEP, icludig targeted fudig to support outside parters such as America s Choice, the DC Teachig Fellows ad Teach for America. Groups such as the Childre ad Youth Ivestmet Trust Corporatio, Commuities i Schools, ad Metors, Ic. will play a critical role i implemetig several dropout prevetio ad recovery strategies, icludig: Metorig ad tutorig: Ecouragig programs that provide oe-o-oe relatioships betwee youth ad resposible adults. Service learig: Providig youth with meaigful commuity service activities that coect back to academic learig. Out-of-school opportuities: Fillig the gap time whe youg people are ot i school (after school, vacatios, summers) with meaigful erichmet activities. School ad commuity collaboratio: Workig with commuity groups to provide strog support durig ad after the school day. Family egagemet: Employig programs that will eable parets to become more ivolved i their childre s school lives. Early childhood educatio: Iterveig at early stages of a child s life to esure that he or she is prepared to start school. Note: Ward 7/8 schools iclude Aacostia, Ballou, Woodso, Busiess & Fiace SWSC at Woodso, IDEA, Friedship-Ediso, SEED, ad Thurgood Marshall; DCPS maget schools iclude Baeker, Elligto, School Without Walls, Busiess & Fiace SWSC at Woodso, ad Pre-Egieerig at Dubar. Source: SEO Audited Erollmet; Natioal Studet Clearighouse (NSC); UDC Reported Erollmet; DC-CAP. 9th grade is the most critical poit for improvig high school performace Percetage of studets promoted 58% 83% 78% 97% Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12 Note: Numbers are based o a cohort of about 4,433 studets who etered 9th grade i 2001 i DCPS or a DC charter school; aalysis icludes oly studets who were erolled i a DC school i the grade idicated; fall-out umbers exclude studets who were ot promoted ad the dropped out; excludes studets who skipped grades or who are i alterative schools; excludes special educatio studets ad etries with data errors. Source: SEO Audited Erollmet. Double the Numbers for College Success 11

College Erollmet: Help Studets Make thetrasitio from High School to Postsecodary Educatio Too may studets ad their families do ot have access to the kid of timely iformatio that ecourages them to take advatage of postsecodary educatio ad advises them about the best optios to meet their idividual eeds. Studets whose parets ever atteded college are at a particular disadvatage. Most studets do ot receive high-itesity college access services Percetage of studets receivig services 59% Couselors play a crucial ad uique role. They ofte are studets oly source of iformatio about postsecodary ad career goals, while offerig a bridge to academic ad oacademic support services. They have a vital role i explaiig how college is ecessary for studets dreams, ad they ca steer studets to the courses that will prepare them for college. But for a variety of reasos icludig uderstaffig, lack of accoutability ad iadequate traiig DC couselors are ot as effective as they eed to be. Revampig the DCPS guidace couselig system will require several steps, icludig: 6% 32% 20% 24% 17% Explicit districtwide postsecodary goals to focus each pricipal s priorities; Icreased couselig staff i schools ad the cetral office, icludig more couselors ad clerical support; Required professioal developmet for couselors that is focused o helpig studets develop idividualized graduatio plas; ad Expaded accoutability, with couselors expected to meet established performace goals. High itesity Moderate itesity Low itesity DC-CAP ad other services DC-CAP oly No service The MEP addresses may of these issues. Note: Itesity based solely o hours of service per year. Low itesity offers fewer tha 100 hours of service i seior year. Moderate itesity offers 100 200 hours of service. High itesity offers more tha 200 hours of service. Assumptio: All studets who are erolled i other college access programs also are registered with DC-CAP. Regardig o service : School-based services at charter schools have ot bee fully researched. Source: Iterviews ad data from DC college access providers. 12 Double the Numbers for College Success

The studets thik that if they borrow $30,000, someoe will be waitig with a baseball bat to collect it o graduatio day. DC teacher I have a lot of studets from DC. They are ofte firstgeeratio learers ad do t kow the steps they should take to apply for fiacial aid. Postsecodary official May DC studets have difficulty completig the required iformatio o time, particularly their FAFSA forms ad tax returs. Postsecodary official DC high school studets also receive a variety of supports from umerous atioal ad local programs. These rage from the itesive, multiyear academic remediatio offered by Upward Boud, to iformatio ad awareess programs such as the College Summit or Talet Search, to the metorig focus of Hoop Dreams ad the Urba Alliace. Goig forward, the challege is to idetify the programs that are most successfully addressig our top priorities ad expad them to serve more studets. Lack of fiacial aid ad other affordability issues represet major barriers to DC studets. Other tha at UDC, the average umet fiacial eed for DC studets attedig the 10 most popular colleges rages from $2,000 to almost $10,000. If this were ot dautig eough, DC studets face additioal affordability challeges. Too may are ufamiliar with the process, are uable to complete the complex applicatios, are afraid of assumig loa debt or are burdeed with poor academic records that cause them to lose aid. Providig additioal fiacial aid ad overcomig these other barriers must be top priorities. Fially, aual report cards that aalyze, rate ad publicize iformatio about the performace of high schools ad colleges could iform studets about their choices, while helpig the public hold these public istitutios accoutable for meetig specific erollmet ad graduatio goals. A samplig of college access programs College Boud College Summit More tha 120 studets served aually Five commuity-based sites Academic metorig program, SAT prep Scholarships offered throughout college More tha 1,100 studets served aually Peer leaders (100), summer workshop, essay writig, olie tools Tools for teachers to maage seior studets applyig to college DC-CAP Nearly 11,000 studets served aually, about 90 percet of DCPS studets Couselors i every DCPS high school who provide iformatio Last-dollar scholarships offered DC-GEAR UP Hoop Dreams Nearly 1,000 studets served aually Services iclude metorig, tutorig, college awareess ad itesive summer program Studets eligible for scholarship upo high school graduatio Nearly 90 studets served aually Itesive metorig ad relatioship-based program Iterships, college awareess, search process, assistace with applicatios, fiacial aid help, SAT-prep course Not basketball related Upward Boud More tha 450 studets served aually Itesive program for grades 9 12 Tutorig ad college awareess durig academic year ad residetial summer compoet Double the Numbers for College Success 13