Dive Brief:
- Colleges working to improve student outcomes are turning to K-12 institutions to ensure students get on the path to college success long before they arrive on campus.
- Inside Higher Ed reports Minneapolis Public Schools launched the My Life Plan initiative in 2006, which forces students to think about their strengths and future career interests as soon as third grade, and colleges in California and Texas work with feeder schools to address college readiness.
- The University of Minnesota at Twin Cities has noticed, anecdotally, that students who had My Life Plan are more organized and directed in their degree programs, evidence that lines up with survey results showing higher education leaders believe proactive advising and guided degree pathways are among the best strategies for increasing college graduation rates.
Dive Insight:
The idea of Pre-K through graduate school alignment has taken off in recent years. Achieving the Dream will convene a group of leaders across the spectrum this fall to strategize ways to synchronize their efforts. The Strive Together Cradle to Career Network touches 32 states and the District of Columbia, where 65 communities have come together to coordinate efforts for student success, share data and develop a set of joint attainment goals.
The growing national student debt load and an economic shift that increasingly requires a college degree for workforce success has prompted additional attention from elected officials who want to see greater return on investment in higher education. Colleges that are being increasingly held accountable for student outcomes see the value in focusing money and time on partnerships that increase readiness levels of their future students. After all, that means fewer remediation and other support costs in the long run.