Log out
My profile and settings
My bookmarks
Comment history
Please complete your account verification. Resend verification email.
today
This verification token has expired.
today
Your email address has been verified. Update my profile.
today
Your account has been deactivated. Sign in to re-activate your account.
today
View all newsletters in the newsletter archive
today
You are now unsubscribed from receiving emails.
today
Sorry, we were unable to unsubscribe you at this time.
today
0
0
Back to profile
Comment Items
You have not left any comments yet.
title
you replied to a comment:
name
description
Saved Posts
You haven’t bookmarked any posts yet.

In the second episode of our podcast, Rashida and I ask a big question that has never felt more urgent: is inequality inevitable?

Read more
Become a Gates Notes Insider
Sign up
Log out
Personal Information
Title
Mr
Mrs
Ms
Miss
Mx
Dr
Cancel
Save
This email is already registered
Cancel
Save
Please verify email address. Click verification link sent to this email address or resend verification email.
Cancel
Save
Email and Notification Settings
Send me updates from Bill Gates
You must provide an email
On
Off
Send me Gates Notes survey emails
On
Off
Send me the weekly Top of Mind newsletter
On
Off
Email me comment notifications
On
Off
On-screen comment notifications
On
Off
Interests
Select interests to personalize your profile and experience on Gates Notes.
Saving Lives
Energy Innovation
Improving Education
Alzheimer's
Philanthropy
Book Reviews
About Bill Gates
Account Deactivation
Click the link below to begin the account deactivation process.
If you would like to permanently delete your Gates Notes account and remove it’s content, please send us a request here.

Pathways to success

How to help students get to college in the COVID era

These three organizations help make sure no one’s dream is denied.

|
0

There’s one set of questions on the mind of everyone in the education world right now: What should schools do in the fall? Should they let students come to class in person? If they do, can they ensure that teachers, staff, and students will be safe from COVID-19?

Of course these questions deserve to be discussed at length, and they are. But there’s another crucial issue that we can’t afford to overlook: What does the future look like for the high school classes of 2020 and beyond? As much as we’re rightly focused on what happens this fall, we also need to look ahead to next spring and beyond. If we don’t, COVID-19 could—on top of the horrific toll it has already taken—permanently derail the dreams of hundreds of thousands of young people.

As I have written before, by 2025 two thirds of all jobs in the United States will require some education beyond 12th grade. That can involve a wide range of credentials—including a certificate from professional training, an associate’s degree from a two-year college, or a bachelor’s degree from a four-year university—but for simplicity’s sake, I will call it graduating from college.

Our foundation has been working for years to help more students finish college. Through that work, we’ve learned it’s impossible to raise college graduation numbers unless more young people make it to college to begin with—and that requires helping them navigate the difficult transition from high school to postsecondary work. If you don’t start college within two years of getting your diploma, the statistics show that it gets harder and harder to come back for your degree as an adult.

Unfortunately, 30 percent of white students and 35 to 40 percent of Black and Latinx students don’t enroll in college within two years of finishing high school—and these numbers are poised to skyrocket with the impact of COVID-19.

There are many reasons why students don’t start college. Some aren’t academically prepared, a situation made worse now by the fact that Black and Latinx high school students from low-income homes are significantly less likely than their white peers to be taking classes online while schools are closed.

Another reason is that many students don’t get the counseling and advising they need in high school to understand their college options, write strong applications, and figure out how to maximize their financial aid. This is an even bigger problem now, since closing schools has also meant closing counseling offices.

Applying for college is especially difficult for students who are the first in their family to go. It’s hard enough to pick schools that match your interests, aspirations, and abilities, navigate the admissions process, apply for financial aid, and make sure you enroll in the right classes, all while possibly holding a job as well. It’s even harder if you don’t know anyone who has done it before. And the stakes are high, when making just one wrong decision can throw you off the degree path forever.

In short, because of long-standing barriers that are made worse by COVID-19, hundreds of thousands of students with promise—most of them Black, Latinx, or from low-income households—may never start college. This would be disastrous for these young people and for the country.

"Our foundation is expanding our partnerships with three organizations that work to give students the support they need to get, and stay, on a path to a college degree."

So our foundation is expanding our partnerships with three organizations that work to give students the support they need to get, and stay, on a path to a college degree.

College Advising Corps places college graduates into high schools where they serve as full-time college advisors, helping students find schools, apply, and get ready to attend. CAC currently works in 782 high schools across the country, with impressive results. In 2018, the students they met with were 18 percent more likely to apply to a college or university and 19 percent more likely to get in. Since the pandemic started, College Advising Corps and its partners have identified more than 170,000 students who were partway through applying for college and financial aid, and with support from our foundation, they’ve enabled advisors to connect with these students virtually to help them finish the process.

Another grantee, City Year, places what they call “student success coaches” into high schools to provide role models, offer encouragement, and help students make decisions that keep them on track for college. By developing strong personal relationships with students and working on both academic and social and emotional skills, they help make sure each student feels connected to school. They also watch for early warning indicators that can predict when a student might be disconnecting from school and, if necessary, they’ll step in with one-on one support and small group meetings.

Finally, Saga Education embeds math tutors in high schools, where they work with students who need help with algebra, and also gives the students access to an online learning platform. The goal is to help them pass algebra and move to higher levels of math, and the results speak for themselves: Saga students pick up an extra 2.5 years’ worth of math in one academic year and are 60 percent less likely to fail a math class. The impact even ripples out to other courses; students who work with Saga’s tutors are also significantly less likely to fail classes in other subjects. Our foundation recently funded 28 Saga tutors for six high schools in New York City; they’ll work with 2,000 9th graders over the next two years.

"These groups use a 'near peer' approach so that students can see themselves in their coaches and tutors."

Even though they work on different aspects of the problem, CAC, City Year, and Saga have a lot in common. They work with the AmeriCorps national service program to find talented young adults to serve in these roles. That approach not only lets them keep their costs low; it also allows them to use a “near peer” approach employing recent college graduates, so that students can see themselves in their coaches and tutors. And they’re using digital platforms to reach students whose schools have shut down, and to make their work more effective.

Our foundation has committed more than $23 million to these three organizations. But additional funding from other groups would allow them to expand even more. College Advising Corps aims to reach an additional 300,000 students and help 69,000 more students get into college. City Year could triple the number of coaches serving students in school districts with especially high dropout rates. And Saga could double the number of students who get tutoring help, ultimately connecting with 10,000 to 15,000 young people.

All young people should get the advising, tutoring, and coaching they need to get on the college pathway that’s right for them. And because of COVID-19, this work is especially urgent for the next few classes of graduating seniors. As the country focuses on the needs of these young people, supporting College Advising Corps, City Year, and Saga would be a great start.

If you’re a recent college graduate, I hope you’ll consider serving with one of these organizations. They’re always in need of talented people to inspire young students.

It’s impossible to list all the ways that COVID-19 has upended America’s education system. And tutoring, mentoring, and advising aren’t silver bullets that will solve every problem. But they will be an essential part of keeping young people on the track to a brighter future.

Discussion
Thank you for being part of the Gates Notes Insider community.
Not seeing your comment? You can read our policy on moderating comments here and learn about our Gates Notes badges here.
Badge
📌
Pinned by
Gates Notes
Badge
ʼʼ
0 responses
Sort by
all
all
most
top
old
Comments loading...
CTW
Thanks for visiting the Gates Notes. We'd like your feedback.
Become a Gates Notes Insider
Join the Gates Notes community to access exclusive content, comment on stories, participate in giveaways, and more.
SIGN UP
Already have an account?
Log in here
Logout:


Become a Gates Notes Insider
Become a Gates Notes Insider
Join the Gates Notes community to get regular updates from Bill on key topics like global health and climate change, to access exclusive content, comment on stories, participate in giveaways, and more.
Already joined? Log in
Please send me updates from Breakthrough Energy on efforts to combat climate change.
On
Off
LOG IN
SIGN UP
Title
Mr
Mrs
Ms
Miss
Mx
Dr
This email is already registered. Enter a new email, try signing in or retrieve your password
Why are we collecting this information? Gates Notes may send a welcome note or other exclusive Insider mail from time to time. Additionally, some campaigns and content may only be available to users in certain areas. Gates Notes will never share and distribute your information with external parties.
Bill may send you a welcome note or other exclusive Insider mail from time to time. We will never share your information.
Sign up
We will never share or spam your email address. For more information see our Sign Up FAQ. By clicking "Sign Up" you agree to the Gates Notes Terms of Use / Privacy Policy.
Street address
City
postal_town
State Zip code
administrative_area_level_2
Country
Data
Gates Notes Insider Sign Up FAQ

Q. How do I create a Gates Notes account?

A. There are three ways you can create a Gates Notes account:

  • Sign up with Facebook. We’ll never post to your Facebook account without your permission.
  • Sign up with Twitter. We’ll never post to your Twitter account without your permission.
  • Sign up with your email. Enter your email address during sign up. We’ll email you a link for verification.

Q. Will you ever post to my Facebook or Twitter accounts without my permission?

A. No, never.

Q. How do I sign up to receive email communications from my Gates Notes account?

A. In Account Settings, click the toggle switch next to “Send me updates from Bill Gates.”

Q. How will you use the Interests I select in Account Settings?

A. We will use them to choose the Suggested Reads that appear on your profile page.

BACK
Forgot your password?
Enter the email you used to sign up and a reset password link will be sent to you.
This email is already registered. Enter a new email, try signing in or retrieve your password
Reset Password
Reset your password.
Set New Password
Your password has been reset. Please continue to the log in page.
Log in
Get emails from Bill Gates
Send me updates from Bill Gates
You must provide an email
On
Off
Email me comment notifications
On
Off
On-screen comment notifications
On
Off
This email is already registered
Finish
We will never share or spam your email address. For more information see our Sign up FAQ. By clicking "Continue" you agree to the Gates Notes Terms of Use / Privacy Policy.
You're in!
You're in!
Please check your email and click the link provided to verify your account.
Didn't get an email from us? Resend verification
Upload a profile picture
Choose image to upload
Uploading...
Uh Oh!
The image you are trying to upload is either too big or is an unacceptable format. Please upload a .jpg or .png image that is under 25MB.
Ok
Title
Mr
Mrs
Ms
Miss
Mx
Dr
Cancel
Save
This email is already registered
Cancel
Save
Please verify email address. Click verification link sent to this email address or resend verification email.
Email and notification settings
Send me updates from Bill Gates
You must provide an email
On
Off
Email me comment notifications
On
Off
On-screen comment notifications
On
Off
Select your interests
Saving Lives
Energy Innovation
Improving Education
Alzheimer's
Philanthropy
Book Reviews
About Bill Gates
Finish
Confirm Account Deactivation
Are you sure you want to deactivate your account?
Deactivating your account will unsubscribe you from Gates Notes emails, and will remove your profile and account information from public view on the Gates Notes. Please allow for 24 hours for the deactivation to fully process. You can sign back in at any time to reactivate your account and restore its content.
Deactivate My Acccount
Go Back
Your Gates Notes account has been deactivated.
Come back anytime.
Welcome back
In order to unsubscribe you will need to sign-in to your Gates Notes Insider account
Once signed in just go to your Account Settings page and set your subscription options as desired.
Sign In
Request account deletion
We’re sorry to see you go. Your request may take a few days to process; we want to double check things before hitting the big red button. Requesting an account deletion will permanently remove all of your profile content. If you’ve changed your mind about deleting your account, you can always hit cancel and deactivate instead.
Submit
Cancel
Thank You! Your request has been sent
Page https://www.gatesnotes.com:443/Happy-90th-Warren secs = 0.0156214