From The Plain Dealer …
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The 22 men and women, members of a new AmeriCorps program, will serve as “college completion coaches” at 10 community college campuses in Ohio, including Cuyahoga Community College andLakeland Community College.
“Their whole goal is to work with the student from the beginning,” said Bridget McFadden, of theOhio College Access Network, an organization whose members work to increase college attainment.“They will figure out the education plan, what they want to do and advise and coach them through the process. Research shows if someone has a resource on campus they can turn to, to guide them through this whole education process, they can succeed.”
Tri-C will have three coaches — one each at its Highland Hills, Parma and Cleveland campuses. Lakeland will have two coaches.
The access network collaborated with the Ohio Association of Community Colleges to seek an AmeriCorps grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that funds service programs. It received a $287,842 grant for the first year of a three-year grant cycle and must reapply for next year, said McFadden.
“This is probably one of the most exciting projects I have been involved with,” said Ronald Abrams, president of the community college association. He said each community college chose its coaches, recent graduates who understand the process to get a degree, he said.
Those in the AmeriCorps program earn $12,100 and receive a $5,500 education credit, McFadden said.
The new coaches started Wednesday and are being trained. Each will work with 100 students, who — in addition to taking developmental courses in math or English — are receiving federal Pell grants based on financial need, McFadden said.
Many community college students attend part-time and juggle work and family obligations. Studies have shown they often become discouraged and drop classes or drop out.
“Research shows that if you pay attention to these folks and give them some nurturing, coaching and mentoring it significantly improves their chances of success,” Abrams said. “That’s what this is all about.”
He said he is unaware of similar programs in other states.
McFadden said she expects the program to be successful, based on her experience with the AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides program, in its fourth year this fall. Recent college graduates are placed in high schools with low graduation and college-going rates to encourage more students to continue their education, she said.
The coaches, or “near peers,” work with guidance counselors to help students determine where to go to school, how to apply and fill out financial aid forms.
This fall, 60 AmeriCorps workers will be placed in nine school districts, including Cleveland, Oberlin and Canton. Each district is affiliated with a local organization, which in Cleveland is CollegeNow Greater Cleveland.
An evaluation of the program’s first two years by Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs found that the near peer model was successful and led to more at-risk students applying and going to college.