Funding for College/K-12 Partnerships to Serve Out-Of-School Youth by Gateway to College National Network

[Announcement from he-sl listserv]

Dear Colleagues,

The following is a wonderful funding opportunity for your colleges to explore.  Many of you are already addressing this population of youth and now you have an opportunity to gain additional insight and support from the Gateway to College National Network.  As you develop your strategies for applying for these funds and how you will work with both the out of school youth and your college students, don't, please don't forget to include the pedagogy of  service learning as a strategy for meeting the goals and needs.

Best regards,
Lyvier

Lyvier Conss
Executive Director
Community College National Center for
Community Engagement

Join us at our 21st Annual National Conference - Leaders Leading Leaders in service LEarning and Civic Engagement, May 23 -25, 2012 in Scottsdale, AZ
http://www.mesacc.edu/engagement

Gateway to College National Network Offers Funding for College/K-12 Partnerships to Serve Out-Of-School Youth

PORTLAND, Oregon (March 2, 2012) – Gateway to College National Network (GtCNN) has funds available for partnerships between colleges and K-12 school districts to implement the Gateway to College dropout recovery program.  In the fall of 2012, GtCNN will select up to ten college/K-12 partnerships for multi-year contracts worth between $325,000 and $440,000. In addition to start-up funds, successful applicants will receive training, technical assistance, professional development opportunities, and program evaluation—from the initial year of planning and training, through program implementation, and for as long as the program remains a member of the network, which currently includes programs at thirty-five colleges in twenty states. Register on the Gateway to College National Network website (www.gatewaytocollege.org/start.asp) for complete program guidelines and application information. The initial application process will close on April 30, 2012. Contracts will be announced during the fall of 2012.

The Gateway to College Model

Gateway to College is a nationally-recognized dual credit program that serves youth who have dropped out of school or are significantly behind in credits and unlikely to graduate. GtC classes are taught on the college campus. Students begin with the Foundation Experience, a learning community where students take developmental reading, writing, and math. After completing Foundation, students transition to regular college classes where they continue working toward their high school diploma and, simultaneously, an associate’s degree. Each student is assigned a student support staff member who acts as a mentor and advisor by providing the support and individual attention that is vital to successfully serving this student population.

Gateway to College at the local level is inherently sustainable—the initial start-up funding pays for planning and early implementation costs until the program begins serving students and K-12 per-pupil expenditures start coming in. These local dollars fund an increasing percentage of program costs, with each program demonstrating a sustainable budget funded primarily by K-12 dollars by about the end of their second year serving students.

Successful applicants for start-up funds will demonstrate:

• Flexible systems that allow students to earn a high school diploma (either through the college or in cooperation with a K-12 partner) and provide access to public K-12 education funds for high school completion;
• Strong partnerships between the college and the local school district(s) involved in program implementation;
• The desire to embrace the Gateway to College academic approach and student support strategies at every level throughout the college; and
• Compatibility of the Gateway to College model with the mission and vision of the college and school district, in order to support the required commitment to working with dropout youth

About Gateway to College National Network
At Gateway to College National Network, we believe in building the capacity of states, colleges, and school districts to expand educational opportunities for high school dropouts and underprepared college students so that all young people may attain academic credentials. We currently serve Gateway to College programs at thirty-five community colleges in twenty states. Our strategies include: creating and replicating innovative programs, building partnerships, influencing systems, conducting research and sharing what we know, helping effect policy and regulatory changes, and providing customized consulting services. We also provide ongoing technical assistance, data and evaluation services, and professional development opportunities to our partner programs across the country. Gateway to College National Network was recently awarded a four-year investment from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service's Social Innovation Fund. We are also funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, The James Irvine Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and Tipping Point Community. Visit www.gatewaytocollege.org for more information.

Ashley Wilkins
Coordinator, Partnership Development
Gateway to College National Network
971-634-1202awilkins@gatewaytocollege.org