Statewide Campaign Streamlines College Signing Day Planning in Mississippi By Brandi Lyndall, Director, GEAR UP Outreach, Get2College In Mississippi, College Signing Day is supported by College Countdown Mississippi. This statewide campaign strives for every graduating high school senior to apply for college at an Application Day event, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and recognize their postsecondary plans at a College Signing Day. Mississippi began College C... Read More

A Quick Guide to Financial Aid Award Letters College admissions letters are rolling in for many students across the country, and financial aid offers will be right behind them. These offers – often referred to as award letters – should spark conversations about college affordability between students, families, and the professionals who help them along their postsecondary pathways. Here are a few critical things that students and families need to know about financial aid offers. ... Read More

Are you looking for access to data to determine if your students are enrolling and persisting in college?  This guest blog from the National College Attainment Network highlights the National Student Clearinghouse, a nonprofit organization that provides student educational outcomes. If your school district is looking to strengthen the college and career readiness class and college attainment, this resource is for you!   As Year Winds Down, Use NSC Data to Plan Next Steps ... Read More

Partnering with colleges and universities can be an effective strategy to help more students pursue post-secondary opportunities. This guest blog by the National College Attainment Network provides ideas and suggestions on how K-12 and Higher Ed can work together to assist students. Making In-Roads Between K-12 and Higher Ed; It’s More Than Freezing Summer Melt Bill DeBaun, National College Attainment Network Earlier this year, NCAN observed that “summer is the time for K-12 a... Read More

Gear Up for FAFSA Season: This Year’s Seniors Need It More than Ever Bill DeBaun, Director of Data and Evaluation, National College Attainment Network October 1 looms large on the calendar of every college access and success professional in the United States. No, it’s not the date where they set their reminders to break out their Halloween decorations, it’s the date when the FAFSA opens for students and their families to potentially claim their piece of federal (and someti... Read More

Looking for ways to incorporate the college conversation into all areas of your high school? This guest blog from the National College Attainment Network highlights resources and helpful tips on how to begin the planning for a successful year for the class of 2022 and support their post-secondary plans.  Reading time: 5 min.  Welcome Back to School, These Resources Can Kick Off a Successful Year for Seniors  Bill DeBaun, National ... Read More

As the calendar flips to August, neither the upcoming FAFSA cycle, which opens October 1, nor the ongoing one, which funds students for the 2021-22 academic year, are probably not current priorities for many districts and schools. But, they should be. Read more from our guest blog contributor, Bill DeBaun, Director of Data and Evaluation for the National College Access Network (NCAN) about the national FAFSA completion rate and what can be done to help students. FAFSA Completions Were Down, ... Read More

Your student(s) have applied to college, completed their FAFSA and MAAPP applications, attended orientation, and matched with a roommate, but will they be a part of the 40% of students who enroll in college and don’t complete a credential? How can you as a mentor, counselor, advisor, or community member help your student(s) succeed in college? Read more from our guest blog contributor from the National College Attainment Network (NCAN).  Rea... Read More

Graduating high school seniors are taking their next steps, but do districts and schools really know where they’re headed? Consistent, meaningful, and productive contact between K-12 and the higher ed institutions to which students matriculate could benefit students and increase their likelihood of matriculating successfully. Summer is a good time to start building, or continue strengthening, these connections. We dig into how in this blog from Bill DeBaun at the National College Attain... Read More

As the final semester of the 2020-21 school year comes to a close, graduating seniors will be out the door and onto their next life plan. These next few weeks may be the last time students will be accessible and available to receive college-going support. Use these four checklist items from guest blog writer, Ainsley Ash from the National College Attainment Network, to help students transition to college.   As the semester winds down, graduating seniors will be out the door and onto wh... Read More

Are you ready for graduation? Develop a senior exit survey as a part of your plan! Understanding your students’ plans once they walk across the graduation stage is a key piece to help them transition to college. But how to make sure you collect information in the survey that will be helpful? The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) guest wrote the blog found below which includes guidance for high schools on creating a strategy to support your seniors’ transition.  ... Read More

Ainsley Ash, Meridian native, senior at the University of Mississippi, and communication intern for the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), offers a guide to assist students with interpreting financial aid awards letters. Many students will begin receiving financial aid packages over the next month. Read how to best assist students in interpreting financial aid offers and determining the total cost of college.    ... Read More

Verification is an all-too-common hurdle for Mississippi students in the college enrollment process. The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) recently provided this guest blog post to build awareness of the impact of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) verification process. You can read more about the FAFSA on our previous blog post here.    FAFSA Verification Remains a Hurdle for Students; Here&rsq... Read More

In the fall of 2020, the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) released a resources page specifically for K-12 districts and schools. This page is a one-stop-shop for districts or schools to create, change, or improve their college-going culture including a 15-month planning calendar organized by topic, introduction to National Student Clearinghouse StudentTracker, and other key approaches to supporting postsecondary transitions for high school stu... Read More

There’s a lot of uncertainty in our world right now, and for high school students or current college students preparing for the fall semester, you likely have a lot of questions. There are two primary questions that students are asking in regards to their FAFSA for the 2020-2021 academic year. Can I update the asset portion of my FAFSA? (Ex. The stock market is unstable and so my parents’ assets have changed). What if my parent has lost their job due to COVID-19 and our... Read More

by Brandi Lyndall   Whether you're thinking about the next phase of your education, launching a new career, or making a transition in your current job, the ACT WorkKeys assessment system can help. ACT WorkKeys is a system of curriculum and assessments that build and measure essential workplace skills that can affect your job performance and increase opportunities for career changes and advancement. With ACT WorkKeys, you can earn the National Career Readiness Certificate&nbs... Read More

We recently sat down with a current high school senior to talk about her plans after graduation. Here’s what she said:    Name: Zaria Simone Ford Age 18 Years Old Hometown: Greenville, MS   Plans after graduation: After graduation, I plan to attend Mississippi State University, where I will major in Biochemistry with a pre-dental concentration. Career goals: I plan to become a Pediatric Dentist Why do you want to go to college? I want to attend college because I k... Read More

Get2College, a program of the Woodward Hines Education Foundation, is proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa to assist students and their families with navigating the complex financial aid process by supporting their FAFSA completion efforts through the Get2College Corps. The Get2College Corps is a competitive, paid internship for high-achieving community college students who are members of Phi Theta Kappa. There are currently 17 students from 12 Mississippi community colleges who participate... Read More

On January 16, 2019, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and Woodward Hines Education Foundation announced a $440,000 grant to benefit high-achieving two-year college students in Mississippi with financial need. Phi Theta Kappa provides academic, social, and financial support to an otherwise vulnerable population of students, and its members complete college at a higher rate than non-members. This scholarship will enable thousands of Mississippi students with financial need to join Phi Theta Kappa ... Read More

The Woodward Hines Education Foundation and the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University are working together to evaluate the Get2College Pilot School Program, which seeks to increase the number of students getting to college in Mississippi. In order to increase the numbers of students going to, persisting and completing college, the Pilot School Program, which is currently being implemented in eight high schools across Mississippi, uses nationally identified best practi... Read More

Mississippi Governor Phi Bryant issued a proclamation recognizing October as College Application Month. In the proclamation, Gov. Bryant recognizes the importance of completing college applications as a step towards pursuing a postsecondary degree or credential. He also recognizes that a postsecondary degree or credential has been linked to higher income and better health. In the proclamation, Gov. Bryant encourages all public high schools to participate by having activities designed to incre... Read More

NCAN member Woodward Hines Education Foundation's Get2College program knows that moving the needle on FAFSA completion isn't easy. It takes creativity, partnerships, and a belief that "First U-HAFTA FAFSA®" if you want to pursue postsecondary education. Over the past several years, Get2College has worked to increase FAFSA completion in Mississippi, one of the nation's poorest states. Get2College offers free one-on-one FAFSA support for students and families in each ... Read More

Planning a successful college fair takes more than just scheduling the gym and getting on the recruiters’ calendars. Picture this: A high school freshman comes to the college fair in the school gym and sets off on a scavenger hunt arranged by her counselor. Equipped with a map and a plastic bag, she makes the rounds to each college recruiter’s table to ask about their majors and school size and collect their informational brochures, as well as a few college-branded items. She fil... Read More