Early Outreach

Most college campuses today have early outreach programs that have the common goal of building student interest, motivation, and preparation for college.  Programs may start as early as middle school and provide students a glimpse of campus life through college visitations. Tutoring programs strive to increase students' academic skills in mathematics and English. Advocacy programs and mentorships build students’ awareness of what is needed to transition successfully from high school to college. Campus leaders are continually striving to create new outreach efforts or improve and expand existing efforts such as dual enrollment in order to increase the numbers of better prepared students who are entering college and succeeding. 

• KnowHow2Go is a national effort targeting low-income students in grades 8 to 10, and secondarily, their parents and adult influencers, to encourage them to start the college preparation process in middle school. This public service advertising campaign from the American Council on Education (ACE), Lumina Foundation for Education, and the Ad Council is designed to encourage low-income and first-generation students to take the steps necessary to go to college.  Several states have joined the effort and plan to localize the campaign. For more information (and an example of one state's effort), see http://www.knowhow2goohio.org/.
• Early college high school is a bold approach, based on the principle that academic rigor, combined with the opportunity to save time and money, is a powerful motivator for students to work hard and meet serious intellectual challenges. Early college high schools blend high school and college in a rigorous yet supportive program, compressing the time it takes to complete a high school diploma and the first two years of college.  Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia now participate in the Early College High School Initiative.  Read about these programs at http://www.earlycolleges.org/ and learn how successful they have been . In Georgia, plans are underway eventually to expand early college statewide for students ages 14-20. Read about these plans here. 
• Dual enrollment, once reserved for a small number of gifted students, is undergoing transformation.  Jobs for the Future recently released the report, On Ramp to College: A State Policymaker’s Guide to Dual Enrollment, which explains how dual enrollment can serve as an “on ramp” to postsecondary education for students who are otherwise unlikely to attend college. Successful models and a step-by-step plan guides education leaders in how to provide a wide range of students with equal access to dual enrollment and make it part of a continuous system for grades 9-16.
  

• One of the most longstanding early outreach programs, GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) was enacted as part of the 1998 Higher Education Act to give low-income students the skills, encouragement, and preparation to enter and succeed in college.  GEAR UP grants have been awarded to 47 states and three territories.  Program services are specifically designed to support middle school reform, and each state has developed its own effective approach.  For example, the Louisiana GEAR UP Program http://www.latech.edu/lagearup/ offers students a full range of college preparatory experiences including a Tutoring Program, Leadership Training, Math and Science Enrichment Activities and College Life Experiences.