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To College, Through College

Increasing Post-Secondary Success Through a Collective and Aligned Community Response

Rhae-Ann Booker, Ph. D., Davenport University Tony Baker, Ph.D., Ferris State University and Grand Rapids Public Schools Lynn Heemstra, M.S.S.A., Our Community’s Children Bree Bode, M. A., Davenport University

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CONTENTS

About the Authors 3

Abstract 4

Introduction 5

The Study 6

Quantitative Data 6

Qualitative Data 9

Our Solution 12

Worthy Investment 13

TCTC Center Impact on Five Emergent Themes 14

Closing Summary 16

References 17

Appendix A: TCTC Center Coordinator Job Description 18

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About the Authors

Anthony Baker, PhD is professor of Sociology and Director of Community Engagement at Fer- ris State University. He also serves as the president of Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education.

Bree Bode, MA is health and disability fellow for the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and research assistant for this To College, Through College research project funded through Michigan Campus Compact.

Rhae-Ann Booker, PhD is executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Chair of chair of To College, Through College Lead- ership Council. She has worked in higher education for more than 20 years in various roles in- cluding assistant dean of academic multicultural affairs, grant evaluator, director of multicultural student development, adjunct faculty, and director of pre-college programs. Notably, she has proven record of increasing the enrollment, retention and graduation rates of students form North American ethnic minority groups.

Lynn Heemstra, MSSA is executive director at Our Community's Children. She works for the Mayor, School Board President, the City Manager, and the Superintendent of the Grand Rapids Public Schools on public policy, partnerships, and programs to ensure the well-being of children, youth & families in the city. Her office also facilitates system-building community partnerships such as the Expanded Learning Opportunities Network for afterschool and the To College, Through College Initiative for post-secondary success.

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Abstract

Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) is one of the largest public school systems in Michigan. While its graduation and college enrollment rates have improved, their graduates’ college attain- ment rates are less than optimal. This reality led community leaders and partners to form an initi- ative named To College, Through College (TCTC), a community-led solution for increasing the post-secondary degree attainment of GRPS graduates. To achieve this change, TCTC partners spent nearly two years (1) investigating the college-going experiences of GRPS graduates who attend West Michigan colleges and universities and (2) identifying gaps in existing services aimed at supporting the educational goals of the students. We found the experiences of non- white and first-generation students in Grand Rapids to be similar to students’ experiences in other communities across the country. We also considered examples of how these other commu- nities are responding to these challenges. As a result, the TCTC partnership is creating a TCTC Center at the Grand Rapids downtown library with satellite sites at neighborhood libraries and community-based organizations (CBOs). The Center will offer a full-time educational navigator, space, learning resources, and supportive mentorship using the public libraries as resource cen- ters. In doing so, the libraries in partnership with CBOs will provide access to educational re- sources and services in the communities where many of the students live. Resultantly, the per- centage of GRPS graduates-post-secondary-enrollees will be retained and will achieve post-sec- ondary degree completion at higher rates.

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Introduction

“Grand Rapids ranks number two in the nation in the growth rate of population with higher education degrees. Still we know, that our completion rate of college among students… from our Grand Rapids Public Schools that go off with promise to college..., is abysmal still." Fox 17 News (2015), Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell

Over the past several decades the critical need for all Americans, including racial minorities and low-income individuals, to attain a postsecondary degree has been recognized by political lead- ers, economic experts and education advocates (Belasco, 2013; Engberg and Wolniak, 2009; U. S. Department of Education, 2015). In 2008, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics projected 45% of all jobs in 2014 would require some type of skilled training or certification, and in 2012, a 14% increase in the need for employees that have post-secondary education by 2020 (Prochea, Allen, Robbins & Phelps 2010; Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013).

“Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy” President Barak Obama, 2008.

Moreover, national and local data demonstrate that in order to increase college attainment rates in the United States of America, we must eliminate barriers to college success for everyone, and in particular, for African Americans, Latinos and first-generation students. Although enrolling in college at increasingly higher rates, these three groups often have the lowest college persistence and graduation rates necessitating the development and implementation of culturally and contex- tually-relevant strategies for bringing about needed change. For example, researchers Hurtado and Carter (1997) discovered Latino students need to experience a sense of campus belonging at their post-secondary institutions. Other researchers identified that low income and first-genera- tion students typically have a much more difficult time navigating the summer transitions neces- sary to actually arrive on a college campus in the fall, even after successfully gaining admission to the college (Castleman & Page, 2013).

In the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) and community leaders have been monitoring the rates of high school graduation, college enrollment and college completion for GRPS students over time. Additionally, several influential, local advocacy groups have taken a special interest in examining the pathways to successful college completion for GRPS high school graduations and addressing any variables inhibiting their success. In fall 2013, Grand Rapids Mayor Heartwell and the office of Our Community’s Children created a To Col- lege, Through College (TCTC) coalition, an initiative funded through a Lumina Foundation grant. This coalition includes approximately 35 members from local government, higher educa- tion, GRPS, local foundations, faith-based organizations, CBOs and businesses. Working to- gether collaboratively, TCTC partners aim to achieve two primary goals: 1. Increase post-secondary attainment for GRPS grads from 18% to 40% by 2020, and in- crease overall to 60% by 2025. Page 6

2. Increase post-secondary retention rates of first generation and non-white GRPS gradu- ates.

Our initial data review indicated Grand Rapids experiences the same difficulties as other com- munities in effectively eliminating barriers to higher education success, especially for non-white, low-income and/or first-generation students (National Center for Education and Statistics, 2015). Typically, the explanation for group differences lay blame on either K-12 systems or higher edu- cation institutions. This white paper, instead, argues for the significant need to invest in post-sec- ondary education attainment strategies at the community level by identifying and eliminating barriers to achieving college attainment goals for all populations.

The purpose of this white-paper is four-fold: 1. Share our study. 2. Outline the information gathered by TCTC for identifying gaps in services and resources that hinder student success. 3. Describe a community-informed and community-endorsed solution for addressing unmet stu- dent needs along the path from high school, to college and through college. 4. Delineate the return on investment for a long-term, systemic investment in GRPS graduates.

The Study

This exploratory research included collecting and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data aimed at increasing understanding of GRPS graduates’ post-secondary attainment success and challenges for informing the development of a community-based response. Overall, this study examined the rates of enrollment, retention and graduation overtime as well as student per- ceptions of positive and negative factors influencing their enrollment, persistence and post-sec- ondary completion. Quantitative data was attained from secondary sources of public domains (e.g. National Student Clearinghouse) and in agreement with partner academic institutions to re- port aggregate data on GRPS students.

Quantitative Data Grand Rapids Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in Michigan, and is home to a very diverse group of students representing 55 different countries, and various races and social classes (MIschooldata.org, 2015). For example, in 2014-2015, the total GRPS student popula- tion was 16,546 students (MISchooldata, 2015):  80% economically disadvantaged,  32% African American,  37% Hispanic,  23% White, 6% two or more races, and  1% Asian.

In Table A, we provide a brief overview of general student graduation and college enrollment data for our 2012-13 and 2013-14 graduate cohorts. For these two academic years, the percent- age of GRPS graduates who successfully started college within six months after their GRPS graduation averaged 51%.

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Table A. 2012-13 and 2013-14 Graduate to College Enrollment Data 2015, (MIschooldata.org, 2015).

Academic GRPS GRPS College Enrollees % GRPS College Enrollees Year Graduates within 6 months after their in 4-year College by GRPS graduation Race/Ethnicity Black Hispanic White

2012-13 563 294 40% <1% 36%

2013-14 500 253 34% 19% 38%

Table B illustrates the common trend we observed for GRPS using the graduating class of 2008 through 2013 (National Student Clearinghouse, 2015). Annually, approximately ~51% - 65% of GRPS graduates attend post-secondary institutions within six months of their high school gradu- ation. The actual numbers of these graduates who attend college increases over time, though not necessarily annually. However, the total number of students that either persist in or complete post-secondary education continues to decline with around 20% of the high school graduating class successfully completing any two or four year, post-secondary program in six years. Nota- bly, despite their college admissibility, a good percentage of the 2008 enrollees did not persist or complete. With this finding, we learned early on that we needed to attack this problem from two angles: 1. Increase the number of students who were not only accepted into a college/university but who actually started taking classes within six months of their high school graduation; and 2. Identify and address the causes of the post-secondary enrollees who are no longer enrolled and who have not graduated from college. See the yellow section in Table B.

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Table B. Grand Rapids School District Class of 2008 Postsecondary Enrollment and Progress

We also gathered enrollment and persistence data from the seven college/university-TCTC part- ners—Aquinas College, Cornerstone University, Davenport University, Ferris State University, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, and Western Michigan Uni- versity. We have begun to create baseline data of GRPS students that were/are at these institu- tions during the 2013, 2014 and 2015 school years. Table C provides the number and percent of GRPS students that attend these colleges. It is important to note that this data only includes stu- dents who attend these seven colleges, although we know that many GRPS graduates also attend Michigan State, University of Michigan and other schools. However, from year to year, these seven institutions do represent well over half of all GRPS graduates. Our partnership and efforts to improve the success of GRPS students attending these institutions will have a dramatic impact on improving post-secondary completion.

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Table C. GRPS Alumni to Start Classes at Area Colleges by Academic Year

GRPS Alumni to Start Classes at Area Colleges by College Academic Year 450 401 400 343 350 300 276 250

200 162 150 132 129 87 94 100 68 79 77 73 50 0 All Black/African Hispanic/Latino White/Caucasian American 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

The need for increased post-secondary attainment is evident for all GRPS graduates, and espe- cially for students of color and economically disadvantaged students who enroll, persist and complete post-secondary education at lower rates in comparison to their white counterparts (Aud, Fox et al., 2010; Aud, Hussar et al, 2010). By closing post-secondary attainment gaps for GRPS students, we can increase career opportunities for GRPS graduates, better meet the skill and education levels employers seek, and improve the economic viability of our city and nation.

Qualitative Data Our research team engaged GRPS high school students and youth in a variety of ways to dis- cover the barriers and challenges limiting their ability to navigate to and all of the way through college. In order to increase our awareness and understanding of their experiences, we heard from current GRPS high school and local college students through surveys, community events with student panelists, focus groups and one-on-one interactions. In order to identify trends, best practices and resources that lead to or hinder students’ success, we also held discussions with OCC youth advocates, school counselors, and with college admissions, student life, and student success center staff. The following questions guided our qualitative data gathering efforts: 1. What are GRPS graduates’ perceptions of their post-secondary enrollment, persistence, reten- tion and completion experiences? 2. What can be done to increase the numbers and percentages of GRPS graduates attaining post- secondary degree enrollment and completion? Page 10

3. What can the community-at-large do to assure post-secondary degree completion of GRPS graduates who are currently enrolled in college or who have stopped out?

Finding, listening and appropriately responding to the voices and wisdom of the youth of our community were essential components of our research. Over 1,400 students provided input during seven events aimed at gathering student perspectives. The participants ranged from current GRPS middle and high school students to current GRPS-college students, GRPS graduates and former GRPS-college students who did not complete a post-secondary degree. Focus groups were held at CBOs and facilitated by OCC staff and/or the TCTC chair. Surveys were administered by TCTC affiliates and OCC staff. The focus group and survey questions were used to identify barriers, challenges, and resources that students reported impacted their success or failure of degree com- pletion. Data was also gathered from public forums of youth held by organizations such as OCC. During these public forums, participants were made aware that they were granting researchers ac- cess to their responses and what they reported was public information. Analysis of transcripts and recordings were conducted and led to the discovery of the five emergent themes listed in order by frequency of expression: preparedness, mentorship, financial, communication and navigation. See Figure 1.

Figure 1. Five emergent themes

Preparedness

Mentorship

Financial Community Navigation

1. Preparedness

Respondents expressed the need for strengthened preparation for college that goes beyond col- lege readiness measures like ACT/SAT, but reflect college success know-how. Their comments spoke to four areas in particular:  Academic self-confidence, Page 11

 Knowledge of college terminology (FAFSA, verification, aid letter, fees vs. tuition, housing choices, etc.),  Dual enrollment as a way to try out and develop skills for college success, and  Connections to individualized college supports.

2. Mentorship

Respondents expressed the need for genuine, heartfelt guidance from a variety of sources:  College graduates to current college students,  College graduates to GRPS graduates and GRPS current students,  Current college students to current college students,  Current college students to high school students,  Business leaders to current college and current high school students, and  CBOs in partnership with college resource center staff to current college students.

3. Financial

Respondents shared of encountering difficulties related to financial supports and aid. From actual funding needed for books and fees to assistance with identifying and securing scholarships (espe- cially post college year one) to the need for a financial aid liaison that bridges community re- sources with college financial aid officers, respondents shared of the significant impact of finan- cial challenges.

4. Community

Respondents expressed the need for a sense of community while in college as demonstrated by  Continued support from their high school counselors as students transition to and through college,  A community-based hub for college students across different schools to interact with one an- other and receive mentorship and counseling, and  Culturally relevant assistance that demonstrates an understanding of students’ cultural values.

5. Navigation

Respondents reported the assistance they may receive is not effective for helping them navigate through the college systems especially during the summer (a) between high school graduation and their start at college, (b) early on after starting at college, and (c) if they do not go to college immediately after high school but decide to so at a later date. Respondents expressly named three areas:  Parents –Parents would like to be more engaged in the process, but find the process to be very complex.  Returning College Students – Returning college students find it difficult to understand col- lege re-admission processes, especially without receiving close guidance from a school coun- selor and/or when transferring to a new college/university.  College Systems – The respondents find it overwhelming having to work through the various college systems such as financial aid, choosing a specific college from the variety of options, Page 12

and staying abreast of the various deadlines (e.g. admissions application materials, academic course enrollment and financial aid).

Our Solution

After a thorough contemplation of our research, a review of best practices in other cities includ- ing participation in Lumina Foundation conferences, as well as consultation with the National League of Cities and examination of other local data, the TCTC Leadership Council proposed the creation of a TCTC Center for guiding students through the complex maze of higher educa- tion. The vision of the Center is to increase post-secondary success for all, while targeting first- generation, African American and Latino students. We define post-secondary success to include any educational attainment of certificate credentials, associate's degrees and bachelor’s degrees. Our intention is to create a thorough collective and aligned community response. We plan to measure this work by identifying several measures of post-secondary attainment, including an increase in GRPS high school graduates that successfully complete an academic degree from two year or four year programs within six years from its current level of 18% to 40%.

The Office of Our Community’s Children (OCC) will serve as the organizing fiduciary in collab- oration with the Grand Rapids Public Library to launch and manage the Center until the Center is later formed as a non-profit organization. OCC was chosen because the organization has a rich history of successfully What’s needed is a visible campaign advocating for and implementing youth programming in to promote the importance of a col- Grand Rapids as a joint venture of the City of Grand Rap- lege degree within our city and a ids and GRPS. OCC is an established office that can pro- place where students can go to over- vide oversight and experience for the future of TCTC and come the challenges that impede a the full time coordinator to be hired to run the Center. college education… a place in the Overall, the solution set forth by the TCTC collaborative is community where students are wel- to implement a community-based approach to providing comed and empowered to act on their resources for GRPS high school graduates and alumni goals for a better life! seeking post-secondary education. The Center resources and services will primarily address post-secondary enroll- Mayor George Heartwell’s Legacy ment, retention and completion. For example, if students Challenge, 2014 are pressured to provide an income for their families, the Center coordinator could match those students to the local colleges’ employment services and set up a work-study or the coordinator would work with local agencies for financial support. If students are facing men- tal health challenges, the coordinator can refer the student to Arbor Circle, a local nonprofit men- tal health provider. If students need a mentor, the coordinator can match that student with a vol- unteer mentor already in place through one of the partner CBOs. Ideally, the coordinator naviga- tor will be someone that is familiar with the community resources and GRPS, have a master’s degree and familiarity of local colleges and universities, and the capacity to build authentic and mutually beneficial community relationships that produce results and referrals. The coordinator will be able to speak to the benefits of investing time and resources into one’s own education while working alongside students and community members to eliminate barriers.

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The Grand Rapids Public Library (GRPL) will provide a space in the main library for the Center coordinator and TCTC space and TCTC-trained educational navigators at four of its branch li- braries in the four different city quadrants. These five locations were strategically identified for making access to the Center convenient for students and for the CBOs that will assist with the provision of services. The coordinator will help define the TCTC partners’ roles for working with the Center staff and each of its satellite locations; and create a package of services to inform CBOs and the colleges and universities about ongoing resources and needs at the Center. Nota- bly, the coordinator will be able to communicate with GRPS staff and administrators to establish a working relationship between GRPS staff and counselors, the Center, staff and administration of local colleges, CBOs, and GRPS prospective and past graduates. See Appendix A for the TCTC Center Coordinator job description.

Worthy Investment

The Center will require an investment of time and resources from grants, philanthropists, college and universities, and CBOs. The Former Mayor George Heartwell created a Legacy Challenge to provide revenue for the Center as he retired from office, and five TCTC partner colleges/univer- sities have committed to a three year financial investment in the center. In addition, several CBOs have committed to having representatives serve on the TCTC Leadership Council and to sharing their resources.

We anticipate a $150,000/year budget for the Center including office set up, staffing, communi- cations and evaluation. For this nominal contribution, there will be a formidable return on invest- ment (ROI) for both direct and indirect target audiences.  Local colleges and universities will see a ROI in the form of increased enrollment, retention and graduation of GRPS high school graduates. With awareness of the Center’s available support, GRPS students will more seriously consider attending post-secondary institutions within the regional area. Local colleges and universities can also increase their recruitment efforts by building authentic relationships through leveraging the Center Coordinator as an advocate and networking partner. Colleges and universities can add another venue to their service area increasing their face to face contact hours with students and families of our com- munity.  GRPS will see an increase in enrollment of the general Grand Rapids population to GRPS k- 12 offerings. It will also be evident in the number of graduates that enroll and persist in col- lege/university as well as the number of GRPS students that complete a post-secondary de- gree.  Community and local economy will see an increase in the number of college-degreed resi- dents and in the number of skilled and educated employees who will fill open positions and invest in the local economy. In-kind volunteer hours and internships filled by students of the community can also represent the ROI. When students become invested in the community they become skilled volunteers and employees that can provide services for local nonprofits, school systems and various other CBOs.

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TCTC Center Impact on Five Emergent Themes

Moreover, the TCTC Center will directly impact the five themes identified in our qualitative re- search.

1. Preparedness

The TCTC Center staff will work with its college/university partners, CBOs, the public li- braries and GRPS to provide supplementary sources of information and training that prepares students for college success by strengthening both college readiness and college knowledge.

2. Mentorship

In his book Our Kids, Robert Putnam (2015) identified the impact of both formal and infor- mal mentorship structures. The informal mentorship networks that students from communi- ties with a high percentage of students attending college or highly educated adults have a plethora of informal relationships that encourage and prepare a “college readiness” identity. These relationships play a huge role, regardless of more formal mentorship networks. TCTC is already connected to several local organizations that provide mentorship, e.g. Hispanic Center of West Michigan, Grand Rapids Urban League, and the Grand Rapids Initiative for Leaders. Through the Center, TCTC will build upon these existing resources by providing a bridge that links the college/university resources to these mentoring networks. The develop- ment of a physical, community-based Center space will create a hub that extends the benefits of formal and informal mentors into the students’ everyday experiences and communities.

3. Financial

The TCTC Center will address the financial constraints in the three following ways.

Advocacy. Many reported financial problems are often small, yet daunting. An extra $100 fee or the shock of the cost of books often scares a student away, even though some of the local colleges and universities report having supports in place to address these problems. Some students successfully navigate, while others discontinue especially when coupled with other challenging college transition issues. We expect a student that has positive relationships with TCTC Center staff can contact TCTC as a community-based resources for assistance with accessing existing supports.

Training. The TCTC Center will provide space to move beyond FAFSA workshops and to- ward creating a full knowledge of the entire system of financial supports. This will be accom- plished in partnership with the area TCTC partner colleges/universities and utilizing national tools like the “Dollars for College,” a student financial planning toolkit by America’s Prom- ise, Citi Foundation and uAspire.

Funding. The TCTC coalition will work to advocate for greater funding sources, and assist in Page 15

framing the scholarship discussion in ways that truly addresses need. For example, one uni- versity has increased their scholarship fund specifically for the students who access the cen- ter. This could prove an effective strategy as the Center develops.

4. Community

The TCTC Center will serve as a physical portal for communicating across the barriers of community, institutions, race and cultural disconnects. With its visible location within five different Grand Rapids libraries, the Grand Rapids culture will cultivate a climate that demonstrates the city of Grand Rapids genuinely cares about the education of all students and is taking the steps to ensure all of its youth can access and complete some form of post-sec- ondary education. Plus, the TCTC coalition will serve as a data analysis center that creates a full community understanding of the entire experience of GRPS graduates to and through college.

5. Navigation

Immediately after High School Graduation. The GRPS counseling department of GRPS is very concerned about their own inability to continue to support students as they shift to the complex web of communication, financial need, and cultural transitions required to navigate from high school into the next stage of education. This may lead students to either put off at- tending college, or choosing to stay closer to home for the local community college. GRPS counselors requested for TCTC to pick up the required counseling needs and to create a ho- listic strategy to see that students get personal guidance all of the way from high school grad- uation to their actual or virtual seating in classes.

Early Transitions. Numerous unforeseen obstacles appear as college students navigate arriv- ing on campus and settling into new expectations. Our research revealed many stories of stu- dents and their families not understanding or being prepared for the cost of books, the expec- tation to provide personal information for financial aid considerations, or an awareness of the practice of taking out student loans. Also, when personal difficulties, college/university offi- cials may not hear of these challenges until the students have already decided to discontinue, if at all. The TCTC Center will provide a liaison role between the student, family, community and the University. This will occur through the accessibility of the TCTC coordinator to the student, as well as the TCTC Coordinator leveraging the resources of local CBOs.

Returning/Late Entry Students. Our respondents often discussed the difficulty of finding a portal to college if they did not go immediately after high school, or if they returned to col- lege or transferred to another school after a time out of education. Students simply don’t know where to start now that they no longer have support of a high school guidance office. We expect that the TCTC Center and its staff will be able to connect the returning/late entry student to local college/university liaisons who are dedicated to walking alongside GRPS stu- dents at their schools and assist with their (re-)entry.

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Closing Summary

Enrollment, retention and degree completion are each important variables of post-secondary edu- cation. The likelihood that a student will successfully achieve one or more of these outcomes is highly dependent on a supportive community that understands and leverages resources, including those in the communities from which students come. The community of Grand Rapids has his- torically rallied around the youth to provide different programs and services that enable empow- erment, employment and education. After reviewing the trends of GRPS graduates who enroll in, persist through and successfully complete post-secondary education a call to action was created to expand this support through college, thus inspiring the development of the TCTC Center.

The group of professionals that make up TCTC identified specific and general barriers to post- secondary education with the help of the community and GRPS students. TCTC will use that in- formation and the input from the full-time TCTC Center coordinator to launch the new Center in. The Center will be a gathering place for prospective GRPS graduates as well as GRPS alumni to find answers to college-going questions and ways to remove barriers. The implementation of the Center will strengthen existing and establish new community relationships, provide access to re- sources and serve as a meeting place where students, families and organizations can receive guidance and support. The institution of the Center, intentional practice of building relationships with GRPS students, and working collectively across different community sectors will impact the target audience in a manner that will organically produce an increase in post-secondary en- rollment, retention and degree completion

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References

Aud, S., Fox, M., & Kewal Ramani, A. (2010). Status and trends in the education of racial and ethnic groups (NCES 2010-015). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Aud, S., Hussar, W., Planty, M., Snyder, T., Bianco, K., Fox, M., Frohlich, L., Kemp, J., & Drake, L. (2010). The Condition of Education 2010 (NCES 2010-028). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech. (2008, August 28). Retrieved January 10, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/us/politics/28text-obama.html?_r=0

Castleman, B. L., & Page, L. C. (2013). The not‐so‐lazy days of summer: Experimental interventions to increase college entry among low‐income high school graduates. New Directions for Youth Development, 2013(140), 77-97. doi:10.1002/yd.20079

Hurtado, S., & Carter, D. F. (1997). Effects of college transition and perceptions of campus climate on Latino college students‘ sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70, 324- 245.

Mayor George Heartwell’s Legacy Challenge (2014). Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Michigan School Data (2015), MIschooldata.org.

National Student Clearinghouse, January 5, 2015. Grand Rapids School District, page 31 of 45.

Putnam, Robert D. (2015). Our Kids: The American Dream Crisis. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Fox 17 News West Michigan (2015). To College, Through College” summit held in Downtown Grand Rapids. February 2015 retrieved April 5, 2016 from http://fox17online.com/2015/02/25/to-college-through-college-summit-held-in- downtown-grand-rapids/

National Center for Education Statistics. (2015). The Condition of Education 2015 (NCES 2015- 144), Institutional Retention and Graduation Rates for Undergraduate Students. U.S. Department of Education.

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Appendix A

TO COLLEGE, THROUGH COLLEGE CENTER COORDINATOR Job Description

TCTC Initiative and Center Overview: The “To College, Through College (TCTC)” Initiative’s vision is to increase post-secondary suc- cess for all persons, particularly first generation college students and persons of color, and thereby increase the educational attainment and talent pool for the city and region. TCTC’s mis- sion is to increase post-secondary credentials, Associates and Bachelor’s degrees through a col- lective and aligned community response. The TCTC partnership has created a TCTC Center at the downtown library with satellite sites at neighborhood libraries and community-based organi- zations (CBOs). The library will offer space and learning resources.

Our Community’s Children, a public/private partnership of the City of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Public Schools and community partners, facilitates the TCTC Initiative. By direction from the TCTC Leadership Council, OCC is seeking a TCTC Center Coordinator who would ensure daily staffing with TCTC partners to provide free expertise and individualized guidance on scholarships, college matching, financial aid, goal-setting as well as make referrals to mental health, child care, transportation, housing and more.

Primary Responsibilities  Guide students through the complex maze of college support including financial applications, scholarships, study habits, budgeting, and goal planning ;  Manage day-to-day operations, promote communications, schedule TCTC partners coverage, and provide supervision over assigned interns and volunteers;  Collect and analyze critical data on current and prospective participants to ensure the Center is meeting the needs of its participants;  Train volunteers, CBO partner satellite staff, and library staff on operations of the Center;  Leverage resources and fundraise for sustainability ;  Work with library professionals and CBO partner satellite staff to assist in helping students locate information;  Work with designated CBOs and neighborhood libraries satellite locations to align service de- livery models ;  Coordinate TCTC Center workshops and events with TCTC Partners, local school district, community-based organizations and institutions of higher education;  Develop and facilitate a mentorship/success coaching program for GRPS Alumni to build near peer encouragement and accountability to Center participants;  Provide referrals to the Center’s participants about services and programs beyond the scope of the Center; Page 19

 Establish and maintain working relationships with representatives from higher education, K- 12 counsellors, local businesses, CBOs and funders.

Qualifications  Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in the Social Sciences, Education, Public Administration or a related field of study.  Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in Social Services, Education, Public Administration, or a related field.  Five (5) year experience providing services related to pre-college preparation or college ac- cess to high school and college students.  Strong verbal and written communications skills  Experience in using data collection methods and software  Experience in grant writing and reporting  Computer literate in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Social Media Platforms  Demonstrated creativity in workspaces and within projects  A strong understanding of how systems operate and align  Experience in working with diverse groups of youth and adults  Equivalent combination of education and experience

Salary $43,896 2-year grant funded position with benefits package.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

 Ability to lift 30 lbs.  Ability to sit or stand for long periods of time

To Apply – Deadline January 30, 2016 Qualified candidates should mail or email a letter of interest, a resume, and at least three refer- ences to:

Lynn Heemstra, OCC Executive Director 300 Monroe Ave., NW; Suite 921 Grand Rapids, MI 49503 [email protected]

All candidates must also fill out an employment application through City of Grand Rapids at http://agency.governmentjobs.com/grandrapids/default.cfm. A background check will be con- ducted and if hired, the applicant will be required to pass a drug test, physical and TB Test.