Approve The College Board Partnership Entitled CollegeKeys Compact

We request approval of The College Board partnership entitled CollegeKeys Compact. The College Board is requesting that its 5,200 institutional members, both high schools and colleges, join in a partnership. By signing the compact, our district would agree to continue its current activities, expand existing efforts, and plan additional initiatives to ensure that students from low-income backgrounds have the full array of college opportunities. The entire document can be viewed in the School Board office or from the College Board Press Release and click on “Final Report.”

The goal of the CollegeKeys Compact is to assist students from low-income backgrounds become prepared for, enrolled in, and graduate from college at approximately the same rate as their more affluent peers. Following two years of study and research regarding the barriers that face students when accessing higher education, the College Board has initiated a nationwide call to action for educators to begin a collective effort to expand educational opportunities for students from low-income backgrounds. Recent estimates indicate that nearly one-half of all college-qualified low-income graduates do not enroll in a four-year college program because of financial barriers. While the financial barriers are clear, other obstacles for low-income students are less evident. These barriers include poor preparation, low-expectations, absence of support, and lack of reliable information about college possibilities.

By signing the compact, our district agrees to “Expand the rigor of high school courses and establish a college-preparatory curriculum as the default program for all, mount college awareness programs and increase communication to parents, provide professional development for teachers, counselors, and administrators around admissions and financial aid practices, enter into partnerships with higher education institutions to support recruiting fairs, campus visits, and fee waivers, and monitor progress and share data.”

Goal 5b – Increase the number of under-represented students in advanced level courses and programs and provide ongoing support to ensure student success.

Although signing the CollegeKeys Compact does not require the district to allocate any new funds towards this initiative, the district's signature indicates we will continue current activities and plan expansion of additional initiatives to assist students from low-income backgrounds (approximately $300,000) through the utilization of funds from grants already awarded to the district (EXCELerator, Magnet School, and Smaller Learning Communities). Existing partnerships with Engaging Latino Communities for Education (ENLACE), the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Sallie Mae, Florida Association of Financial Aid Officers, Hillsborough Community College, the University of Tampa, Stetson University, and the University of South Florida will provide funding and resources.

Annual updates will be reported to the School Board and then released to the College Board.