CFES School-College Partnerships Succeed in Rural Areas

A University of Michigan report found positive outcomes for rural students engaged in the
school-college partnerships created by College For Every Student (CFES), a non-profit
organization that prepares underrepresented students for academic success in college.

Cornwall, VT, November 16, 2010 --(PR.com)-- A report prepared by the University of Michigan found
positive outcomes for rural students engaged in the school-college partnerships created by College For
Every Student (CFES), a non-profit organization that prepares underrepresented students for academic
success in college.

CFES partners K-12 schools with colleges to implement three primary core practices:

· Pathways to College-- college visits, and partnerships with colleges and college students.
· Peer Mentoring—mentee/mentor relationships.
· Leadership Through Service—leadership development workshops and community service.

CFES core practices “provide a compelling model for building college knowledge in schools serving
underrepresented students,” said Professor Edward P. St. John, a professor of higher education at the
University of Michigan who authored the report.

Professor St. John and his doctoral students visited five rural schools in New York and Florida in May
2010 where they interviewed middle and high school students, educators and community leaders. The
University of Michigan team found that student engagement in CFES:

· Eased student and parent concerns about college costs, a factor that prevents students from considering
college.

· Encouraged students to apply for financial aid.

· Provided social support networks for students that encouraged preparation for college.

· Built navigational skills through mentoring and leadership programs that helped students make informed
choices about college.

· Provided opportunities to build trustworthy information about college to counter information from
families and communities that might not encourage college as an option.

· Enabled students to develop college knowledge through reflective conversations about college visits and
other programs.

· Provided a foundation for educational uplift for students and families within their rural communities.

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Students in rural areas face unique barriers to college-going, including mistrust of education, familial
responsibilities, and parental fear of kids leaving the community or family businesses, according to the
report.

The researchers found that CFES gave rural students “a new reality” by helping them “imagine
themselves in college because they could understand the options available.”

“Its lack of opportunity, not ability, that keeps underserved kids from college,” said Rick Dalton, CEO of
CFES. “By creating a cultural of college for these students, we help them envision possibilities for
themselves, for college and beyond.”

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Contact Information:
College For Every Student
Wendy Knight
347-924-2812
wendy@knightanddaycommunications.com
www.collegefes.org

Online Version of Press Release:

You can read the online version of this press release at: http://www.pr.com/press-release/277654

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