Achieve Atlanta will further its college success work at Atlanta Public Schools with support from a $532,000 Network for School Improvement grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. With the grant, Achieve Atlanta will work with the APS data team to build a technical platform that will allow students to identify good “match and fit” colleges while they are in high school. A student makes a good “match” when he or she enrolls in an institution whose average attendee is at or above that student’s high school academic profile. Finding a good “fit” includes assessing factors like affordability, school culture, location, and the availability of programs aligned to a student’s interests. The grant will also support school counselors and other school staff to use the tool and other data to provide more specialized college advising for high school students. In addition, the Gates Foundation has awarded APS a $90,000 grant to provide professional development and training to school counselors on the importance of “match and fit” to students’ college success.

The investment is important because research shows that students who enroll in a good “match and fit” college are more likely to persist and earn a degree. The grants will help also further the Achieve Atlanta and APS partnership to help more APS students earn a post-secondary degree or credential. Since the start of the partnership in 2015, the percentage of APS students enrolling in a post-secondary program after high school graduation has increased by nearly 10 percentage points.  Further, more students are receiving need-based aid to pay for college. FAFSA completion rates have increased over 10 percentage points, which means more students are accessing federal aid, like Pell grants and through Achieve Atlanta’s need-based scholarship, 1500+ APS graduates are getting the Achieve Atlanta scholarships to help pay for college.

The $532,000 Network for School Improvement Grant for Achieve Atlanta  

Guided by the belief that all lives have equal value, and that all students—especially Black, Latino, and low-income students—must have equal access to a great public education that prepares them for adulthood, the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation launched a grant application process last fall to fund intermediary organizations across the country. Applicants were asked to show that they effectively work with a network of schools to significantly increase the number of Black, Latino, and low-income students who earn a high school diploma, enroll in a postsecondary institution, and stay on track to earn a credential with labor-market value.

Achieve Atlanta was one of 19 organizations in 12 states to receive grants from the foundation. More than 500 organizations from across the country applied to the Request for Proposal (RFP). Korynn Schooley, VP of College Access at Achieve Atlanta stated, “We are thrilled to receive this grant to be able to continue our work with APS. We have seen more APS graduates enrolling in college over the past couple of years and this grant will help push to the next critical factor – ensuring students are enrolling in colleges where they will persist and earn a credential.”

The $90,000 To and Through Grant for Atlanta Public Schools

In Spring 2018, through a separate RFP process, the Gates foundation issued a “To and Through Advising Challenge” to support up to 20 school systems to enact the conditions and develop capabilities needed to adopt a “to and through” approach to advising for high school students. APS applied to maximize and promote the college success work already happening in the district and was chosen among hundreds of applicants. With the grant, APS will continue to build district and school staff capacity and continue to shift the focus from college access to college completion. APS will also strengthen a college success culture with students and parents. Funds will support training for all school counselors and college advisors and counselor participation in a national community of practice where they can learn and share best practices. Finally, funds will allow the district to create flyers, videos, and other materials to educate the APS community on the importance of “match and fit.”

“Creating a college-going culture and match and fit are critical components of our district’s college readiness strategy,” said Dr. Meria J. Carstarphen, superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools. “The deep investments provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Achieve Atlanta will be key in helping us create effective, data-driven strategies and interventions so APS students will successfully enroll in post-secondary institutions and have the appropriate support to persist and graduate.”

Background on the Achieve Atlanta-APS Partnership

Since 2015, Achieve Atlanta, APS and two nonprofits, College Advising Corps (CAC) and OneGoal, have partnered to address the low college completion rate among APS graduates—The partnership began by aligning on a common vision for college success for all APS students—whether a certification in a trade, an associate’s degree, or bachelor’s degree. Annually, the partners jointly set targets, not only for college enrollment, but for specific college-going milestones such as FAFSA completion, and applications to multiple colleges.  The working premise is that progress on these leading indicators will translate to an increase in seamless college enrollment. At the time the partnership launched, the college enrollment rate was 51%. Two years later, 60% of graduates are enrolling in college.

A cornerstone of the partnership has been the use of data to drive actions.  Using an interactive data dashboard created by APS’s Data and Information Group, partners can track progress on college access targets. The data can be viewed at the district, school, and individual student level, allowing stakeholders to track progress and determine how to prioritize resources. The dashboards have been critical to helping College Access Teams at each high school implement continuous improvement cycles where they review data, determine root causes for obstacles, and pilot solutions.

 “We recognize that to solve the complex problem of low college enrollment and completion, we must rally around a common vision and hold each other collectively accountable for student outcomes,” says Tina Fernandez, Achieve Atlanta Executive Director.  “Ultimately, this is about eliminating income inequality in our city, strengthening our economy, and enabling the upward social mobility of the students we serve.”