The Gates Foundation wants your candid financial aid story to help it propose better public policy. In New York, a new study reveals the habits of successful young black and Latino men who graduate from failing high schools and make it into college, even thriving there. Still, other webinars dream up new ways to reduce student loan defaults and streamline coursework so new arrivals will not be bogged down by remedial classes.
What do you need to participate? Just a phone and internet-connected computer.
The Gates Foundation and Knowledge in Public Interest
Tuesday, February 18, 2014 [all-day online event]
This financial aid workshop, sponsored by The Gates Foundation and Knowledge in Public Interest, brings a unique twist to talking about financial aid. During the week of February 10 to 17, participants sign up and share their trials and victories with college financial aid staffers. Then throughout the day of Tuesday, February 18, webinar organizers will host “a financial aid live jam discussion.” The goal is to comb throughhundreds of real-life stories to figure out which financial aid policies help and which hinder.
Telepresentation: NYC’s Minority Male Achievement Study
Wednesday February 19, 2014 [11am EST]
Presented by University of Pennsylvania’s Dr. Shaun Harper, this webinar will look at the lessons learned from the 40-school study involving 415 successful college-bound Latino and black male high school students who attended failing urban schools while successfully navigating their way to higher education. It explains the factors of their success from fostering productive relationships, resisting social pressures to dropping out or join a street gangs as well as the positive resources they found in families, communities, teachers, school leaders and productive educational policies. To download the report, click here. The event is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s College Access Affinity Group.
Webinar: Reducing Student Loan Default Through Outreach and Education
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 [2pm, EST]
One in 10 borrowers will default on their student loans within two years of starting repayment. Learn how to help other new higher ed students avoid this fate. This web seminar will show participants how to create financial education and communication strategies that reduce default rates and build student success. This webinar is sponsored by Inceptia and University Business.
Using Transitional Coursework in High School to Improve College Success
Tuesday, March 7, 2014 [2pm, EST]
Remedial education at two-year colleges is a hot topic. With high school diplomas no longer guaranteeing college readiness, nationally 60 percent of community college students enroll in at least one remedial class. This is a pressing issue for anyone concerned with timely college completion, persistence in higher education and student loan debt. Join Education Week for this webinar featuring a researcher and a community-college administrator, who will talk about recent state developments in this area, including a program in Tennessee where college faculty and high school teachers created a transitional math course so successful, it is now being rolled out statewide. Underwriting for the webinar is provided by the Lumina Foundation.