Here a high school grad, there a high school grad, everywhere a high school grad!
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Jun 12, 2009 Posted by Ned Johnson
A recent study finds that the Montgomery County, MD school district has tied for having the highest graduation rate in the country. A remarkable 80.7% of its students receive their high school degree. This is surely a testament to the caliber of the county's schools, dedicated faculty, involved parents and, of course, diligent students.
For many local students and their families, however, performing well academically is not the biggest hurdle they must surmount while in high school. A Washington Post Magazine article from April looked at the disadvantages lower income students face in the college admissions process by principally focusing on how students from different backgrounds are given more or less access to SAT test preparation. Better scores do get students better choices; hence the time, money and effort spent in pursuit of higher SAT and ACT scores. Unfortunately, unequal access to test preparation services is only one of the many challenges that low income, first generation college-bound high school students must confront during the college admissions process. Instead, the most significant obstacle facing these students, who are otherwise prepared for college, is a lack of solid guidance on how to best tackle college applications, essays, and the daunting amount of paperwork required when completing financial aid forms.
A piece on yesterday’s Fox Channel 5 evening news, however, highlights a college access program, CollegeTracks, which helps lower income students successfully face these barriers to college. For the past six years, PrepMatters has worked with CollegeTracks to offer free test preparation to students who otherwise could not afford it. Even more importantly, CollegeTracks’ advisors have provided students with the type of one-on-one support and guidance throughout the entire college process that truly makes a difference. In doing so, CollegeTracks has allowed an ever-growing percentage of the county’s high school graduates to realize their dreams of attending college. And that, more than concern about a few more SAT points, is a story worth celebrating.
PrepMatters is a corporate contributor to CollegeTracks, providing free materials and instruction along with financial support. Ned Johnson, President of PrepMatters, sits on the Board of Directors of CollegeTracks.