College Knowing & Going creating a college-going culture in high schools across the state
Creating a college-going culture in high schools that serve large numbers of underrepresented students is critical to reaching our state’s attainment goal. Thanks to the Helios Education Foundation for the continued investment in the College Knowing and Going (CKG) initiative. CKG is focused on increasing the number of students who complete steps toward postsecondary education. This new 3-year College Knowing & Going College Readiness Team expansion will develop comprehensive, student-centered college readiness programs at 40 high schools across the state.
The CKG College Readiness Teams will work with schools to create a school-wide culture in which all stakeholders – administrators, counselors, teachers, community members, students and families – are working together to ensure low-income, underserved students graduate high school ready to attend college.
Since its inception in 2015, the CKG program has impacted more than 90,000 students in preparing for their postsecondary education.
Nogales High School is creating a College Knowing and Going Culture!
Schools in the earlier pilot program of the CRTs boast an average 10% increase of FAFSA completions and a 4% bump in postsecondary enrollment rates, which is making a big difference in helping the state progress toward its goal of 60% postsecondary attainment among adults aged 25-64.
Implemented by Education Forward Arizona, in partnership with the Helios Education Foundation, the program has seen success with help from other statewide partners, including the Northern Arizona College Resource Center (NACRC) and Earn to Learn.
Congratulations to the first 16 schools who are participating for the 2021-22 school year:
- Ash Fork High School
- Summit High School
- Winslow High School
- Nogales High School
- Patagonia Union High School
- Catalina High School
- Cholla High School
- Cienega High School
- Desert View High School
- Pueblo High School
- Sunnyside High School
- Globe High School
- Miami Jr/Sr High School
- Santa Rita High School
- Cibola High School
- Yuma High School
Our CKG Team is looking forward to working with these schools and others across the state to identify key levers for improvement; facilitating data-driven goal setting and action planning; building capacity of school counselors, staff and administrators; connecting to resources and community partners; and collecting unique research to inform policy decisions.
Through this important initiative, Education Forward Arizona and Helios are working together to close the achievement and attainment gaps among underserved students to improve postsecondary degree completion rates. The ultimate goal is to ensure that every student achieves a postsecondary education, breaking the cycle of poverty and unleashing Arizona’s greatest talent potential, further ensuring the state is positioned to compete and thrive in a knowledge-based, global economy.
