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Rural America’s Pathways to College and Career: Steps for Student Success and School Improvement

Preface Overview of Chapters Acknowledgments Rural America Today Rural Schools: A Hidden Crisis The Canary in the Coal Mine Idle Men in Their Prime Clean Air, No Traffic—and No Future?Rural Poverty and the Loss of Skilled Workers The Case of Ticonderoga, New York The 10/10 Phenomenon What the Most Important Numbers Say Isolation Rural America’s Distrustful Relationship with Higher Education The Shrinking Teacher Pipeline Analyzing America’s College Readiness Trends Nascent Strategies for College Readiness College Readiness: Theory Becomes Practice The Project’s Second Iteration College Readiness Strategies Learned from Two Research Projects Reflection and Learning Change, Whether Urban or Rural, Requires Leadership CFES Comes to Schools in Central New York Change is Possible: A Look at Urban Schools The 100 Percent Campaign: Urban Scholars Raise the Bar Across the Lake: A Beacon The Case for College Closing the Divide: Cause for Optimism We Need to Pay Attention to Rural Students, Rural Schools, and Rural Communities Conclusion References Building Successful Rural Schools: Beating the Odds A Little School That Could A Troubled Past The First Step to Transformation: Coming Together A Second Ingredient to Success: An Unlikely but Symbiotic Partner A Critical Step: Rethinking Instruction Pedagogical Transformations Strategy Values Rigor A Kid-Centered Culture Exposure to the Bigger World CFES Brilliant Pathway Activities at Crown Point Gaining and Maintaining Excellence Building a School of Distinction: It Can Happen Anywhere Leading by Example: Portraits of the Crown Point Community Mitch St. Pierre: A Bovine Podiatrist by Day, School Board Head by Night Superintendent Shari Brannock We Are Family: Three Generations of Crown Point Leaders Emily: The Odds-Beating Ivy Leaguer Erick: A First-Generation Student with a 24–7 Work Ethic Conclusion References The Essential Skills: Building Blocks of College and Career Readiness Not Soft, Essential Essential Skills: A Trademark for Our Vision Our Corporate Partners Agree The Essential Skills Beyond College and Career Why Only Six Essential Skills?Essential Skill #1: Goal Setting Goal-Setting Activity: Future Reunion Introduction Materials Instructions Discussion Reflecting and Connecting Goal-Setting Personified: Angel Essential Skill #2: Teamwork Teamwork Activity: Blind Drawing Introduction Materials Instructions Rules Discussion Reflecting and Connecting Teamwork Personified: Greg Muccio Essential Skill #3: Leadership Leadership Activity: A-MAZE-ing Leadership Introduction Materials Instructions Rules Variations Discussion Reflecting and Connecting Leadership Personified: Brian Flores Essential Skill #4: Agility Agility Activity: But Then …Introduction Materials Instructions Discussion Reflecting and Connecting Agility Personified: Brett McClelland and Mallory Carpenter Essential Skill #5: Perseverance Perseverance Activity: Mission: It’s Possible What is an Essential Skills Mission?Your Perseverance Mission is to:Remember these Perseverance Tips:Need Some Help Picking a Skill?Perseverance Personified: Kristin Thorpe Essential Skill #6: Networking Networking Activity: Social Media Scavenger Hunt Introduction Instructions Reflecting and Connecting Networking Personified: Don Outing How the Rubric Works Bringing the Essential Skills into a Florida Classroom Bringing the Essential Skills Together: The Power of Peers Leadership Lunches: Peru’s Peer Empowerment Program Peer Empowerment Mentoring Program Building a Peer Mentoring Program Step 1: Build Your Leadership Team Step 2: Define Goals for Your Mentoring Program Step 3: Secure Approval and Support from School Administrators Step 4: Develop Your Mentoring Calendar Step 5: Select Your Target Mentee Group Step 6: Design Your Mentor Application Step 7: Train Mentors Step 8: Plan Activities Step 9: Plan a Kickoff Step 10: Mentor–Mentee Sessions Tips for Adult Leaders: Take the Back Seat • Rule #1: Listen • Rule #2: Be There, Be Approachable, and Be Supportive • Rule #3: Think of Us as a Team • Rule #4: Have Patience, Believe in Student Leadership Conclusion References College- and Career-Readiness Advisors: Navigators to a New World The Power of College- and Career-Readiness Advising The Rural Trap Jon: Too Late, Too Overwhelming Sinead: No One to Help Obstacles to Advancement in Rural America CFES’ Strategy: College- and Career-Readiness Advisors An Unlikely College- and Career-Readiness Advisor Study Confirms the Value of College- and Career-Readiness Advisors Advising the Advisors: Training CCR Advisors The Impact of College- and Career-Readiness Advisors on Schools: Principals’ Perspectives College- and Career-Readiness Advising Success Stories Drew Malone: From Rural Kid to TV Producer Natan Arrazate: A Journey of Resilience and Growth Workshop for College- and Career-Readiness Advisor Training: A Sample Schedule for Virtual Training Session 1: Opening (Live)Session 2: The Value of Mentoring Session 3: Essential Skills™Session 4: College Readiness and Paying for College Session 5: Career Readiness Session 6: Topics of Today Session 7: Closing (Live)Conclusion References Business Collaboration and Job Readiness: How to Find, Launch, and Retain Partnerships Building a Community of Supporters: Examples of Rural School–Business Partnerships Where Are the Partners?Finding Business—and Other—Partners Showing Rural Students the World: How Partners Can Help College Consortia: Envisioning College Life Bringing Urban Initiatives to Rural Communities An Urban Partnership Sparks a Rural Mentoring Program The Impact of the Rural Mentoring Program College MAP Modules: An Example of a Program that Works Junior Year September: Orientation October: Success Starts with Each Student November: College Knowledge December: Major Match January: College Match February: Financial Awareness March: Making It Real April: University Campus Visit May: Senior Summer Game Plan June, July, August: Preparing for Senior Year Senior Year September: Back in the Game October: Small Liberal Arts/Community College Campus Visit November: Application Workshop December: Checkpoint January: Financial Aid Workshop February: Leadership Career Panel March: College Knowledge—The Real Deal April: The Final Decision May: Culmination Opening Up the World of Work: Another Benefit of School–Business Partnerships Aviation Day with Southwest Airlines DentaQuest: Promoting Dental Health and Dental Careers Career Fairs: Bringing Businesses and Students Together School-Embedded Career Activities Partners Everywhere: The Power of Online Partnerships How to Grow Partnerships: Starting, Maintaining, Sustaining, Retaining and Strengthening Starting Maintaining and Sustaining Retaining and Strengthening Conclusion References Building Readiness for College College Readiness Starts Early The Mental Journey Toward College Readiness The CFES Scholar Map The CFES College-Readiness Rubric The College-Readiness Rubric in Action Julie’s Journey: Kentucky to Harvard How to Help Students Become College Ready: A Practical To-Do List Tips for Grades 6–8 Tips for Grade 9 Tips for Grade 10 Tips for Grade 11 Tips for Grade 12 College Partnerships: A Critical Support for Rural Students Six Ways Colleges Can Partner with Students What Colleges Can Teach Students About College Readiness Mentoring Partnerships College Visits and Meetings Summer Partnerships Academic Partnerships Comprehensive Partnerships The Day College Teachers Became Believers Partnerships Between College and High School Faculty: Teaching and Learning Building a College Partnership An Impactful Partnership for All (from Dalton, 1990)How to Kill a Partnership Conclusion References Leveraging Technology: Expanding Rural Opportunities The Digital Divide: How Broad Is It?Can Online Learning Solve Problems Faced by Rural Schools?Rural Schools That Are Leading the Digital Teaching and Learning Revolution The Rural School that Could: How Beekmantown Conquered the Education Crisis Created by COVID-19 Choosing the Right Online Platform for Students, Teachers, and Parents Transforming the Rural Northeast Kingdom into a Virtual One Everyone Can Get Online. So Why Aren’t They Logging On?The Importance of Establishing a Pre-Existing Online Relationship Lessons from Higher Education The Pedagogy of Online Learning Why Some Students Thrive Online While Others Fail—and How Teachers Can Help A Return to Rural: Students Coming Back Home to Live and Work A Former Google Exec to Rural College Graduates: Come on Home Rural Brain Gain: A Young Entrepreneur Moves Home to Launch a Tech Startup Conclusion References Staying in College: Solving Rural America’s Dropout Crisis The Challenge of Family Buy-In Cultural Clash Falling into the Dropout Abyss College Retention Starts in High School Senior Survivors: Preparing for College Success What Students Need to Know Before Getting to Campus Getting the Most out of Class (Lambert, 2011)Note-Taking Basics Organization Active Listening Stay Engaged Ask Questions Team Up Smart Study Skills: Work Smarter, Not Harder Read Strategically Time Management and Work–Life Balance: Another Set of Critical Skills (Lambert, 2011)Priority Setting and Time Management Coping with Stress Dropping Out: Where to Plug the Leak?Lehigh University: Extra Help for First-Generation Students Berea College: Supporting Appalachian Youth University of Georgia: Helping Rural Students Transition to College Life Conclusion References Building STEM Interest, Awareness, and Readiness: The Future is Now Beating the Odds Little Obstacles Multiply: Why STEM is a Hard Choice for Rural Students Fewer Rural Medical Students = Fewer Rural Doctors Why STEM Matters for Rural Communities Cultivating STEM-Ready Students: What Works General Principles for Building STEM Awareness CFES STEM Resources Bringing Science to Students Launching Rural Careers in Engineering Building Health Care Interest and Awareness “Batman” Builds Interest in STEM Annual STEM Week for Rural Students Success Stories: Ten Rural Students Who Became STEM Professionals Billy, Engineer Chris, Engineer Clare, Nurse Dana, Mechanical Engineer Matt, Geologist Pete, Fish Biologist Phil, Math Teacher Sophie, Test Operations Engineer Tara, Emergency Responder Yuki, Environmentalist STEM Activities to Educate and Inspire Conclusion References Paying for College: There’s Help Out There Four Students, Four Journeys, Four Lessons Cost: Moving in the Wrong Direction Educating Students on Paying for College The Clark Scholarship: A Gift to Central New York A Rural Community Invests in Its College Students College Savings and Investment Strategies for Students and Families: Advice from Someone Who’s Been There Financial Aid Myths and Reality: What Students (and Their Supporters) Need to Know Crunching the Numbers: Deciphering Financial Aid Awards A Glossary of Financial Aid Terms Components of the Financial Aid Package How to Read a Financial Aid Package Deciphering and Comparing Financial Aid Offers Financial Aid Comparison Calculator Manny’s Journey: From First-Generation Student to Financial Aid Expert A Long Road to College and Learning How to Pay for It: As Told by Manny Tejeda Conclusion References Reference

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Staying in College: Solving Rural America’s Dropout Crisis
Putnam County, West Virginia, has overcome the obstacles that many rural places face in sending students to college; the local high school consistently sends almost two-thirds of its students to college, compared to about half statewide. But Putnam County has found that for many students, the struggle...
(Rural America’s Pathways to College and Career: Steps for Student Success and School Improvement)
Reasons for Gender Discrepancies in College and Career Pathways
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Rural America Today
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(Rural America’s Pathways to College and Career: Steps for Student Success and School Improvement)
Rural America’s Distrustful Relationship with Higher Education
Despite the correlation between education and jobs, rural America is distrustful of postsecondary education. Rural residents see college costs as unchecked and college degrees as pushing young people out of their hometowns. This has conspired to make rural residents wary of higher education, which helps...
(Rural America’s Pathways to College and Career: Steps for Student Success and School Improvement)
The Essential Skills: Building Blocks of College and Career Readiness
Over its 30-year history, CFES (College for Every Student)' most successful Scholars—those who graduated from college on time and secured wellpaying jobs that moved them and their families out of poverty—were not those with the highest test scores or the best grades, but those who possessed the CFES...
(Rural America’s Pathways to College and Career: Steps for Student Success and School Improvement)
The Essential Skills Beyond College and Career
The Essential Skills aren't just useful for jobs and education. You need to use them in every area of your life, throughout your whole life. Box 3.1 The Six Essential Skills Organizations—corporations like Southwest Airlines and TransPerfect Technologies, as well as educational institutions including...
(Rural America’s Pathways to College and Career: Steps for Student Success and School Improvement)
Obstacles to Advancement in Rural America
Jon and Sinead's stories exemplify the obstacles promising rural students face when pursuing higher education. In both their stories, we see a number of common issues at play: • A lack of social capital: Rural communities such as Jon and Sinead's in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom often lack the...
(Rural America’s Pathways to College and Career: Steps for Student Success and School Improvement)
Latin America in Mandela’s foreign policy: initial steps
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Teaching Core Content for College and Career Readiness
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