Appalachian Higher Education Network Conference 2014
June 10-12
Doubletree Hotel Asheville, NC
Session Descriptions & Presentation Material (if applicable)
Increased Applications = Increased Enrollment
Multiple efforts are focused on breaking down barriers to college access. Specific strategies such as the American College Application Campaign have been implemented in 39 states seeking to improve the number of first-generation and low-income students, as well as students of color who submit a college application in the fall of their senior year.
Increasing the College Going Rate: Career Coaching as an Effective Model for Delivering Postsecondary Transition Services.
In 2005, the Virginia Community College System began implementing the "Career Coach" Model. Career Coaches are community college employees who serve as career pathway specialists in local high schools. The goal of the Career Coach Model is to increase the number and percentage of high school graduates who enter postsecondary training. Career coaching is a collaborative partnership where the unique needs of students and school are identified in consultation with the high school and college administration. Currently in the Southwest Virginia Community College service region, there are 8 coaches based in 13 high schools. Last year, 2,606 students were served; the program produced measurable outcomes. This model has become nationally recognized as a best-practice.
Supporting First Year College Students While Building the College Going Culture in Elementary Schools
Supporting students in their first year at college and building a college-going culture from elementary through high school are typically addressed by two very different program approaches. Attendees will be introduced to a program that accomplishes both goals – with high impact and sustainability but with very little cost or administrative time. Attendees will learn about the program and receive ideas for building a similar high impact, sustainable program.
The West Alabama Health Development Partnership Project: Meeting the Growing Need for Health Care Workers in At-Risk and Distressed Alabama Counties
The Project Director will share best practices in support of developing a stable and continuous supply of health professionals. Learn about partnerships created in each county among heath care entities, outreach programs and education institutions, as well as experiential programs established to attract local students.
College Completion: Roadblocks & Strategies
Undergraduate retention and graduation rates are receiving increased scrutiny. To improve these rates we must identify key roadblocks. This session will share data from a rural, four-year public college and examine the trajectories of students who graduate versus students who prematurely exit. Intervention strategies will be identified and discussed.
Creating Active and Successful Partnerships with Stakeholders
Nonprofit providers often serve as one stop resource centers for client information and services. Unfortunately, meeting such a wide diversity of needs often strains resources and decreases effectiveness. Participants will learn how to create active partnerships to maximize partner investment, and how to create sustainable relationships between stakeholders that turn Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and "paper" partners into active, collaborative, and productive partnerships. Mockingbird Education will introduce the 6 laws of active partnership and the 6 laws of partnership sustainability; participants will learn how to use the laws to improve partnerships and define and design successful services.
Innovative College Readiness: K12 - Higher Education Collaboration
Get the latest information about what high school course work based on skills and tools for college success looks like and, learn how such course work is implemented. The presenters will walk participants through the creation of the course to completion. They also will provide the text utilized along with some of the activities designed for students. The information is based on a collaborative initiative between a community college, two, four-year universities, and several high schools in Appalachian Ohio.
The Flipped Classroom
The flipped classroom is one where instruction occurs outside of class via video or other modes of delivery, freeing up class time to allow for collaborative and interactive learning along with one-on-one time with the instructor. The focus shifts from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered environment. Target Audience: Teachers and Administrators. An introductory presentation will be followed by prompts for table discussion and reporting out.
Using Data to Inform Academic Needs and Interventions for College Access and Success
This session will focus on managing and analyzing data to make informed decisions regarding postsecondary education attainment in Appalachia. Data forms will include, but will not be limited to, demographics, pre and post assessment results, post-secondary data, course alignment, and pathway options.
Beyond These Hills: How to Build a College Going Culture When You Have Little Time and Less Money
The Georgia Appalachian Committee for Higher Education (GACHE) program at Union County High School utilizes a team approach to help create a postsecondary culture in the high school. The UCHS team is made up of a representative from every department in the school. The team approach is a smart and efficient way to help facilitate change in the school culture. This presentation will focus on how to create and build your own team; identify strategies used to help gain faculty, staff, and administration buy-in; and discuss interventions used to help students begin to see "Beyond These Hills."
College Visits 101
Studies have shown that students who visit a college campus are much more likely to attend college!
This session will show participants from institutions of higher education how to implement a model for providing school groups a developmentally appropriate tour, as well as provide K-10 teachers with realistic expectations about college visits.
Connecting Colleges to High Schools
This session will be a dialogue between participants and a panel of college admissions directors. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about getting into college by asking questions that relate to their "at home" experiences; the admissions directors' responses will help participants in their efforts to increase postsecondary education going. Get answers to difficult questions about how to promote college enrollment high school students: How do you encourage high school students to attend college? When is the best time to start the promotion campaign? What strategies will capture the attention of teenagers?
Facilitating Student Success Prior to Matriculation
How would most K-12 learners today define "learning"? How do they know when they've achieved it? This session will address non-cognitive aspects of enhancing the learning environment and ways to facilitate deep, life-long learning. Specifically designed for high school educators, anyone interested in helping students achieve academic success will find the information compelling and insightful.
Students Emerge as HEROs and Lead College Awareness Initiatives
Creating a positive school climate and college-going culture often is attributed to administrative initiatives, but what about the unsung heroes – the students? As schools work to educate youth, a special group of students - HEROs (Higher Education Readiness Officers) - are building effective partnerships to embed a culture of college-readiness among all
Creating Active and Successful Partnerships with Stakeholders
Nonprofit providers often serve as one stop resource centers for client information and services. Unfortunately, meeting such a wide diversity of needs often strains resources and decreases effectiveness. Participants will learn how to create active partnerships to maximize partner investment, and how to create sustainable relationships between stakeholders that turn Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and "paper" partners into active, collaborative, and productive partnerships. Mockingbird Education will introduce the 6 laws of active partnership and the 6 laws of partnership sustainability; participants will learn how to use the laws to improve partnerships and define and design successful services.
Explore ACT
Ahoy high school teachers and staff! Join us as we map out ways to guide your students from Explore testing, interest inventories and Holland code results, to College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) job trends, interview techniques, and job skills. The process will help your students chart a course to individualized career-planning success. A robust discussion will ensure that you are prepared to move forward and confidently use this tool.
Increasing Postsecondary Education Attainment Using the School/Community Partnership Model
In this session the presenters will reveal how the college-going rate at a local high school was increased from 84% to 100% over a 3-year period. How? By developing and implementing a strategic plan with the economic/community development agency and the business community.
The FAFSA: Assistance with Paying for College
This session will cover the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and discuss the federal programs and assistance available from the Office of Federal Student Aid, a division of the U.S. Department of Education. Topics discussed will include what is needed to fill out the FAFSA, myths about the form, financial aid resources, social media tools and scholarship information. In addition, policy updates as they relate to federal programs will be provided.
Understanding Your Child's Career Opportunities: A Workshop for Parents
The goal of the North Central Workforce Investment Board's (PA) Business and Education Connect Initiative is to better prepare the area's youth for jobs in the 21st century. In doing so, there is a need to be sure both the parents and young people understand the real opportunities available to them in the local labor market and to better match their interests with career opportunities. This session will describe an information session developed for parents and their children.
Dealing with Change—Necessary for Success
The capacity to develop a college-going culture in any school—a place where education beyond high school is the expectation for all students rather than the exception – is contingent upon the extent to which total school buy-in is achieved. Changing the attitudes of students, parents, faculty, administration and the entire school community is a necessity for success. However, change does not always happen easily. The Change Style Indicator (CSI) is a hands-on session designed to give participants a framework for better understanding and appreciating change from an individual or organizational standpoint, and also for identifying what approaches will assist in moving any school/institution/agency beyond the status quo.
Connecting Kids to College -- Engaging Parents
"Bring them food and they will come!!" How many times have we heard this and it still doesn't work? Parent involvement can be a challenge for many schools. Whether large or small, schools compete with many different things that demand parents' attention. As educators, we need to either find a way to bring our parents into the school or take the school to the parents. This session, which will target high school counselors, graduation coaches, and grant coordinators, will look at ways to get parents involved, informed, and excited about college for their child. Untapped resources like athletic events, open houses, 8th grade parent night, and PTA meetings at the elementary school present ways to enhance parental involvement: "If you look for them they are there."
Leadership Practices that Support Increased College Going: Continuing the Conversation
This session will continue the morning's plenary discussion about leadership challenges in rural schools and rural places. The Executive Director of the Rural School and Community Trust will share observations about the "big" issues that challenge rural educators and rural communities. She also will offer suggestions for addressing them.
Plant the Seed - a County-wide Pre-K through 12th Grade Initiative
This session will provide an overview of the Tennessee Alliance for Continuing Higher Education (TnACHE) program in Fentress County, TN - an early adopter of the TnACHE Model Program. Through the leadership of the school director, the scope of the program has grown to include Pre-K - 12th grade and to attract local support. The Model Program will be described in detail as well as the supporting initiatives which helped to leverage resources and efforts. Participants will engage in activities and scenarios which contributed to the success of and leadership in the program: data collection and analysis (Consensogram); leadership perspectives' scenario (Change Style Indicator); and instructional perspectives (Student Work Analysis and Formative Assessment).
The FAFSA: Assistance with Paying for College
This session will cover the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and discuss the federal programs and assistance available from the Office of Federal Student Aid, a division of the U.S. Department of Education. Topics discussed will include what is needed to fill out the FAFSA, myths about the form, financial aid resources, social media tools and scholarship information. In addition, policy updates as they relate to federal programs will be provided.
Texting, Tweeting & Surfing Your Way to a College Going Atmosphere
Participants will experience how the Walker High School College Bound! Program (AL) uses social media, the Internet, iPads and computers to enrich the college-going atmosphere in the school. This session will present effective program components which utilize technology to positively impact the college-going rate of the student body. Secondary school faculty members will benefit most from this session.