Leading the Nation in College & Career Support

In November, Delaware celebrated College Application Month, a nationwide effort to assist high school seniors with the college application process. Guiding students through this process is just one of the many important pieces that go into supporting students as they begin exploring career opportunities.

In his State of the State address, Governor Markell outlined the Delaware Promise, a commitment that by 2025, 65 percent of our work force will earn a college degree or professional certificate, and everyone will have a high school diploma. As part of the Delaware Promise, the Governor announced Pathways to Prosperity, a partnership with Delaware employers, universities, K-12 public schools, and a national network to prepare students with the skills and knowledge they’ll need to be successful in key industries. This includes establishing pathways in highly-demanded labor market sectors such as information technology, health care, advanced manufacturing, and hospitality.

Earlier this month, the Governor held a kickoff event to announce that $1 million would be made available to school districts over the next year to implement pathways. These pathways will be implemented in conjunction with Delaware employers and higher education institutions, in order to give students hands-on training, and opportunities to earn industry-recognized certificates and college credits. Amy Loyd, executive director of the Pathways to Prosperity Network recently noted that Delaware’s focus on cross-sector collaboration has been a key to Delaware’s rapid progress this year and will contribute to the state’s long-term success.

In addition to helping students explore career opportunities, there are a number of programs and initiatives currently underway supporting students as they consider college opportunities and applications, including:

• College information nights: The Delaware Department of Education and Delaware PTA are hosting college information nights for parents of high school students. These meetings are intended to inform parents about the college process and allow them to ask questions to Delaware college admissions representatives, financial aid professionals, and school counselors. Meetings will be held in every county.
• Texting campaign: All high school seniors and their parents can sign up to receive text message reminders from the Department’s Higher Education Office to help support the college application, financial aid, and transition to college process. Those who sign up will receive 2 to 3 message per month from January through August. There are over 4,000 seniors signed up so far.
• FAFSA week: February 20th through 27th has been designated FAFSA week. There are many workshops planned throughout the state to help parents and students prepare to fill out the FAFSA to receive financial support.
• Scholarship Compendium: There are many resources available to help students understand how they can pay for college. The Compendium is a family’s guide to scholarships and awards that can help offset college costs.

As Secretary Duncan mentioned when he visited last week, no state in the country has made as significant of an investment in these areas as Delaware. The hard work of teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, non-profit organizations, and community member in supporting students is critical to their success, and we must continue to improve these areas to help students pursue their interests.