Did You Know? for 2020

It is now easier than ever for students across Missouri to search online for scholarships in their areas, thanks to a new search tool on myscholarshipcentral.org.

With the new functionality, college-bound students use a map to quickly identify scholarship providers serving their area. With just a few clicks students can easily review application criteria and apply directly with the scholarship provider.

The new tool also includes scholarship opportunities available to students residing in the suburban Illinois or Kansas counties adjacent to the St. Louis and Kansas City metro areas.

The free-to-use, non-profit website is a collaboration of over 50 scholarship providers whose scholarships are listed on My Scholarship Central.  The DeBruce Foundation and the Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation funded this new search functionality.

 “With rising tuition costs and other types of financial aid stagnant or declining, scholarships can fill the gap,” said Melissa Findley, executive director, Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation, an organization that supports Missouri students attending Missouri higher education institutions. “With the revamped website students may find multiple scholarships for which they are eligible. It is a win-win for everyone involved for students to have access to scholarships and ultimately higher education.”

Since 2011, private scholarship providers have awarded more than $50 million in scholarships and interest free loans through My Scholarship Central. Over 9,000 students annually use the site to find scholarships, and this number is expected to grow with the new search functionality.

“Putting in place a user-friendly tool that delivers scholarship information in seconds will help facilitate applications,” said Robin Smith, senior director of The DeBruce Foundation, a national organization with a mission of expanding pathways to economic growth and opportunity.

Two-thirds of all jobs today require education and training beyond high school, underscoring the importance of making postsecondary education more accessible and affordable.  Research commissioned by St. Louis Graduates found that adults in the St. Louis area with a bachelor’s degree earn 77 percent more than adults with a high school diploma. Scholarships play a critical role in making postsecondary education affordable for more students.

“College sets people on a pathway to economic success, and providing easy access to scholarship information removes a barrier for many,” Smith said.

ABOUT MY SCHOLARSHIP CENTRAL

My Scholarship Central was developed in 2011 through a collaboration of St. Louis Graduates (then the College Access Pipeline Project), St. Louis Community Foundation, The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, and Wells Fargo Advisors as a community-wide effort to increase students’ access to private scholarships and interest-free loans. My Scholarship Central expanded to include opportunities for students across Missouri in 2016.

The scholarship providers featured on the new search tool are: the Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, the Missouri Scholarship and Loan Foundation, Kansas City Scholars, the St. Louis Community Foundation, The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, and the Truman Heartland Community Foundation. The DeBruce Foundation’s Agile Work Profiler is also featured on the site. The convening and planning process for the expansion was supported by the Mid-America Regional Council.

To learn more about My Scholarship Central and the new Search Tool, visit www.myscholarshipcentral.org or contact [email protected].

A new “4 for the Fall” guide from NCAN outlines four key steps for district and school leaders, school counselors, teachers, and community partners to take to keep seniors on track for a postsecondary pathway.

Billed as “a blueprint for supporting the high school class of 2021,” the new guide focuses on practices that will be familiar to NCAN members but may have room for growth in many districts and schools:

1. Understanding students’ postsecondary intentions and needs through survey data.
2. Obtaining and analyzing postsecondary outcomes data from the National Student Clearinghouse.
3. Increasing access to financial aid by improving Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion rates.
4. Examining current activities around fall milestones, and pivoting to virtual where possible.

Each section of the guide includes questions stakeholders should ask and a curated slate of related resources.

Although there are any number of practices that K-12 systems could strengthen this academic year to assist students, NCAN identified these four because they are tactical, conceptually clear, and backed by strong resources that help practitioners with implementation.

The guide insists that data collection is a key piece of the puzzle. Schools should survey their students, seniors primarily but grades 9-11 as well if possible, to understand what their postsecondary aspirations and intentions are and see what roadblocks students identify to pursuing their goals. Having this survey data in hand can help school staff triage supports to students.

Another piece of the data puzzle comes from using the National Student Clearinghouse’s StudentTracker for High Schools Service. For just $425 per high school annually, K-12 stakeholders can get real data on their students’ postsecondary outcomes. Those data are invaluable because they can help with advising students on which institutions to attend and help students understand how other students like them have fared.

This would hardly be an NCAN publication without some mention of FAFSA completion. NCAN has long placed considerable emphasis on FAFSA completion because of its association with postsecondary enrollment and its role as a signal of a student’s intent to enroll. It also happens to be an area where NCAN has considerable expertise, much of which is housed in the new FAFSA Resource Library.

Finally, the guide is realistic that not all milestones can make the pivot to virtual delivery, but many can. Schools should consider their current practices and see which can make that jump. For the activities that cannot (e.g., ACT/SAT testing), schools should start thinking now about the additional resources they will need and the new protocols that will need to be in place to keep students and staff safe.

“4 for the Fall” is the latest in a series of K-12 focused tools; it comes on the heels of the spring’s, “5 Actions for Districts and Schools to Take Action Right Now.” It joins the College Advising Corps’ Virtual Advising Guide as another critical resource to bookmark.

Additional tools, resources, and success stories will be released throughout the fall to support K-12 systems and their community-based partners. Bringing high-quality resources to K-12 systems and bringing these systems closer to community-based partners is a pillar of NCAN’s current strategic plan.

This post was originally released by the National College Attainment Network here.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development has partnered with CompTIA, one of the world’s largest nonprofit trade associations, to provide in-demand, on-demand information technology training to displaced workers in Missouri.

The Office of Workforce Development, in collaboration with the Local Workforce Development Boards, will utilize CARES Act funding to offer training to 1,000 Missourians looking to skill up and get back to work. Enrollment is now open through Dec. 4, 2020. Those who complete the CompTIA training will receive professional certification in one of three programs: CompTIA A+ (Information Technology), CompTIA Security+ (Cybersecurity) or CompTIA Project+ (Project Management).

In order to help the state of Missouri recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, CompTIA will deliver these three unique, mentored-learning training programs in a flexible and streamlined process, which can be completed in as few as eight weeks.

“We are extremely grateful for this opportunity to partner with CompTIA as we help Missourians receive valuable job training with a quick turnaround time,” said Dr. Mardy Leathers, director of workforce development. “Along with the state’s ongoing Return Strong campaign, CompTIA will help strengthen our workforce and advance careers.”

CompTIA trains students with little-to-no information technology or project management experience and helps them develop the technical and soft skills to launch their career. Offering both entry and advanced level IT and project management trainings, these programs are offered completely online, and at each student’s own pace. CompTIA will provide virtual mentorship and resources to help ensure success and completion of the programs.

“The technology workforce is one of the largest and fastest growing segments of the U.S. labor market, even amidst the continuing uncertainties of COVID-19,” said Mark Plunkett, senior director, global training operations and business development, for CompTIA Custom Training. “By committing resources to this unique training program Missouri has taken a positive step to expand the state’s tech workforce. More importantly, the state is opening the door to new career options for some of its citizens. CompTIA is prepared to lend its full support to this effort.”

Information Technology jobs are some of the most in-demand in Missouri, with computer occupations projected to grow 13 percent from 2018-2028. According to the Cyberstates™ 2020 report, the U.S. technology industry has added an estimated 1.9 million new jobs over the past decade. The tech sector accounts for approximately 10 percent of the total U.S. economy, making it one of the largest industries.

Between 2010 and 2019 the tech workforce in Missouri grew by 22.4 percent and now totals nearly 212,000 technology professionals. The estimated median tech occupation wage in Missouri is $73,441, which is 83 percent higher than the median state wage for all occupations.

Over the 12-month period from September 2019 through August 2020, Missouri employers posted job openings for more than 61,000 technology positions, an 11 percent year-over-year increase, according to data from Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights. More than 30,000 of these job openings were advertised during the first six months of 2020.

To be eligible for free CompTIA training, applicants must be over 18 years old, and have been laid off or furloughed because of COVID-19.

Those interested must qualify for Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding, and may be asked to take two assessments through their local Missouri Job Center to see if they are eligible. For more information on how to apply for free IT training with CompTIA, visit jobs.mo.gov/returnstrong.

About the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development: The department works to empower Missourians with the skills and education needed for success.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced a new grant program aimed at assisting institutions of higher education continue operations through the coronavirus pandemic while providing additional educational opportunities to students.

Called the Institutional Resilience and Expanded Postsecondary Opportunity (IREPO) Grant, this program allows institutions to use the funds in various ways, including resuming campus operations, offering support to students, mitigating the spread of COVID-19, and creating and implementing effective instructional delivery models for students studying online. In addition, the IREPO grant highlights the benefits of high school students taking college courses while still in high school to get a jump start on their degree. The grant program will give priority to institutions planning to expand postsecondary educational opportunities to high school students who live or attend school in an Opportunity Zone or rural community.

“This grant program will help students stay on track toward their educational goals by sustaining their learning opportunities and even creating new ones,” said Secretary Betsy DeVos. “For schools in need, these grants will help them keep their doors open and will pave the way for them to come back stronger than before.”

Funding for this new program comes from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed by President Trump in March of this year. Grants under the IREPO will be made to institutions showing the greatest unmet need due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Proposals will receive additional consideration if they:

1. Provide Dual Enrollment Opportunities to Students Who Live or Attend School in a Rural Community or Opportunity Zone;

2. Are led by, or include as partners, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges, Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and/or developing institutions that are eligible to participate in Title III or Title V programs; and/or

3. Are committed to developing more resilient instructional delivery models, such as distance learning, that make learning possible even when students cannot be physically present on campus for any reason.

IREPO applications will be available within two weeks and will provide a 60-day application window for institutions.

Looking for more information on the CARES Act? MOCAN has created a CARES Act Guide.

The surveys are still being gathered, as parents across the nation are asked, “Will you send your child to school in the fall?,” and adult students are asked, “Will you return to college?” Along with those questions goes the follow up: “Under what conditions?”

It’s a great debate right now, especially as the medical community watches for a second wave of seriously ill patients impacted by COVID-19. It’s not just elementary education in question—and it’s not only about the students. These decisions affect the adults in the classroom, the administrators, and the parents.

A recent report commissioned by MOCAN from WHYSDOM, a data insights company, states: “As the pandemic continues across the nation, colleges are beginning to accept a new reality: campus life with COVID-19. This realization has had a dramatic reach, influencing discussions including course accessibility, campus living, faculty pay, campus life, and community economies.”

We’re hearing of schools that are shutting down, shortening their semesters, and eliminating majors. Colleges, universities and trade schools are all preparing for new challenges in order to move forward with classes. At the same time, students are becoming hesitant as they explore options, based on the school’s pandemic responsiveness and accessibility.

All of this is leading to revised student evaluations of higher education, which now include remote access, affordability, social justice, community responsibility, personal safety, and finding equilibrium in a new type of college experience. And, while much of it is worrisome, it’s not all bad. Here are a few important points to consider:

• The pandemic is giving people more time to explore their interests, along with permission to change their career path, which impacts their need for secondary education or training.
• As more services and careers move online, education needs are changing to address the requirements of remote work.
• People will be piecemealing their education with components from a variety of both traditional and new media sources.

In other words, there are opportunities here to take a new look at education and tailor it to an individual’s needs. We’re no longer in a one-size-fits-all world, and higher education is using this time to address the changes. It’s a healthy dialog, and one that we’re watching with interest as we at MOCAN work to serve Missouri students.

Missouri’s Bright Flight Scholarship is for undergraduates who score in the top 3% of the ACT or SAT. The hope is that the extra money will keep them in state.

Parents aren’t the only ones wondering how to keep their college-bound children near home. The state of Missouri would like to figure it out as well, and since the late 1980s has offered a scholarship called Bright Flight that aims to keep the brightest students in the state.

“If these students stay in Missouri to go to school, the assumption is that they’re going to stay in Missouri to work and live as well,” says Leroy Wade, Deputy Commissioner of the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development.

But this week, Bright Flight was one of the programs affected by Gov. Mike Parson’s $41 million in cuts to higher education. Roughly 7,700 Missouri undergraduates somewhere on the trajectory of completing their degrees will receive $1,800 rather than $3,000 for the 2020-2021 school year.

The scholarship is renewable for up to 10 semesters and is awarded to students who score in the top 3% on the SAT or ACT.

Reece Ellis, a senior studying political science at Truman State University in Kirksville, and one of his roommates are both recipients of Bright Flight. The two aren’t sure how the loss will play out, but they’re worried.

“If I need to go to the dentist, or I have a sudden car repair, it’s just not going to get fixed, and that’s going to really affect the way I’m going to live the rest of the semester,” Ellis says.

He knows he’s in better shape than some, because he has people who will help him financially if his savings won’t cover the difference left by the decreased scholarship amount. However, his roommate, Ryan Pivoney, editor of the student newspaper, will most likely have to find a second job so they can keep paying their bills as well as finish their senior year.

Ellis is the president of the College Democrats of Missouri and does virtual work for a political nonprofit in his native St. Louis. He thinks Missouri has been too quick to cut funding for higher education, with the idea that once people get used to living with less, another cut is made.

“It’s unfortunate and unfair, but I guess it’s the nature of the way we live here,” Ellis says.

According to an annual National Movers Study by United Van Lines, in 2019 51.1% of movement monitored by the study was away from Missouri, and 48.9% of movement was into the state.

Wade says that Bright Flight and other scholarships are the only state programs he’s aware of meant to stop or reverse that movement. But whether or not it’s working is difficult to measure.

This year, he’s not even sure how many students will qualify for Bright Flight, because the pandemic has scrambled ACT and SAT testing schedules.

In a typical year, students qualify for the scholarship through the June ACT and SAT test dates of the year they graduate from high school. His office then receives their scores in August.

This year, however, some scheduled tests in April or June were canceled. Wade’s office extended the scholarship deadline to July, but now testing sites are limiting the number of students who can enter the facilities to test or simply not offering make-up tests.

“These students that were going to take the June test, and maybe even the April test, have been locked out of the process, and so we’re looking at how we can accommodate that. Should we extend the deadline even further beyond July to allow those students an adequate chance to achieve a qualifying score?” Wade asks.

Ultimately, Wade is hopeful that—as was the case after the Great Recession when funding was also cut—Bright Flight will once again go to students in the intended amount of $3,000, but when or if that will happen is unclear.

Neighboring Kansas has not yet made any cuts to state-funded scholarships for higher education.This article was originally published here and is authored by Anne Kniggendorf, KCUR.