3 Western Region Institutions Win CollegeKeys Innovation Award

The Punahou School in Hawaii, North Central High School in Washington, and California State University, Chico have been honored as regional winners of the first CollegeKeys Compact™ Innovation Awards.

The winners have initiated innovative, effective best practices that help low-income students get ready, get into and get through college. Each winner receives a $5,000 award to be used to expand or sustain its program.

College Board President Gaston Caperton said, “The College Board’s CollegeKeys Compact Innovation Award winners are to be congratulated for the difference they have made in the lives of students. Their innovative programs will serve as models so that others, by adopting these successful strategies, will be able to help more students successfully pursue a college education.”

Three exceptional initiatives — one each in the categories of Getting Ready, Getting In and Getting Through — received special recognition at the Western Regional Forum Feb. 27–28 in San Diego.

The Punahou School was honored in the Getting Ready category for the Partnerships in Unlimited Educational Opportunities (PUEO) program. In PUEO, the school works with the state department of education to motivate students to develop the skills and confidence that will enable them to excel in school, attain their college aspirations and contribute to Hawaii’s future. In middle school, PUEO students attend Punahou summer school classes in the morning, supplemented in the afternoon by tutoring in English and mathematics. In high school, students continue with credit-bearing, standards-based courses in modern Hawaiian history and participation in democracy. The program culminates in the junior and senior years with SAT^® preparation and college counseling, utilizing experienced independent school college placement advisers.

North Central High School was the award winner in the Getting In category. The primary goal is for all students to graduate with a college-ready transcript. In order to improve the college attendance and success rates, North Central embarked on a college-for-all initiative to create an environment where all students would take the most rigorous curriculum possible during high school. Teachers use AP Potential™ data to direct students toward rigorous course selections, and the default expectation is that students will sign up for a college-ready set of courses.

California State University, Chico’s Student Success Center (CSSC) won the award for Getting Through. The center is a collaborative student development program with a decade of successful diversity recruitment and retention experiences. It serves low-income CSU, Chico students in an effort to create and support a successful college experience for them. The CSSC has partnerships with more than 35 high schools throughout California that serve low-income students. The CSSC supports these students as they transition from high school to higher education and from higher education to professional careers.

The Innovation Awards celebrate some of America’s most powerful efforts to improve the academic success of students from low-income backgrounds. Many of the best practices can be replicated, adapted and expanded in other education settings to promote policies and practices that have a far-reaching impact for low-income students who need help to get ready for, get into and get through college.

The following Western Regional Forum institutions are also commended by the College Board for effective initiatives within the region, and recognized for their continued efforts for low-income students:

• Bellevue School District, Washington
• California State University Bakersfield
• California State University, Office of the Chancellor
• Heritage High School, Washington
• North Central High School, Washington
• Riverside Community College District, California

The CollegeKeys Compact was launched in October 2007 following a two-year review of independent research, policy and practices in academic preparation and planning, admission, financial aid and retention. A report issued by the College Board found that nearly one-half of all low- and moderate-income high school graduates who are qualified to go to college do not enroll in a four-year college program because of a combination of poor preparation, low expectations and financial barriers. The goal of Compact participants is to see that students from low-income backgrounds are represented in, and graduate from, colleges and universities at the same rate as their more affluent peers.

For more information about joining the CollegeKeys Compact, or to learn more about the CollegeKeys Compact Innovation Awards, please visit www.collegeboard.com/collegekeys.