PeerForward
Project Title
For core support of PeerForward New York
Date
Sep. 12, 2024
Duration
36 months
Description
Although securing a postsecondary credential has become increasingly vital to an individual’s ability to secure employment and achieve economic mobility, resources to support college access and success remain insufficient. To address this gap, the Corporation supports a cohort of college access organizations working to meet the varied needs of New York Citystudents. PeerForward trains students to serve as Peer Leaders, who lead school-wide campaigns focused on key college access milestones, such as completing college and financial aid applications, to encourage postsecondary enrollment. Prior Corporation support enabled PeerForward’s NYCregion to partner with fifteen high schools that enroll 5,500 students annually, including 1,300 seniors who receive direct support from PeerForward and the trained Peer Leaders. This has resulted in improved outcomes for the Peer Leaders and their classmates: an independent evaluation found that NYC partner schools achieve 28 percent higher FAFSA completion rates and nationally partner schools show at least 60 percent higher four-year college enrollment rates compared to similar schools. Renewal support will enable PeerForward to equip Peer Leaders to support 1,300 high school seniors annually as they navigate their postsecondary transitions.
Website
Project Title
For core support of PeerForward New York
Date
Sep. 15, 2022
Duration
24 months
Description
During this period of protracted churn and uncertainty, a postsecondary credential has become increasingly vital to an individual’s ability to secure employment and achieve economic mobility, yet resources to support students’ college access and success remain insufficient and inequitable. PeerForward leverages positive peer influence in high schools to increase college enrollment by empowering students to serve as Peer Leaders and run campaigns on critical steps toward college. Prior Corporation support as part of our College Advising Partnership enabled PeerForward New York to annually reach 6,500 students, the majority of whom are low-income, across seventeen high schools each year and advance key college access goals through student-led campaigns.Continued support will allow PeerForward New York to continue transforming college access and success outcomes by empowering young people to create college-going school cultures.
Website
Project Title
For core support of PeerForward New York
Date
Sep. 02, 2021
Duration
12 months
Description
A postsecondary credential has become increasingly vital to an individual’s ability to secure employment, yet resources to support secondary students’ college access and success are insufficient.PeerForwardleverages positive peer influence in high schools to increase college enrollmentby empowering students to serve as peer leaders and run campaigns on critical steps toward college.PeerForwardparticipates in the Corporation’s College Advising Partnership (CAP), which aims toaddress the persistent gap in degree attainment between high- and low-income students,and will be a key stakeholder audience of the Corporation’s Focus NYC initiative.Prior support enabledPeerForwardNew York to serve6,500students acrossfifteenhigh schools and advance key college access goals through student-led campaigns. Continuedsupport willallowPeerForwardNew York to continue participating in CAP and transforming college accessoutcomesby empowering young people to create college-going school cultures.
Website
Project Title
For core support of PeerForward New York
Date
Sep. 10, 2020
Duration
12 months
Description
A postsecondary credential has become increasingly vital to an individual’s ability to secure employment, yet resources to supportsecondary students’ collegeaccess and success are insufficient.PeerForwardleverages positive peer influence inhighschools to increase college enrollment by empowering students to serve as peer leaders and run campaigns on critical steps toward college. PeerForward participates in the Corporation’sCollege Advising Partnership (CAP), which aims to address the persistent gap in degree attainment between high- and low-income students, despite identical aspirations to complete a postsecondary education. Previous grants have enabledPeerForwardNew Yorkto serve over 8,600 students across eighteen high schools and advance key college access goalsthrough over 200 student-led campaigns, such as increasing Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and college application completion.Corporation support will enablePeerForwardNew York to continue participating in CAP and transforming college access by empowering young people to create college-going school cultures, both in school buildings and in distance learning environments.
Website
Project Title
For core support of PeerForward New York
Date
Mar. 07, 2019
Duration
10 months
Description
By 2020, two-thirds of all jobs in the United States will require some type of postsecondary credential, and labor statistics continue to confirm that those who complete higher education achieve higher lifetime earnings. The gap in degree attainment between high- and low-income students, which has barely narrowed in over four decades, is therefore a more urgent problem than ever before. PeerForward, formerly known as College Summit, has over twenty years of experience leveraging the power of peer influence to boost college-going outcomes among low-income students. Specifically, PeerForward empowers student leaders to run three schoolwide campaigns that get their classmates to: apply to at least three postsecondary institutions, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) accurately and on time, and make connections between their academic pursuits and career goals. Corporation support will enable PeerForward to partner with seventeen New York City schools, impacting approximately 10,500 low-income students.
Website
Project Title
For core support of PeerForward New York
Date
Sep. 12, 2019
Duration
12 months
Description
PeerForward leverages positive peer influence in schools to increase college enrollment by empowering students to serve as peer leaders and run campaigns on critical steps toward college. The Corporation is supporting PeerForward through its College Advising Initiative, which aims to address the persistent gap in degree attainment between high- and low-income students, despite identical aspirations to complete a postsecondary education. A postsecondary credential has become increasingly vital to an individual’s ability to secure employment, yet resources to support postsecondary access and success are insufficient and inequitable. During the previous grant, PeerForward peer leaders conducted 208 activities in schools serving 8,600 students and contributed to growth on key college access indicators: 84 percent of seniors submitted three or more college applications and 54 percent of seniors completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). With continued support, PeerForward will participate in the College Advising Initiative to strengthen and scale postsecondary advising in New York City and continue to empower young people to create college-going school cultures.
Website
Project Title
For support of a project to launch the Youth Activation Learning and Action Community
Date
Jun. 13, 2019
Duration
12 months
Description
Despite various improvements to the education system that provide greater access to postsecondary opportunities, the academic achievement gap and college enrollment rate between students from low-income communities and their wealthier peers persist. While there are many reasons for this gap, one critical component is the lack of student agency and effective models that empower students to take ownership of changes to the system itself. PeerForward, formerly College Summit, is a nonprofit organization leveraging the power of students and positive peer influence in order to improve postsecondary access and success. Through its youth activation model which prioritizes student voice, PeerForward has created a scalable method for leveraging the power of peer influence to motivate students to continue education beyond high school. With support from the Corporation, PeerForward will develop a common language and framework for measurement and management of performance across a continuum of youth activation strategies, coordinate its youth activation learning communities, and provide the field with a framework for guiding youth activation teams.
Website
Project Title
For core support of College Summit New York
Date
Dec. 07, 2017
Duration
12 months
Description
Despite increasing high school graduation rates, persistence through college and successful transition to the workforce remain insurmountable obstacles to a majority of students. College Summit (CS) is a leading college access and success organization, with over twenty years of experience leveraging the power of peer influence to boost college-going outcomes among low-income students. Although CS students come from low-income households, they persist in college at the same rate as students from all economic backgrounds. With current Corporation support, CS developed and implemented the PeerForward program to activate youth voice, training teams of high school students as Peer Leaders who drive schoolwide campaigns to boost college enrollment and persistence. Corporation support will enable CS New York to train, deploy, and coach Peer Leader teams in twenty-one New York City high schools, impacting over 11,000 students.
Website
Project Title
For general support
Date
Sep. 08, 2016
Duration
9 months
Description
College completion remains the best chance for students from low-income families to advance into the middle-class, but the path to and through college is insurmountable to many of these students. College Summit has been a leader in the national college access movement since 1993, helping over 250,000 students navigate the postsecondary path by harnessing the power of peer influence. In the PeerForward campaign, College Summit will train and empower rising high school seniors to act as Peer Leaders in their schools, working with a College Summit coach and faculty sponsor to drive in-school campaigns around three metrics associated with increased college access: submitting at least three college applications, completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) early, and creating a plan that links career aspirations to college success. Furthermore, by focusing on college match and financial aid, College Summit’s work will help to remove two of the primary barriers to college success faced by low-income students. General support from the Corporation will enable College Summit to serve over 100,000 students across the country and set the stage for scaling the model by giving proof to the power of peer influence.