Res 0166-2014

By Council Members Rose, Ferreras, Gibson, Levine, Mendez, Reynoso, Williams, Eugene, Deutsch, Torres, Espinal, Cohen, Barron, Menchaca, Chin, Lander, Levin, Van Bramer, Dickens and Kallos Whereas, The connection between a college degree and economic stability has been exhaustively documented, making college access and preparation a racial and economic justice issue; and Whereas, Across the United States there is a growing emphasis on schools preparing students to be college and career ready; and Whereas, Forty-five states, including New York, have adopted the Common Core State Standards, which are designed to reflect the knowledge and skills that young people need for success in college and careers; and Whereas, The New York City Department of Education (DOE) already includes college readiness metrics as part of the Progress Reports used to evaluate schools; and Whereas, Since 2011-12, Progress Reports also include postsecondary enrollment rate data, which is the percentage of students who graduate and have enrolled in a two- or four-year college, vocational program, or public service program such as the military or AmeriCorps; and Whereas, According to DOE data released in November 2013, only 49.7 percent of the class of 2012 enrolled in a two- or four-year college, vocational program, or public service program after graduation; and Whereas, The DOE should do more to help schools improve their college readiness and college enrollment rates; and Whereas, The Urban Youth Collaborative (UYC), New York City's largest youth-led organization, has created a set of proposals to ensure that high schools serving low-income youth of color meet the new DOE standards for college enrollment; and Whereas, UYC's "Get Us To College" platform proposes that the DOE launch a systemwide assessment of what schools are currently doing to support students through the college process and make that assessment public; and Whereas, UYC also recommends that the DOE create an early warning system so that all high school students know how many credits they have, what classes they should be taking to prepare for college, and whether they are on track for graduation and college; and Whereas, Further, UYC proposes that school guidance counselors should have a maximum of 250 students on their caseload and, in addition, that every school should have one well-trained college counselor for every 100 seniors, who starts working with students as early as 9th grade; and Whereas, Student Success Centers (SSCs), which are located in several City high schools, train high school students to help other students navigate every step of the college process, and have significantly improved college acceptances and financial aid packages, played a critical role in creating school-wide "college going cultures" and have effectively served undocumented students; and Whereas, UYC calls on the DOE to maintain support for the existing SSCs and to launch additional ones at low-performing multi-campus high schools; and Whereas, According to the Institute for Student Achievement, Distributive Guidance is a proven model of teachers supporting students through the college process in advisories; and Whereas, UYC also calls on the DOE to ensure that schools using the Distributive Guidance model provide teachers with ongoing training, adequate time to fulfill their college support role, and the necessary resources for the program; and Whereas, The Summer Bridge to College program, as well as similar programs, train college students to return to their high schools to assist new and prospective high school graduates with completing financial aid documents, registering for classes, filling out paperwork, and staying on track to start college in the fall; and Whereas, UYC also proposes that the DOE provide funding and support to high schools to implement similar "bridge to college" programs at all NYC high schools; and Whereas, Students in New York City's public schools would benefit from implementation of UYC's "Get Us To College" proposals to support students through the college application process and prepare them to enroll in college; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York City Department of Education to establish a comprehensive college preparation program, based on the college readiness model proposed by the Urban Youth Collaborative, to improve and expand college access for all students. JA Res 2086-2013 LS 1019-2014 4/2/14 1