Vermont pushes to get more students to college

While students here do well academically compared with other states and the state's high school graduation rate is the second highest in the country, its rate of those who go onto postsecondary education right out of high school is among the lowest.

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Published February 20, 2012 in the Bennington Banner

Vt. pushes to get more students to college

By LISA RATHKE
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONTPELIER — At 15, Terri-Ann Zweeres is getting a glimpse of what it takes to go to college.

While other teens are in study hall, she and about 14 other Bellows Free Academy High School students take a class every three days at Community College of Vermont called introduction to college studies that's intended to prepare them to go on to higher education.

It's one of a number of strategies in Vermont to get more students to pursue higher education or training after high school. While students here do well academically compared with other states and the state's high school graduation rate is the second highest in the country, its rate of those who go onto postsecondary education right out of high school is among the lowest at about 44 percent, state officials said. The rate doesn't take into account students who take a year off after high school but still officials acknowledge it's low.

The students who complete the introduction to college studies course earn vouchers to get more college credit. More than three quarters go on to college.

“Those students begin thinking differently about themselves and see that they can be successful,” said John Fischer, interim deputy commissioner of the Vermont Department of Education.

In Vermont, Essex High School had the highest percentage — 79 — of 2009 graduates enrolled in an institution of higher education within a year of graduation, according to an Education Department report released in January. Hartford High School at 73 percent and South Burlington at 72 percent followed.

At the other end are Richford High School at 27 percent, Whitcomb High in Bethel at 30 percent and Springfield High at 35 percent. The percentages were derived using data from the National Student Clearinghouse, a nonprofit organization that provides student degree and enrollment verification.

For students, the barriers to higher education range from financial to psychological to cultural. For example, some students, particularly in rural parts of Vermont, are the first in their families to go on to college.

“That's a whole different set of circumstances because there's not a sort of a tradition and an expectation within the family necessarily that you'll go onto college,” said Robert Rosane, superintendent of the Franklin Central Supervisory Union, which includes Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans.

The importance of getting a degree has escalated within a couple of generations, as fewer jobs are available to those who have only high school diplomas, he said.

“At this point, you're not going to get a livable wage job,” he said.

In recognition of that shift and the importance of an educated work force to Vermont's economy, a state commission in 2009 recommended a push to increase the percentage of Vermonters who have a college degree from 42 to 60 percent by 2019. Now, about 47 percent of state residents have some college or an associate's degree, census figures showed.

Schools must work to raise students' aspirations starting in middle school or before, by helping them set goals and create long-term plans for their education and by teaching them about careers, the commission said.

A dual enrollment program with 13 colleges where students can earn college credit while in high school has grown in about four years to about 600 students per year on site at college campuses and about 480 at regional career centers. Gov. Peter Shumlin has proposed expanding the program.

Administrators at Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans would like to go so far as to see students be able to earn a year of college credit or an associate's degree by the time they graduate from high school. That would cut the cost of higher education and smooth the transition to college.

“To have the learning opportunities of a college but also the cultural and social supports of a high school is an incredible opportunity for kids,” said Rosane, adding that kids want to attend dances and sports and their other high school activities.

Zweeres says the introductory class that started in January is teaching her about how to manage time and stress and how much homework she might have in college. It will also cover finances and enrolling in college.

“I want to do really good in school so I can possibly get scholarships,” said Zweeres, who wants to be doctor and would be the first in her family to go to college.

“They're really excited and happy for me and to obviously move on and make sure I have a good career and a good life,” she said of her parents.

The school also is working with Champlain College and University of Vermont on possible collaborations. It's also working with area businesses to set up mentoring and apprenticeships that are more beneficial than college in certain fields.

“This is the direction we want to go. We see a much, much larger percentage of our kids in the future taking advantage of opportunities like this,” Rosane said.