Additional Resources: GMS Interactive Timeline and Profiles http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ Education/Scholarships/

Experts estimate over the course of this decade more than 2 million U.S. students will be qualified to go to college but unable to afford it.¹ Without improved college access, including greater scholarship opportunities, it is an economic inequity certain to reach into the next generation.

The foundation’s Gates Millennium Scholarship (GMS) offers students who might not otherwise afford to go to college the financial support they need. This last dollar scholarship is awarded annually to 1,000 talented, high-achieving low-income students of color, covering their costs for an undergraduate education as well as graduate studies in select fields.

With so much energy dedicated to raising high school graduation and college-readiness rates, it is increasingly important that students are aware of the opportunities available to facilitate college enrollment.

Still, within the past year, foundation site visits to grantee schools revealed many are unaware of the GMS program or the life-changing difference it can make. School leaders should be thoughtful about how to effectively publicize the GMS program and similar scholarship programs.

“We want to make sure that any eligible student has the opportunity to achieve their dream of attending college,” said Mary Williams, director of communications and administration for the GMS program. “It’s not enough to place the information in an office and post a sign that says we have scholarship information. [Foundation grantees] can contact each school to review the criteria, identify and seek out eligible students, and provide them with the info they need to go online and apply to the GMS program.”

Students are eligible for the GMS program if they:

• Are African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American or Hispanic American;
• Are a citizen/legal permanent resident or national of the United States;
• Have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted);
• Will be entering a U.S. accredited college or university as full time, degree-seeking first-year student;
• Have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities;
• Meet the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria;
• Have all three required forms (Nominee Personal Information Form, Nominator Form, and Recommender Form) completed and submitted by the deadline.

Nomination forms are available at http://www.gmsp.org. The deadline for submission is January 13, 2006.

In only its 6th year, the GMS program already has named over 9,000 scholars hailing from all 50 states and attending more than 950 colleges and universities. Since its inception 3,165 students have earned college degrees.

The GMS scholarship award provides:

• Support for the cost of education by covering unmet need and self-help;
• Renewable awards for Scholars maintaining satisfactory academic progress;
• Graduate school funding for continuing Scholars in the areas of education, engineering, library science, mathematics, public health and science;
• Leadership development programs that lead to distinctive personal, academic and professional growth opportunities.

The Gates Millennium Scholarship provides tuition relief, but it also produces intangible benefits for scholars such as greater academic motivation, financial peace of mind, and hope for the future. Over the course of the 20-year life of the program, the potential impact of GMS extends far beyond the 20,000 or so scholars.

“I feel that Bill and Melinda Gates will impact the lives of an infinite amount of people,” wrote Yakira Braden, an electrical engineering major at the Milwaukee School of Engineering and one of 10 winners in a GMS essay contest this summer. “Every person that a Gates Millennium Scholar crosses paths with has the opportunity to be inspired and encouraged as a result of that Scholar’s achievements and experiences.”

¹ Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance (2001). Access Denied.

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Full Report: Hopes, Fears & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2005 http://www.crpe.org/ncsrp/pubs/ 2005_HopesFears.shtml

Hopes, Fears & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2005

 

Edited by Robin J. Lake and Paul Hill.

National Charter School Research Project

Center on Reinventing Public Education, University of Washington

November 2005

This is the first of a series of annual reports by the National Charter School Research Project that aims to bring balance to the divisive charter school debate. The first section presents the most recent data on charter schools, showing that:

• Charters grew faster in 2004-05 than in previous years, but future growth is limited by state caps.
• Charters are disproportionately located in urban areas and – similar to their surrounding districts – serve a larger percentage of minority and low-income students than the nation as a whole.
• Charters are much smaller, on average, than other public schools.
• Few charters are operated by separate educational management organizations, and few states provide funding for charter school buildings.

The report also includes essays on controversial topics related to charters:

• Studies comparing charter schools to regular public schools showed small and inconsistent differences in student achievement. Results cannot be generalized to all charter schools because they come in such different forms.
• Replicating successful schools is difficult, even when schools are part of networks run by charter management organizations. Diverse approaches to scale can complement each other, and reformers need to find out more about scale-up processes.
• Charter school authorizers frequently find non-academic reasons to close charters with academic problems, in part because many parents support their schools even when they are failing. Charter school authorizers need to play an ongoing role, working to anticipate and prevent problems.
• Using charters to turn around failing schools is a bold approach with no guarantee of success. But reformers can increase their odds through effective state laws, extensive planning, community engagement, and better oversight.
• Studies make conflicting claims about how much money charter schools receive and how much they should receive.

Ultimately, the report concludes that there is not enough data to answer many important questions about charter schools. Further research is needed, especially on the government’s capacity to oversee these schools, and future reports are planned.

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Foundation Giving Update
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation continues to invest in high school improvement efforts around the country including helping:

• The Oakland, Calif. Expect Success! effort to create a model urban school district. The foundation’s $10 million investment will help the program create high-quality schools, enhance accountability, and give schools the flexibility to choose services tailored to their students.
• Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo. with high school reform efforts through a $900,000 investment in their First Things First and Achievement First reform programs.
• New York City plan and provide all students, especially those at risk of dropping out, with high-performing high schools and alternative schools through $16 million in grants.
• Ohio to develop a rigorous college- and work-ready curriculum through a $2.75 million investment, aligning state graduation requirements in English and math with the knowledge and skills needed for success in college and the workforce.
• Austin, Texas public schools through a $1.7 million grant to develop a roadmap for the redesign of the district’s 11 comprehensive high schools and to support community engagement efforts.
• Envision Schools expand their charter high school network through an $800,000 investment that will help create eight academically rigorous schools serving 4,000 Bay Area students by 2008.

Education Department Will Pilot AYP Growth Model
The U.S. Department of Education, responding to criticisms of its adequate yearly progress (AYP) measure that is part of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) education law, will allow 10 states to pilot an alternative measurement system. These states, which have not yet been chosen, will be allowed to show progress by measuring gains made by individual students rather than comparing each grade to targets based on the performance of the previous year’s students. Participating states will still need to show evidence they are closing achievement gaps and will be held to the goal of 100 percent proficiency by 2014. While most education organizations favored this idea, some civil rights groups are concerned that states using this option might not push as hard to get all students to the same level.

Economic Message Resonates
A number of writers, including Brent Staples in the New York Times, Norman R. Augustine in the Washington Post, and Intel’s Craig R. Barrett in Business Week, have connected the nation's future prosperity to the quality of today’s education, arguing that some of our foreign competitors are preparing more of their students for math, science, and engineering careers. Some education analysts dismiss these arguments, saying versions of this argument have been made since the 1980s, even as American prosperity has increased. But others, most notably Thomas Friedman, say competition is greater in part because the global economy makes it easier for people in other countries to replace American workers.

Few Urban Eighth-Graders Proficient
The Trial Urban District Assessment of the National Assessment of Educational Progress found just 20 percent of urban eighth-graders from the 11 cities participating in the study, scored at or above proficient in reading and just 19 percent did in math, compared to 29 percent nationally in both subjects. Nearly half (47 percent) of students in the study scored below basic in math compared to one-third (32 percent) of students who did nationally. The 11 cities have significant minority populations who tend to score lower on tests. When students of the same race are compared, urban areas averaged just two or three points below the national average.

High Impact High Schools Challenge and Support Students
The Education Trust released an analysis of successful high schools with a high population of minority and low-income students, yet improving test scores, in Gaining Traction, Gaining Ground. The report, based on research funded by the foundation, found that these “high-impact” schools focus on academics with a particular goal of preparing students for college and careers. Educators in the schools hold high expectations and embrace external standards and assessments. All students are encouraged to take high-level courses, and staff members take responsibility for helping them succeed. These schools use assessment data for planning, not just to report on past student achievement and have early-warning systems to identify students who need help. Counselors actively monitor student performance and arrange for assistance when needed.
http://www2.edtrust.org/NR/rdonlyres/6226B581-83C3-4447-9CE7-31C5694B9EF6/0/Gaining
TractionGainingGround.pdf

NGA Funds More State High School Improvement Efforts
The National Governors Association (NGA) will provide grants worth a total of $5.2 million to 17 states that have proposed “discrete strategies” to improve high schools. This is a continuation of the foundation-funded challenge grants NGA made to 10 states this summer to plan long-term school improvement efforts. Only Maine won grants in both rounds. Six states will use these grants to expand their Advanced Placement programs, and three more will increase the academic rigor of their high school curriculum. These, combined with direct foundation grants, represent 30 states that are moving forward on the NGA Action Agenda.

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2005 Colleges, College Scholarships, and Financial Aid page
A descriptive list of links to major sources of college and scholarship information.
http://www.college-scholarships.com/

Black Excel: The College Help Network
2006 College & University Guidance, Scholarships, Money and Info Gateways.
http://www.blackexcel.org/

College Answer
College planning guide that includes sections on preparing, selecting, applying, paying, deciding and financing.
http://www.collegeanswer.com

Collegeboard.com: Scholarship Database
Search for scholarships, loans, internships, and other financial aid programs.
http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/scholarshipSearch.jsp

FastWeb
Web-based college and scholarship resource.
http://www.fastweb.com/

FedMoney.org
Full-text online resource on U.S. federal government student financial aid programs.
http://www.fedmoney.org/

FinAid: The Financial Aid Information Page
Annotated collection of information about student financial aid on the web.
http://www.finaid.org/

Pacific Northwest Scholarship Guide – Online
Scholarship resource for Pacific Northwest students.
http://www.collegeplan.org/cpnow/pnwguide/pnwguide.htm

Scholarship Resource Network Express
Search engine and database of private undergraduate through postgraduate scholarships.
http://www.srnexpress.com/index.cfm

UCLA's Scholarship Resource Center's Free Scholarship Search Service Page
Lists a wide range of online scholarship search services.
http://www.college.ucla.edu/up/src/

 

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