Introduction
Beyond high school: Communicating the importance of access and success in education
At Lumina Foundation for Education, we believe that postsecondary education is one of the best investments that individuals can make in themselves and that society can make in its people. To that end, we are committed to increasing student access and success in education beyond high school—a mission that is vital, not only to the lives of millions of individual students, but also to the social and economic future of our nation.
Our global economy increasingly pressures our society for a college-educated workforce that is adaptable and well trained. Simultaneously, our higher education system faces intense pressure to serve huge numbers of students who have traditionally faced the highest barriers to success. Our challenge is great, but we remain committed to doing what is necessary and what is best to serve the needs of our people and our country.
Clearly, you are on the front lines of college access and success. You mentor, guide, direct, counsel and coach students every single day. Your job requires skill, patience and fortitude. It also requires effective communication, which often can challenge the capacity of nonprofit organizations.
This toolkit is designed to help you do a faster, better job of communicating your important work to your various audiences. Within these pages, you'll find everything from a guide to strategic communication planning to tips on how to work with news reporters. In short, we aim to help spread the word about the good work that you do.
Communication matters
The value of postsecondary education is well documented. People with higher levels of educational attainment have significantly greater earning potential and career opportunity than their less-educated neighbors. This economic reality is compounded in the information age and a global economy.
Compared to our peers around the world, however, the United States is slipping in terms of postsecondary attainment among the adult population. To close the widening gap between us and our international counterparts, we will need to dramatically increase the numbers of young adults who earn degrees.
That's a tall order, to be sure. The objective is only attainable if we improve rates of college participation and completion among students from groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in higher education.
In any case, allowing current trends to continue is not an option; it would put the United States in a vulnerable position economically. Moreover, research clearly demonstrates that a well-educated population benefits from better health, enhanced citizenship, more family stability and reduced crime, among other factors.
To make headway, we must address the right things: encouraging information, student preparation, college affordability and support leading to completion. We focus on student access and success because it's the right thing to do for individuals and for the nation. Part of our effort must center around communication so that others in our society can begin to understand the challenges we face when it comes to higher education. Among the messages we have to convey are these:
- The nation is changing, and our education system must change with it.
- Today, more than 15 million Americans are pursuing higher education, more than ever before.
- The traditional college-going age group (18-24) will increase by 2 million by 2010.
- Ethnic and racial minorities and low-income students are participating in greater numbers than before, but in proportion to their rising share of the population, attainment gaps are actually widening.
- Attrition rates are staggering among minority and lower-income students, who make up the college-going populations that are growing the fastest.
- People of color—particularly Latinos—will account for the largest share of that increase.
- The adult student population (more than 40 percent of today's enrollment) will remain at high levels of enrollment.
- Yet, the U.S. continues to slip in international rankings of college degree holders in the adult population.
- At four-year colleges, 26 percent of freshmen drop out before their sophomore year; at two-year institutions, the first-year attrition rate is 45 percent.
- By age 25-29, about 34 of every 100 whites earn bachelor's degrees, compared to 17 of every 100 blacks and just 11 of every 100 Latinos.(1)
- There is ample evidence that qualified young people from low-income families are far less likely to go to college than their similarly qualified peers from high-income families.(2)
We all can work to bridge these gaps by continuing current efforts, expanding those that work and continually searching for new and better ways to make higher education more affordable, accessible and attainable. Strategic partnerships between Lumina Foundation and organizations like yours can help ensure that we:
- Help more youth graduate from high school with the necessary preparation and support to be successful in college and in the workplace.
- Help students and families start early and truly prepare for college—academically, financially and socially.
- Inform families about what college really costs and how they can afford it.
- Strengthen our nation's community college system.
- Expand higher education opportunities for adult learners.
- Give every potential student access to affordable, high-quality, two- and four-year higher education opportunities.
- Expand higher education access and success for traditionally underserved students, especially low-income or minority students, and those who are the first in their family to attend college.
- Increase college success rates so that more students graduate with a degree or other credential.
Read on to find numerous tools and resources that can help communicate these messages. In particular, review the "Resources" section of this toolkit, where you'll find general information and message points to include in your routine communication, as well as details of the KnowHow2GO campaign, jointly sponsored by Lumina Foundation, the American Council on Education and the Ad Council. We at Lumina Foundation hope that you find this to be a useful guide to help you to communicate.
1 Educational Attainment in the United States: 2003 US Census Bureau.
2 A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of Higher Education; 2006 Report by the Secretary of Education's Commission for the Future of Higher Education.
