Welcome to College Summit

Colorado

College Summit has been serving students in Colorado since 1996, primarily in the Metro Denver area. In 2001, the College Summit-Colorado regional office was established. To date, College Summit-Colorado has worked with nearly 3,000 Denver-area youth, and the impact on their lives has been transforming: each year, between 75% and 85% of Workshop students have enrolled in well-matched colleges, far surpassing the national (46%) norm among low-income high school graduates, and almost equal to the 82% rate of the nation’s highest-income students.

Educational Attainment in Colorado

Many College Summit-Colorado student participants live in communities with high rates of poverty and low levels of educational attainment. Most college-capable students in these communities do not believe they are “college material” because they lack a culture with the inherent expectation of college attendance. And, with college counselor-to-student ratios at 580:1 (far exceeding the 250:1 U.S. Dept. of Education recommendation) in Colorado’s large public high schools, the guidance for youth who could thrive in college is virtually nonexistent. Such circumstances perpetuate poverty and create barriers to college enrollment.

According to the Colorado Children Campaign’s most recent Children At Risk study:

• Despite positive economic statistics, 30 percent of Colorado’s children are at-risk of failing to achieve their academic potential, dropping out of school, and/or being unprepared for college and the workplace.
• Colorado’s high dropout rate translates into at least $3.4 billion in lost earning potential each year.
• Of this year’s high school freshmen only one in five will go on to earn a postsecondary credential within six years.
• Students of color across our state are actually more likely to drop out of high school than they are to graduate—only six other states have higher secondary school dropout rates.
• Colorado ranks 48th in the nation in terms of college access for minorities.
• Fewer than one in three of Colorado’s young adults (ages 18 to 24) pursue education and training beyond high school.
• Fewer still complete a postsecondary degree.
• The gap in college participation between whites and minority ethnic groups has widened over the past several years.

 

Brief Cumulative Results

A formal report for 2005-06 shows that all Colorado schools that implemented our program across a whole senior class saw a significant improvement from the first year of implementation. While a formal report on college enrollment of 2006 Peer Leaders (those who attended a Summer Workshop) will not be available until spring 2008, we base initial student performance/outcome indices on data uploaded to our online database, CSNet, which indicates an intention to apply to a postsecondary institution. Early indicators show 100% of Peer Leaders completed an essay and college list during their Workshop; 85% of all seniors had submitted at least one college applications as of May 07.

These are impressive outcomes for schools with historically low academic performance according to Colorado Department of Education guidelines, and in communities where only a small percentage of adults hold a college degree. College-going aspirations of many low-income youth are stifled by the lack of a college-going culture in their high schools and communities. Sustained results like those College Summit-Colorado achieved during the school year will contribute to the organization’s long-term goal of creating the expectation of college attendance among high schools that serve low-income students. As more of these youth, most of whom are the first in their family to go to college, receive a higher education, low-income communities will experience a sustainable revitalization that supports the well-being of children, young people, and families.

College Summit-Colorado has an unprecedented opportunity over the next five years to help Denver Public Schools (DPS) increase their college enrollment rates in a sustainable, affordable way. This includes helping to build the capacity of their high schools to support all of their students in the post secondary planning process. This partnership aligns with the Denver Plan’s goals of increasing college enrollment and will launch in 2007-08 with CS tools being fully implemented for all seniors at 4 DPS high schools, including CEC Middle College of Denver, Denver Center for International Studies, Montbello and South. Additionally, CS tools will be introduced to the remaining 8 high schools in 2007-08 through a model which includes implementation of 1- 2 classrooms for 25-50 students. In 2008-09 expansion plans include full implementation in all 12 DPS high schools for all 2600+ seniors. In Mapleton Public Schools, College Summit tools will be implemented in all 6 high schools, ensuring that all 275 seniors are supported through the post secondary planning process.

College Summit-Colorado is working closely with the newly formed Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) to ensure that our activities and efforts are aligned in each high school to maximize student outcomes. Specifically, DSF Future Center Coordinators (housed in each Denver Public Shool high school) are receiving training on College Summit’s tools and curriculum, and will work closely with College Summit trained teachers and College Summit support staff.

Regional Site Board

• Jill Barkin
  Philanthropy Advisor and Executive Director, Jewish Women's Fund of Colorado 
• Elaine Berman
  Colorado State Board of Education
• Gwen Brewer 
  Community Leader and Former Educator
• Charlotte Ciancio
  Superintendent, Mapleton Public Schools
• Christine Johnson, Ph.D
  Former President, Community College of Denver
• Dean Prina, M.D.
  Partners in Pediatrics
• Van Schoales
  Program Officer, The Piton Foundation
• Pia Dennis Smith
  Education Consultant, (Past High School Principal and Community College Dean)