A major headline that was in recent education news said that many students were
not taking advantage of the state of Washington's free college program. The
article is below.
(Editor's Note: This story has been changed since it was
first published. The number of statewide applicants was changed.)
More than 56,000 Washington middle-schoolers qualify for a new
scholarship that would give them a free ride at a state college -- but only
a fraction of them have signed up, officials said Wednesday.
College Bound Scholarships are open to any middle-school student in a
low-income home or foster care. In exchange for pledges to maintain at least
a 2.0 grade point average through high school and stay out of trouble with
the law, the state will pay for up to four years of tuition and books at any
accredited public or private college, community college or
vocational/technical program in Washington.
There are caveats: Students must apply while in the seventh or eighth
grade (ninth-graders can apply, but only during the 2008-09 school year).
The scholarship doesn't guarantee acceptance to a particular college, and
the student's eligibility hinges on his or her family's financial status at
the time of graduation.
But it's a great opportunity and not enough families are taking
advantage, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said during a student assembly at
Denny Middle School Wednesday. He urged the audience of sixth-graders to
sign up when they become seventh-graders.
If they do, he said, "you will have the door to college and the future
open to you when you graduate."
Only about 16,500 of 56,000 eligible students statewide have applied,
according to the state's Higher Education Coordinating Board. About 900 of
the estimated 2,400 eligible Seattle Public Schools students have enrolled.
State and local officials are hoping to boost those figures over the next
year by encouraging students to apply and touting the program's benefits,
such as help with choosing coursework in middle and high school to prepare
for college.
In Seattle, Denny Middle has more than 180 students signed up -- the most
of any of the district's schools -- and Principal Jeff Clark is
enthusiastically recruiting more.
"This scholarship is the most exciting thing I've ever heard of," he
said.
He's hoping Denny sixth-graders at Wednesday's assembly will start middle
school knowing that adults have high standards for them, and that they can
set the stage now for success in high school and beyond. "We're helping kids
to see themselves as college-bound scholars," he said.
The scholarship grew out of one of the key recommendations in the 2006
Washington Learns report, a blueprint for improving education in the state.
The report recommended making college more accessible to low-income
students, who are less likely to pursue post-secondary education.
The College Bound Scholarship was established last year; the 2007 state
Legislature set aside $7.4 million to pay for the program's first two years.
That money is considered the first installment, with more to come in future
legislative sessions.
Members of the Class of 2012 -- this year's freshmen -- will be the first
to receive the scholarships. To apply, a student must complete an
application by June 30 of his eighth-grade year. Home-schooled or private
school students also are eligible.
The message seemed to be sinking in. Tiffany Jones, who runs KnowHow2GO
Washington, a college-awareness campaign, quizzed the Denny sixth-graders
about their future plans.
"Who here wants to go to college?" she asked.
Nearly every hand in the audience shot up.
