Iowa Department of Education Awarded Nearly $500K in AmeriCorps Funding

Key Highlights :

Approximately $500K to the state of Iowa Department of Education for its Course to College postsecondary coaching program.

Over 80 AmeriCorps members and summer transition associates will provide year-round student support through in-person and text-based outreach.

Key Background :

AmeriCorps is a national service corps program that provides federal funding to programs that create stronger communities through the improvement of education, skill, and civic engagement. Its State and National programs provide grants to state agencies like Volunteer Iowa, with which service members can serve in schools, nonprofit organizations, and community initiatives.

AmeriCorps of Iowa has funded numerous education and service initiatives, including the latest grant that provided close to $500,000 to exclusively fund the Department of Education's Course to College program. The program is committed to serving high school seniors, college students, and recent graduates with successfully navigating into and through postsecondary education.

Course to College is so reliant on peer-to-peer coaching that AmeriCorps members who are trained as postsecondary success coaches act as coaches and mentors to their peers. Their support is in the form of application and financial aid counseling as well as first-year college or training program navigation. Having professional support provided by high school counselors as summer transition associates offers continuity when the more traditional school-based services may not be there during school breaks.

The most innovative feature of the program is its text-based support system. The program mimics the way that individuals interact today and offers real-time support in the form of reminders, advice, and motivation. It is also more accessible to rural or lower-resource communities where face-to-face support will not be adequate.

McKenzie Snow, who is the head of the Iowa Department of Education, has described the effort as a cutting-edge model that unites people with technology. She further stated that the goal is to prepare students for all sorts of postsecondary experiences, from colleges to technical education and skilled trades.

By using technology, peer mentoring, and professional counseling together, Course to College surmounts several obstacles to college success. Not only does the AmeriCorps grant make it available to more students, but it is also perfectly in line with Iowa's overall mission of ensuring that all students wherever they are, wherever they're from are able to get to the resources and assistance they need to succeed after high school.

About the Author

Mia Jones

Mia Jones is a Managing Editor at Education Excellence Magazine.