Blunt pandemic effects on low-income high school graduates

March 26, 2021 Juliet Jones-Vlasceanu

Structural inequality in student postsecondary transitions just got another boost thanks to the pandemic. This month, sobering National Student Clearinghouse data arrived showing that,

“…in the fall of 2020, the rate of decline in high-poverty high schools [college-going rate] dropped at about four times the rate of the decline at low-poverty high schools -- by 11.4 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively.”

Audrey Dow, senior vice president at the Campaign for College Opportunity, said of the report,

“The most vulnerable students who have the most to gain from a college education are bearing the brunt of the pandemic effects. If the federal government, states, colleges, and universities do not step up in intentional ways to support low-income students of color to enroll in and stay in college, we will see these disparities in college enrollment persist.”

“Seeing” and “listening” to student needs

When I get overwhelmed by challenges like these, I take inspiration from someone who knows way more about helping people than I do, the Jesuit priest Father Greg Boyle, who said,

“My job isn't to fix or rescue or to save. It's to accompany, see people, listen to them.”

Gear UP, TRIO, school counseling and nonprofit programs already provide great opportunities to accompany, see and listen to low-income students on their postsecondary journeys.

To help advisors quickly understand and address students’ unique needs, Career Key has created an affordable Grab n Go Package of its evidence-based career and education advising assessments and resources for summer and fall interventions. To learn more, see our recent Gear Up and TRIO outreach and contact me at julietjones@careerkey.org. We feel fortunate to be a part of these efforts.