Enacting invisible policies for student success

Public high school graduation requirements do not ensure success in college. Children of middle-income and upper-income families often know about or have access to the other ” invisible requirements” necessary to succeed in college. However, children from low-income backgrounds or first generation students are reliant on the advice of high school counselors (often who have a 400-to-1 caseload) or their own social networks which may not have the information needed. Under-resourced students can often show up at college excited about a bright future ahead, only to become overwhelmed after a few months and sometimes dropping out altogether for not feeling like they belong.

They do belong.

Well-intentioned education policies can fail to reach the students they are intended to serve. Sometimes this happens because of bureaucracy, missed connections between organizations, or shifting priorities within agencies. ActLocal360 works with public school districts and higher education institutions to identify existing programs and funding that can be leveraged or adjusted to better support student success.