Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, co-chair of the Task Force on College Access for Students from Low-Income Backgrounds

CollegeKeys
Compact™ Update

The news just keeps getting better and better for the CollegeKeys Compact™. Recent advocacy efforts have helped drive membership, and, as of April 18, more than 400 members from every U.S. region and Mexico had signed on, answering the call to action to make college access and success a reality for all students, including those from low-income backgrounds.

The regional breakdown of the membership is as follows:

Midwestern Region                   53
Middle States Region                92
New England Region                 35
Southern Region                    100
Southwestern Region               64
Western Region                       60
International                             1

The recruiting has gotten stronger in all six College Board regions, but it is clearly the most robust in the Southern Region where Vice President Jenny Krugman makes no secret about her passion for this project, devoting much of her column on the Southern regional page of this publication to this effort. All regions should reach out to their College Board members and encourage them to sign on before July 1, which will be the cutoff date for anyone who would like to be a charter member of this esteemed organization.

Two advisory groups are being developed within the Compact. The first will oversee a recognition program to feature those members that are making a difference. The second will measure the program’s success through metrics. Both groups will be made up of College Board members and staff.

And, finally, the CollegeKeys Compact Web site is up and running. Interested parties can learn more about the Compact, read the full report, review effective practices, download the Partners’ Commitment Form and much more. Soon the site will offer other features like profiles of first-generation students and outstanding advocates of the Compact. To visit the Web site, please click here.