A Note from Gaston

Dear Colleagues,

On May 19, our Advocacy & Policy Center reported on the millions of dollars in financial aid that go unused each year by low- and moderate-income students at community colleges. Even though they are eligible for need-based federal financial aid, these students are the least likely to apply for funds. This is an increasingly important sector of the U.S. education system, with nearly half of all undergraduates in the United States attending community colleges. Our report provides concrete recommendations to community college leaders and administrators for increasing the number of deserving students who receive need-based aid. We also hope that the data and the news coverage it garnered will be helpful to students and families who are looking for ways to pay for college.

Another long-standing College Board advocacy effort has been our work to focus attention on the importance of the teaching of writing. This month I joined Bob Kerrey, chair of the National Commission on Writing, in individual meetings with leaders in both the House and Senate. We discussed the need for continued support for the National Writing Project, a highly effective program that provides professional development in writing to 100,000 teachers every year. In these times of tight budgets, we have to make special efforts to encourage continued funding for important programs like this one.

I’d like to extend a special thank-you to Spelman College and Morehouse College for hosting our A Dream Deferred™ conference, and to the University of Mexico for hosting our Native American Student Advocacy Institute. These events are part of our diversity conference series and address education issues specific to the needs of African American and Native American students. They also provide an opportunity for education and community leaders to come together to share best practices for closing the gaps in access to higher education.

This will be our last full issue of Connection before the summer break. I wish you all a successful close to the academic year and hope to see you in Washington, at the AP® Annual Conference in July or at Forum 2010 in October.