On Friday, November 3rd, ROE #33 hosted area educational leaders to provide a space for open discussion on successfully bridging the gap from high school to college.
Those in attendance were area district superintendents, college presidents, and college vice presidents. Members of this meeting included superintendents from Galesburg, Abingdon-Avon, Mercer County, Knoxville, Monmouth-Roseville, R.O.W.V.A., United, and West Central. Colleges in attendance included Carl Sandburg College, Black Hawk College, Western Illinois University, Monmouth College, and Knox College.
The purpose of this meeting was to springboard the conversation for school district and college leaders to collaborate on how to support the transition of high school graduates into college. The idea for this collaborative meeting began with Monmouth College, who reached out to the Regional Office of Education #33, looking to seek ways to support students currently enrolled.
Attendees participated in a rotating roundtable discussion where various questions were asked and discussed among the rotating groups.
The questions used for this discussion included:
- “What is currently working in successfully transitioning high school students into colleges?”
- “What is the profile of a high school graduate/college-ready student?”
- “What supports are in place to ensure a successful transition?”
- “What are the current obstacles or barriers to students successfully transitioning from high school to college?”
The outcomes of this meeting were to brainstorm the current challenges impacting students in their transition from high school to college, as well as identify the barriers to student success in college. Other proposed outcomes were to determine the supports needed to address the barriers identified and to create a structure for collaboration between high schools and colleges.
The consensus was palpable by the end of the session that there needs to be more conversations like this one. More conversations between these parties help bridge the gap that many students face when transitioning into college. Another takeaway from this discussion was that high school principals and counselors are crucial in the process of helping students in their high school-college transition as they see and understand the needs of their students.
Attendees were asked at the end of the discussion, “What is one word you would use to describe today’s meeting?”; the responses included were meaningful, enlightening, hopeful, and optimistic.
Regional Office of Education #33 hopes to continue to facilitate these meetings and work with schools and area leaders in our communities to assist in bridging the gap for a successful transition from high school graduation into college.
***Courtesy of the Regional Office of Education #33***
