College For Every Student Schools

CFES works with over 150 rural and urban schools in low-income communities where it can have the greatest impact. In selecting schools, CFES looks for:

• A commitment to the goals of CFES;
• A college partner that shares this commitment;
• A cohort of underserved youth, most of whom would be the first in their families to attend college;
• A team of educators from the school and college who are prepared to work with CFES to develop, strengthen, and ultimately sustain a program that will help underserved students get to college and succeed there.
• View our Directory of Schools

Expectations of CFES Schools

Each CFES school is expected to:

• Create and strengthen a CFES team that includes the principal, college representatives, teachers, students, parents, and community members;
• Select and document a cohort of students as CFES Scholars who will participate in the three Core Practices: Pathways to College, Mentoring, and Leadership through Service;
• Write and submit to CFES an annual plan that incorporates the Core Practices and delineates goals, strategies for achieving goals, and intended results;
• Appoint a team member to act as liaison between the school and CFES;
• Appoint a team member to act as liaison between the college and CFES;
• Attend the fall planning/training workshop and include the school principal and college representative among the team members who attend;
• Participate in the CFES National Conference in November;
• Complete semiannual program assessments to summarize progress and provide feedback to CFES program directors and the central office.

Process

Application

Schools interested in joining CFES should fill out and submit an application to this address. You can download the application here.

Initial Site Visit

A CFES program director meets with representatives of interested schools to introduce the process, outline a compact between the school, a college partner, and CFES, and begin developing a preliminary plan.

Planning/Training Workshop

During a two-day workshop, the CFES team (principal, teachers, college representatives, parents, students) develops a plan that incorporates the three Core Practices, strategies to implement them, and means to evaluate their impact.

Site Visits

A CFES program director regularly visits the school and partnering college to meet with the CFES team and the Scholars and to provide training and support.

Ongoing Support

Through consistent contact and professional development support, the CFES program director helps the team implement its plan.

Assessment

CFES monitors progress through reports from the program directors and semiannual program assessments completed by the CFES teams that focus on attendance, grade point average, and citizenship. CFES also contracts with outside evaluators to provide additional assessment.

National Conference

Each fall, CFES schools and partnering colleges nationwide gather to network, share successful practices, exchange ideas, and plan activities that support partnerships between schools and colleges and help underserved students get to college and succeed there.

Click to Enlarge