Postsecondary advising and exposure are more important than ever

By Taylor Ramsey, executive director, OneGoal Metro Atlanta

Last week OneGoal Metro Atlanta hosted our second Student Summit at Clayton State University where 500 OneGoal juniors and seniors from across the metro area came together for a day of inspiration, connection and empowerment as they pursue their postsecondary goals. During this day, students have the opportunity to explore a variety of postsecondary pathways through workshops led by industry professionals, go on campus tours and attend our opportunity fair where they can connect with colleges, technical schools and other postsecondary programs.

As a postsecondary access and success program, OneGoal developed this student centered event because we know that students need to see it to believe it.

This high energy, celebratory day of learning is important against a backdrop of continued declining enrollment and well documented hesitancies about affordability and the value proposition of a postsecondary degree or credential. College enrollment declined by 9.4% across the pandemic, where students from low-income communities and students of color experienced the most adverse effects.

Experts aren’t clear whether the decline represents a lingering pandemic effect or a more fundamental shift in student attitudes about the value and necessity of college. As a first-generation college student, I know firsthand the positive impact a college degree or credential can have on a young person’s trajectory. With 9.4% fewer students attending college, particularly from low-income families, this is likely to have a devastating effect on their lifetime earnings, job stability, and overall economic opportunities.

As Georgians these shifts and declines in postsecondary enrollment should be of particular concern as we consider that nearly 60% of jobs in Georgia will require some kind of degree or credential yet only 30% of our metro’s young people are on track to get there.

So, what should we do?

Listen to our young people. I think we all need to more deeply understand what our students have experienced and how their attitudes towards school and higher education may have changed. We need to affirm and acknowledge the fears or doubts they may have about the value of a degree or credential and understand what, if any, misconceptions need to be dispelled. At OneGoal, we administer a ‘mindsets survey’ to better understand what our students believe and what they need as they pursue their postsecondary path. Events like the Student Summit are created in direct response to what our students have named.
Exposure and postsecondary advising matters. Students need to see, feel and be immersed in the breadth of exciting career and postsecondary opportunities available to them. Our young people need opportunities to hear from role models, understand the costs and long-term benefits associated with various career paths. Students need opportunities to be inspired followed by practical information and an adult who can help them make sense of it all.
Link arms. Across metro Atlanta and the state, there are some exciting opportunities for us to recommit to ensuring that our young people can fully participate in our booming economy through postsecondary attainment. GPEE’s recent goal of ensuring 65% of young people attain a degree or credential, Learn4Life’s postsecondary CAN, commitment from funders like the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, and workforce development leaders like Georgia Power offer a blueprint for how to ensure that public and private entities come together to support students in pursuing their postsecondary goals, economic opportunity and lives of their choosing. After the massive disruption we have experienced in education over the past three years, we have a chance to reimagine postsecondary access for all of Georgia’s students by taking steps to influence policy and practice in ways that matter most for our region’s youth.