College AIM_DeKalb County Proposal Summary (25-26)

                                            Proposal Summary
Scope of Partnership
The proposed 25-26 partnership would support more than 4,000 DCSD students across five school
partners—McNair HS, Stone Mountain HS, Towers HS, Cross Keys HS, and Lithonia HS. At each high school, the
program would support every student in the school building, from ninth through twelfth grade.

Student Profiles
The most intense support would be provided to twelfth grade students with a stated interest in “Enrollment”
bachelor’s degree, associate degree and technical college and certificate programs after high school and
first-year postgraduate students enrolled in college. These students would receive individualized enrollment and
persistence coaching, while the remainder of students at each partner high school would gain access to
full-school events and programming.

Work Plan

To reach the students outlined above, College AIM would place a team consisting of one Access Coach and one
Success Coach each at Stone Mountain, Lithonia and Cross Keys HS. Due to smaller anticipated student
populations at McNair and Towers HS, one Access Coach and Success Coach team would collectively serve both
schools.

Within each school, the team would work closely with school-based and district personnel including
administrators, counselors, teachers, post-secondary transition specialists and the Office of Student Advancement
to coordinate programming. Programming would include postsecondary advising for 12th grade students,
continued postgraduate coaching for enrolled students and postsecondary exposure for 9th-11th grade students,
as outlined below.

12th Grade - Postsecondary Advising

  ●​ Individual Coaching
     ○​ 1:1 coaching for 12th grade students who select “Enrollment” as their E. Topics include building a
         college list, application planning and submission, essay writing and editing, scholarship search and
         application support, financial analysis to minimize student debt and family engagement in the
         postsecondary process.
     ○​ Maximum caseloads are 150 students at Stone Mountain, Lithonia and Cross Keys and 75 students
         each at Towers and McNair. We anticipate that these caseloads would meet the entire student demand
         at Towers, McNair and Cross Keys and at least 75% of student demand at Stone Mountain and
         Lithonia, based on 24-25 student participation and FAFSA completion markers at each school.
  ●​ Exposure
     ○​ Monthly college visits to local four-year colleges, community colleges and technical colleges
     ○​ College Admit Day - on-site admissions and scholarship event, hosting 20+ colleges who provide
         free application, admissions and scholarship opportunities
     ○​ Signing Day - student celebration, including significant scholarship awards and announcements
     ○​ Monthly exposure and support workshops including FAFSA completion, scholarship application
         support and college essay writing and editing
  ●​ College AIM Scholarships
     ○​ Access to $1M+ in College AIM student specific scholarship opportunities annually,
         including: CAPS Scholarship (20 students/year), Goucher College full scholarship, Rhodes College
         full scholarship, Genevieve Ramsey Scholarship, BLEST Scholarship, 9East Scholarship, DeKalb
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         Alphas Scholarship and Dell Scholarship.
      ○​ Students also receive significant support with FAFSA and CSS Profile completion and applications
         for additional external scholarships.

Postgraduate - Continued Coaching for Enrolled Students

  ●​ Individual Coaching
     ○​ 1:1 monthly coaching sessions for students enrolled in postsecondary education programs. Topics
         include: mapping campus resources, seeking academic support, securing additional financial aid and
         connecting credentials to career opportunities.
     ○​ Maximum caseloads are 75 graduates each from Stone Mountain, Lithonia and Cross Keys and 75
         graduates total from Towers and McNair combined.
  ●​ Emergency Support
     ○​ Daily office hours with College AIM coaches to receive emergent academic, financial and social
         support.
     ○​ Access to a pool of $30k in emergency financial support to cover costs that would otherwise
         prohibit students from remaining enrolled, including but not limited to books, housing, meal plans,
         transportation and medical needs.
     ○​ Access to emergency grocery store gift cards via College AIM’s partnership with Invisible Food
         Pantry, which supplies up to $1k in gift cards/month to College AIM students.

9th-11th Grade - Postsecondary Exposure

  ●​ Access to 12th Grade Programming
     ○​ Sessions added to College AIM’s 12th grade events, including Admit Days, FAFSA Workshops, and
        Signing Day, tailored towards the needs of underclassmen and their families.
     ○​ Spaces strategically reserved for underclassmen on local college visits to provide early exposure.
  ●​ Specialized 9th-11th Grade Event
     ○​ Co-planned event, with consultation from school leadership to provide additional exposure to
        postsecondary opportunities and planning and support underclassmen Naviance task completion.

Projected Outcomes

Through the above programming, we will work together towards the following primary outcomes:
1.​ At least 60% of Class of 2026 graduates from Towers, McNair, Stone Mountain, Cross Keys, and Lithonia
    high schools will enroll in a postsecondary education program within 16 months of high school graduation.
2.​ Class of 2026 graduates from Towers, McNair, Stone Mountain, Cross Keys, and Lithonia graduates will
    collectively secure at least $50 million in grant and scholarship offers.
3.​ At least 55% of Class of 2026 graduates from Towers, McNair, Stone Mountain, Cross Keys, and Lithonia
    high schools will complete the FAFSA by 7/31/26.
4.​ At least 80% of enrolled Class of 2025 graduates receiving College AIM’s individual coaching will earn a
    credential or persist to year two of their postsecondary education program by 9/30/26.

To reach these outcomes, College AIM will also work towards intermediary goals including:
1.​ 90% of seniors receiving College AIM’s individual coaching will have match/fit-oriented college lists built by
    1/31/26
2.​ 90% of seniors receiving College AIM’s individual coaching will apply to college by 7/31/26
3.​ 60% of seniors receiving College AIM’s individual coaching will complete individual financial analysis
    meetings by 7/31/26
4.​ 60% of seniors receiving College AIM’s individual coaching will complete their intent to enroll in a
    postsecondary education program by 7/31/26

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