Agenda Item
c. Renewal of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): College Aim, Inc. (Not to exceed $215,000) ~ Updated 8.8.2025
Summary: Presented by: Kishia K. Towns, Ph.D., Chief of Wrap Around Services, Division of Wrap Around Services
Request: It is requested that the DeKalb County Board of Education approve the Memorandum of Understanding between College AIM, INC., and the DeKalb County School District (DCSD), one additional year for an amount not to exceed $215,000. The contract renewal is through July 31, 2026, and will be in accordance with the existing fee structure.
Why: The DeKalb County School District’s Strategic Plan Goal Area I: Student Success with Equity and Access prioritizes graduating students who are ready to thrive in college, career, military, and life. DCSD is committed to students who have historically been underserved in the traditional public education system by providing the post-secondary readiness support and services they need. Through a partnership with College AIM INC., students will benefit from a flexible, non-traditional approach to earning their high school diploma and/or vocational certification. In addition, more than $1 million will be awarded to DCSD students and alums during 2025-2026 through College AIM-specific and partnered scholarships.
Details: College AIM guides and supports high school students to and through college, including technical colleges, two-year colleges and four-year institutions, by (among other things) running workshops to help students explore and connect to post-secondary opportunities, providing individual post-secondary advice, taking students on college visits, counseling students regarding financial, academic and social support services through college graduation, and providing scholarships and access to scholarship opportunities.
Once scheduled with the school administration, counseling departments and other school and district staff, College AIM will provide full school “post-secondary prep” programming at McNair, Stone Mountain, Towers, Cross Keys, and Lithonia. Programming would include post-secondary advice for 12th grade students, continued postgraduate coaching for enrolled students and post-secondary exposure for 9th-11th grade students.
To fulfill these roles, a team of two College AIM staff members will support each partner high school, which includes a Post-secondary Access Coach and a Post-secondary Success Coach.
Financial impact: The cost to renew the College Aim program for a not-to-exceed amount of $215,000 includes the following: $40,000 in funding per school partner, totaling $200,000; school buses for local college exposure programming, with nine trips per school, totaling $15,000.00, which will be funded under Purchased Tech/Prof Services Account Code: 100.2210.530000.00011.7040.9990.8010.090.0000.
Contact: Kishia K. Towns, Ph.D., Chief of Wrap Around Services, Division of Wrap Around Services, 678-676-1811
Mr. Christopher Key, Executive Director of Student Advancement, Division of Wrap Around Services, 678-485-9544
Status: Approved by the Office of Legal Affairs
College AIM/DCSD 24-25 Impact Data Data as of 6/10/25
Total McNair Towers Stone Mountain Lithonia Cross Keys
Metric Target Deadline College College College College College College
Full School Full School Full School Full School Full School Full School
AIM Cohort AIM Cohort AIM Cohort AIM Cohort AIM Cohort AIM Cohort
12th Grade
N/A N/A N/A N/A 67 137 101 177 119 261 160 296 301 455
PRIMARY METRICS
Students Served
Postsecondary
Enrollment Within
60% 9/30/26 - - - - - - - - - - - -
16 months of High
School Graduation
Grant and
$50M 7/31/25 - $86,100,171 - $18,446,792 - $7,618,306 - $19,608,379 - $22,876,418 - $17,550,276
Scholarship Amount
FAFSA Completion
65% 7/31/25 62% 50% 79% 53% 54% 41% 88% 68% 78% 64% 42% 33%
Rate
Created Match and
INTERMEDIARY GOALS
Fit-Oriented College 90% 1/31/25 80% 64% 100% 55% 88% 79% 100% 77% 100% 73% 53% 48%
Lists
Applied to College 90% 7/31/25 76% 66% 66% 75% 67% 96% 91% 100% 73% 53% 48%
87%
Completed
Individual Financial 60% 7/31/25 42% 30% 81% 53% 54% 41% 81% 46% 39% 27% 15% 10%
Analyses
Completed Intent to
60% 7/31/25 26% 18% 64% 39% 21% 17% 34% 21% 31% 19% 14% 10%
Enroll
1) This data is not final, only updated through 6/10/25. We're still tracking progress towards a number of goals through 7/31/25. Our coaches
Key: Notes:
work through the summer to continue student support and we expect to see these numbers increase as they do so.
2) College AIM's greatest successes were with students who received individual postsecondary advising and were on the "College AIM Cohort."
Goal Met We are on track to exceed most tarrgets with students in this category. As such, our 25-26 proposal focuses channeling our efforts through
individual advising.
3) The large caseload at Cross Keys (almost twice the next largest school caseload) made it nearly impossible to meet either cohort or full school
Within 10% of goals at Cross Keys, and made it significantly more challenging to meet the overall partnership goals and metrics. If reduced to 150 students,
Target Cross Keys would have already met cohort scholarship, college list, FAFSA completion rate and college application goals, and would be on pace
to reach cohort goals for financial analyses and intent to enroll. This issue speaks to the importance of standardizing caseloads for 25-26.
Within 20% of
Target