Student Success in AP Courses, Community College, & Beyond

Posted June 14, 2019 | By Cooke Foundation Staff

Cooke Young Scholars tour campuses as they build their college list in junior year of high school.

June 14, 2019 – Here’s our weekly roundup of education news you may have missed. Read inspiration from Cooke Scholars and insights from researchers about how high-achievers with financial need succeed.

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Elementary & Secondary Education:

  • “The AP Access Pilot Program has helped increase the number of public schools in Mississippi offering AP physics,” states Mississippi State University. The Cooke Foundation provides financial support for this free summer program at MSU. Students who attend such programs “achieved dramatic gains in substantive understanding of course content.”
  • The Hechinger Report explores how virtual counseling programs are reaching out to rural students to support access to college.

 

Higher Education:

  • Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) has published the second edition of Civic Scholar: Phi Theta Kappa Journal of Undergraduate Research, featuring academic research conducted by students at 16 community colleges. Civic Scholar is the first journal of its kind, showcasing the undergraduate research and community engagement of two-year college students.
  • The Century Foundation outlines important policy design for states in consideration of tuition-free Promise programs for community college.
  • Barrett J. Taylor and Brendan Cantwell discuss their new book with Inside Higher Ed, which examines widening inequalities among public institutions.

 

Cooke Foundation Highlights:

  • “When you see something broken in society, dare to stand up and fix it,” writes Cooke College Scholar Elbie Seibert for CNN. “Your voice does matter, and it can make a difference.” Elbie was scheduled to give a valedictorian speech the same week his father passed; his message to the class of 2019 is evocative and inspiring.
  • Iman Dancy is graduating high school and the Cooke Young Scholars Program. In The News & Observer, teachers and administrators describe Iman’s accomplishments as an engaged member of her community. Iman will attend Yale University as a Cooke College Scholar.
  • Cooke Transfer Scholar Anyssa El Manfaa has always been a striving student with an interest in astrophysics, but balancing her coursework with multiple jobs presented challenges during her first attempt at college. The Philadelphia Inquirer shares the heartwarming story that led to her success at the Community College of Philadelphia. Alyssa will continue her higher education at Swarthmore College this fall.
  • “I wanted to make a difference on campus and be involved,” says Cooke Transfer Scholar Monica Botwinick of her time at community college. The News-Review reports that Monica will continue working towards becoming a postpartum mental health professional at Portland State University this fall.

 

Social Media Spotlight:

 

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We’d be hard-pressed to find a scholar who personifies the idea of exploration more than Harun Mehmedinovic. He has traveled the world for his vibrant photography books and the internationally acclaimed Skyglow Project, which brought attention to the issue of light pollution. His latest project was no different as it took him from the Arctic Circle to the Equator. Harun coproduced and was the cinematographer for the new HBO documentary Ice on Fire, from executive producer Leonardo DiCaprio. Scholars, there’s just seven weeks left until Scholars Weekend 2019 begins, where you’ll have the opportunity to meet Harun and some of our other amazing alumni! #JKCF #CookeScholars #ThinkBig #WorkHard #Achieve #Explore #WeAre

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Photo header: Cooke Young Scholars tour campuses as they build their college list in junior year of high school.