Giving Compass' Take:

• Ensuring that students can make the most of their educational experiences is key to meeting demand in the high-skill labor market.

• How can existing partnership programs be improved and expanded? Where do opportunities exist to form new collaborations? 

• Learn how KIPP schools partner with colleges to improve graduation rates.

As the labor market becomes increasingly dependent on skilled workers who have at least some education beyond high school—whether that means an associate or bachelor’s degree or a professional credential—student success in college is as important as it has ever been. Regrettably, though, large numbers of students in the United States do not have access to higher education opportunities. Many cannot afford the high cost of college; others do not know how to apply for college or what their educational opportunities are post-high school. Still others do not even consider college an option in the first place.

Any seemingly minor set-back, like a flat tire or brief illness, can shatter a student’s ability to persist in college.

The education community’s ability to help more students succeed in college depends on partnerships—among the K-12 school system, higher education institutions, policymakers, and philanthropic and education-focused organizations—that develop collaborative, systematic solutions to the perennial challenges students face. It is also true that the obstacles to achieving success do not disappear once students apply, are accepted, and then enroll in higher education.

The fact is that for as many as half of college-going students—especially those who are the first in their families to go to college and those who come from low-income families—the prospect of success and graduating with a credential is fragile. Any seemingly minor setback, like a flat tire or brief illness, can shatter a student’s ability to persist in college. This fragility is not a result of a lack of effort or desire. Instead, when students are already stressed—whether it be financially or by the lack of a support system that can help them navigate the challenging journey of higher education—certain obstacles become difficult to overcome.

Read more about collaborative education by Rich Nickel at EdSurge