Workshops & Webinars
Workshops and Webinars
The SREB Go Alliance annual workshop series helps college access professionals improve student outreach programs and communications campaigns that to encourage first-in-the-family students to plan for, apply to and succeed in college.
Workshops and webinars are free and open to everyone.
Borrowing While Black:
Understanding What Makes Student Debt a Crisis for Black Students
july 23, 2020
1 – 2 PM EDT
Register for the webinar
While the $1.6 trillion in student
debt indicates a crisis for all students, borrowing for college
while Black is a different experience. Black students are more
likely to borrow, borrow more, owe more than their original loan
amount and struggle with repayment. They are more likely to
have higher default rates, even among those who earn a college
degree and come from high-income families. In this webinar, we
will highlight the historic and systemic injustices that have
fueled this crisis and offer race-conscious recommendations at
the federal and state level to help make college more affordable
for Black students.
The #RealCollege Survey:
How Institutions Can Better Understand and Meet Students' Needs
View webinar recording
Student homelessness and food insecurity was already a growing crisis before coronavirus, but the pandemic is making the situation even worse. Read the latest #realcollege report.
The #RealCollege survey is the nation’s largest annual assessment of access to affordable food and housing among college students. Results can be broken down by state and institution, which state systems and individual colleges can use to better understand the degree of housing and food insecurity among their own students. This important information can help in designing appropriate supports for students in need.
One In Five:
The Student Parent Experience and its Impact on College Success
View the Recording
One in five college students today is a parent, and yet they remain a largely invisible population. The vast majority of institutions do not track parenting status and therefore do not know how many student parents they have at any given time. Postsecondary success for these students is critical and far-reaching: when a student parent earns their degree, it has ripple effects that span two generations, impacting the parent’s employment opportunities and lifetime earnings potential, along with their child’s chances for achieving academic and career success.
Maintaining Student Connections and Reducing Anxiety During COVID-19
A Professional Development Workshop
With up to a third of children struggling with anxiety in this country, overwhelmed adults need a new approach and practical, easy-to-implement strategies to help children cope with their anxiety. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when everyday life is so heavily impacted, levels of anxiety in children and teens are likely even higher and the risk for trauma greater.
Supporting Class of 2020’s Transition to Postsecondary
The New National College Attainment Network Resource Guide for K-12
View the recording
Alarming drops in Free Application
for Federal Student Aid form completion and surveys showing
students are highly uncertain about their college plans have
catapulted the education sector into responding in innovative and
urgent ways. The National College Attainment Network remains
committed to helping districts and schools take five actions,
right now, to help students stay on a path for success after high
school graduation.
The Students Are Not All Right
Using the Science of Social Listening to Understand and Meet Students' Needs
View the webinar recording
The global COVID-19 pandemic hit
campuses across the country in the blink of an eye. In rapid
succession, campuses closed, courses moved online, and our
lives—personally and professionally—were permanently altered.
The New SwiftStudent Tool
Help for Guiding Students Through Financial Aid Appeals
View webinar recording
The sudden onset and rapid spread of the coronavirus has caused many sudden changes to student and family finances. At the same time, students may not have the same level access to counselors and advisers that they did prior to social distancing. Yet research shows that students and their families know very little about their right to appeal financial aid awards as well as the process for doing so.
College Admissions: Supporting Low-Income Students
The New NACAC Deposit Fee Waiver Form and Other Useful Resources
View the recorded webinar
Social distancing in response to the coronavirus crisis has caused the loss of students’ and their families’ employment and changes to financial situations. In this webinar, Andrew Moe, director of admissions at Swarthmore, provided an overview of access issues in the admissions process as well as the many other micro-barriers students from low-income backgrounds face when applying to college.
Helping Students Apply and Pay for College
The College Board Opportunity Scholarship Program
View webinar recording
Program Update July 8, 2020
Due to the cancellation of the spring SAT administration, the College Board has updated the Opportunity Scholarships to ensure as many students as possible can take part in this program. Below are the new program updates:
What Admissions Professionals Want You to Know
Advice for School Counselors and Access Advisers During COVID-19
View webinar recording
The sudden onset and rapid spread of the coronavirus has caused many unforeseen consequences in (and rapid changes to) the college admissions process. In this webinar, Rick Clark, director of admissions at Georgia Tech and nationally-known author, shared the most up-to-date information that school counselors need to know about virtual interviews and campus visits, May deposit deadlines, incomplete high school transcripts, entrance exam testing, financial aid appeals and more.
Webinar Follow-Up: School Counseling From a Distance
Supporting Students During COVID-19
View the Webinar Recording
This webinar, hosted by SREB in
partnership with Common Application Inc. (Common App), built on
the previous webinar of the same name on how to provide school
counseling services virtually. In this webinar, a panel of
leading experts in school counseling shared their insights
on how they are supporting students’ academic, college/career,
and social-emotional needs when schools are closed or have moved
to online instruction.
School Counseling From a Distance
Supporting Our Students During COVID-19
View webinar recording
In this webinar, Brian Coleman of Chicago Public Schools and 2019 ASCA School Counselor of the Year, shared his insights on how to support students’ academic, college/career, and social-emotional needs when schools are closed or have moved to online instruction. Brian stressed the importance of having a strategy first before diving in. Important things to consider are the legal and ethical issues involved, school district policies, and what technology tools your students have access to.
Sample video. In this video, Mr. Coleman describes the Self-Assessment project for Juniors at Jones College Prep during the COVID-19 school closure.
The Benefits of Attending an HBCU
A Webinar for School Counselors and College Access Advisers
View webinar recording
In this webinar, representatives of Florida A&M University and Spelman College provide a look into the unique campus culture, academic learning environment and social experiences found at historically black colleges and universities. This webinar was designed for school counselors and college access advisers who work with students of color in order to help them become more familiar with the special opportunities HBCUs provide.
Understanding the Critical Role of Minority Serving Institutions
View webinar recording >
This webinar defined minority serving institutions and provided an overview of the various types of colleges that make up this group. Participants learned how these institutions contribute to student success and explored key policy issues pertaining to minority serving institutions at the state and federal level.
Moving Upward and Onward
Income Mobility at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
View webinar recording >
Presenters from American Institutes of Research and Rutgers University discussed the value of historically black colleges and universities to both students and to the field of postsecondary education. Presenters provided an overview of their research on how predominantly white institutions and HBCUs impact graduates’ economic mobility.
Federal Student Financial Aid
How to Support Students and Families Through the FAFSA Process
To prepare students and parents to complete the FAFSA form, it is critical to understand the barriers, the support needed and the resources available to navigate the financial aid process. This webinar provided guidance on how to support students and parents in complicated family or financial circumstances, such as students in foster care or experiencing homelessness, or dependent students who don’t live with their legal parents. Through a review of federal updates, frequently asked
Re-Engaging Adult Learners
Mississippi's Complete to Compete Campaign
“Complete 2 Compete” is a partnership between the eight public universities, 15 community colleges, and one medical center in MS. As part of C2C, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board partnered together to identify adult non-completers, categorize adults into target groups, launch a website and comprehensive marketing campaign, and provide support services to help adults complete their degrees.
Social Listening: Using Social Media Analytics in Research
View the webinar recording
Social listening a very inexpensive and quick way to conduct market research. It is a great tool for conducting qualitative research to better understand the students that college access programs are trying to serve in order to better design interventions and support programs that will need students’ needs.
Supporting and Engaging Generation Z Students
December 18, 2018
1:00PM – 2:00PM EST
This webinar, led by Rachel Weatherly, Director of Digital Communication Strategy at American University, outlined the key characteristics that define Generation Z, how these students differ from the Millennials Generation (Gen Y), how to communicate effectively with these students, and how to help them meet their postsecondary goals. Topics that were covered included:
Counselor Tools for Helping Students Understand Financial Aid
November 6, 2018
3:30PM – 4:30PM EST
Affordability is key for many students and families when choosing colleges. In this webinar, presenters outlined specific ways to approach the issue, including how to interpret, share, and translate information from tools like financial aid award letters, the College Scorecard, and net price calculators, and how to help students navigate the financial aid application process, even if they are selected for verification.
Reaching out to Reduce Melt: Strategies and Interventions for Student Success
August 16, 2018
1:00PM – 2:00PM EDT
Research finds that an estimated 10-20% of high school graduates who intend to go to college (and have been accepted) succumb to “summer melt” and never show up to campus in the fall.
How College Access Programs Can Partner with Schools: What Professional School Counselors Want You to Know
July 25, 2018
2:00PM – 3:00PM
Go Alliance continued its 2018 webinar series on how college access programs can partner, support, and more closely align with school counselors to better serve students.
A Win-Win for Students: How Michigan College Access Network Supports School Counselors
June 28, 2018
10 am – 11am EST
Go Alliance is hosting a three-part webinar series that will focus on how college access programs can partner, support, and more closely align with school counselors to better serve students.
College Signing Day 2018
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
3 pm – 4 pm EST
Mark your calendars! Reach Higher is celebrating the 5th National College Signing Day in May!
As you know, May 1st is the deadline by which many high school seniors tell colleges where they plan to attend in the fall. And we are thrilled to invite Go Alliance partners to join us again to host celebrations of support for all of your students who commit to continue their education after high school.
WEBINAR The Kresge FAFSA Completion Challenge: How 22 Cities Increased FAFSA Completion by High School Seniors
Friday, March 2, 2018
1 pm – 2 pm EST
In 2016-17, NCAN and The Kresge Foundation challenged 22 U.S. cities to raise FAFSA completion rates by at least 5 percent for the high school graduating class of 2017 over the completion rates for the class of 2015. Overall, the cities met this goal, and ten of the cities increased FAFSA completion by more than 6 percentage points.
Understanding ourselves in the Equity and Access Equation
Friday, January 19, 2018
11 am – noon EST
This presentation, led by Mark Williams, assistant professor at the Community College of Baltimore County, addressed the current and sometimes difficult conversation concerning the complexity of equity and its potential impact on implementing effective student support programs. This session provided an overview of background research on high impact practices and guided pathways as they relate to equity and provided a deeper understanding of equity’s role in designing effective high impact practices.
Increasing Postsecondary Access and Success: Tennessee Higher Education Commission
December 7th, 11 a.m. EST
To support Tennessee’s mission to increase the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary credential, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s (THEC) Division of College Access and Success was established in 2005 to bring together many of the state’s college access and success initiatives. The Division designs and implements programs and initiatives with the goal of empowering communities, local education agencies, and other partner organizations to create a statewide culture of college-going and attainment.
College Count$: Evidence of Impact
November 15, 3 p.m. EST
Since 2005, Arkansas Community Colleges have been at the forefront of an innovative welfare reform experiment that uses federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families welfare dollars) to send low-income Arkansans into the Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative leading to higher wage, high-demand jobs.
Using the Up Next Texting Tool to Increase FAFSA Completion
September 22, 2017
2 to 3 p.m. EDT
This webinar provided an overview of Up Next, a free tool for students and their families to help navigate the postsecondary planning, college application, and financial aid processes. Texting support can also help students stay in education after high school and complete a postsecondary credential.
Michigan College Access Network
Increasing Postsecondary Access and Success for all Students
This webinar, led by Executive Director Brandy Johnson, provided an overview of MCAN’s statewide strategy and programs.As the leader in the Michigan’s college access movement, Michigan College Access Network’s mission is to increase Michigan’s college readiness, participation and completion rates, particularly among low-income students, first-generation college going students, and students of color. MCAN’s strategies include the development of Local College Access Network, advocacy and leadership, coordination and partnerships, professional development, and statewide initiatives.
Effective Strategies to Increase FAFSA Completion
April 19, 2017
Go Alliance staff presented an strategic planning outline for how plan and implement a statewide FAFSA completion campaign. Representatives from Tennessee and West Virginia, who lead the nation in FAFSA completion rates, shared best practices, lessons learned, and effective strategies for engaging, training and supporting partners, as well as grassroots marketing tactics that compel students and families to take action.
Celebrate College Signing Day!
Former First Lady Michelle Obama is committed to helping students reach higher by completing their education past high school. She continues to celebrate College Signing Day to recognize the hard work of students who pursue and complete their postsecondary education, whether at a two-year school, four-year university, or through an industry recognized credential. Mrs. Obama will celebrate Signing Day 2017 on May 5th, and she encourages all schools and communities to celebrate their students, too.
1-2-3 Go! Virginia’s Three Steps to College: How Our Bundle Was Born
The 1-2-3 Go! initiative, spearheaded by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), includes three distinct components: Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC) College Nights events, Virginia College Application Week and the Super FAFSA Project. These three services provide students with critical assistance from counselors, advisers and experts on how to prepare, apply and ultimately pay for their higher education. The webinar occurred on November 10, 2016.
An Overview of Delaware’s College Access Programs
January 26, 2017
Karen Keegan and Julie Murawski of the Delaware Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, led a presentation on the Delaware Goes to College programs, including texting support, College Scholars, Getting to Zero campaign, Access to Opportunity Tour, and “Take the Leap! Be First” video series.
An Overview of LOSFA’s (Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance) College Access Programs
Tireka Cobb, Director of Field Outreach Services, and colleagues from LOSFA led a presentation on what they and their state partners are doing to increase postsecondary access and success. The webinar occurred on December 15, 2016. Topics included:
- Professional development
- Comprehensive mentoring
- TOPS/FAFSA/scholarship/financial literacy workshops
- College and career counseling and advising
- College and career access support
Early Awareness Strategies to Increase College Access and Success
October 4, 2016
Carrie Warwick and Bill DeBaun of the National College Access Network discussed best practices and recent research on the effectiveness of early awareness strategies. They also recommended policies to improve strategies at the state level and provided an overview of tools that practitioners can use in their work. Bill discussed how to measure the effectiveness of early awareness programs.
Understanding and Supporting LGBTQ Youth
Feb 26, 2016
This webinar provided an overall understanding of LGBTQ youth, the issues they face in education today, and what supports these students need in planning and applying to college. Specific topics that were addressed included:
• LGBTQ Student Needs
• Identity Development
• Considerations for Career and College Planning/College Advising
• High School Climate Changes
Presenter: Dr. Ken Jackson, Decatur High School (GA)
Developing a Strategic Inclusion and Diversity Action Plan: Lessons Learned From Research and Practice
In this webinar, Dr. Kyle Reyes showed how Utah Valley University developed and implemented a campus-wide, strategic inclusion and action plan to increase diversity and retention. Dr. Reyes addressed various phases of the planning process he used, including: guiding principles and questions, frameworks and structure, leadership and committees, target goals and timelines, action steps and deliverables, budget and resources, and accountability and assessment. In his presentation, Dr.
Increasing Degree Completion and Academic Success: How Georgia State is using Big Data to Make a Big Difference
Georgia State University in urban Atlanta has been recognized nationally for its work to improve retention and graduation rates, prevent students from taking unnecessary classes, and ultimately lower college costs and student-loan debt. In this webinar, Tim Renick and Allison Calhoun-Brown provided an overview of the steps they and their colleagues have taken to transform student success and Georgia State.
The Georgia State Story
Webinar: Strategies to Increase Parent Engagement in Postsecondary Planning
May 18, 2016
This webinar provided a brief overview of parent engagement strategies that have proven successful in the following programs:
Webinar: How to Help Homeless Students and Youth in Foster Care Succeed in Education After High School
Each year, approximately 1.5 million children and youth experience homelessness, and 400,000 youth are placed in foster care. This webinar provided a national overview of the academic and support needs of this student population, particularly in planning for, applying to, selecting, and successfully transitioning into education after high school. Presenters highlighted the promising support practices underway by NAEHCY, GEAR UP and other national and state programs. Topics covered included:
On-demand Webinar: State Policies That Support Effective School Counseling
February 4, 2016
This webinar provides an overview of state policies that grant students access to qualified, professional school counselors who help students plan for college and careers. The webinar also included an explanation of how each policy was planned and eventually enacted by state. Policies included in the discussion:
Career & College Impact of School Counselors
Misti Ruthven, Colorado Department of Education; Paula Gumina and Eve Pugh, Colorado Department of Higher Education
From policies to programs, Colorado school counselors have assisted in leading the career and college conversation from a state-based grant program to counseling standards and FAFSA completion. This high-level discussion shared Colorado’s strategies for aligning systems and reinforcing collaboration.
Launching Institution and Nonprofit Partnerships: Lessons Learned from College Advising Corps
Jennifer Cox Bell, College Advising Corps
In this webinar, Jennifer Cox Bell, National Director of Programs and Partnerships, offered perspective and lessons learned on starting multi-member partnerships anchored in higher education in addition to sharing insight on how College Advising Corps selects and helps launch programs at new partner institutions.
Razor C.O.A.C.H.: A University and High School Partnership Focused on College and Career Readiness
Josh Raney, University of Arkansas
The Razor C.O.A.C.H. program is a three-year, grant-funded partnership between the University of Arkansas Counselor Education program and local high schools to assist at-risk students in college and career planning.
Path to College: A Year of College Access Events for High School Students
Kate Derrick, Troy Grant and Mary Laphen, Tennessee Higher Education Commission
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission created a comprehensive, annual series of Path to College events to meet the needs of high school students: College Planning Nights, College App Week, College Goal Tennessee and College Signing Day.
Encouraging Collaboration and Data-Sharing in Utah through StepUP READY Grants
Christie Fox and Melissa Miller Kincart, Utah System of Higher Education
This presentation shared the process and outcomes of entering into data-sharing agreements with school districts to track student college-going patterns and first-year achievement data.
MoveED for Goal 2025
Rosa Zamora and Alayna Herr, MoveED
This webinar provided an overview of www.MoveEd.org, a new website sponsored by Lumina Foundation. MoveED brings together organizations committed to helping low-income students, students of color, first-generation students and adult learners attain a postsecondary credential.
Designing a College Access Website for the Mobile Age
Desiree Colonna, CEO, Bella Web Design
In this webinar, led by the CEO of the award-winning Bella Web Design, attendees learned how to get your college access site designed cleanly and optimized for a mobile world. Content covered how to design websites for a seamless mobile experience and how that design affects your visibility in Siri and Google searches, including:
Fostering Success Michigan
Maddy Day, Fostering Success Michigan
Fostering Success Michigan is a statewide initiative that aims to increase awareness of, access to and success in higher education and postsecondary opportunities among youth and alumni of foster care, by building a network to support college campuses and local community organizations.
Txt 4 Success! Two-Way Texting to Improve Matriculation and Persistence
Brian Kathman and Miranda Palter, Signal Vine
Making Sure They Make It: How Academic Mindsets and Support Programs Impact Postsecondary Success
This webinar provided an overview of how academic mindsets and other psychological factors impact student success at the postsecondary level. A summary of resesarch to date on postsecondary dropout prevention programs — what programs seem to be working and why — was presented, followed by a discussion of how similar programs can be implemented in postsecondary systems in SREB states.
Presenter: Alice Anne Bailey, SREB
There’s an App for That: Free or Low-Cost Technology to Manage Workflow
Never before has information been so prevalent and available. Never before have we had so many ways to connect with our stakeholders. And never before have we been so overwhelmed. Technology can help us to cope with information overload, manage workflow, and work more efficiently.
This webinar provided an overview of technology that can used to keep track of the latest research, collaborate with partners scattered across the country, and provide around-the-clock support for students.
Summer Melt and Beyond: How Technology-Based College Counseling Interventions Can Improve Postsecondary Outcomes
As a follow-up to last year’s presentation at the Go Alliance annual meeting, representatives from uAspire in Boston shared the latest information on how high school counselors are using a variety of outreach methods (phone, email, text and Facebook messaging) to stay in touch with low-income, college-bound students during the summer after high school graduation. As a result, college enrollment rates have increased significantly among students who would be the first in their families to attend postsecondary education.
The Nudge is Mightier than the Sword: The Future of SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing
Rand Fishkin, Moz
The days of bludgeoning algorithms, networks and people are over. Modern marketing in channels such as search engines, social media, content marketing and email requires subtle “nudges” to achieve success.
Insights from Behavioral Economics: Implications for College Access and Success
Anthony Barrows and Katie Martin, ideas42
Many well-intended programs have been designed to tackle the challenge of postsecondary completion, but few work as expected. Behavioral economics offers a reason why: People (students included) don’t behave the way we expect.