ACT Newsroom & Blog

IOWA CITY, Iowa—September 27— Today ACT, the nonprofit learning organization and provider of college and career readiness assessments, announced the appointment of three new board members who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience leading efforts to make education and training after high school more equitable, accessible, and successful for all students.

“The entire team at ACT is excited to welcome prominent leaders to our board who’ve been influential and meaningful leaders in the field,” said ACT CEO Janet Godwin. “They each have dedicated their careers to actively pursuing the kinds of policies, practices, and mindsets that create more equitable opportunities for all students. Their work aligns with ACT’s mission to help all people achieve education and workplace success, and we are honored that they will advise us as we continue our efforts to support learners and their champions.”

The new board members will serve a three-year term. They are:

Shirley M. Collado, president and CEO of College Track and president emerita of Ithaca College, is nationally known for designing and implementing innovative approaches that expand student access and success. Dr. Collado has previously served as president of Ithaca College, executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer at Rutgers University-Newark, dean of the college and vice president of student affairs at Middlebury, and executive vice president of The Posse Foundation, where she scaled its operations nationally. A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Collado is the first Dominican-American in the U.S. to serve as president of a four-year institution.

Jamie Merisotis is the president and CEO of Lumina Foundation, the nation’s largest private foundation committed solely to enrolling and graduating more adult students of color from college. Before joining Lumina in 2008, Merisotis was the founding president of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, an independent, nonpartisan organization regarded as one of the world’s premier education research and policy centers. Merisotis also served as executive director of the National Commission on Responsibilities for Financing Postsecondary Education, a bipartisan commission appointed by the U.S. president and congressional leaders. Jamie is also the author of two recent books: Human Work in the Age of Smart Machines and America Needs Talent.

Richard M. Rhodes is the chancellor of Austin Community College, where he has worked to improve pathways into higher education, strengthen awareness of the community college mission, and give students the tools to accomplish their educational, professional, and personal goals. He previously served as president of El Paso Community College. His professional associations include past chair of the American Association of Community Colleges; board member of the Texas Workforce Investment Council; and past chair of the Texas Association of Community Colleges.


###

About ACT
ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success. Grounded in more than 60 years of research, ACT is a trusted leader in college and career readiness solutions. Each year, ACT serves millions of students, job seekers, schools, government agencies, and employers in the U.S. and around the world with learning resources, assessments, research, and credentials designed to help them succeed from elementary school through career. Visit us at https://www.act.org/.


Media Contact
publicrelations@act.org

 

As we mark Hispanic Heritage Month, it’s important to understand the Hispanic population in the U.S. in order to better serve them. Of the 49.4 million public school students enrolled in pre-K through grade 12 in fall 2020, 13.8 million were Hispanic students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Between fall 2020 and fall 2030, the percentages of public elementary and secondary students who are white and Black are projected to decrease (from 46% to 43% and 15% to 14%, respectively). In contrast, NCES also notes that the percentage of students who are Hispanic is projected to increase (from 28% to 30%).Ensuring access to information is critical to students and families when making college and career pathway decisions. Providing content and information in Spanish is one way ACT is making sure families have information in a format they are comfortable using. That’s why ACT has developed a library of digital resources for Spanish-speaking students and their families that is presented in a variety of formats, including articles, e-books, and short videos.

Information is vital for helping students make the best of their high school years, and to help students and their families find and understand information on topics like paying for college, the benefits of dual enrollment classes, and an overview of actions to take with a check list and the specifics on what do during each of the four years of high school. Providing information in multiple formats, including videos, is a practical way of sharing sound information that will help Spanish-speaking students and their families make solid decisions during the path to college and career. Moreover, having students access this information in Spanish can help them and their families more effectively access information they otherwise have not been able to use. Each video is less than five minutes in length and provides practical tips and information that can make planning for college less overwhelming.

These short videos get to the crux of what students and their families should think about and decide throughout the four years of high school, especially for students entering who may not know what to focus on for each year of school. Providing this information early on provides both the information and focus that empowers students to better make decisions and choices that will affect their readiness and their future upward mobility potential.

As we mark Hispanic Heritage Month, let’s celebrate the Latinx community and the many assets they bring to our country. Providing content to our Spanish-speaking community is one way ACT can demonstrate our commitment to helping them achieve education success. These resources (and ones we will continue to develop) help support our students and families keep the pathways of information, access, and support moving forward. We celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and look forward to collaborating with the Latinx community and those stakeholders who serve them this month, next month, and every month, all year long.

Half a million students expected to participate in American College Application Campaign that expands access to college degrees

IOWA CITY, Iowa (September 16, 2022) — Today, ACT’s American College Application Campaign (ACAC) launched its annual #WhyApply campaign, which celebrates college application season and students who are beginning their college journeys by applying to college.

“#WhyApply is a signal to the Class of 2023 that they have a support network when applying to college,” said Lisa King, director of the ACAC, which runs #WhyApply. “We know the reasons that can stop a student from applying to college all too well: systemic barriers creating inequality in college access; doubts about whether a degree is worth the cost; fears about the application process; confusion about how to apply; or concerns they can’t afford a college application fee or the cost of college. #WhyApply gives students living proof that they are surrounded by adults who have dealt with the same issues and who are in their corner to help them succeed.”

The #WhyApply effort is sponsored by the American College Application Campaign, a major initiative of ACT’s Center for Equity in Learning, and works alongside thousands of high schools across the country each fall to host events supporting students through the college application process.

“The college application process can be confusing and daunting for students, and ACT will continue trying to reach each high school senior to help them with submitting at least one college application,” said ACT CEO Janet Godwin. “#WhyApply is an annual call to action for all of us to work harder to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from low-income families pursuing a college degree or other higher education credential.”

This year, 6,000 high schools are expected to host application completion events reaching nearly 500,000 students between September and December as part of the campaign, which will increase the number of first-generation college students and students from low-income families pursuing a college degree or other higher education credential.

“Showing students that others have already applied and completed college and that this does not need to be scary can go a long way toward removing barriers for many students,” said Erica Hampton, a school counselor at Liberty High School in West Virginia, at an event marking the launch of this year’s campaign. “And we all can help and play a role in removing barriers by creating an atmosphere where students feel comfortable being themselves; where they can ask questions and not feel like this is something they should already know.”

By removing the barriers that often prevent some students from applying to college, ACAC aims to ensure that all high school seniors complete at least one college application. Since the national campaign’s inception in 2005, nearly 4 million students have applied to college.

On #WhyApply Day:

Black students most optimistic about most life outcomes, including having a better life than their parents; family income found to be related to students’ levels of optimism about their futures

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Current high school students are optimistic about their chances of experiencing 17 future life outcomes, including having a well-paying career, owning a home, and having good health, according to a new report from ACT, the nonprofit organization that administers the ACT college readiness exam. The report also suggests that students believe they have many positive things to look forward to despite the challenges and stress of the pandemic.

“The study shows that members of Generation Z are, on average, optimistic about their own futures, convinced that they will have financial stability, happy families, and positive social connections,” said ACT CEO Janet Godwin. “Today’s high school students are hopeful of achieving the kinds of outcomes that define a successful life.”

High school students were generally optimistic about the future, with an average rating of 4.01 on a 1-5 scale, aligned with the scale’s “high” chances category, and more than 80 percent of students reporting high levels of optimism that their lives would turn out well overall.

The study, High School Students’ Perspectives on Their Futures, examined students’ perspectives on their futures and how students’ backgrounds, such as family income and race/ethnicity, affected their outlooks. A random sample of students was surveyed in February 2022 and asked about their chances of experiencing future outcomes, such as having an enjoyable career, being able to own a home, and being in good health. Students were also asked if their chances of experiencing these outcomes would have been different (more positive or less positive) if they had been asked about them two years ago, before the pandemic began.

“We found that the pandemic had little effect on optimism for most students. It did not affect most students’ outlooks on important events, like having a fulfilling career and being able to save, invest, and retire, and this was consistent across racial and ethnic groups and family income category,” said ACT lead research scientist Jeff Schiel, who conducted the study. “However, 19% of students reported that their outlooks would have been somewhat more positive before the pandemic began, and 9% percent reported that their outlooks would have been a lot more positive, suggesting that for nearly one-third of students, the pandemic might have had a negative influence.”

The study found racial/ethnic differences in student optimism. Black students had higher estimated chances of experiencing 15 of the 17 future outcomes, on average, than did students in other racial/ethnic groups. And irrespective of family income category, Black students reported the highest estimates, on average, of the chances of having a better life than their parents had or of their children having a better life than they have had. In comparison, white students reported the lowest estimates, on average, of experiencing these outcomes. For all future outcomes, Black students in the low-income category had higher average estimates of the chances of each outcome happening than did students of other races/ethnicities in that same income category. Asian students across all family income categories reported noticeably lower estimated chances of having careers that they enjoy and happy family lives, on average, than did students of other races/ethnicities.

Student optimism was found to vary based on family income, a measure of socioeconomic status. For example, students with low reported family income indicated that they only had about a 50-50 chance of having adequate financial resources to complete college, on average, while students with high reported family income indicated that their average chances were high. The study found that family income is related to student optimism, irrespective of race/ethnicity, and that family income was a statistically significant, although not particularly strong, predictor of students’ estimated chances for 13 of the 17 future outcomes. Family income was not a statistically significant predictor for having steady employment throughout your career, having a happy family life, having hobbies you enjoy, and life turning out well overall.

Key findings:

• High school students in this study were generally optimistic about the future. Means for the 17 future outcomes ranged from 3.68 (chances of having adequate financial resources to complete college) to 4.32 (chances of having enjoyable hobbies) on a five-point scale. The typical mean across all outcomes was 4.01, which aligned with the scale’s “high” chances category.
• Consistent with previous research, student optimism was found to vary based on a measure of socioeconomic status, family income. For example, students’ estimates of the chances that they would have adequate financial resources to complete college varied considerably across reported family income category.
• For some students in this study, the future seemed somewhat less promising. A notable proportion of students (28 percent) reported that their estimates of the chances of future outcomes would have been somewhat or a lot more positive if they had made their estimates before the COVID-19 pandemic began. For 15 of the outcomes, these students’ estimates were significantly lower than those of students who reported that their estimates would have been about the same if made before the pandemic began. These formerly positive students might have had very different experiences and/or more challenges during the pandemic than did their peers, which in turn could have led to their noticeably different perspectives on the future.
• Analyses by race/ethnicity revealed that, for nine of the future outcomes (career that pays well, career you enjoy, steady employment during career, live wherever you want to in the country, hobbies you enjoy, financial resources to retire comfortably, better life than parents had, children will have a better life, and life turns out well overall), Black students had statistically significantly higher estimates, on average, of experiencing each outcome than did students of other races/ethnicities.
• When the data were examined by race/ethnicity and family income, a remarkable finding was observed among low-income students: Black students in the low-income category were more optimistic about their futures than were students of other races/ethnicities in that same income category.

###

About ACT

ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success. Grounded in more than 60 years of research, ACT is a trusted leader in college and career readiness solutions. Each year, ACT serves millions of students, job seekers, schools, government agencies and employers in the US and around the world with learning resources, assessments, research and credentials designed to help them succeed from elementary school through career. Visit us at www.act.org.

Contact: ACT Media Relations; publicrelations@act.org