January 18, 2008
Contact: Kimberly Gormley
Director, Marketing & Communications
Ohio College Access Network
614.947.3504 (Office) or 614.668.2954 (Mobile)

Ashtabula, Cleveland Recognized for Outstanding College Access Programs

Columbus, Ohio – ACCESS Ashtabula and Cleveland Scholarship Program join Ohio College Access Network’s (OCAN) leading member programs by earning the prestigious Seal of Good Practice for exceptional success providing low-income, underserved youth and adults the opportunity to go to college.

According to the Institute for Education Policy in a study released last month, only 45 percent of parents who expect their children to go to college have taken any college planning actions such as looking into the college admissions process, doing research on specific colleges, or meeting with a teacher or counselor to make sure their child was adequately prepared for college in the years ahead. And, those with lower levels of education were much less likely than the better educated to have such information access.

ACCESS Ashtabula and Cleveland Scholarship Program along with OCAN’s 33 other community-based member college access programs, strive to eliminate these barriers in Ohio’s most low-income, uneducated regions. These programs are successful in augmenting the work of parents, schools districts and guidance counselors by filling the gaps in the college planning process. ACCESS Ashtabula serves schools in the largest geographic county in Ohio where nearly 90 percent of students who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are eligible for financial aid and Cleveland Scholarship Program awarded nearly $3 million in need-based scholarships last year to students in one of Ohio’s most impoverished cities.

The success of OCAN member organizations often depends on public confidence and support. With the OCAN Seal of Good Practice, member programs are recognized for their many achievements and business-like approach to enriching society through education.

The OCAN Seal of Good Practice was developed to establish a model for how well-managed college access programs should operate. To be eligible for the Seal, OCAN Traditional Member Programs must have demonstrated that they are healthy and trusted organizations that attain five key areas of organizational operations including organized strategic planning and a clear mission, appropriate governance, stable financial management, strong organizational policy, and an established data tracking mechanism that measures program outcomes. The Seal is good for three years and will expire in December 2010.  

"I am confident these programs will continue providing exceptional services that help students understand the steps to college at an early age, counsel them through the financial aid and college application process and support them through college graduation. The Seal of Good Practice ensures their internal operations are in order so that students can receive the most effective assistance possible," said Reginald A. Wilkinson, Ed.D., President and CEO of OCAN.

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The Ohio College Access Network (OCAN) was founded in 1999, by KnowledgeWorks Foundation, in collaboration with the Ohio Board of Regents, the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Business Roundtable.  OCAN works to establish college access programs across the state and is the first statewide coordinating body for college access programs in the nation. The goal of the organization is to help more Ohio students pursue postsecondary education through the work of local college access programs, which provide financial aid advising, last dollar grants, career guidance, and other services.  Currently, 36 college access programs serve nearly 200 of Ohio’s 612 school districts, and 17 private/parochial schools in 46 counties touching nearly 175,000 students annually. For more information visit: www.ohiocan.org.