For Immediate Release: March 13, 2008

Contacts: Greg Harris, KnowledgeWorks Foundation, 513.929.4777 & Kimberly Gormley, Ohio College Access Network, 614.947.3504

Ohio College Access Network (OCAN) increasing low-income and minority student participation rates in higher education

CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Ohio College Access Network Project appears to be having an appreciable positive effect on the rates of Ohio's high school students going to college, according to a recent study by University of Cincinnati.
In "The Ohio College Access Network Program Is Working: A Brief Overview of Results of Analysis of Available Data," researchers P. Neal Ritchey, Ph.D. and Steven Howe, Ph.D., find that high schools with an OCAN program had an 3.8% increase in average college-going rate among its graduates - 35% as opposed to 31.2% per school among high schools without a program.

This increase is especially noteworthy when considering OCAN programs are housed within high schools that are under academic duress with notably larger minority (26.7% black) and economically disadvantaged (35.6%) student populations. In high schools that fit this demographic profile, college-going rates increase to 25.9% for high schools with an OCAN program versus 16.9% for high schools without an OCAN program.

OCAN's success in increasing low-income and minority student participation in higher education would appear to be among the factors contributing to Ohio's ranking fifth nationally in the rate of increase according a recent analysis, "College Participation Rates for Students from Low Income Families by State," published in the research newsletter, Postsecondary Education Opportunity. From FY2002 to FY2005, Ohio's overall rank improved from 21st to 15th nationally in overall low income participation in higher education according to the study.

"OCAN college access programs have not only achieved their goal of increasing college-going rates, but also increased high school graduation rates by an average 4.5%. By educating more Ohioans at the high school and college levels OCAN positively impacts the lives of individual citizens as well as helps strengthen Ohio's workforce and economic stability," said Dr. Reginald Wilkinson, OCAN President & CEO.

OCAN, through its member organizations, has provided college access services to more than 800,000 Ohioans since its inception in 1999; this includes more than 450,000 high school students. This past academic year the Network reached out to 175,000 students in 46 counties. Services include motivating students to pursue college and earn a degree, counseling students how to apply for college and financial aid, and supporting students with scholarships, internships and college retention services.
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 is the first and leading 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 300 of Ohio's 612 school districts, and 17 private/parochial schools.