College Readiness

Internationals Network’s College Readiness Initiative links and supports International High School activities that promote a greater awareness of postsecondary educational access and success for immigrant English language youth. College readiness entails promoting an early awareness of the U.S. postsecondary system; strengthening content and language development in preparation for postsecondary success; and a program of transition into the postsecondary system. Our Initiative builds on the assets of the immigrant experience and aligns that experience with a successful integration into college and/or the world of work.

The Network team supports varied and changing activities and projects at school levels including:

• developing tools for disseminating information to parents about college (i.e., native language information regarding college requirements, financial aid information, information for undocumented students and their families)
• supporting schools in organizing trips for students and family members to colleges
• preparing tools for Internationals faculty and staff to use in work with students to support them in the college application process
• efforts to coordinate and pool resources and advocacy efforts with colleges, such as the Internationals Network College Fair (undertaken as resources at the school and network level permit)
• building on immigrant students assets in order to strengthen language and content development in preparation for post-secondary success

In addition, we have begun an important initiative with the National Student Clearinghouse. Now implemented in its pilot phase, we are working closely with several of our schools and the Clearinghouse to improve the data system so that it accurately reflects the post-secondary trajectories of our recently arrived immigrant youth. The pilot is our effort to align basic school data with the NSC in a way that captures the diversity of our population into and through the postsecondary system. Gathering this type of longitudinal data will help us develop a gauge from which we will further refine our college ready curriculum to meet the diverse needs of our student population. We are also providing feedback to the NSC which assists in refining their tracking systems. As we advocate for the need to disaggregate data more effectively, we are more effectively able to track diverse groups of immigrant youth into colleges.