Why the Need for Oasis College Connection?
Research shows that early in their middle and high school careers, the vast majority of students—regardless of race or class—aspire to attain some sort of post-secondary education. Career visioning, college discussions, college visits and the cultivation of college aspiration help our youth stay focused on school and dedicated to their own individual growth.
Most services currently provided to Nashville youth are concentrated on encouraging students to aspire to post-secondary education and helping them academically achieve. Services offered decline and become increasingly remote as the complexity of the admissions and financial aid process increases. The “gap” in services requires an organization that can fill the skill set gap, provide experience and expertise, and act as a referral source when the issue becomes better addressed by another community expert.
Oasis College Connection program services, following the National College Access Network's model of “Six A’s,” will lead to an increase in students attaining a college degree and the practical skills required to advocate for themselves as their educational careers continue.
The Six A’s
Aspiration
Research shows that early in their middle and high school careers, the vast majority of students regardless of race or class aspire to attain some sort of post-secondary education.
Achievement
OCC will encourage student achievement as a necessary and fundamental component of the pathway to college.
Awareness
For many low-income and first-generation students, the lack of accurate and timely information about college often turns the aspiration of their early youth into hopelessness. OCC believes that with the right information at the right time and with the right support, college can become a reality for many students who may otherwise lose hope.
Affordability
A primary reasons many low-income families give up on college aspirations is a belief that they cannot afford it. With timely planning, accurate communication with families, and last-dollar scholarships, OCC will close the financial gaps for low-income students.
Actualization
Many low-income and first-generation students who are accepted to college never matriculate. OCC believes that with proper planning and direct support for the transition from high school to college, students accepted to college will have a dramatically improved chance of matriculating.
Attainment
The majority of low-income and first-generation students who enroll in college never actually graduate with a degree. OCC will improve retention for these students by proper planning and the emphasis on matching students with the right schools for them.
History: If not for the youth driven effort, it wouldn't exist.
College Access: From the Inside Out (click here for the report)
In 2006, a group of students from Oasis Community Impact began researching the issue of college access for low-income, first-generation students in Nashville’s schools. After 16 months of research, these students from two of Metro Nashville Public School’s most challenging high schools with the highest levels of poverty wrote and published a report entitled “College Access: from the Inside Out.” This report analyzed the opportunities and gaps for students in these schools by examining teacher/administrator expectations and the role of guidance counselors. With this report in hand the students began advocating to anyone who would listen for increased college support in their schools. The results included additional investments in the guidance staffing, the development of a citywide committee that invested in a College Access Gap Analysis, and a dramatic increase in college admission rates.
National College Access Network Gap Analysis for Davidson County (click here for the report)
The National College Access Network (NCAN) was invited by Alignment Nashville to conduct a gap analysis on the college access environment in Davidson County. The purpose of this gap analysis was to assess the feasibility of establishing a college access initiative that could potentially serve all students and families in Davidson County. The three sections of the report examine (1) the environmental scan of Davidson County; (2) the summary of the NCAN gap analysis toolkit surveys of organizations providing college access services; and (3) preliminary recommendations.The gap study was conducted in 2006-07.
