Supporting Postsecondary Readiness in Rural Communities Video
This 55-minute webinar from One Goal explores how rural school districts might support postsecondary planning and readiness. Drawing from the experiences of rural districts in Kentucky and Texas, the panelists explore challenges that rural districts face: high student-to-counselor ratios, fewer opportunities for college-level coursework, under-resourced college and career readiness programs, and limited proximity to college campuses. The panelists address these challenges from an asset-based perspective that sees the strengths of rural districts to build community and collaborative partnerships. They emphasize the need for strong postsecondary advising to increase awareness, alignment across high school and colleges/universities, and state-level policies that provide funding to participate in college and career readiness programs and dual credit courses. The webinar concludes with recommendations for local and state policymakers, and school and district leaders, to build school and industry partnerships for internships, outline employability skills of high school graduates, and build systemic solutions to enhance academic outcomes.