The Niswonger Foundation is committed to the schools in Northeast Tennessee as they work to develop a stronger college-going and career ready culture and the expectation for post-secondary education for all students. This commitment aligns with Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam’s “Drive to 55” campaign – with a goal that 55% of Tennesseans will have a post-secondary credential by 2025. A lesson learned from the Foundation’s i3 Investing in Innovation grant was that post-secondary and career counselors are vital to building and sustaining a college-going and career ready culture, ensuring that students have every opportunity to seek a post-secondary credential.
Without a partner, the Niswonger Foundation and the school systems of Northeast Tennessee would have been unable to sustain the post-secondary and career advisement that was supported through the i3 grant funds. The Niswonger Foundation sought a partner to join in this effort, and received a grant from the Care Foundation of America to sustain this work. This partnership has resulted in a two-year 1.3 million dollar grant. NiswongerCare program was initiated for the 2015-16 school year. This program will serve 31 high schools and 30,000 high school students.
Without a partner, the Niswonger Foundation and the school systems of Northeast Tennessee would have been unable to sustain the post-secondary and career advisement that was supported through the i3 grant funds. The Niswonger Foundation sought a partner to join in this effort, and received a grant from the Care Foundation of America to sustain this work. This partnership has resulted in a two-year 1.3 million dollar grant. NiswongerCare program was initiated for the 2015-16 school year. This program will serve 31 high schools and 30,000 high school students.
As the current i3 grant was ending, the Niswonger Foundation and leaders from the consortium schools identified the college and career counselors as a highly effective component they were eager to sustain. Professional counselors have been serving each school to focus exclusively on the essential elements of this program which includes assisting students with post-secondary education choices, creating a career-focused plan with students, supporting the logistics of carrying out students’ plans (including applications, financial aid, campus visits, interpreting correspondence from institutions, and tracking progress), and continual encouragement for high school grads and parents with a summer program that extends services to support recent graduates to their matriculation into post-secondary institutions in the fall.
Based on the experience of the Niswonger Foundation and other successful college advising programs (such as the College Advising Corps³), the new NiswongerCARE program will increase student access to college and career advising. The staffing includes a director, two master’s prepared counselors, eight baccalaureate level specialists, and six interns (from the graduate counseling programs at Carson-Newman University, East Tennessee State University, and Milligan College).
Based on the experience of the Niswonger Foundation and other successful college advising programs (such as the College Advising Corps³), the new NiswongerCARE program will increase student access to college and career advising. The staffing includes a director, two master’s prepared counselors, eight baccalaureate level specialists, and six interns (from the graduate counseling programs at Carson-Newman University, East Tennessee State University, and Milligan College).
This innovative staffing model serves more than the purpose of assisting high school students with career and post-secondary education planning. Using a purposeful design of professional counselors, less experienced/near-peer/new professionals, and graduate school interns, the program will function as a training and development opportunity for a new generation of young professionals who will be serving Northeast Tennessee beyond the scope of this grant. For those who will continue in school counseling, they will have gained a wealth of practical experience and professional development opportunities. This is also the most cost-effective program model.
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