Insight into the trends and challenges of current and potential students has become vital as higher education institutions strive to regain their footing on the tailcoats of a global pandemic.
Recent national enrollment statistics indicate a sharp downward trend, with student enrollment numbers nearly 10% less for Fall 2021 enrollment in comparison to Fall 2019, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. No sector of higher education has remained unscathed by enrollment drop-off, with public four-year institutions seeing detrimental declines in numerical enrollment and private four-year institutions experiencing steep percentage decreases.
Moreover, where community colleges have experienced a relatively smaller reduction of enrollment rates, the number of students seeking associate degrees at four-year colleges has plummeted significantly. Implications of these statistical reports are far reaching, and, now more than ever, higher education leaders and faculty members must assess the needs of their student body and incoming classes in order to formulate an action plan to ensure student success.
Research on the decline of student enrollment demonstrates that students who come from rural backgrounds are a particularly vulnerable population, a population that comprises nearly a third of the nation’s high school students. Data indicate that just over 30% of young adults from these areas are currently enrolled in some kind of college institution. Not only are youth from remote areas less likely to enroll in postsecondary schooling, but program completion rates are also strikingly low. Considering that postsecondary education continues to be indicative of future income and livelihood, these numbers are not only startling, but a call to action.
RootEd Alliance is an organization that is trying to address this situation. Grown out of the collective belief in the power of education, rootEd Alliance is dedicated to its mission to change the outcome for rural students across the nation. Founded in 2018, the philanthropic organization partners with local and national consortiums to improve student career outlooks by paving a clear path to a better future.
RootEd Alliance funds, trains, and places dedicated college and career advisors to assist high school students in realizing their potential, effectively equipping students with the tools they need to pursue their dreams. With this holistic approach, rootEd Alliance’s model meets high school students where they’re at and helps them better prepare for college and the workforce.
“Students in rural settings have long faced unique barriers to postsecondary education and training. Research shows that not only are rural students less likely to enroll in college than their peers, but those who do enroll are less likely to finish,” according to Noa Meyer, president of rootEd Alliance and partner and head of philanthropy and social impact at BDT & Company, in a prepared statement. “RootEd Alliance is dedicated to ensuring these students have the support they need to chart a path toward prosperity for themselves and their communities. We’ve seen success in our efforts to date and are thrilled to expand our reach,” Meyer said.
The success Meyer references is the fact that there is a 7% increase of college enrollment for graduating seniors at high schools where rootEd has disseminated their model. Where national trends for college enrollment are spiraling down since 2019, rootEd Alliance is torpedoing upward with students in hand.
Missouri is among the states to see an expansion in the number of students and schools served by rootEd Alliance this year. In fall 2021, rootEd Alliance partnered with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Ozarks Technical Community College to launch a statewide initiative to hire, train, and place advisors in at least 135 additional rural high schools by 2023, according to the organization.
“As we continue to navigate the impact of the pandemic on our workforce, now more than ever, it is critical to support our students to build a bridge from high school to lifelong success," said Missouri Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven, in a prepared statement. "Placing dedicated college and career advisors in rural high schools provides students in rural communities exposure and access to a variety of postsecondary opportunities. rootEd Alliance offers an achievable, scalable solution.”