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The College Readiness for All Toolbox is currently in use across the country at the school, district, and state levels. Lessons Learned includes:
- PCN College Readiness Action Steps - Identifies the critical steps, the research base, the general tasks, and the College Readiness for All tools that are most appropriate for each step.
- Making a Difference - Taking Action - A how-to section illustrating one action approach for making a difference.
- Examples and Stories - Shares the examples and stories of states, districts, and schools that are already implementing the research-based best practices and strategies found in the PCN Action Framework and the Change Process.
- Research - Papers synthesizing PCN research.
This section is designed to answer the questions:
Who can use the toolbox?
Any person responsible for college readiness and access can and should use the toolbox. This includes policymakers, district and school leaders, high school counselors, teachers, postsecondary institution personnel and pre-collegiate student development program leaders. The toolbox will be used best when it is part of a team effort that focuses on coordination and interdependence.
Why use the toolbox?
The toolbox has proven to be an easy-to-use set of strategies and tools capable of meeting differing organizational needs. The toolbox has been successfully used from the state to the school level and from the urban to the rural setting. User’s of the toolbox list the following reasons as to why the toolbox should be included in change efforts focused on increasing preparation for work and postsecondary education:
- The toolbox is based on a comprehensive research-based framework that specifically focuses on the needs of the underserved student in preparing for life beyond high school whether it is a family-wage job or postsecondary education.
- The toolbox is specifically intended to bridge the gap between policy, research and practice.
- The toolbox provides specific support matched to the organizational development level and needs. The tools are flexible and can be individualized to specific organizational needs and environments.
- The toolbox provides multiple entry points and effective communication tools designed to build collaborative relationships between policymakers, education leaders and practitioners, outreach professionals and the larger community.
- The toolbox supports the users and the greater community to focus on strengths in a "moment of change."
- The PCN framework and toolbox can be integrated and used in conjunction with other school efforts already underway. The toolbox empowers users to meet Federal, state and district mandates for increasing student achievement and performance
- Toolbox users experience the opportunity to experience “quick wins” and maintain a clear focus on their goals.
- The toolbox is structured in a manner to disperse leadership, not always expecting the person in position power to be the leader. In this way, the toolbox can be used at the school, school district or community level to create the conditions for change in a program, a school or across a district.
How is the toolbox most effectively used?
The toolbox is designed as a menu of interconnected strategies and tools that can be used separately, in sets, and as a whole. No organization, whether it is a state, postsecondary institution, school district or school, will be at the same development level. The intent of providing a menu of strategies and tools is to provide flexibility within a research-based framework so that the attempt to increase postsecondary preparation can be embedded in present reform or redesign efforts.
Based on the PCN Action Framework, a set of research-based, interactive best practices and strategies, the Toolbox provides an easy to use process for creating change. The toolbox guides the process of change by providing a context for change, examples of best practices and assessment tools for determining present level of use, and tools for managing the change. The toolbox is meant to help build on strengths that are in place and expand collaborative work in order to share the responsibility for increasing college readiness.
The toolbox is designed for use in different ways. The information and tools can be used to:
- Increase awareness about the needs of underserved students and open a dialog about what is possible for students,
- Challenge present belief systems and create an urgency for change,
- Leverage policy development to focus on preparing students for high paying jobs and postsecondary education,
- Collect and analyze data in order to set new goals for student college readiness and,
- Support the development of action plans to immediately begin to increase college readiness for all students.
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