Local Policy & Advocacy
College Now is committed to increasing rates of postsecondary attainment. Higher education attainment leads to larger salaries, reduced unemployment rates, greater health status and higher rates of productivity. More employers are demanding college degrees or postsecondary credentials and this demand will grow exponentially over the next several decades.
The postsecondary attainment rate in Cleveland is especially low (27%) and though it increases for Northeast Ohio (41%), it is still below the state-wide rate (44%) and the national rate (47%) – and well below the level needed for jobs across the state. Moreover, an increase of just 1% in postsecondary attainment in the region would have a $2.8 billion impact on individuals, families and employers across the region.
Policy Priorities
College Now meets regularly with the mayor and members of the Cleveland City Council and Cuyahoga County Council to brief them on the impact of our work and to ensure the needs of their individual constituencies are being met through College Now’s services.
Highlights
- College Now CEO Lee Friedman is a member of the Executive Committee governing Cleveland’s postsecondary attainment initiative, The Higher Education Compact. She is also a Board member of The Cleveland Transformation Alliance, a public-private partnership dedicated to growing a portfolio of quality district and charter schools in Cleveland.
- College Now played a significant role as one of the six convening partners to launch Say to Education-Cleveland, a collective impact model for students attending the Cleveland Metropolitan school District. In addition to providing college and career access advising services to CMSD students, College Now will administer the Say Yes Cleveland scholarship and provide mentors to Say Yes scholarship recipients through the College Now Mentoring Program.