Power of YOU receives first yearly review

--Andrea Jackley

The Power of YOU is a program sponsored by Metropolitan State University , Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC) and St. Paul College that provides two years of tuition-free higher education to public or alternative high school graduates from the Minneapolis and St. Paul area.

The program is designed to “to raise awareness that a college education is essential to earning a living wage and to significantly increase the post-secondary participation rates of Minneapolis and St. Paul public high school students, particularly those of color,” according to Metropolitan State’s The Power of You Web site, http://www.metrostate.edu/powerofyou.

A program evaluation conducted by Wilder Research, of the nonprofit Amherst H. Wilder Foundation health and human services organization, asked key questions in order to accurately assess the impact of The Power of YOU program.

These questions asked in the evaluation, outlined in the interim report, included among others: What is the impact of The Power of YOU program on increasing the college enrollment of underrepresented Minneapolis and Saint Paul high school students? How did Power of YOU students perform academically in their first year of college? What factors, including The Power of YOU services, are related to students’ academic progress and performance? What are the perspectives of key stakeholders (students, high school and college personnel) on the program? How might the Power of YOU program be strengthened or improved?

Since The Power of YOU was implemented, the number of Minneapolis and St. Paul high school graduates enrolled at St. Paul College and MCTC doubled as of the fall of 2006. The results of the study concluded that “4 in 5 Power of YOU students reported that the program influenced their decision to enroll in college, with the offer of financial assistance being the major influence.” Thirty percent of participants felt The Power of YOU made it possible for them to attend college.

Metropolitan area graduates enrolled in the MnSCU system increased by 200. In addition, “Power of YOU students had an overall retention rate of 85 percent during the first year, higher than their classmates and prior cohorts.”

The study also revealed some weaknesses, including the preparedness of Minneapolis and St. Paul graduates for college. Only 35 percent of these students felt that their high school adequately prepared them for the higher education experience. Forty-one percent of involved high school faculty felt they were preparing The Power of YOU students properly for college, while only eight percent of involved college faculty felt the students were prepared.