BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — School districts have a new resource to help their students get ready for college or trade schools. 13 counties will participate in a statewide effort to receive professional coaching at the district level. The goal is to prepare schools to teach students some important tasks as they get ready for college including how to fill out an application, ask for recommendations and plan for deadlines. 

 “That early and often exposure to advising and information, because a lot of our families, it’s not because they don’t value or care, they just don’t know. They truly just don’t know about the opportunities,” Amanda Ellis, vice president of K-12 policies and programs at the Council of Post Secondary Education, said. 

The non-profit, One Goal, uses high-quality education tools and career planning services to provide low-income areas the possibility to earn a degree in higher education. And they report that only about 22% of students from low-income communities earn a bachelor’s or associate degree, compared to 67% of their peers from high-income areas.

“Districts that have limited access to probably business or industry or post-secondary institutions and so, they’re real challenges and so hopefully this partnership will help strengthen that,” Ellis said. 

The multi-year project allows these 13 school districts to receive support from OneGoal at no cost for two years through federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds from the Kentucky Department of Education. The goal is that students who take part in the program will find themselves better prepared for what comes after high school, which will have a lasting impact on their futures and the communities where they live.  

The participating counties are Allen, Barren, Christian, Clark, Cumberland, Danville Independent, Harlan Independent, Jenkins Independent, Lincoln, Ludlow Independent, Monroe, Warren and Washington counties.