For the Educational Opportunity Centers project, it is important to note that during the 2022-2023 project year, the EOC was still operating in a global pandemic that resulted in lower postsecondary educational enrollments nationally. Additionally, a return to remote work was required due to the Leo...
For the Educational Opportunity Centers project, it is important to note that during the 2022-2023 project year, the EOC was still operating in a global pandemic that resulted in lower postsecondary educational enrollments nationally. Additionally, a return to remote work was required due to the Leominster campus closure for complete renovations making it difficult to conduct outreach and recruit participants.
The College is taking the following steps for EOC:
1) Return to fully in-person work (done)
2) Achieve full staffing (staffing continues to be a challenge in the current labor market with continual staff turnover)
3) Pursue new and renew community partnerships disrupted by the global pandemic (ongoing)
4) Implement new events (FAFSA Friday workshops, FAFSA completion with meal events, career/interest assessment workshops, adding tabling events – open houses, college fairs, community days, etc.)
The College is taking the following steps for the North Central MA Talent Search Program (NCMTS) -
The College is taking the following steps for NCMTS:
5) Staff will work in teams to recruit as well as working with the school districts to raise the profile of our recruitment process, creating more opportunities for families to become aware of the program, integrating program offerings into regular parent/guardian communications. We have had a number of recruitment efforts across all partnering NCMTS Schools, attending parent teacher conferences with recruitment tables, as well as having a table at open houses, meet the teacher’s nights, back to school nights etc.
6) Strategy meetings with the new administrations at Murdock Middle High School in Winchendon and existing Clinton Middle School Administrations have taken place to build collaborative approaches to student recruitment and address challenges staff are experiencing in meeting with students at those particular schools.
7) Hire Staff – as of March 2024, NCMTS is now fully staffed, with 2.5 FTE staff working directly in partnering schools.
8) Increase our outreach to students and families in and out of school. Outreach events have started taking place during Teen Nights at ‘the Hub’ in Winchendon, a community event space that is open for teens on the weekends. We have spoken at the HEAL Winchendon community breakfasts to spread the word about the program and have spoken at teacher professional development days to ensure that teachers understand the impact of TRIO for their students.
9) Increase in school workshops and increase recruitment opportunities – Lunch meetings with students as well as recruitment efforts at lunches. Working with sports coaches to promote team effort through workshops designed specifically for our TRIO students on those teams as well as recruiting other members of those teams.
10) Provide monthly updates to staff members on students’ recruitment progress and review of services provided to existing TRIO students, holding staff accountable for performance and ensuring transparency of expectations.
Timeline for Implementation of Corrective Action Plan:
The correction action plan has already been implemented beginning in the 2024-2025 award year.
Contact Person:
Valerie LePorte, Director of North Central Educational Opportunity Center
Monique Coulson, Director of North Central MA Talent Search