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KnowHow2GO is a national campaign that educates students about the
steps they need to take to make their college dreams a reality. It
is geared to encourage and prepare low-income and first-generation
eighth- through 10th-graders to prepare for and actively pursue
higher education while making smart choices and being goal-oriented.
"It is not enough to sit at the edge of campus like a ticket scalper
outside the ballpark, offering financial aid to the few that find
their way to you," said ISAC Executive Director Andrew Davis.
"You've got to get to these kids early and start the conversation
about college, let them know what it takes in terms of course work,
guide them through the school selection process and show them how to
pay for it."
Supported locally by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission
in partnership with the Illinois College Access Network and Chicago
Public Schools, KnowHow2GO was created by Lumina Foundation for
Education, the American Council on Education and the Ad Council.
Since the launch, ISAC has made significant strides to support
and promote the KnowHow2GO campaign throughout the state. As a part
of the KnowHow2GO ground campaign in Illinois, ISAC is assisting in
the development of 10 college access vertical teams.
The Springfield KnowHow2GO Illinois vertical team organized a set
of "Take the Tough Classes Challenge" mini-camps on Saturdays for
middle school students in Springfield. At camp, eighth-graders are
introduced to math, science and foreign languages in a fun and
experiential way. Each camp involves a field trip, hands-on
activities with experts in the field and creative learning
activities. Parents, in turn, are invited to an activity presented
by students and are encouraged to engage their children in taking
the tough classes necessary to become college-bound students. These
camps continue to be very well-received by students and parents.
To further promote KnowHow2GO to students and parents, ISAC
leveraged a partnership with WCIU (Channel 26.1) and with its sister
stations WWME (Me TV, 26.2) and WMEU (Me Too, 26.3) -- three
independent stations in the Chicagoland viewing area. WCIU is
popular among students in the Chicago area, while Me-TV and
Me-Too entertain a large audience of caring adults.
In various ways, these television stations are supporting ISAC's
efforts to engage young viewers in making the connection to college.
On television, they have aired the KnowHow2GO public service
announcements, localized for Illinois, challenging young people to
take the tough courses and directing them to ISAC's toll-free
CollegeZone counseling number, 1-800-899-4722, and Web site,
www.knowhow2goillinois.org.
By adding the KnowHow2GO Illinois logo to the WCIU Web site, the
station helped promote KnowHow2GO Illinois and the family of sites
on KnowHow2GOIllinois.org as trusted sources of information,
messaging students to (1) be a pain; (2) push yourself; (3) find the
right fit; and (4) put your hands on some cash.
In addition, WCIU, WWME and WMEU added to ISAC's ground efforts
in communities across the Chicago area by making the KnowHow2GO
Illinois campaign a broadcast feature during the "Game of the Week,"
a series of high school football and basketball games that showcased
teams from Chicago Public Schools. Game broadcasts included engaging
commentary about the KnowHow2GO Illinois campaign by game
announcers, on-air promotion of the Web site and KnowHow2GO Illinois
signage at each site. Plus, the staff in ISAC's Division of College
Access and Outreach attended each of the games to meet with families
at the school, providing important one-on-one interaction.
As a result of the increased television exposure and on-site
interaction, KnowHow2GOIllinois.org experienced a 289 percent
increase in unique visitors and 141 percent increase in site visits.
As a result of the television partnership, KnowHow2GOIllinois.org
had a record 870 visits in December 2008, including 238 visits Dec.
3, following a commercial that aired featuring the executive
director of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
In addition, KnowHow2GOIllinois.org has not only increased in
momentum and popularity among Illinois students and adults, but also
further supported efforts to direct visitors to trusted resources in
Illinois. As of this month, there have been more than 6,400 visits to
the site, with more than 41 percent of visitors coming back to the
site beyond their first visit, indicating that visitors are
receptive to the message and resources available from
KnowHow2GOIllinois.org.
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By way of its partners, toll-free number, Web site and ongoing
outreach efforts, KnowHow2GOIllinois strengthens ISAC's mission to
make college both accessible and affordable for Illinois students.
"We are grateful for the support of our partners in this
important initiative," continued Davis, the ISAC executive director.
"Their unwavering support of our mission has helped us positively
influence thousands of lives in the state of Illinois though
KnowHow2Go, and with their continued support, we look forward to
continuing to positively impact the lives of young people in our
state."
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The Lumina Foundation
for Education, an Indianapolis-based, private foundation,
strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access
to and success in education beyond high school. Through grants for
research, innovation, communication and evaluation, as well as
policy education and leadership development, Lumina Foundation
addresses issues that affect access and educational attainment among
all students, especially among students from low-income families,
first-generation college-goers, minorities and working adults. The
foundation bases its mission on the belief that postsecondary
education remains one of the most beneficial investments that
individuals can make in themselves and that a society can make in
its people.
Founded in 1918, ACE is the
major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education
institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university
presidents and more than 200 related associations. It
seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher
education issues and to influence public policy through advocacy,
research and program initiatives.
The Ad Council is a
private, nonprofit organization with a rich history of marshaling
volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to
deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced
literally thousands of public service announcement campaigns
addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad
Council has effected, and continues to affect, tremendous positive
change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives.
WCIU and MeTV are owned by Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting.
WCIU (Ch. 26.1) serves 3.5 million households in the third-largest
television market in the country, while MeTV (Ch. 26.2) reaches 3.2
million households and MeToo (Ch. 26.3) reaches 2.1 million
households in the Chicago Designated Market Area.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission provides students of
all ages and backgrounds with the resources and support to obtain
financial aid for higher education. A state agency, ISAC has paved the path to postsecondary
education with innovative programs for more than 50 years. Last year
alone, ISAC continued its mission to make college affordable for
Illinois students by issuing over 186,000 grants and scholarships
totaling nearly $431 million.
The commission provides educational funding with student loans,
as a loan guarantor and via numerous public programs, such as the
successful Monetary Award Program, the Illinois Veteran Grant and
College Illinois, the commission's groundbreaking 529 prepaid
college tuition program. Students and families have free access to a
wealth of financial aid and college planning information at ISAC's
family of online sites available at
www.knowhow2goillinois.org.
[Text from Illinois Student
Assistance Commission file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information] |
