October 1-31, 2010

Each year, Double the Numbers (DTN) is thrilled to observe College Awareness Month. For the past three years, college access providers have partnered with DTN during College Awareness Month to build a robust college-going culture in the District’s high schools. (See a complete list of Double the Numbers Coalition partners.)

What is College Awareness Month? It is a series of activities and events that take place across the city to support high schools in realizing their bottom line of high student achievement. It is part of the DTN strategy to dramatically increase the number of students from public and public charter schools who aspire to, prepare for, and complete college in a timely fashion.

What is the goal of College Awareness Month?  This year, College Awareness Month will focus on:

• Supporting rising seniors. These are the students who entered 9th grade when DTN was launched three years ago. Our goal this year is to prepare these students to graduate college by helping them choose colleges with good persistence rates and helping them become better consumers of educational opportunities.
• Highlighting student voices. Many DC high school students say they do not know why college is so important and therefore cannot envision it as part of their future or commit to it. Because youth have more credibility with each other than many adults do, DTN will hold a competition to encourage students to use media to create compelling messages for their peers about why college is important and how to get there.
  

How can I particpate? You can take part in College Awareness Month activities (see list of events). In addition, we have developed resources that counselors and college access providers, principals and administrators, teachers and school staff, and parents and caregivers can adapt and use to create a college-going culture and encourage student enrollment and persistence in college.

• View College Awareness Month activities
  
• View College Awareness Month resources
  
• Download overview of College Awareness Month