Supporting At-Risk Students – A Pittsburgh Approach to Create Best Practices and Policy
As costs for education increase and students continue to be stretched while studying, educational institutions have increasingly focused on retention strategies that help identify and support students who are at-risk of leaving school due to financial strains. The PCHE presidents have prioritized our efforts in collaborating as a consortium with our regional external partners to tackle this issue. See our PCHE Housing Insecurity study here. This has created a platform to launch best practices, standards, influence policy, and support Pennsylvania’s Department of Education’s latest concerted efforts in tackling Collegiate Basic Needs via the launch of PA MASLOW.
Dr. Kim McCurdy, Director for Postsecondary and Adult Education, Pennsylvania Department of Education, through commitment and leadership, has supported and elevated PCHE and its institutions as they has learned as well as supported our state’s newly launched PA MASLOW’s lunch and learn series, resource and toolkit guides, quarterly leadership meetings, and a will increase our chances of successfully addressing these challenges and thus helping all institutions retain and graduate our valued students. The latest PA Department of Education’s efforts include an anti-stigma campaign that gives colleges and universities templates to tackle and break down the barriers for students who need help with food, housing, mental health, transportation, and digital access.
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