The challenge of completing college — and paying for it — dominated discussion at the June 4 meeting of the New Orleans College Preparatory Academies board of directors.
The charter group’s high school, Cohen College Prep, which just graduated its first senior class, is stepping up efforts to help alumni meet with success in colleges and universities.
The school’s recently hired college counselor, Sarah Payne, and director of alumni support, Paris Woods, joined with Cohen principal Rahel Wondwossen to give the board a presentation on the topic.
Wondwossen drew praise by the board for Cohen’s strong performance on state exams but warned that getting through college can be grueling.
It’s not the optimists who survive, but those who face daunting challenges with perseverance and realism, she said, citing insights in a book written by a former prisoner of war.
Although 93 percent of Cohen students gained admission to college — 78 percent of them to four-year institutions — for a variety of reasons, many will fail to graduate, she warned.
Payne stressed the importance of students and parents understanding that it’s not just a matter of how much money you have to pay, but whether the college invests in its students. She showed the board a chart comparing the estimated total cost of a four-year education with the percentage of African-American students who graduate.
At one end of the spectrum is the University of New Orleans, which costs approximately $14,952 for a four-year education but graduates only 2.8 percent of African-American students. Southeastern costs $39,644 over four years and sees 5.6 percent through to graduation. Even Xavier, which costs an estimated $74,568, graduates only 23.1 percent. By contrast, universities at the far end of the spectrum, such as Spellman, graduate 65 percent of African-American students, but at a cost of $142,176.
“The trade-offs aren’t fair …” Wondwossen said. “Those higher graduation rates are coming with huge price tags for our kids.”
Payne noted that official graduation rates are calculated based on how many students complete college in six years, but that the college cost estimates assumes students finish in four years. She said parents need to understand that anything over four years will cost them even more money.
She urged students to take on no more than $50,000 in college debt, a sum that results in monthly credit payments of about $500 for years to come — a big load to carry on a young professional’s salary.
She urged that New Orleans College Prep Academies consider starting a fund to help alumni with the unexpected fees that can crop up in college. Often small, the unforeseen charges can mount up in ways that endanger a student’s whole education if not paid on time.
“This team is brilliant,” board member Barbara McPhee said, adding that College Prep graduates might be a future exception to Louisiana’s grim college graduation rates.
Wondwossen counseled preparation, not optimism. “Let’s get smart, really fast,” she said.
College Prep! Cohen. I’m sorry. Where am I? Is this the same school where the students staged a “sit in” because some people were terminated? Who stages these board meetings? This is so unbelievable.
Nicklendime your pessimism and cynicism knows literally know bounds. I’ve read you now for over a year deride anything that speaks even a little favorably of the schools. This article is balanced and thoughtful, reflecting what went on at the meeting. It conveys both the realistic challenges and the reasons to be hopeful. You are most definitely not part of any solution. You’re a hater.
Hahahaha. Recently, I said there is a lot of “material” in this city that will keep me laughing and falling off of my chair for a long time to come. The charter school scene in this city is only part of it. What I can’t understand is why anyone would continue to read my posts for over a year!! Fess up, “pragmatic..” Well, that makes me all warm and tingley inside. Here I go, dirty floor and all.
Cohen College Prep is a “D” school (report card grade) and a SPS of 63.5. That’s last year! How does it look this year? Get real about what these students need, because this board isn’t cutting it. I said what I read was unbelievable. This meeting sounded like a staged performance. That’s as honest as I can say it without speaking negatively about the coverage. Something isn’t adding up! Certainly not the presentation or the discussion about student loans and tuition. None of it.