Apply for the TxCAN Postsecondary Strategy Institute Today!
TxCAN Welcomed NCAN to Dallas for the National FAFSA Completion Institute
The National College Access Network (NCAN) hosted their first #FormYourFuture FAFSA Completion Institute on July 10-11 at the Communities Foundation of Texas. More than 150 college access advocates and professionals from 32 states and 78 cities gathered to learn about effective strategies that have increased FAFSA completion rates. Read more about the FAFSA Completion Institute here.
Applications Are Open for the TxCAN National Postsecondary Strategy Institute!
We are bringing national college access strategy leaders to Texas for a special National Postsecondary Strategy Institute (NPSI). School districts from across Texas are invited to join us in RGV, for a hands-on institute that will help you develop and improve your data informed college access strategies. Learn from experts, connect with peers, and travel home with actionable college access strategies. This is a perfect opportunity for school district leaders who want to maximize the new College, Career & Military Readiness outcomes bonuses included in the new school finance bill, HB3.
Submit applications by Friday, August 23, 2019. Questions? Contact Amanda Mitchell, NPSI Operations Manager, amandam@npsi.org
TxCAN Teams Up with the Texas Promise Network
TxCAN is partnering with the Dallas County Promise to strengthen the Texas Promise Network, which currently brings together eight Texas regions for collaboration and best practice sharing: Alamo, Austin, Dallas County, El Paso, Houston, Rio Grande Valley, Tarrant County, and Tyler.
Promise programs provide an opportunity for us to increase college affordability for Texas students and offer additional supports needed for college success. Check out this Dallas Morning News article to learn more about the impact of the Dallas County Promise.
If your community is considering a promise program and would like to learn more about this learning community, please contact Sarah Jensen at sarah.jensen@dallascountypromise.org.
Filing FAFSA is No Longer Optional
You have likely heard a historic School Finance Bill (HB3) was passed by the 86th Texas Legislature. Included in HB3 is a requirement for all high school students to complete the FAFSA or TAFSA to graduate, starting with the class of 2021. Students and families may opt-out by requesting waivers.
Texas is the second state to make FAFSA completion mandatory. The first state, Louisiana, saw a dramatic increase in FAFSA completions and now has the highest completion rate in the country (according to NCAN, June 2019).
We are excited to see how mandatory FAFSA completion impacts college access & affordability in Texas. John Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of Educate Texas, was recently interviewed by KUT 90.5 Austin's NPR Station about the importance of considering counselor supports needed to successfully implement this new mandate. Read more here.
If you are curious how your region, county, or school district is performing on FAFSA completion now, check out our FAFSA Dashboard.
In the News
Texas OnCourse Featured in The Hechinger Report
Texas OnCourse Director Laura Brennan shares how the UT Austin-led initiative Texas OnCourse is helping unlock every student’s potential and drive upward mobility for students and families across Texas and the nation in The Hechinger Report here.
More on Mandatory FAFSA in Texas
Inside Higher Ed highlights the mandatory FAFSA in Texas as a step linked to higher college enrollment here.
