About Background Mission Objectives

 

Background

The region's leaders have acted on their concern for the improvement of New Englanders' college readiness, access and success for some time. For example:

  • An invitational “College Ready New England Think Tank” meeting in Woodstock, Vermont (November 2003), convened state- and district-level K-12 administrators, state higher education policymakers, state higher education financial aid program administrators and early awareness program directors. The Think Tank was one of four regional forums organized in connection with the Pathways to College Network, an alliance of national organizations and funders focused on using effective, research-based policies and practices to improve college access and success for underserved students. Co-sponsored by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), The College Board and TERI (The Education Resources Institute), participants developed strategies by which the New England states could collectively address the gap in college attendance of low-income and minority students.

  • The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) held three major conferences (March 2002 to February 2003) sponsored by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Fidelity Investments and other regional organizations. The conferences addressed strategies for expanding the role and effectiveness of the region’s P-16 education systems in building human capital and meeting workforce needs.

  • The Alternative Routes to Certification (ARC) Conference held in Connecticut (October 2003) brought K-12 and higher education faculty and administrators together to discuss ways to increase the number of teachers in high-need fields (including math, science, foreign language and special education) and in urban areas. Participants agreed that a regional consortium could more effectively address these needs and issues.

  • TERI (The Education Resources Institute) and The College Board organized two follow-up meetings to the College Ready Think Tank (December 2003 and February 2004). Representatives from K-12, higher education and financial aid and early awareness organizations agreed to draft a document summarizing the common concerns of the New England states for distribution to state and federal government leadership.

College Ready New England emerged from these and other discussions, conceived as a regional alliance of K-12, higher education, financial aid and early college awareness leaders in New England to address these common challenges. Through CRNE, New England leaders are committed to developing strategies for leveraging that collective influence to strengthen P-16 policy making at the state, regional and national levels.

In 2005, College Ready New England became a formal initiative of the New England Board of Higher Education, the lead organization of this regional collaborative.