Summer Texts Help Students Reach College in Uncertain Times

The Connecticut RISE Network, a statewide community of public high school educators working together to help Connecticut students succeed in and beyond high school, had a busy summer.  The group’s annual Summer Melt texting campaign tripled in scope, regularly in touch with 1,838 students who graduated in June from six Connecticut school districts.

The aim is to ensure that the high school graduates they communicate with during the summer successfully matriculate into college, preventing summer melt, which occurs when high school students are accepted into college, but miss certain enrollment milestones and are then unable to enroll.

All participating students received personalized text messages to help them stay on track towards their postsecondary goals.  This summer, between June 19, 2020 and August 28, 2020, College and Career Coordinators and school counselors at participating RISE high schools sent a total of 50,139 text messages to 1,838 students who recently graduated from East Hartford High School, Hartford Public High School, Manchester High School, Middletown High School, Orville Platt High School and Maloney High School in Meriden, and Westhill High School in Stamford.

Summer melt is a troubling national trend demonstrating a gap between students' college aspirations and attainment, as far too many students graduate from high school planning to attend college but do not enroll the following fall. This year, the RISE Network, based in New Haven, expanded their campaign from two RISE high schools to seven to ensure more students received timely updates, resources and answers to enrollment questions, enabling them to enroll in college.

As summer turned to September and the start of the academic year, a total of 1,638 participating RISE students projected to enroll in either a 2-year or 4-year university or college during the Fall 2020 semester.

The U.S. Department of Education estimates that at least one-third of college-bound students do not make it to campus each year due to missing key milestones, such as submitting financial aid forms and health documents or taking certain placement exams during the summer months between high school and college. First-generation college students and students of color are disproportionately affected by summer melt.

“If we did not have this avenue for students to reach out for help over the summer, several students would not be in college right now," said Marie Brown, a counselor at East Hartford High School. "We were able to support students with issues related to course registration, financial aid, immunizations, and more. It is clear students continue to need support beyond the academic school year.”

“We knew this year would present unique challenges and opportunities, particularly for graduating seniors making decisions about their college and career plans. Through the Summer Melt campaign, we’ve been so inspired to see students, counselors, teachers, and families come together in new ways to help all students achieve their college and career goals," said Emily Pallin, Executive Director of the Connecticut RISE Network.

Local students participating in the RISE initiative indicate that it made a difference, particularly in such an unpredictable year.

"It helped me stay on track with deadlines I may have forgotten about like looking into textbooks and financial aid deadlines. Also, if I asked a question they actually responded and gave their opinion," said Allison McSally, a Westhill High School graduate.

This year’s Summer Melt texting campaign was particularly important and high-stakes, as COVID-19 interrupted college planning activities for the Class of 2020 and created unprecedented challenges and uncertainty for many students and families.

Educators in the RISE Network sought creative solutions to continue supporting students even through a remote context. Through the Summer Melt texting campaign, 80% of all Grade 12 students from participating RISE high schools received customized texts, such as "Have you made your college email and checked out your college's web portal at [college_website]? Take note of information about course registration, housing options, and orientation sessions!" and "Have you submitted your immunization and health forms? This is a required step before starting school this fall.”

 “We first started Summer Melt texting because RISE educators were seeing that far more seniors said they planned to go to college than actually enrolled, and we were troubled by the gap,” explained Salman Khan, who as Applied Data Strategist of the Connecticut RISE Network piloted the first Summer Melt campaign in 2017.

“When students graduate from high school, they lose key support, yet still have to complete over seven different steps between graduation in the spring and enrollment in the fall, including attending orientation, submitting immunization records, providing housing forms, registering for courses, and more. The enrollment process post-graduation can be daunting and confusing. We wanted to offer graduates continued support, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the response from students.”

"Summer Melt provided an opportunity for students to connect with someone who could help bridge the gap and allowed me to keep working with them and complete many of the college application and financial aid milestones," said Abby Marcantonio, a counselor at Platt High School.

"The success of the campaign comes at a moment when educators are being asked to reimagine support for their students,” Pallin added. “RISE educators continue to show that -- through hard work and creative solutions -- we can close opportunity gaps and ensure all students succeed.

Educators across the RISE Network will continue to support and follow graduates’ progress through the new school year, including by reviewing fall matriculation data from the National Student Clearinghouse. Summer Melt counselors are already exploring creative ways to use the texting platform to support high school students during the school year amidst the remote and hybrid school formats, including exploring how shifting their text campaign efforts can support this year’s Grade 12 students, such as by following up with individual students if they have not enrolled in their intended college, according to the data.

"The most helpful thing about the Summer Melt campaign in supporting me with the transition to college was knowing what teachers I needed to speak to and sit down with. Once I knew what teachers participated in the summer program and would help me get closer to reaching my goal, the college process was made easier," said Princess Frimpong, East Hartford High School graduate. "They helped me to see that getting into college was worth the stress. If they didn’t believe in me the way they did I wouldn’t be attending Southern Connecticut State University like I am today.”