Jauronika Armstrong wasn't sure she was cut out for college.
The 19-year-old Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center graduate didn't think she was smart enough to get accepted to, let alone succeed at, college. She thought going straight to work after high school would be her best bet.
It wasn't until one of her teachers told her about the Columbus Promise, a new tuition-free college partnership between the city, Columbus City Schools, Columbus State Community College and I Know I Can. Participating students could use the Columbus Promise to pay for all associate degree programs at Columbus State, as well as most certificate programs, for up to six semesters.
Armstrong applied with a "why not?" attitude, she said. "I wouldn't be wasting any money if it didn't work out. Now, dropping out isn't an option."
A year into the Columbus Promise and Armstrong is now a rising Columbus State sophom*ore studying communications. Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin said at a news conference Thursday morning at Columbus State that students like Armstrong are the best the city has to offer and the motivation behind Columbus Promise.
With one year left of the tuition-free college program's three-year pilot, Hardin and education leaders across the city officially announced that the Columbus Promise is here to stay.
"What I want everyone to know is that we've heard loud and clear from community members, parents and scholars that the program needs to continue and expand," Hardin said. "We made a promise, and we're keeping it."
In November 2021, city officials introduced the Columbus Promise with a two-fold mission: increase college-going among Columbus City Schools graduates and meet the region's growing need for a skilled workforce.
The program allows any Columbus City Schools graduate to attend Columbus State for free. It is a last-dollar scholarship, meaning it pays for any costs not covered by other aid like federal Pell Grants, and students receive a $500 stipend per semester. They also receive dedicated coaching and academic support.
More:Columbus Promise off to strong start as hundreds of Columbus City Schools grads take part
The program is funded through a public-private partnership, with $4 million seeded by the city and nearly $5 million matched by more than 20 other public entities, philanthropic and individual donors.
While exact details are still being determined as to what Columbus Promise will look like moving forward, the initial data coming out of the program has been encouraging enough to keep it going.
"This pilot has proven to be a huge success in giving Columbus students who never thought college was possible an opportunity to thrive," Columbus City Schools Superintendent Angela Chapman said.
Report: Columbus Promise made college possible for more students
As part of the pilot, Columbus Promise is evaluated by researchers at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, a private, not-for-profit, nonpartisan, independent research group based in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Michelle Miller-Adams, a senior researcher with the institute and a professor at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, said the institute has been studying Promise programs, also called place-based scholarships, for nearly two decades. Miller-Adams and researchers Kevin Hollenbeck, Bridget Timmeney and Kyle Huisman published an extensive evaluation of the Columbus Promise's first year and a brief update on year two as they collect more data.
The results, researchers and officials said, were greater than they could've expected.
The inaugural group of Columbus Promise students totaled 793 in its first year — more than double the number of Columbus City Schools students who graduated and directly enrolled at Columbus State in 2021.
College-going among Columbus City Schools graduates has jumped from 34% with the pandemic class of 2021 to 50% for the class of 2023.
Columbus Promise is also widening the college pipeline. About 80% of enrolled students were Pell eligible, about 80% for whom race was known identified as non-white, and more than half were first-generation college students.
Hardin said the Columbus Promise prides itself on "radical inclusivity" of applicants. There is no minimum GPA to apply. Undocumented students can partake. Participants don't have to enroll full-time, and the scholarship applies to certificate programs, too.
The program has also attracted a number of students for whom college was not a plan or an option before Columbus Promise. More than two-thirds of Columbus Promise students have needed to take below-college-level math or English courses, compared to 57% of enrolled Columbus City Schools students in 2021.
Retention between fall and spring semesters has also increased from 69% to 75%.
The mid-year report found that students enrolled in fall 2023 did exceptionally well academically compared to the 2022 Columbus Promise cohort and non-program students in 2021. This most recent cohort on average had lower high-school academic achievement, according to the report, but their college academic outcomes were better than the previous cohort.
Researchers were also pleased that, unlike some other promise programs, the barriers to entry into Columbus Promise are low.
All students have to do to participate isgraduate high school, apply for the Columbus Promise scholarship, complete an application to Columbus State and fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA. To remain eligible, students must be enrolled at least part-time and maintain a2.0 GPA.
What's next for Columbus Promise?
More than 850 Columbus City Schools students have already applied for this coming fall semester.
Researchers recommended several potential changes for stakeholders to consider looking forward.
Some of their ideas include being more proactive in offering tutoring and academic advising, creating a Columbus Promise-specific college orientation session, creating more community among students, and shifting more resources to Columbus City Schools to prepare students for college.
Hardin said he hopes that phase two of the Columbus Promise will "expand the runway" so more students can take advantage of the scholarship. That might mean adding in other K-12 districts, partnering with more colleges and eventually including adult learners.
What he wants most, he said, is for students to see themselves in this program.
"I want 6th, 7th and 8th graders talking about the Columbus Promise," Hardin said. "When we dream, we are dreaming of a program that truly supports all of our residents."
Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for Extra Credit, her education newsletter,here.
shendrix@dispatch.com
@sheridan120
