In 2023, over $4 billion in Pell Grants went unclaimed nationwide due to students not completing the FAFSA. In Wisconsin alone, an estimated 36% of high school graduates did not submit a FAFSA application, potentially leaving millions of dollars in financial aid on the table. Higher Expectations is excited to announce the launch of the FAST FAFSA initiative, aimed at increasing the completion rates of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) among high school seniors in Racine and Kenosha counties.

Watch our two-part webinar series on the impact of COVID-19 on education and employment in Racine County.

When we want to look at data, how do we do it? This blog dives into what it takes to put a report, like our COVID-19 Impact Report together.

As requested by our Leadership Table, we have been working to create this report to better understand the impact of Covid-19 on education and employment in Racine County.

Gateway Technical College and its partners including the YWCA of Southeast Wisconsin, Southeast Wisconsin Workforce Development Board, and Higher Expectations have been awarded grant funding for Southeast Wisconsin’s Talent Optimization Project (SWTOP).

In 2021, we began working with the Academies of Racine to focus on FAFSA completion. We worked with Racine Unified and partners to organize, plan, and facilitate a weeklong FAFSA completion campaign, focused on ensuring more students understand the options available for them post high school, and how completing the FAFSA can help them achieve their post-secondary goals.

Over the past year, we have engaged in strategic reflection, collective learning, and transformation. Much of our work in 2021 focused on lifting up community voices. We looked at current practices and reflected on what it would look like to truly co-create with rather than for, our community.

Over the past 2 years, we’ve been working on increasing the number of community members who have influence over decisions that directly impact them. We know that those closest to the challenges in our systems are often the ones closest to the solution to overcoming those challenges. Our partners, institutions, and organizational leaders, even with the best of intentions, don’t always understand the full picture.

On Wednesday, December 14th, we had a virtual annual report event to highlight some of the great work of our team in 2021, and some exciting opportunities for community members to be engaged in our work.

Racine county partnered with Gateway Technical College and Higher Expectations for Racine County to contribute more than $100,000 to fund at least 15 more internet access points across high-needs areas in the county.