Despite the long-term economic benefits of earning a college degree, many community college students, particularly those from low- and moderate-income families, do not make it to graduation. One significant reason is that they are underprepared for college-level work and must take remedial courses to improve their academic skills. Sadly, only 28% of these students graduate in 8.5 years. For those who drop out, college may only represent a waste of time, money, and effort. The Robin Hood Foundation, in partnership with ideas42, a nonprofit behavioral economics consulting firm and ideas lab, recently launched The Robin Hood College Success Prize to address this critical problem through innovative edtech solutions. Winners of the The Robin Hood College Success Prize will be determined through a three-year randomized controlled trial, implemented among students taking remedial courses at the City University of New York (CUNY). In addition to three prizes totaling $5 million, semi-finalist and finalist teams will be given $40,000 and $60,000 in development funding. Need more information about the challenges faced by community college students in remedial education? Join the interactive webinar on May 19th at 2:00pm EST for more background and insights into the problem. Spots are limited. Click here to register. Applications for the prize are being accepted through June 30, 2014. Click here to learn more about the prize competition and subscribe to the email list. Looking for prospective collaborators? Click here to join the College Success Prize LinkedIn group.
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