THE 2013 GED® CAMPAIGN TO FINISH

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY -DECEMBER 2013-

Executive Summary Today, there are 1.1 million New Yorkers who do not have a High School diploma or equivalency which is both a civic crisis and an opportunity. The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish, an initiative of the Fund for Public Advocacy, began in the Fall of 2012 with an overarching goal to support the development and opportunities for individuals and the city, focused on Out of School, Out of Work young adults and other individuals without a High School diploma. The Campaign was designed to support New York City in meeting the challenge of the January 2014 transition from the current GED ® exam to the new High School Equivalency test (HSE). Between November 2012 and December 2013, the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish engaged a broad set of stakeholders to assist thousands of New Yorkers in benefiting from increased skills and secondary school level certification. The key achievements of the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish are: 1. Mobilizing and engaging a collaborative public/private partnership of 35 organizations. 2. Creating awareness with a common message on the GED®/ High School Equivalency. 3. Stimulating 20,000 individuals to connect with the campaign via hot line, website, and texts. 4. Engaging 1,500 individuals who previously had taken the GED® (GED® Retakers) in a preparation program with a 66-70% GED® test success rate. 5. Increased the NYC GED® test seats of 30,000 by 15% to meet the heightened demand. The most critical achievement of the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish was to increase the vital importance of the need and opportunity to address the more than one million New Yorkers of all ages who do not have a high school diploma or equivalency. This represents one in six New York City adults and a major human capital opportunity. Preparation and achievement of a High School Equivalency, with Common Core Standards combined with Case Management and counselling, produce life changing economic opportunities for each individual and our city as a whole. Based on the experience and lessons learned in the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish, we propose ten High School Equivalency (HSE) recommendations for action now: 1. Promote a core message for HSE as the path to achieving life goals. 2. Employ multiple ways for individuals to re-engage and re-enter education. 3. Saturate high need neighborhoods with information and outreach. 4. Utilize common follow up and intake process for High School Equivalency. 5. Dramatically increase Community Based Organization (CBO) partnerships with the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) in HSE preparation. 6. Implement effective Case Management for all HSE Programs. 7. Design individualized and flexible HSE preparation and counselling programs. 8. Set up comprehensive reconnection system for High School dropouts with CBO’s. 9. Ensure immediate continuation of the collaboration for HSE. 10. Commit to a Collective Impact process for a Campaign for High School Equivalency for one million New Yorkers. 1

2013 GED® CAMPAIGN TO FINISH REPORT We present this report to analyze the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish, and to answer the following questions 1. What were the goals of the GED® Campaign to Finish? 2. How did the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish define the strategy and theory of change? 3. What were the outcomes of the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish and goal achievement? 4. What were the lessons learned in the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish – what worked and what worked less well? 5. Was the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish a success? And we present Recommendations for the future High School Equivalency process, based on the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish.

1. THE GOALS OF THE GED® CAMPAIGN TO FINISH In March of 2011, the GED® Testing Service announced that it would be implementing a new exam beginning in January of 2014. In September of 2012, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) also announced that it was seeking potential alternatives to the GED® exam, due to plans for the GED® to be 100% aligned to common core standards and 100% on computers by 2014, as well as increased cost. Whether New York would implement the new GED® or other HSE exam, it appeared that individuals who had passed sections of the existing GED® exam would only have until December 2013 for their existing partial scores to count if they were to retake the exam. This created a window of opportunity for thousands of these near-passers to take action before their prior efforts toward achieving a High School Equivalency diploma would expire. Seeing this challenge as an opportunity, the Fund for Public Advocacy set a goal to mobilize and activate a public/private collaboration of New York City organizations to reach and engage 3,000 young adults who had begun the GED® preparation and testing process (“GED® Retakers”), and support the successful 2013 GED® completion for at least 2,000 individuals as a critical step to academic and career advancement.

2. THE CAMPAIGN TO FINISH STRATEGY/THEORY OF CHANGE The Theory of Change was that a private/public collaboration would amplify awareness and engagement for 3,000 or more 17-24 year olds without a high school diploma to take action to complete their GED®/ High School Equivalency, and achieve a GED® pass rate of 75% (above NYC historical pass rate of 48%) and start on an academic/career pathway.

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In order to meet the above goals, the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish envisioned a Theory of Change in three phases (specifics illustrated in the graphic below): 

Awareness: First, the campaign would launch an effort to raise awareness among the eligible population, informing them of the forthcoming change to the high school equivalency system, and the urgency to complete their GED® by the end of 2013.

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Engagement: Once aware of the forthcoming change to the GED® and importance of acting, the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish would offer multiple ways for individuals to engage and learn about how they could become prepared to successfully retake the exam.

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Action: Finally, the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish would translate interest and engagement into action, through the preparation and testing as well as counselling of individuals in a range of program environments. Create Awareness:

- print and radio ads - flyers - mailings - collaborative infrastructure across public and private agencies - target audience of GED® Retakers

Encourage Engagement: - set up website and hotline for callers - support CBO’s to expand outreach and programming - generate investment to support programming

Inspire Action: - support 3,000 program prep slots across CBO’s, DOE, CUNY, SUNY - get 2,500 individuals to take test - expect 75% to pass GED® test

Collaborative Partnership Supporting the entire effort was a comprehensive public/private partnership, convened and led by the Fund for Public Advocacy, which supported all the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish activities. A total of 35 public and private sector organizations actively participated in this partnership. Quarterly planning meetings were held with partners (plus additional taskforce sessions) and quarterly sharing sessions were held with GED ® Program Partners; 80% of all partners attended these meetings. Messages with updates on campaign activities were also sent quarterly. The campaign activities included: 

Designing awareness message and action steps, securing in kind media support and city agency support.

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Establishing engagement strategies, including hotline and website.

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Raising funds and awarding grants to 12 Community Based Programs for GED® Preparation.

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Meeting with Partners to design/test strategies.

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Meeting with GED® Programs to share Best Practices.

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Designing and advocating for additional GED® Test Seats.

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Awareness The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish sought to raise awareness by disseminating information about the urgency of finishing the GED® before the 2014 changes, and how individuals could get more information to help them complete the exam, though the following outlets: 

Media/Advertising: Placed advertisements on television, radio, and in print, with a focus on Latino media, valued at $250,000. Participating media included ABC, Univision, Telemundo, NBC, Z100, Power 105, Hot 97, Yankees, Community TV and DOE insert in Metro, AM, and Staten Island Advance.

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Text Messages: Donated by Mobile Commons to over 4,400 subscribers

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Subway Station Posters: Placed in 58 subway stations (104 posters) in 15 target communities where concentrations of 17-24 years who are out of school and out of work reside; posters were cost effective at $100 per poster.

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Social Media: Utilization of Facebook, Twitter, and NYCDOE Parent Text

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Google Ads: Donated ad words

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Community Palm Card and Posters: 25,000 palm cards and posters were distributed.

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Emails: Sent 250,000 emails by DYCD Youth Connect, NYC public libraries, NYCHA, government agencies, and community-based organizations

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Direct Mail from NYSED to Near-Passers: In October 2012, New York State Department of Education, in conjunction with the New York City Council, the Mayor’s Office, CUNY, and the Literacy Assistance Center, sent letters to 4,800 NYC residents who had taken and passed at least three of the five GED® subtests within the previous three years, alerting them the GED® was ending and that they had until December 2013 to finish. A similar letter was again sent in July 2013 to these near passers, providing information on local GED® Preparation programs.

Engagement Individuals who were made aware through the above activities were offered several ways to engage with the campaign, including: 

Hotline: Through the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish, the New York City Department of Education developed and staffed a hotline, responding to 7,000 people who called the hotline. 4

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Website: Through the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish, the Literacy Assistance Center repurposed its GED® Compass website to serve as an online resource for the campaign, receiving 65,000 hits from March 2013 to December 2013, with 10,000 visitors staying longer than 10 minutes.

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Text messaging: Received messages from 4,400 subscribers

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CBO’s designed effective outreach to reach GED® Retakers for their preparation programs.

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CUNY and SUNY GED® Program participation met goals, based on Campaign awareness activities and their own ongoing CUNY and SUNY outreach.

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DOE District 79 and the NYC Office of Continuing Adult Education did follow up on referrals, with limited follow through by participants over 21 years old to NYCDOE programs.

Preparation and Counselling Programs The goal was to recruit 3,000 individuals who had started the GED® process in counselling and preparation programs. 

Strong program design with orientation, assessment and counseling as well as recruiting achieved by the 12 CBO’s selected in an RFP process for program funding. CBO’s exceed their funded program seats by 25%.

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Excellent GED® program results at CUNY and SUNY EOC without additional 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish funding.

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Limited DOE success with 17- 21 year olds and individuals over 21 years despite referral follow up.

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Solid GED® preparation and counseling program sharing with assistance from the Youth Development Institute and Literacy Assistance Center.

“It helped a lot… it helped me to pay more attention and I was able to learn more.” Christina, participant from FEGS. She studied Social Studies, Science, and the Writing components and took all of the sections of the GED® test. She said that the work was more individualized and focused on the sections that she needed to pass.

Testing The goal was to test 2500 GED® Retakers with a 75% pass rate (versus 48% historical NYC GED® pass rate.) 

Expect to test 1500 GED® Retakers with a 66-70% pass rate, less than goal due to challenges in adult readiness levels and need for intensive case management. CBO programs achieved 72%-74% pass rate and all others achieved 65%-72%.

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Expect to test over 1000 individuals new to GED® due to awareness raised by the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish. (Estimate based on CBO sample and referral conversion rate to NYCDOE sites.)

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The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish stimulated an integrated effort to add GED® test seats, resulting in 3,000 or more additional test seats to the planned 30,000 test seat capacity for 2013. GED® testing up over 25-30% in 2013, with attribution to the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish awareness efforts. 5

Action The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish provided significant support for individuals who were inspired to action by the campaign, especially by CBO’s funded for GED® Preparation and Counseling. The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish raised $252,000 in funding from Altman Foundation, Tiger Foundation, New York Community Trust, Pinkerton Foundation and Trinity Wall Street for 484 new program slots in communitybased organizations (which CBO’s matched), as well as in-kind support for nearly 1,000 program slots from public agencies, including the NYCDOE and CUNY. Originally, $1,000,000 in funding was sought and would have resulted in 2,000 total funded program slots, versus the actual 484 funded for CBO’s.

Project Scope and Budget $61,000 in general support funding was raised. $45,000 was utilized to administer the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish at the Fund for Public Advocacy, with support from the Literacy Assistance Center and $16,000 used for Communications materials and subway station ads. In addition, $300,000 was raised for In Kind Media and a pro bono Communications advisor. Kaplan donated an additional $70,000 for the donation of 200 online resource packages used by CBO’s. $252,000 was raised from foundations for 484 GED® program slots at CBO’s, at $500 per program slot (which was matched by the CBO’s). Actual program slots offered to the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish participants by CBO’s totaled 600. Support from Foundations for new GED® program seats at CBO’s was very effective in campaign recruitment, retainment and test success.

3. OUTCOMES OF THE 2013 GED CAMPAIGN TO FINISH: GOAL ACHIEVEMENT Campaign’s Major Achievements 

The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish mobilized a collaborative partnership of 35 organizations (12 CBO Partners, 9 City/State Agencies, CUNY, SUNY and 12 CBO Program Organizations), plus 6 major Foundation donors, Kaplan, and 5 major media In Kind sponsors.

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The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish stimulated 20,000 individuals to connect to the High School Equivalency process, via the Hot Line, GED® Compass, Emails, and Text Messages.

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In response to the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish, 7,000 individuals called the Hot Line.

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1,500 GED® Retakers entered GED® preparation programs connected to the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish, with an estimated 66-70% GED® test success rate or 1,000 individuals who achieved their High School Equivalency due to the campaign.

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2013 GED® Campaign to Finish Data Analysis 

Overall Awareness: 20,000 Contacts to Hotline, GED® Compass, Texts

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Hot Line Callers

Referral Source

o Total 7,000; Original Goal = 4,000 

17-21 Year Olds 20%; 21 Years and Older 80%

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GED® Retakers 35%; New to GED® 65%

TV/Radio

15% 5%

o Referrals by Hotline: 7,000 Callers      

25%

Referrals to DOE Dt 10% Referrals to DOE OACE 75% Referrals to CBO’s 10% Referrals to CUNY 5% Referrals to SUNY 0%

10%

Flier/Poster

10%

Subway Ad

10%

Google

10%

Friends & Family NYCHA Other

GED® Compass (Website) o Total: Unique Visits – 65,000; 10 Minutes or Longer for Visit – 10,000 (15%) 

Monthly Average – 9,000; 10 Minutes or Longer for Visit – 1,000 (15%)

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Top Pages Home Page Prep Programs

o Total # of Emails 1000 719 Offered Surveys and 190 Completed Survey/Referred to Programs (30% Retakers, 70% New to GED®)

o Total Texts to 30644 – 4434 Subscribers 

Website

15%

Campaign to Finish Qualifications

0%

10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Campaign Engagement/Program Participation o Total Projection = 1500    

Community Based Organizations (12) – 600 (484 Funded, 125% of Goal) CUNY- 526 (All GED Participants in CUNY Prep Programs) SUNY - 100 DOE- District 79 – 88; OACE 184

o Overall Conversion Rate of 10% from referrals by the campaign hotline to program participation 

Campaign GED® Test Results (Projection) o Tested: 1,500 o Passed: 975-1050 (66%-70%) 7

4. LESSONS LEARNED: WHAT WORKED WELL, WHAT WORKED LESS WELL Certain aspects of the campaign were very effective in supporting the awareness, engagement, action, or collaboration activities, while others proved less fruitful. Each of the below issues offered lessons on re-engaging individuals in education:

Awareness & Engagement 

The plurality of program participants came to the program through “word of mouth” from a friend or family member. The website was also effective, with 65,000 hits and 10,000 visitors staying for longer than 10 minutes. Ads and flyers were not cited these as key reasons for participant engagement, although they likely contributed to “word of mouth” activity.

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Initial demand was high for the campaign, but mostly from individuals over age 21 (80 percent). Despite media placements targeted at17-21 year olds and outreach to organizations that serve high numbers of youth, it was very difficult to draw younger individuals into the program.

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About 1/3 of hotline callers were GED® Retakers (34%), 2/3 were new to the exam (67%). Despite clear language in campaign messages targeted toward Retakers, most campaign contacts were with those new to the GED®. This is not very surprising given that the percentage of individuals without high school diplomas who have not taken the GED ® exam is even greater (closer to 90-95%).

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Preparation programs that were part of the campaign cited the importance of follow-up communications to participants. Many interested individuals lost contact after their first interaction with the campaign. Community-based organizations were more likely than public sector efforts (NYCDOE, CUNY) to conduct personalized follow-up, and thus saw better results in terms of participation.

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Excellent linkages with NYCDOE and SED websites.

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The 15 target communities did not receive the intensive attention originally planned, as most media and city agency outreach was citywide.

High School Equivalency Program Preparation & Retention of Students 

In survey responses, individuals who entered the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish programs said they did so as part of a broader plan to give themselves a second chance and do something positive with their lives. Individuals were less likely to cite more “tangible” reasons such as getting a better job. Participants cited pride/fear of failure as their biggest barrier.

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Case Management and counseling play an important role in helping participants through the emotional challenges associated with re-engaging in education. 8

“The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish program helped me realize potential in myself that I didn’t even know I had. Not only did I receive my GED®, I was also instilled with new confidence to achieve my goals I am no longer afraid to fail; I am now afraid of not trying!” Douglas, participant from Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow

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Staff and teachers matter to participants, according to surveys and testing results. Participants look to caring staff members to support them through their programs. HSE programs need to be supported at a level where staff can play strong roles in the lives of their participants.

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The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish partners cited program flexibility as a key to serving individuals. CBO’s were more able than public sector organizations to craft schedules to meet the needs of working New Yorkers.

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CBO’s were extremely successful throughout the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish due to their intensive follow up, ability to be flexible at intake and in programs, connections and knowledge within communities of need, and caring adult staff members.

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Volunteer telephone coaching with the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish participants, which was piloted by the campaign, did not produce results or follow through by participants.

“It was good because it was more one-on-one and I could focus on reading and writing. My teacher really helped me. I felt good about this test… more prepared and confident.” Marcus, participant from FEGS. He needed 10 more points to pass the GED and stated that the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish was a huge help.

Collaboration and Partnership 

The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish created a powerful and enduring public/private partnership of 35 organizations (Government, CBO’s, CUNY, SUNY, Funders), with regular meetings and communications as well as participation and support.

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The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish brought a range of public and private stakeholders to the table and engagement was successful due to clear articulation of shared mission, openness and transparency of the process.

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The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish kept public and private stakeholders engaged and working together throughout the process. Partners cited good communication, meeting/planning structure, and clear, measurable outcomes as the factors leading to the collaboration’s effectiveness.

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Setting stretch goals was a challenge to some partners. Better goal setting and data tracking at multiple campaign steps is encouraged for future collaborations.

Funding 

The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish demonstrated the power of a collaborative effort in seeking Foundation funding as well as In Kind media, who responded to a skilled and persistent pro bono media advisor as well as a common message and campaign strategy.

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Incremental and sufficient funding is required to engage young adults and adults in general with High School Equivalency preparation.

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5. WAS THE 2013 GED® CAMPAIGN TO FINISH A SUCCESS? The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish goal was to engage 3,000 GED® Retakers in a GED® Preparation and Counselling Program. While we did not meet this goal, the 2013 GED ® Campaign to Finish was a success as measured by the following: 

Creating an effective public/private collaborative partnership, as well as responding to and mobilizing multiple organizations to address a major gap due to the change in the HSE Program from the GED® test.

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Sharing and promoting Best Practices in High School Equivalency Program preparation.

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Raising awareness of High School Equivalency.

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Motivating 7,000 individuals to call the campaign Hot Line, 65,000 individuals to visit GED® Compass website, and 4,400 individuals to text the campaign text number.

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Supporting 1,500 GED® Retakers in GED® preparation and counselling programs and enabling more than 1,000 GED® Retakers to succeed in achieving their High School Equivalency diploma, plus a new pathway to academic and career success.

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Inspiring 1,000 or more New Yorkers new to the GED® to start the process.

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Ensuring GED® test seats for 3,000- 4,000 additional test takers, above the 30,000 seat capacity available in NYC at the start of the campaign.

RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the analysis of the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish results and lessons learned, plus partner and participant surveys and other data, the following are key recommendations:

Raising Awareness and Re-Engaging Eligible Individuals: 1. Develop clear core messaging around HSE as the pathway to realizing one’s potential and reaching life goals. While this initiative was called the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish, its results serve to remind all community leaders and stakeholders that there is an urgent need to meet the demand of the more than one million New Yorkers who do not have a High School diploma or its equivalent. Based on survey responses, a large motivator for pursuing HSE is the fulfilment of life goals and the desire of individuals to do something positive with their lives; New York City should consider rebranding its adult education and HSE systems to align with this dynamic. The lessons learned from 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish tell us that with the NYSDE instituting a new exam in 2014, the work around awareness, engagement and enrollment must continue, as this is an issue with substantial economic, civic and social implications for New York City. It must be ensured that New Yorkers are equipped with the tools that will enable them to connect with HSE Programs, and clear, effective messaging is a key element in effectively achieving this goal. 2. Offer multiple ways to re-engage and learn how to re-enter education. Through its awareness and engagement efforts, resulting in thousands of callers to the hotline and visitors to the GED ® compass, the 10

2013 GED® Campaign to Finish highlighted an interest on the part of enormous numbers of New Yorkers wishing to pursue their High School Equivalency diploma. HSE eligible individuals are diverse and will require a range of different ways to connect. The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish participants cited a fear of failure as the main reason they had not re-engaged previously. Our systems need to be cognizant of the emotional burdens that come with trying to reconnect to education. Some individuals are ready to call or meet with someone in person from first contact, while others will need more time and different ways to learn more about their options before they are ready to take on what they view as the great personal risks attached to re-engagement. New York City should offer a link set of reconnection resources, including: a. Hotline, staffed by individuals with the knowledge of the range of free program options available, including those offered by the NYCDOE, CUNY, public libraries, and community-based organizations, as well as the HSE testing process; b. Website, with live email connection or telephone connection, with similar information about programs and testing that interested individuals could explore online; c. Text Message System, where people can get responses from hotline staffers if they are not yet ready to call.

3. Saturate high-need communities with information and outreach efforts. Fifteen communities in New

York City are home to disproportionately high shares of HSE-eligible individuals. In order to maximize the efficacy of engagement efforts, City officials should utilize an integrated and coordinated place-based strategy involving NYCHA, NYC Department of Probation, NYC Parks and Recreation, public libraries, as well as faith-based and community-based organizations in those neighborhoods.

High School Equivalency Program Preparation and Retention of Students 4. Design a common process of follow up and intake that recognizes motivation of individuals for a “second chance”. Intake and follow-up procedures with interested individuals were varied across the programs within the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish initiative. CBO’s showed the strongest practices connecting to and leveraging participants’ initial interest into sustained efforts. City officials should seek to codify these best practices and implement them across NYCDOE, CUNY, Library, and CBO programs. 5. Increase CBO partnership programs with the DOE. The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish supported programs that showed strong results were CBO’s that hosted NYCDOE teachers. This model should be expanded, as it captures the strengths of each of these institutions: NYCDOE instruction, merged with CBO program environments. 6. Establish effective Case Management for all ages in all High School Equivalency programs. Case Management yields retention and successful test results, as well as progression to next steps in career and academics. The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish participants cited Case Management as the most valuable aspects of their programs. Although Case Management exists in most, if not all, youth programs, few adult HSE programs offer enough counseling and supportive services. Adult programs, be they in the NYCDOE, CUNY, CBO’s, or public libraries, should be funded at a level that will support intensive Case Management. 7. Utilize individualized test preparation and counseling plans, including flexible schedules. The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish participants cited program flexibility as significant to their success. This is especially the case for working individuals seeking an HSE to improve their career prospects. The 11

extent to which programs can meet the specific needs of working New Yorkers, including those with family responsibilities, will be key to the success of those individuals. More research should be done to identify best individualized strategies. 8. Establish a comprehensive High School reconnection system to connect dropouts immediately with CBO’s offering ease of access to the High School Equivalency process. When a young person leaves High School before completing, they fall off the map. A “mandatory” referral system between NYCDOE and CBO’s to refer High School dropouts to a local CBO’s who will make connections and offer services should be created. Efforts should be made to ensure that the CBO’s who have strong ties in communities have the resources to reach out to High School non-completers immediately, in order to either bring dropouts back into our schools or engage them in an HSE program.

Collaboration and Partnership 9. Ensure immediate continuation of the public/private collaborative partnership organized for the 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish, to be renamed the “Campaign for High School Equivalency…Career and College Readiness”. Continue a collaborative partnership (for each campaign step), facilitated by an objective entity with clear goals, commitments, communications processes, and consistent follow up. The 2013 GED® Campaign to Finish developed an unprecedented level of collaboration in the field of High School Equivalency, and its continuation is critical given the uncertainty and unknowns with the new HSE exam being implemented in 2014. a. Membership in the Campaign for High School Equivalency should include the NYCDOE, NYSED, DYCD, NYCHA, NYC Human Resources Administration, CUNY, SUNY, public libraries and community-based organizations, each with defined roles and responsibilities. b. The initial work of the campaign should be to develop citywide recommendations to address the following:  Strategies to keep young adults in school,  New York City’s efforts to reconnect High School non-completers,  Formalization of the High School Equivalency Campaign and an entity within the Mayor’s Office to highlight the priority of re-engaging the one million New Yorkers without a High School diploma,  High School Equivalency Communications: Common Message, Recruitment, Motivation,  Coordination between city and state agencies,  Clearly articulated post-HSE academic and career pathways. 10. Utilize a Collective Impact process for the Campaign for High School Equivalency collaboration, characterized by openness, transparency and equal voice for all. The renamed campaign should feature a common mission, set goals that are able to be tracked for each element of the campaign, a commitment to data collection/tracking of specific goals for High School Equivalency passers in 2014 and beyond, and seek strategies to serve the one million individuals in New York City without High School diploma or equivalency.

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THE 2013 GED® CAMPAIGN TO FINISH Planning Partners            

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Campaign for Tomorrow’s Workforce Community Service Society CUNY FEGS Fund for Public Advocacy Jobs First NYC Literacy Assistance Center MET Council Neighborhood Family Services Coalition New York City Coalition for Adult Literacy NY State Education Department (NYSED) NYC Center for Economic Opportunity

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NYC City Council NYC Department of Education (NYCDOE) NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) NYC Office of Human Capital Development NYC Office of the Public Advocate NYC Parks and Recreation Opportunity for a Better Tomorrow SUNY EOC United Neighborhood Houses Youth Development Institute

Program Partners           

BronxWorks Cypress Hills Local Development East Side House FEGS Health and Human Services Grace Outreach HANAC Highbridge Community Life Literacy Partners Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow The Door Turning Point

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Union Settlement CUNY – The City College of New York CUNY – Hostos Community College CUNY – Lehman College (Adult Learning Center) CUNY – Borough of Manhattan College CUNY – York College CUNY – New York City College of Technology CUNY – College of Staten Island

Altman Foundation New York Community Trust

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Pinkerton Foundation Tiger Foundation

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CUNY – La Guardia Community College CUNY – Bronx Community College CUNY – Brooklyn Community College SUNY – Queens EOC SUNY – Manhattan EOC SUNY – Brooklyn EOC District 79 ASE/GED® Plus NYC Office of Adult and Continuing Education

Donors  

Trinity Wall Street Santa Maria Foundation

Special thanks to Celeste Ford, our volunteer Communications/Media Advisor

Report Prepared by Working Committee: Paula Gavin, Jessica Keating, Dabash Negash, Fund for Public Advocacy; Michelle Light, NYC Office of Human Capital Development; Lazar Treschan, Community Service Society; Laura Feijoo, Robert Zwieg, Ben Meade, and Lydia Royes Sullivan, Department of Education; Ira Yankwitt and Be Jensen, Literacy Assistance Center

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