By Associate Director Sister Debbie Liesen, SSND
As reported by Notre Dame University of Maryland and summarized here, three AMSSND Associates from Notre Dame of Maryland University’s School of Education helped increase awareness about the college application process for both teachers and students at three area high schools during the spring semester.
Molly Dunn, PhD, and Stephanie Savick, PhD, served as co-directors of the Focus on College Understanding and Success (FOCUS) initiative, while Kristine Larson, PhD, helped teach the material in a series of afterschool seminars for students, as well as professional development sessions for teachers.
The program aimed to increase the number of underrepresented students who enter and complete college programs.
“Programs like FOCUS are important, not just for the seminar students, but for everyone that it reaches in the classroom," Dunn says.
"It keeps the goal of attending college in the front of their minds, and it emphasizes that you need to put pieces in place early to plan for it. I learned is that it takes a village of support from teachers, counselors, and outreach from universities to make these topics really tangible and understandable to the students."
