Title of Effective Practice: - California Postsecondary Education ...

Direct Connection to Policy Area 4 of The Illinois Commitment
Parent Network for Education & Training (ParentNET): Yes, our children can go to college!
Illinois Student Assistance Commission
What issue or need is addressed by the effective practice? Many students rely on their parents, some of whom lack any
prior college-going experience, to make decisions about higher education. As a one-stop resource for students who need
additional support in preparing for college, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) saw an opportunity to
establish community networks of parents, educators, and outreach professionals who could support and mentor each other
while promoting student access to postsecondary education among families of first generation students.
Description of the effective practice: ParentNET is a college access partnership of the Illinois Student Assistance
Commission, the College Zone Outreach Centers and community leaders that share an interest in transitioning students
from Illinois high schools to institutions of higher learning. ParentNET promotes increased parental involvement in a
student’s pursuit of postsecondary options at institutions of higher learning. Therefore, enthusiastic and knowledgeable
partners who can both implement programs that promote equity in access to postsecondary education and speak about their
experiences in diverse group settings are the means to increased college access and parent empowerment.
The ParentNET partnership empowers parents through exposure to trusted sources of college information, services, and
resources. It promotes increased parent involvement in supporting students through the process of proactively planning for,
applying to and financing college. It involves an organized effort that delivers parent focused (1) college-access and early
awareness workshops in the fall; (2) financial aid awareness and FAFSA completion workshops in the winter; (3) college
campus exposure and consumer education in the spring; and (4) parent leadership orientation in the summer. This series of
college access initiatives is powered by networks of parents, high school staff, college representatives, community leaders
and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to promote awareness and dispel misconceptions about college access in
Illinois. ISAC serves as a liaison to both the College Zone Outreach Centers at Illinois community colleges and to
knowledgeable members of professional organizations. ISAC also provides the specialized training for ParentNET partners
on topics covering various access and affordability issues.
ParentNET began as a pilot project during FY2006 in the Chicago area. Partners of the first ParentNET included:
University of Illinois at Chicago, Latin American Recruitment & Educational Services (LARES); Richard Daley College;
West Side Technical Institute; League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National Education Service Center
(NESC); Benito Juarez Community Academy; Thomas Kelly High School; and, Community Links High School. The
ParentNET series began in November 2005 with a College Resource Fair hosted at Richard Daley College. Sessions offered
(in both English and Spanish) included: College Survival 101, Financial Aid for a College Education, and Educational
Opportunities for Non-citizen Students. In February 2006 four FAFSA Completion Workshops were held at various
ParentNET partner sites to coincide with timely completion of the FAFSA. In April 2006 the ParentNET offered “Three
College Visits in One Day,” to expose parents to a vocational/technical school – West Side Technical Institute, a
community college – Richard Daley College, and a university – University of Illinois at Chicago, as part of a daylong bus
trip. Sessions relevant to parents without college-going experience were presented at each destination, and other topics were
discussed in transit to each site.
How does this practice achieve sustainability? ParentNET provides another avenue for ISAC to achieve its mission of
providing access to postsecondary education for all students in Illinois, particularly to families who are traditionally
underrepresented in higher education. It also gives ISAC the opportunity to provide our partners with new, timely and much
needed training. ISAC is currently planning to offer the last of the four ParentNET sessions presented throughout the year,
a “Parent Leadership Orientation”, in late summer/early fall of 2006. In addition, ISAC is working with organizations to
develop a downstate ParentNET pilot and is collaborating with the Clara Abbot Foundation to implement a “ParentNET at
Work” for dependents of large corporations.
What are the results/measurable outcomes? More than 860 individuals - students and often their parent(s) - were
reached through the three sessions offered thus far in the first ParentNET pilot project. Both Univision and La Raza
provided media coverage of FAFSA Completion Workshops held in February, and ISAC was given the opportunity to
introduce ParentNET at several conferences and meetings throughout the year. This initiative’s successes will emerge as the
students reached through the ParentNET pilot project matriculate to higher education, and other ParentNET partnerships are
formed throughout Illinois.
Contact Information
Name: Jacqueline Moreno
Email: jmoreno@isac.org
Phone: (800) 899-4722
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