The .edu Project
As educational reform continues in Baltimore, more of our high school students are positioned to attend colleges and universities. How is Baltimore supporting our first generation college-bound students? Collaborative partnerships between private and public institutions are critical to the success of first generation students. In evaluating the needs of children in Baltimore city around this issue, the Baltimore Educational Scholarship Trust launched The .edu Project.
The .edu Project of B.E.S.T. supports first generation college-bound students and their families with our annual student and parent workshops and our professional development within the broader Baltimore educational community. We partner with colleges and universities throughout Maryland in order to leverage the resources they can collectively provide to first generation students. In addition, we founded the First Generation Affinity Group and chair quarterly meetings comprised of college support professionals from independent, public and parochial schools, nonprofit leadership and admissions and administrative teams from institutions of higher education. These meetings create networking and learning opportunities around best practices in supporting first generation college-bound students. First Generation Affinity Group members present and facilitate discussions on relevant topics. The intention of the group is to allow for the forming of partnerships and collaborations between members to strengthen the work we do to better position college-bound students for success.