Gov. Bill Owens announced today a groundbreaking initiative to increase the number of Colorado students enrolling in college by supplementing the services provided by school counselors.

“We want to offer more of Colorado’s youth the opportunity to pursue higher education,” said Owens. “This project is an innovative and dynamic way to encourage students to include college in their future.”

High Horizons, spearhead by The Fund for Colorado’s Future and The Princeton Review, will add college advising specialists in 24 total middle and high schools.

Launching this fall, High Horizons specialists will rotate on a weekly basis in participating schools and will provide one-on-one and group support to students and their families in all areas of college access - from meeting academic requirements, to preparing for admissions exams, selecting post-secondary opportunities, and filling out financial aid forms.

Participating school districts include: Denver Public Schools; Fountain School District 8; and Greeley School District 6.

At a news conference at the state Capitol, Superintendent Jerry Wartgow said Denver Public Schools would use the counselors at Abraham Lincoln and North high schools as well as the middle schools that feed into both.

“High Horizons will go into many of Denver’s schools providing post-secondary advice and support, professional development to counselors, and academic and career support to help all students get the information and individual attention they need to make decisions about their future,” said Superintendent Wartgow.

“All of our young students deserve a chance to succeed. Unfortunately, despite the many improvements that have been made, too many students are not given the chance to extend their education beyond high school,” he added.

Superintendent Wartgow noted that graduation rates in the district are unacceptably low and that dropout rates are unacceptably high.

Preparation for life after high school begins early, he added, and welcomed the fact that High Horizons plans to include work with students beginning at the sixth grade.

“It is valuable for postsecondary dialog to begin in middle school - to capitalize on postsecondary options, parents and students should be considering college for many years to make sure students are academically and financially prepared. Doing so will help them stay focused on their educational and career goals. And, because High Horizons will be around for several years, we anticipate real long-term results for all students in these schools,” he said.

The program will offer expert counselors who specialize in college attendance, said representatives of The Princeton Review, along with technology support. The counselors might work hours that are friendly to both students and parents, such as noon - 8 p.m. from Tuesday through Saturday.

For more information, please contact The Fund for Colorado’s Future at 303-860-0160 or info@fund4colorado.org.