Closing the Degree Divide with OneGoal
OneGoal is an innovative program working to ensure that every young person in Chicago has an equal opportunity to achieve their greatest postsecondary aspirations. OneGoal, which aims to support over 8,000 students by 2022, enlists and trains high-school educators and purposefully targets historically underserved and academically underperforming high school students from open-enrollment neighborhoods and charter schools.
With schools closed, OneGoal pivoted from in-person support to provide teachers with curated e-learning tools and resources, including access to technology and internet, allowing them to continue supporting their fellows. OneGoal has been pouring energy into three objectives: ensuring fellows make informed enrollment decisions, that they enroll, and that their first-year postsecondary fellows have the tools and guidance needed to complete their spring semester and return to school in the fall.
My OneGoal director checks in on me all the time, not just about OneGoal, but about how I’m doing emotionally. We text each other regularly and those quick check-ins mean so much. I’m also getting regular emails about the program that help me feel like I’m not falling behind. It’s a challenging time, but OneGoal’s outreach helps me remember that we’re all navigating this together.
Veronica Jara
OneGoal Program Director at Kelvyn Park High School
