Personal Navigators Increase Higher Education Access

A recent Seattle Times article describes work being done by Seattle Education Access (SEA), a small nonprofit organization in Washington State, which uses personal navigators to connect young people with higher education and to help them succeed once they enroll. The program targets “opportunity youth,” young people ages 16-24 who are not currently in school or working. A recent evaluation of the program conducted by Urban Institute showed promising results: two-thirds of the young people engaged with SEA enrolled in college, compared to only 23% of disconnected youth trying to make it on their own. Seventy-one percent of participants remained enrolled for four quarters following engagement.

Learn more about SEA’s approach here: https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/nearly-19000-youth-in-king-county-are-neither-working-or-in-school-how-one-seattle-nonprofit-is-changing-that/