As we wrap up the 2023-2024 school year, we are thrilled to share the tremendous progress and achievements we’ve made at People for PSEO. Our commitment to promoting, defending, and expanding opportunities for high school students through the PSEO program has yielded remarkable results. Here’s a detailed look at our impact and accomplishments over the past year.
Expanded Community Outreach
From August 2023 through May 2024, we engaged with 3,264 individuals through our in-school presentations, community tabling events, webinars, and PSEO counseling meetings. This represents a significant 105% growth compared to the previous school year. Our expanded reach demonstrates our growing influence and the increasing demand for PSEO-related information and support.
Legislative Successes
This year’s legislative session was a major success for People for PSEO. We achieved four significant policy changes to PSEO law, thanks to the unwavering support of our grassroots advocates and our collaboration with Christopherson Advocates. Here are the key legislative wins:
Consistent Grade Weighting Policy: High schools are now required to have a uniform grade weighting policy for PSEO and concurrent enrollment courses.
New Fall Notification Date: We introduced an additional enrollment notification date of October 30th, making it easier for students to join the PSEO program if they miss the spring deadline.
Improved Reporting: High schools and colleges must now report data on students enrolled in PSEO under private contract agreements, ensuring accurate data collection for the state's education department.
Advisory Board Inclusion: Postsecondary institutions are encouraged to include high school and college students on advisory boards that regulate the creation and implementation of new dual credit courses.
People for PSEO plans to be active at the 2025 legislature. To stay up-to-date, join our community as a member!
Enhanced Admission Counseling Services
This year we heavily invested into our PSEO admission counseling services. Our team advised 126 students on PSEO enrollment, course selection, and college choice, a notable increase from fewer than 10 students last year. The majority of participants were students of color. In the long-term, our PSEO admission counseling service will enable us to engage in longitudinal tracking to assess the amount of money that students are saving on college costs due to their PSEO enrollment.
Anyone who wants to receive free counseling services from PPSEO can fill out our PSEO interest form!
PSEO Research Updates
Keep an eye out for an upcoming report, "Best Practices for Supporting PSEO Students," that we will be publishing later this summer!
Looking Ahead
As we move forward, we are committed to refining our processes and expanding our impact. This summer, we will focus on fundraising, consolidating our learnings, improving our outreach strategies, and exploring new service offerings to better meet the needs of students and families. We are excited about the future and the continued growth and success of People for PSEO.
Thank you to all our supporters, advocates, and community members for your dedication and partnership. Together, we are making a meaningful difference in the lives of high school students across Minnesota.
Board Spotlight
Alul Yesak is the Finance Committee Chair on our Board of Directors! Alul is a 1st generation Ethiopian-American college graduate whose career focuses on education & education policy. She previously served as the Executive Director for the MN Association of Charter School Authorizers & served at the MN Dept. of Education’s charter school division. She has a Bachelor’s in Political Science & Peace Studies, a Master’s in Education Policy & Leadership, & is a Ph.D. candidate in Education Policy & Leadership at UMN. She is a founding member of Authorizing For All: Centering Equity in Authorizing, is an alumnus of the New Leaders Council & Leadership for Educational Equity, & is the Director for the Office of Public Charter Schools at Pillsbury United Communities.
Support our work!
To help us keep up this momentum, please consider supporting our PSEO community by donating at peopleforpseo.org/donate.
Warm regards,
Zeke Jackson
Executive Director, People for PSEO
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