PSCCN has been working with two Pierce County partners since Spring of 2021 for the 2021 Postsecondary Transition Demonstration Project. The first partnership is between Fife School District, Clover Park School District, and Clover Park Technical College. The second is a partnership with Bethel School District. This regional postsecondary transition effort has focused on supporting the ℅ 2021 to enroll in postsecondary programs in coordination with high school/districts and community and technical colleges.

The Puget Sound College & Career Network at PSESD was selected as the King County Promise System Supporting Organization. King County Promise is a bold, public-private partnership to increase equity in college access and success for historically underserved students in King County. The goals of King County Promise and the role of the System Supporting Organization closely align to PSESD’s End: Success for Each Child and Eliminate the Opportunity Gap by Leading with Racial Equity.

PSCCN is excited to announce our 2021 Postsecondary Transition Demonstration Project. From February - November 2021, PSCCN will facilitate two separate partnerships. Each partnership comprised of 1 district partner and 1-2 community and technical college partners. The PSCCN Demonstration Project will be focused on significantly improving equity in college access and completion student outcomes for the class of 2021. Over this 10 month period PSCCN will work closely with each partnership, guiding them through a continuous improvement framework, while leveraging internal strategies and resources, and build on mutually beneficial data that supports postsecondary access and success.

WSOS supports students with flexible financial aid and student support services such as mentorship, professional development and networking. WSOS helps students achieve success from their first day on campus to the launch of their professional careers in Washington state.

December is a good month for students to finalize their financial aid application. To support your work with students, here are a few reminders for the senior class:

Financial Aid: Students will soon start receiving acceptance letters. Help your students explore financial aid and scholarships packages at the colleges they have applied. This will give them a good grasp of how much they can save because aid packages differ from one school to the next. 

Over summer 2020, PSCCN partnered with districts and colleges across the region to work in partnership to reduce barriers for incoming college students, leverage expertise and support of K-12, CBOs, and college partners, while acknowledging the known and potential impacts of COVID-19 on students and communities of color. This is a summary of what was learned that can be applied right away. 

Within the Puget Sound College & Career Network (PSCCN) at the Puget Sound Educational Service District, we believe that all young people have unfathomable brilliance that we should cultivate and uplift. It is with their creativity, passion, and vision that we will address the systemic injustices and inequalities facing us today. Local students want an education beyond high school; in fact a recent survey revealed that 95% of students surveyed want postsecondary education.

We are excited to share brand new College Knowledge: Student Lessons and Family Workshops, developed collaboratively by the College and Career Leadership Institute, Community Center for Education Results, UW GEAR UP Achievers, and UW Dream Project.

We here at PSCCN wish our district and college partners the best, as we all work kick off this new academic year as best we can. We know under normal circumstances this is a stressful time of year for everyone, much more so now while navigating a shift to remote learning, and also juggling the social, political, and personal challenges that this year has brought us. We hope that we are able to embody the same resolve you have displayed over the past several months in order to better support you over this upcoming year. 

PSCCN is deeply grateful to the members of the Refinement Phase, a group of 70+ staff, students and representatives from across King County's educational and community support system who have been engaged in the Refinement Phase of King County Promise since November 2019.