For many students, financial aid can make the difference between staying enrolled in school and dropping out, yet students are not always aware of all the financial resources that are available to them. Proactively communicating with students about financial aid can help them get the support they need to remain in college, and the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act requires colleges to do just that. Part of the act requires colleges to use some of their Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund resources to reach out to students and tell them how to apply for additional financial aid. Colleges are also distributing emergency aid and should inform students about the availability of funding. These evidence-based strategies may help college administrators create effective messages that let students know about these opportunities for more financial support.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced leaders of the Male Student Success Initiative at the Community College of Baltimore County to create an entirely online environment for a formerly hands-on program. This post describes some of the steps the program took to deepen its commitment to supporting and mentoring its students in a virtual context.

MDRC is studying this program in its Men of Color College Achievement (MoCCA) Project, and took note of particular challenges with a required first-year student success course geared toward the experiences of men of color. This blog post examines steps taken by success mentors (program staff members who are men of color as well) to sustain connections between students and support services on campus, while offering leadership and professional development opportunities.

Nonprofit service provider organizations nationwide made abrupt, often improvised adjustments to how they worked with clients when the pandemic swept the country in March 2020. Some shifts, like streamlined communications and adapting technology for online meetings, will remain part of operations in a postpandemic environment, while other adjustments may no longer be needed. Jewish Family Services in Columbus, Ohio, is figuring out which new practices it will retain when more normal operations resume.

This post describes the creative adaptations to the COVID-19 pandemic of two employment providers that use the Individual Placement and Support model to help people find and keep jobs despite multiple, serious barriers to employment. The IPS model has been effective for people with serious mental illness and remains effective despite the sharp shift away from in-person support.

Process maps are “human-centered” tools that social service organizations can use to improve their service delivery by breaking down complex problems and addressing them collaboratively. See how the Los Angeles Community College District improved its Los Angeles College Promise program by bringing students into the making of its process maps. By placing the experiences and opinions of people receiving services at the center of the process, the district encouraged students to help solve problems and gave them a greater say in how they received services. This post shows how making a process map can work for your organization.