>>> THE NONPROFIT AIMS TO REDUCE BARRIERS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS BY ALLOWING THEM TO ATTEND COLLEGE DEBT-FREE.

THE NEW REPORT FINDS THAT ENROLLMENT RATE AVERAGE 74% IN THE FIRST YEAR PARTNERING WITH FIVE CPS HIGH SCHOOLS.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE IS JANICE JACKSON, CEO OF HOPE CHICAGO AND FORMER CEO OF CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

JANICE, WELCOME BACK.

IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE WERE ABLE TO TALK WITH YOU.

SO HOPE CHICAGO SHARED THE RESOURCE YESTERDAY ABOUT THE IMPACT OF DEBT-FREE COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS LIKE YOURS.

SPECIFICALLY AMONG THE FINDINGS IT INTRODUCES A RACIAL BORROWING GAP .

BLACK AND BROWN STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO BORROW $7000 MORE THAN WHITE STUDENTS WITH THE SAME EDUCATION.

HOW-TOS HOPE CHICAGO REMOVE THE FINANCIAL BARRIER?

>> I THINK THE FIRST THING WE DO IS WE GET STUDENTS INTO COLLEGE WHO OTHERWISE WOULD NOT HAVE DONE IT OR MADE DIFFERENT CHOICES BECAUSE OF MONEY.

WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE FIRST YEAR, WE CAN SEE RIGHT AWAY THAT STUDENTS ARE MAKING DIFFERENT CHOICES AND THEIR BEHAVIORS HAVE CHANGED TOWARDS COLLEGE BECAUSE FINANCES ARE NO LONGER AN ISSUE.

WE GO FURTHER BECAUSE WE WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS NOT JUST SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS, BUT THAT IT REALLY DOES NARROW THE ECONOMIC AND WEALTH GAP BETWEEN BLACK AND LATINO STUDENTS AND WHITE COUNTERPARTS.

SOME OF THE IMPACTS ARE SHARED, BECAUSE WE WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT ON THE BACK END WE ARE ABLE TO VIEW THE CITY AND THE STATE AS WELL.

>> WE SAW THAT RISING COLLEGE COSTS ARE BIG DEAL, ALSO.

>> WE ARE FALLING SHORT AND EDUCATING THEM AT THE HIGHER LEVELS.

WHAT DOES THIS DO FOR THE GLOBAL POSITIONING OF THE UNITED STATES?

THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE.

WHETHER IT BE THE QUALITY OF SCHOOLING THEY GOT LEADING UP TO COLLEGE OR THE MONEY THAT THEY HAVE IN ORDER TO ACCESS A COLLEGE EDUCATION.

>> WHAT DO YOU SAY WHEN PEOPLE QUESTION WHETHER COLLEGE IS EVEN WORTH IT GIVEN WHAT IT COSTS THESE DAYS?

>> FOR ONE, NOBODY EVER SAYS THAT ABOUT THEIR OWN CHILDREN.

WHEN WE START TO TALK ABOUT BLACK AND BROWN STUDENTS OR FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS, THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS BUT WHAT WE KNOW.

WE KNOW THAT IN ORDER TO HAVE A GREAT JOB IN THIS ECONOMY, YOU NEED TO HAVE A DEGREE.

THAT IS A FACT.

THE OTHER THING THAT I SAY IS THAT WE NEED AN EDUCATED POPULACE.

JUST LIKE WE MADE HIGH SCHOOL COMPULSORY, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE EDUCATING ENOUGH FOLKS.

>> WHAT OTHER KINDS OF SUPPORT CAN CHICAGO PROVIDE ?

IS THIS A NEW WORLD?

>> MONEY IS NOT THE ONLY ISSUE.

YOU ALSO NEED WRAPAROUND SUPPORTS.

WE HAVE ALSO PARTNERED WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE 1 MILLION DEGREES.

ALL OF THEM HAVE RESEARCH PRACTICES WHERE THEY COME IN AND SUPPORT STUDENTS, WHETHER IT BE ACADEMICALLY OR REGARDING SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL ISSUES THAT THEY NEED.

>> STARTING NEXT YEAR , YOU HAVE NOT NECESSARILY BEEN A BIG PROPONENT OF THE SCHOOL BOARD.

>> WE NEED TO START ORGANIZING OURSELVES AROUND THIS DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.

RIGHT NOW, MOST PARENTS COULD NOT TELL YOU ANYTHING ABOUT THIS NEW GOVERNANCE UPDATE.

MOST OF OUR STUDENTS ARE BLACK AND LATINO.

THEY SHOULD BE REPRESENTED, AND I AM WORRIED THAT IT IS MOVING TOO QUICKLY WITHOUT ENOUGH OVERSIGHT AND I AM WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS.

THE OTHER THING THAT I HIGHLIGHTED YESTERDAY IS THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY THERE IS A LOT THAT HAPPENS ON THE SOUTH AND WEST SIDE AROUND SCHOOLING, QUALITY OF SCHOOL, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT HOWEVER IT IS ORGANIZED, THERE ARE CHAMPIONS THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM SO THAT OUR KIDS CAN COMPETE.

>> WE HAVE JUST COUPLE OF SECONDS LEFT.

YOU KNOW, THE ANNIVERSARY OF CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS WAS THIS WEEK AS WELL.

HOW DO YOU REFLECT ON THAT?

>> I THINK IT IS PART OF THE HISTORY OF CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

YOU HAVE TO LEARN FROM THE PAST.

I WOULD ALSO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO LOOK AT WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER TO BE THE LARGEST SCHOOL CLOSING IN OUR HISTORY, AND THAT IS WHEN OUR SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED DURING