College Pathways, a new partnership between local educator Ian Cummings and Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People (PHP), promotes educational opportunity by providing low-cost, private-session college counseling to families of all income levels.

Cummings, a former teacher at Midland School, conceived of the new program in an effort to address two related problems: inequity in educational opportunity and rapidly rising student debt.

“The decision of whether and where to go to college has become much more important because of the role college graduation plays in social mobility and because of the rising costs of attendance,” said Cummings, who is also working on a book that guides students through the college application and financing process. “Without good information, too many families and students make poor decisions: some don’t realize, for instance, that private colleges might be their most affordable options; others take on too much debt to attend college, and others give up their dream of even attending.”

The results nationally are startling: about half of students who enroll in college drop-out, and about half of those dropouts leave school with an average debt of $10,000. Even among college graduates, 70% are graduating with an average debt of $33,000, some with far more.

“The stories of people whose lives have been ruined by student debt – and there are a lot of them – are just heartbreaking,” said Cummings. “It’s a problem primarily for lower-income Americans. They’re the same people who can’t afford the thousands of dollars that wealthier families pay for private college counselors to help them navigate the college process. College Pathways is meant to level the playing field by allowing anyone to afford that type of counseling.”

The need for such counseling was confirmed in a paper released by the Obama administration in 2014 titled “Increasing College Opportunity for Low-Income Students,” which noted, “Low-income students often lack the guidance and support they need to prepare for college, apply to the best-fit schools, apply for financial aid, enroll and persist in their studies, and ultimately graduate… We need to recruit more counselors, advisors, and near-peer mentors to help guide low-income students through the college application and financial aid process. Organizations around the country are working to bring more counselors to low-income high-schools, and pair more students with mentors, and early results suggest positive impacts on college outcomes.”

Dean Palius, CEO at PHP, said that the partnership with Mr. Cummings was a natural. “We have recognized for many years that lower-income students, especially those with non-English-speaking parents, were at a disadvantage in identifying post-secondary educational opportunities for their children and finding affordable methods to finance those opportunities. Ian’s objectives and sliding fee scale based upon family income fit PHP’s mission to assist those in need to be successful in school and become self-sufficient.”

College Pathways services are available to people of all income levels, including English learners and students ineligible for federal aid. For more information, write to syvcollegepathways@gmail.com, call 805-691-4100, or contact People Helping People at 686-0295.