Equity Project is Moving the Needle in Southwest Colorado

June 15, 2017

CEI is proud to have partnered with our friends in Southwest Colorado to launch the American Indian Measurable Success (AIMS) initiative. This project focuses on dramatically increasing college readiness and success for American Indian students in southwest Colorado. AIMS was founded upon the belief that all students deserve an equal opportunity to pursue and complete a post-secondary credential or degree beyond high school.

AIMS initiative Coordinator Mary Rubadeau is quick to point out that AIMS is not a new program of the community, or of one particular organization within the network. It is an effort to coordinate, mobilize, and strengthen preparation for and access to post-secondary programs.

Rubadeau credits the broad coalition of leaders from across sectors (including tribes, school districts, BOCES, post-secondary institutions, community representatives, business, non-profits, and foundations) for a very successful first year.

Two of the six AIMS objectives are tied to the 2016-17 academic year, and the results for the first year have exceeded the goals by impressive margins.

• Objective 1: Increase the number of American Indian students enrolled in AP/CE courses from 19 to 50 in 2016-17
  RESULT: 65 students enrolled in AP/CE courses, surpassing the goal by 30%.
• Objective 2: Increase the number of American Indian students enrolled in college from 19 to 30 by fall 2017
  RESULT: 44 students have enrolled in college, surpassing the goal by 47%

“Together we learned a great deal,” said Rubadeau, “and the results that the region’s American Indian students have generated exceeded our expectations for enrollment in both Advanced Placement (AP) and Concurrent Enrollment (CE) courses. More importantly, this region has more than doubled the number of American Indian students heading off to college this year!”

Learn more about the AIMS Initiative and Colorado Legacy Schools