A Letter from CEO Khari Brown
It has been an incredible year for Capital Partners for Education as we continue to work to build lasting and meaningful relationships between our mentors and students. CPE’s work is driven by a passion to help prepare these students for college and career, and that commitment is infused in our day-to-day communication and collaboration with them and their mentors, and with our school partners.
Over the course of its 25-year history, CPE has proven its commitment to helping low-income students in the Washington, D.C. area attain a college education. Our mentoring program serves students whose GPA falls squarely within the “academic middle” (between 2.3 – 3.1). These students are likely to graduate from high school but are statistically unlikely to earn a college degree without additional support.
The Pell Institute’s 2018 report on higher education equity in the US notes the national estimated college completion rate for low-income students is 21 percent, yet 65% of jobs in the Washington D.C. region will require a post-secondary degree by 2020. Our programs are designed to pair students with a mentor to help them get to and through college.
Our work focuses on steering students toward three exit outcomes to help place them on a path of upward economic mobility and ensure they are prepared to excel in the workforce. These outcomes include obtaining a bachelor’s degree, achieving a full set of “soft skills”, and demonstrating the knowledge, skills, and networks needed to identify a job, be interviewed, and to ultimately be hired.
CPE’s success this year includes all 35 high school seniors graduating with 33 currently enrolled in college, and 14 college graduates! Additionally, 96% of our students remain on track to graduate from college. We have created more than 125 student matches, received over $3 million in grants to help us further our mission, and have strengthened our relationships with school partners. It is an honor to do this work in our community. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to the milestones and achievements we’ll reach together next year!
