The Double the Numbers (DTN) coalition represents a commitment by community leaders to ensure that many more DC students succeed in college.

Specifically, starting with students who entered 9th grade in September 2006, the group hopes to double the numbers of 9th graders who finish high school within five years, enroll in college, and graduate from college in a timely fashion; currently, only 9 percent of our students do so, less than half the national average. This is a looming crisis for them and all of us.

Representatives from organizations throughout the city including the DC government, DC public school system, local colleges and universities, college access providers, and community organizations work together on initiatives related to college access and persistence.

There is a growing awareness that while post-secondary education is critical to success in today’s world, 4-year college may not be the best solution for all young people.  New Futures was selected as a “best practice” example in this area of supporting a broad array of post-secondary options, and was asked to share our practices and findings from working with young people pursuing many types of post-secondary education — from short-term professional certifications and 2-year degrees through 4-year degrees.  We also shared copies of the Career Guide we developed for our prospective scholars, as a resource for attendees trying to explore a broad range of post-secondary options with their students.

A copy of the presentation can be found here.

Debbie Carty speaks to the group                          Debbie Carty and Mike Gould listen to the other speakers