Posted on January 19, 2007

Lumina, American Council on Education, Ad Council Launch College Access Campaign

The Lumina Foundation for Education, the Ad Council, and the American Council on Education have announced a joint national public service advertising campaign to encourage low-income and first-generation students to take the steps needed to attend college.

The KnowHow2Go campaign will combine partnerships with education groups, communities, and governments to raise awareness among low-income students about college and what it takes to get there. The multi-media campaign features television and radio PSAs, outdoor and print advertising, and an interactive Web site that provides guidance to students, parents/adults, and organizations. In addition to the media campaign, KnowHow2Go will utilize a network of grassroots partners, including mentoring and youth-serving organizations that will reinforce the campaign in local communities.

Scheduled to run for two years, KnowHow2Go has two central goals: to raise awareness about the steps needed to prepare for college, and to motivate students to reach and succeed in college. Several states have already joined the effort and plan to localize the campaign in their regions in February.

"This campaign is critical now because America has slipped in comparison to other countries in the proportion of young people who are earning college degrees," said Lumina Foundation president and CEO Martha D. Lamkin. "Even more important, the attainment gap between income groups is widening at the same time that low-income students constitute a growing share of the college-age population. We must reach out to these low-income students, so they can earn better opportunities, and so that America will have the educated population to sustain its economic and social vitality."