SUMMER 2012

Getting a college degree is one of the most reliable ways for a woman to lift herself and her family out of poverty. With a bachelor’s degree, a woman earns 78 percent more than a high school graduate. But despite the benefits of education, the United States still lags behind many other developed nations in terms of college completion rates.

To address the completion challenge, more than 350 education and policy leaders gathered in July in Tinley Park, IL for an innovative conference aimed at finding ways to improve college completion rates. College Changes Everything, organized by Women Employed, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), and our state and local partners, focused on effective ways to increase college success and showcased resources that are available to colleges to help them increase graduation rates.

Illinois Lt. Governor Sheila Simon kicked off the event, saying that, “College moves the needle and improves opportunity–not just for individuals, but for the state, the

big picture, all of us.” She added that the issue is an important one for Illinois because, “We’re not just competing against Indiana anymore. We’re competing against India, Brazil, you name it. The best way to be ready to compete in a global economy is higher education.”

The conference brought together college and university leaders and administrators, high school educators, experts in increasing college access, guidance counselors, and policymakers. State leaders led sessions on topics like college

readiness, skill sets for 21st Century jobs, instructional models for students who need remedial education, and ways to increase student retention rates.

“It was a great opportunity for educational leaders from across the state to collaborate, brainstorm, and come up with ideas for improving access and graduation rates at their own institutions,” said Meegan Dugan Bassett, WE’s Senior Policy Associate.Continued on page 2...

Innovative Education Conference Helps Students Achieve

the news

This summer, The Working Poor Families Project invited Women Employed to share policy expertise with their partner organizations from across the country. Groups from 22 states and the District of Columbia participated in “The National Landscape of Financial Aid Policies: A Roadmap for Adults,” focusing on financial aid policy issues affecting adult students.

Women Employed experts led sessions on engaging state leaders and making them

WE Leads National Policy Academychampions for financial aid policy, and on how Women Employed has mobilized students to become advocacy champions through our Student Advocates for Success (SAS) program.

We are looking forward to seeing the impact this academy will have in states across the country.

View event photos at womenemployed.org/photos.

WE’s Mary Kay Devine (center) with Illinois Community College Board State Directors Brian Durham (Career & Technical Education) and Jennifer Foster (Adult Education).

WE’s Meegan Dugan Bassett (left) and Sarah Labadie (right).

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Getting the Facts at The Working LunchIn May, 900 civic, business, and community leaders gathered at The Working Lunch to support Women Employed, to network, and to celebrate change. Keynote speaker Linda Wertheimer, NPR’s senior national correspondent, talked about the current political climate, noting that the upcoming election will really be about women’s issues, so women must get involved and play a vital role in shaping the debate. Registered Nurse Rachel Readus talked about how she went from being a low-wage worker to being a successful professional.

Executive Director Anne Ladky quizzed guests on the facts about the status of working women and their families. She then issued a challenge, urging every person in the room to share a video to make those facts go viral. As she said, knowledge is power, but only if we share it. It’s not too late to share the facts with your colleagues and friends. Visit womenemployed.org/GetTheFacts, watch the video, and share it today. And mark your calendars for next year’s event on May 21, 2013—our 40th anniversary!

Thanks to our generous sponsors and raffle donors:

AllstateExelonFifth Third BankWintrust Financial Corp.WalgreensBarnes & ThornburgBlue Cross Blue ShieldDeVry UniversityMiner Barnhill & Galland, PCNovack & Macey LLPThe PrivateBank RBC Wealth Management Woodward W.W. Grainger Benefit The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess The Fairmont Chicago Southwest AirlinesComedy Sportz City Lit Theatre Body Balance for Performances Music of the BaroqueMoto

Innovative Education Conference Helps Students AchieveContinued from page 1

Partnering with WE and ISAC to organize the conference were the Illinois Lt. Governor’s Office, Illinois Board of Higher Education, Illinois Community College Board, Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois College Access Network, and the Federation of Independent Colleges and Universities. It was sponsored by KnowHow2GoIllinois. For photos from the event, visit womenemployed.org/photos.

Join us for our annual party with a purpose, sponsored by WE’s Advocacy Council, our leadership group for young professionals. It’s an evening of fun, networking, meeting other committed women, and finding out how you can make a difference—while enjoying drinks and great food.

Online registration opens soon, so stay tuned!

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Thursday, September 27, 2012

WE Can Do It!

NPR’s Linda Wertheimer (top) and nurse Rachel Readus.

IL Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon (left) with WE’s Meegan Dugan Bassett.

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WE Promotes Best Practices and Policies to Aid Single Moms

Legislative Updates

Women Employed recently released two new publications providing colleges and universities with resources to help single mothers and students who are struggling academically to succeed.

Single Mothers Policy Brief“Low-Income Single Mothers at Community Colleges” recommends approaches community colleges can take to help students who are single parents stay in school and graduate. These include providing services for domestic violence survivors, integrating career-related learning into basic skills courses, providing services at times and places that are accessible to students with children, offering housing assistance for single parents, and more.

The brief also shares examples of colleges across the nation that have successfully instituted these practices and are seeing

positive results, as well as an index of resources for colleges who want to implement these approaches.

Case Study: EIU Student Success CenterOur latest Promising Practice Profile is an in-depth look at Eastern Illinois University’s (EIU) Student Success Center, which offers intensive services to students who are struggling academically. Students can access the Center’s services in person by taking a course that provides them with academic skills, and by meeting with graduate students and interns who provide regular follow-up and academic planning. They can also access resources virtually by downloading skills guides and podcasts that help them learn academic and time-management skills.

The program has achieved impressive results. Since it was instituted in 2007,

the percentage of students on academic probation who have achieved good academic standing rose from 34 percent to an astonishing 86 percent.

These publications are the latest in a series aimed at providing colleges with best-practice ideas they can adopt to help low-income and adult students succeed. By sharing these recommendations and practices with colleges across the country, we hope that more students will be able to obtain degrees and achieve their career goals.

To read these and other WE publications, visit womenemployed.org/publications.

Moving Forward: Illinois’ Minimum Wage

In Illinois, the minimum wage is just $8.25 an hour, or roughly $16,500 a year. Two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women, struggling to support themselves and their families. Women Employed has been working with policymakers and a broad coalition to increase the minimum wage—and give 600,000 women a much-needed raise. SB 1565, which would gradually restore Illinois’ minimum wage to its inflation-adjusted historic value—over $10 an hour—and adjust it each year to keep up with the rising cost of living, made an important step forward this year, passing out of the Senate Executive Committee. The bill now awaits a vote in the full Senate, and may come up for debate in the fall.

Moving Forward: College Choice Reports Act

Earlier this year, Women Employed helped draft legislation that would give students and parents in Illinois the information they need to determine college costs and what college is right for them. The College Choice Reports Act (HB 5248), would require state agencies to create report cards for consumers showing information including cost, and drop-out and completion rates. The bill has received solid support in both chambers of Illinois’ legislature. It has passed the Senate unanimously and may come up for a vote in the House in the fall.

Challenge: Paycheck Fairness Act

We were disappointed earlier this year when the federal Paycheck Fairness Act failed to get the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster and move forward for a vote in the U.S. Senate. The bill would help close the pay gap by making it easier for women to determine if they are being paid unfairly and by giving them more tools to fight wage discrimination.Although the bill did not advance this time, we will keep fighting for its passage. Visit womenemployed.org to join our Action Network. Then stay tuned for actions you can take to ensure equal pay for equal work.

How can YOU make a difference?These issues are critical for working women and their families. You can help make change. Here’s how:

Minimum Wage Visit womenemployed.org/ take-action to share a minimum wage infographic on social media.

College Choice Report Card Act Find your Illinois representative on Facebook and urge them to support HB 5248. Tell them that Illinois students need this information to make smart choices about where to go to college.

Paycheck Fairness Act Go to womenemployed.org/ equal-employment-opportunity and write a letter to your Congressperson demanding equal pay.

For more actions you can take on vital issues, visit our online Action Center at womenemployed.org/take-action.

2007 34%

2011 86%

INCREASE IN GOOD ACADEMIC STANDINGsince the creation of EIU’s Student Success Center

IL Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon (left) with WE’s Meegan Dugan Bassett.

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WE Launches New WebsiteCheck out the new womenemployed.org. You’ll find tons of new ways to learn about the issues, connect with us, and to take action to make a difference for working women. Here’s just a few of the things you can do on our new site:

See up-to-the minute feeds from Women Employed’s social media sites.

Check out photo albums from WE events, rallies, student advocacy days, and more!

See people tell their own stories about financial aid, paid sick days, and other issues that matter.

Watch Donna Brazile, Lilly Ledbetter, and other change makers at Women Employed luncheons.

Download policy briefs, case studies, fact sheets, and more from our resource library.

We hope you’ll visit often!

Illinois Attorney General Addresses WE Investors

Lisa Madigan recently spoke to a group of Investors for Change about her work to protect consumers from predatory for-profit schools that target low-wage students and leave them with enormous debt.

To become an Investor visit womenemployed.org/investors-for-change.

Lisa Madigan: If I wasn’t myself, I’d like to be [Executive Director] Anne Ladky, because Women Employed’s work is so important.

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