State launches college prep program for all
Massachusetts education officials Wednesday launched an online clearing house for students, parents, and guidance counselors that aims to close the college preparedness gap for students with moderate to low incomes.
The program, called yourplanforcollege.org, is an expansion of a pilot effort last year, and seeks to widen the network of logistical support for traditionally underserved students who desire postsecondary education or training, but who may not know how to apply, when to prepare, or who they can turn for advice, officials said.
“The whole mission of it is to put the tools in the hands of students if there’s not a guidance counselor to hold their hand,’’ said Marie DeMego, state director for the program.
Previously, the site was open only to a batch of pilot schools across the state. Now anyone in the Commonwealth can use the site.
“Students need a central clearing house to sift through all the tools’’ available to plan careers, said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray during remarks before a crowd of 400 Malden ninth- and 10th-graders. Murray and other officials are pushing so-called “STEM’’ subjects - science, technology, engineering, and math - as avenues of opportunities in a state with robust high-tech, engineering, and pharmaceutical sectors.
