A degree beyond high school has become an essential element of opportunity in America and is a proven pathway out of poverty.

The largest gap in levels of civic participation exists between those who are college educated and those who are not. The 2010 Civic Health Assessment found those with a bachelor’s degree are nearly five times more likely to volunteer than high school dropouts. The NCoC Executive Summary for the CHA suggest that “because educational attainment is the greatest predictor of future engagement, all efforts should be undertaken to foster a culture of college completion, not just access.”

However, the majority of our nation's young people, especially low-income Americans, are finding it difficult to complete this pathway to success. Every day, there are faith communities throughout the country that are creating social networks for disconnected youth, providing positive role models for students, improving their self-esteem, providing academic tutoring for class subjects and state standardized tests, hosting FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and college awareness nights, providing opportunities to visit college campuses, and partnering with postsecondary institutions to secure admissions and financial aid packages. Outstanding examples of how faith-based communities are engaging to help more students earn a degree beyond high school exist, but are still not sufficient to meet a growing need. As one pastor in Ohio told us, "Faith-based organizations are a sleeping giant in our city and our country. we could rouse this sleeping giant to get more students into and graduating from college. But we need guidance on how best to do that."

This guidebook highlights the stories of those faith communities that are successfully increasing the number of students who graduate from college and provides faith leaders with the guidance they need to effectively partner with K-12 and postsecondary institutions to close the college completion gap.