State Speaks Polish to Parents of High School Students

To observe Polish-American Heritage Month, ISAC uses bilingual training session to help thousands of Polish-American students obtain college financial aid

CHICAGO, IL – High school students whose parents speak Polish primarily are the target of a unique outreach strategy crafted by the State of Illinois.

To observe Polish-American Heritage Month, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) will conduct a training session - entirely in Polish - for high school guidance counselors and Polish-American community groups to help them organize financial aid workshops for Polish-speaking parents and students.

By employing a strategy of “training the trainers”, ISAC can more effectively inform Polish-speaking parents about available college financial aid programs, and help them navigate the often-confusing process of applying for college admission and assistance.

The free training session - “How to Conduct a Financial Aid Presentation… in Polish” - will be held on Thursday, October 23, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Oakton Community College, 1600 E. Golf Road, Room 1614, Des Plaines, Illinois.

The session includes a ready-to-use Polish-language PowerPoint presentation about the financial aid process, and free college planning resources available to students and parents such as ISAC’s innovative IllinoisMentor on its collegezone.com Web site. Financial aid experts will provide an overview of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the basic building block of the financial aid process.  Finally, participants will learn about the millions of dollars available through ISAC’s scholarship and loan programs, such as the Monetary Award Program (MAP), Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access Grant and Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG).

As the state’s chief provider of financial aid and counseling to college-bound students, ISAC has been aggressively reaching out to parents who have limited English proficiency.

“Our mission at ISAC is to reduce barriers to college for every high school student in our diverse state,” said Andrew Davis, ISAC Executive Director. “Applying to college and seeking financial aid is tough in any language. 'How to Conduct a Financial Aid Presentation…in Polish' will help thousands of Polish-speaking parents navigate the process.”

At the time of the 2000 U.S. Census, 932,996 persons of Polish descent lived in the State of Illinois; recent projections put the number at 1.3 million. The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights estimates that 185,000 Illinois residents speak Polish primarily.

According to the Illinois State Board of Education, 4.4% of "Native Language Spoken" students are Polish speaking, about 6,668 students in FY2006 (second only to Spanish).

With its 282 Polish-speaking students, Ridgewood High School in Norridge plans to send two counselors to ISAC’s training session

"This initiative by the State to reach the Polish-speaking parents of Ridgewood High School students is a great idea," said Gina Ciangi, a counselor at Ridgewood High School.  "The college application process is difficult for everyone, especially those for whom English is not the main language at home. This training will help open doors."

"Many Ridgewood parents are immigrants from Poland," said Ewa Adamska a Ridgewood teacher. "They strongly support their children's college dreams, but lack the 'college knowledge' to guide them through the process. This will help us teach the parents about the financial aid opportunities available to their children."

In addition to Ridgewood, other Illinois high schools with significant numbers of Polish-speaking students include:

• Reavis High School in Burbank (457 students)
• Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills (344)
• East Leyden High School in Franklin Park (328)
• Maine South High School in Park Ridge (258)
• Maine East High School in Park Ridge (277)
• Lake Park High School in Roselle (176)
• Elmwood Park High School in Elmwood Park (190)
• Argo Community High School in Summit (198)
• Lockport Township High School in Lockport (163)
• Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park (163)
• Prospect High School in Mt. Prospect  (141)
• Maine West High School in Des Plaines (139)
• Lemont Township High School in Lemont (123)
• Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove (123)
• Fenton High School in Bensenville (115)

Other schools with Polish-speaking students include Marie Sklodowska Curie Metro, Foreman, Prosser, Lane Technical, St. Patrick’s, Notre Dame for Girls, Madonna, Kelvyn Park, Taft, and John F. Kennedy High Schools in Chicago.

With Polish-American students comprising a growing proportion of elementary, secondary and college student populations in Illinois, ISAC has made Polish-American outreach a year-round priority. Many of ISAC brochures are available in Polish and the agency recently hired its first-ever Polish-speaking outreach expert.

The “How to Conduct a Financial Aid Presentation…in Polish” training session was inspired by the success of “How to Conduct a Financial Aid Presentation…in Spanish”, one of ISAC’s most popular professional development events. Last year’s event reached an estimated 18,000 students and their parents.

For online registration to the free “How to Conduct a Financial Aid Presentation…in Polish” training, go to: <A href="[ioID]2229CEB31B0046BC94CC681A67130CE6.

About ISAC
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is the State’s centralized provider of financial assistance aimed at helping students and families access postsecondary education and/or training. Each year, the Commission awards an estimated $400 million in scholarship and grant aid to nearly 185,000 qualified students, and also provides an additional $740 million to borrowers through its student loan programs. The agency offers credit-based alternative loans, a 529 prepaid tuition program known as College Illinois!, and a broad array of outreach and informational services to ensure that families have access to the information they need to pay for a college education. More information is available by calling toll-free 800.899.ISAC (4722) or visiting the agency’s Web site at www.collegezone.com.