Too many Kansas City students don’t go to college. Here’s a new boost | Opinion

Across the country, high school seniors are graduating into one of the most economically tumultuous and challenging times in recent memory.

In this environment of rapid change, access to quality, affordable higher education and career training is more important than ever before to ensure students’ long-term financial security. But too many young people are getting mixed messages about the value of continuing their education beyond high school, and too many others lack the resources and guidance they need to make their college dreams a reality.

Now is the time for communities to rally around a shared goal: helping more students complete a postsecondary degree or credential that opens doors to opportunity.

The evidence is clear that students still want — and businesses demand — postsecondary education and training. By 2031, an estimated 72% of U.S. jobs will require some type of degree or certification after high school. And research shows that completing a postsecondary education is the most impactful factor in determining economic mobility. Students see the writing on the wall, and college application and financial aid data for the class of 2025 indicate upticks in college interest.

Whether those students actually have an opportunity to enroll in college and graduate is heavily dependent on where they live and how much money their parents make. According to the Brookings Institution, about 89% of students from well-off families go to college, compared to just 51% of students from low-income families. By college graduation, the gap widens further. A University of Missouri-Kansas City analysis of students from low-income high schools in the metropolitan area who enrolled in college found that only 30% had graduated within six years.

The good news is that Kansas City is uniquely positioned to become a leader in closing the educational opportunity gap, with educators, business leaders, public officials and philanthropies coming together to ensure that more students, especially those from historically underserved backgrounds, can thrive beyond high school.

Thanks to support from the Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation, a new nonprofit initiative called the Kansas City College and Career Attainment Network, or KCCAN, will harness this collaborative spirit to break down barriers that prevent low-income students from achieving their college and career dreams.

As the first regional network of the statewide Missouri College and Career Attainment Network, KCCAN is taking aim at the challenge on two fronts: expanding access to one-on-one college and career counseling in Kansas City Public Schools now, and creating a strategic plan for increasing attainment across the region into the future.

Low-income communities miss out on advice

Surveys show that students from low-income communities often lack access to the one-on-one college and career advice that’s available to their higher-income peers. These disparities unfairly hold some students back from accessing the education and skills they need, and result in unfair outcomes that negatively impact the entire economy. By putting more college and career advisors in schools where students need them most, KCCAN will help level the playing field and help students make more informed decisions about the kind of postsecondary education that’s right for them.

Over the coming months, KCCAN will also build a regional strategic plan to identify more ways to improve college and career outcomes for Kansas City students. This plan will assess what’s working, identify what’s missing, and create a road map to help students not just enroll in college or career training — but complete it. We’re building this plan with nearly 70 partners across Kansas City, ensuring the plan is grounded and actionable.

The stakes are high. The advent of new technologies such as generative artificial intelligence are likely to make a degree or credential even more important, as occupations increasingly demand workers who can solve complex problems, think critically and adapt to change.

Closing the educational opportunity gap in Kansas City is a chance to advance our shared value of fairness — because students’ ZIP code should never determine their destiny. It’s also an opportunity to position our region for success in a rapidly changing economy.

As families gather to celebrate graduation this spring, Kansas City can take this moment to imagine — and build — a future where every student has the support they need to pursue the education and career that’s right for them.