skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Hurricane Milton brought a thousand-year rain event to Tampa Bay; 2.2 million are still without power; Ohio voters have more in common than you might think; New legislative scorecard highlights leaders on children's issues; Feds set deadline to replace lead water pipes; schools excluded new legislative scorecard highlights leaders on children's issues.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Civil rights groups push for a voter registration deadline extension in Georgia, federal workers helping in hurricane recovery face misinformation and threats of violence, and Brown University rejects student divestment demands.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Hurricane Helene has some rural North Carolina towns worried larger communities might get more attention, mixed feelings about ranked choice voting on the Oregon ballot next month, and New York farmers earn money feeding school kids.

Alabama group receives grant to boost FAFSA submissions

play audio
Play

Wednesday, July 17, 2024   

The nonprofit group Alabama Possible has received a U.S. Department of Education grant to help increase FAFSA completion rates among students in the state.

Currently, fewer than half of Alabama's graduating seniors have filled out the Free Application for Financial Student Aid. Delays and glitches in the government's rollout of a new FAFSA system are largely to blame.

Chandra Scott, executive director of Alabama Possible, said the state has experienced one of the largest year-over-year declines in FAFSA completion, which makes summer support urgent.

"Who's going to stand in the gap in answering the calls of these students? They have gone through enough," Scott asserted. "The last thing they need to be faced with is, 'I don't know who to call. I don't know who can help guide me through this process.' And we want to remove that."

The most recent data from the National College Attainment Network show only about 47% of high school seniors nationwide have completed the FAFSA form.

Scott pointed out the grant has enabled her organization to enhance its call center and add more staff to assist families. She emphasized the assistance will be available via phone, chat and on Zoom, to help ensure support reaches every corner of the state.

"And they really, literally, will walk alongside with them on those applications, question by question, to make sure that they get it done and they are confident about the process," Scott explained. "They even follow up to make sure that, you know, those emails they were supposed to receive, to make sure they receive them."

Disclosure: Alabama Possible contributes to our fund for reporting on Civic Engagement, Education, Poverty Issues, and Youth Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A 2022 University of Indiana report concludes recent studies on voucher programs show that students attending private schools through voucher programs have experienced "large, negative impacts" on their achievement. (sheilaf2002/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Nebraska is one of four states with measures about state funding of private-school vouchers on the ballot this year. Referendum 435 asks voters to …


Social Issues

play sound

As Ohio heads into a pivotal election season, the divide between rural and urban voters might seem deep - but one expert says the gap isn't as wide …

Social Issues

play sound

By Spoorthy Raman for Mongabay.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News…


Health and Wellness

play sound

Groups that advocate for clean water are applauding the Environmental Protection Agency's new rule on replacing lead pipes - but they warn that the dr…

The financially beleaguered U.S. Postal Service expects to save billions of dollars by using electric rather than gas-powered mail delivery trucks. (USPSoig.gov)

Environment

play sound

Neighborhoods across New Mexico and other states will soon be cleaner and quieter as the U.S. Postal Service rolls out its new electric mail-delivery …

Social Issues

play sound

Voting may be a bit more confusing than expected in Utah this year, as two of the four amendments on the ballot have now been voided. The Utah …

Social Issues

play sound

The Indiana Citizen, a nonpartisan voter information platform, aims to improve civic engagement in Indiana by helping voters make informed choices…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021