Rick Dalton, CEO and president of College For Every Student (CFES), recently addressed educational leaders from Great Britain and Ireland at a symposium at The University of Oxford.

The purpose of the event was to explore innovative approaches to enroll more high-talent youth from low-income communities at Oxford University and other highly selective colleges around the world. Dalton spoke to 150 faculty and students from Oxford University and Trinity College Dublin, as well as educational leaders from the United Kingdom.

“Global demographics and economies require that we educate young people from all sectors of society,” said Dalton. “The great colleges and universities will be defined by how well they do in recruiting and graduating youth from low-income communities. It’s crucial to develop and implement partnerships that help large numbers of low-income students move along the pathways to college and career.”

Dalton said partnerships between K-12 schools and higher education institutions, and school-business partnerships, drive the success of the College For Every Student Program. The CFES Program has been implemented in 800 K-12 schools throughout the United States and in 22 schools in Ireland through CFES partner Trinity Access Dublin. Ninety-five percent of youth in the CFES Program enroll in college.

“Partnerships have helped get students on college campuses to experience firsthand what college life is like,” said Dalton. “Partnerships have also provided mentors to guide students and help them and their families understand college options, the application process and how to pay for college. These activities raise aspirations and cultivate pathway knowledge that leads to social and educational uplift. ”

Developing and strengthening 200 school-college-business partnerships throughout the United States over the next 12 months will help CFES progress toward its stated goal of helping one million more students during the next decade become college and career ready.

“By strengthening existing partnerships and forging new ones, we are making CFES even more robust by offering new opportunities for students to develop grit, leadership and other Essential Skills they need to get to college, succeed in college and flourish in the 21st-century workplace,” said Dalton.

The symposium was sponsored by Lady Margaret Hall, one of 38 colleges at Oxford University. Dean of Admissions Bill Fitzsimmons from Harvard College joined Dalton as the only other representative from the United States speaking at the symposium.