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Financial aid nights scheduled to help local students

By Staff | Dec 16, 2008

For many students, the dream of continuing their education past high school would not be possible if not for financial aid. There are numerous ways students can get the financial help they need to make their college or university dreams a reality.

To help, Lee County Public Schools, with the assistance of Edison College, will be hosting several Financial Aid Nights. The events will be held in the schools’ auditorium and will run from 7 to 9 p.m. as follows:

u Thursday, Jan. 22, Lehigh Senior High School Auditorium, 901 Gunnery Road, Lehigh Acres.

u Tuesday, Jan. 27, South Fort Myers High School Auditorium, 14020 Plantation Rd., Fort Myers;

u Thursday, Jan. 29, Cape Coral High School Auditorium, 2300 Santa Barbara Blvd., Cape Coral.

While the events are scheduled at high schools in all three attendance zones, parents do not have to attend the one in the zone where their child attends school – they can attend whichever event is convenient for them.

Parents attending the meetings will learn about the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form and steps they need to take to help their children receive financial aid from postsecondary institutions (colleges, community colleges, high tech centers, etc.) Representatives from Edison College will cover the definition of financial aid, how to apply, deadlines, step-by-step instructions for completing the FAFSA, Bright Futures and state aid versus federal aid and more. The financial aid process can be very intimidating and these workshops help demystify the procedure and help parents and students feel more comfortable in going through the steps.

Parents have good reason to find out more about sending their kids to college.

Gov. Charlie Crist recently announced that Florida’s graduation rate reached its highest point ever last year at 75.4 percent, according to results released today by the Florida Department of Education (DOE). This rate exceeds the previous year’s rate by three percentage points and represents an overall improvement of 15.2 percentage points since the 1998-99 school year. The results indicate that rising numbers of minority graduates continue to play a significant role in the improvement of Florida’s overall graduation rate.

“These results reinforce the tremendous academic progress our students have made over the last decade and prove that Florida is home to some of the best teachers in the nation,” said Education Commissioner Dr. Eric J. Smith. “It is vital that we continue to build on our progress by elevating the expectation for our children and preparing them with the skills they need to succeed in today’s global economy.”

Similar to last year, graduation rates for African-American and Hispanic students showed some of the largest growth this year, increasing by 3.8 and 3.1 percentage points, respectively. White students also showed sizeable growth, with a 2.6 point increase in their rate compared to 2006-07.