Ayres Foundation says Wayne County high schools led state in FAFSA completion; outlines college-access staff support

An Ayres Foundation representative told the Wayne County Board of Education that Wayne County High School, Collinwood High School and Frank Hughes High School led the state in Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion, with all three schools at 100% submitted as of Feb. 4.

The foundation presented during the board’s meeting to describe its college-access services and to provide metrics it uses to measure student success. The presenter said the group defines its “Air Success Metric” (ASM) to include enrollment in traditional college, technical college, apprenticeships and military service and that the foundation tracks Tennessee Promise and FAFSA completions as key steps toward postsecondary enrollment.

“A lot of these metrics — Tennessee Promise applications and FAFSAs — are the things that have to get done before a student can go into their postsecondary programs,” the Ayres Foundation representative said. The presenter added that the foundation also serves homeschool and virtual-school students once a district partners with Ayres.

The foundation outlined staff assigned to Wayne County schools and the Middle Tennessee region. According to the presentation, two full-time staff are placed at Cottonwood High School and Wayne County High School, one full-time college-access staff member is assigned to Frank Hughes High School, and a regional support specialist has been hired to provide broader assistance. The presenter said the organization has about seven people available in the region to support students.

Named staff introduced by the presenter included Becky Method (regional support specialist), Caroline Daniel (student success coordinator, Collinwood High School), Alex Desmond (college access counselor, Frank Hughes High School), Rayanna Byrd (student success coordinator, Wayne County High School) and Jason James (college access counselor, Wayne County High School).

Board members and attendees praised the foundation’s work. One board member said the program helped a graduate with FAFSA and scholarship searches and described the foundation staff as “a source of encouragement.” Another board member urged district staff to publicize FAFSA assistance as an “insurance policy” that keeps students prepared even if they delay enrolling in postsecondary programs.

The presenter described in-school assistance given that morning to virtual students, including help submitting Tennessee Promise applications and creating and upgrading FAFSA-related FSA IDs. The Ayres representative emphasized that college-access work can include long-term follow-up; they said the foundation can track and assist students through degree completion or reconnect with them years later if they seek assistance.

The presentation materials handed out at the meeting listed ASM and other statistics for the three high schools and summarized the foundation’s services for in-person, virtual and homeschool students.

Board members did not take formal action on the presentation; it was presented for information and discussion.