Mar 19, 2024  
Catalog/Handbook 2018-2019 
    
Catalog/Handbook 2018-2019 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

College Reach-out Program (CROP)


College Reach-Out Program

State of Florida

The College Reach-Out Program (CROP) is a statewide program created in 1983 by the Florida Legislature under section 1007.34, Florida Statutes. The statute was designed to further the legislature’s intent of increasing the number of students successfully completing a postsecondary education. The primary objective of CROP is to recruit low-income, educationally-disadvantaged students in grades 6-12 and concentrate its efforts on motivating and preparing them to attend college and complete their postsecondary education. Without intervention, these students would be unlikely to seek admission to a postsecondary institution. No other state administers a program that targets this particular population.

An estimated 180,000 students have been served by CROP since the program was initiated. In 2012-2013, 1,550 new students joined the program, and a total of 4,170 students were served. The approximate cost was $234 per student for the project year.

CROP repeatedly demonstrates a positive return on the state’s investment in the program. In accordance with the Florida Department of Education’s mission, CROP’s provision of quality services results in high student achievement. CROP’s philosophy involves providing a mixture of academic and psychosocial support, generating greater levels of completion and transition for CROP students than those of a random sample of non-CROP students.

The College Reach-Out Program is funded by the Department of Education (DOE) through the Office of Postsecondary Education (College Reach-Out Program Annual Evaluation, February 2015).

Polk State College

The Polk State College, College Reach-Out Program meets September through June on the second Saturday of each month 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.at the Lakeland campus.