Close the Deal

“We started Close the Deal when I was Mayor of Louisville because we realized that many talented students who would earn a high school diploma had no idea what to do next. The program continues to be a success, with 5,400 students to date having benefitted from it. Now we are partnering with local and state leaders to launch the program in these three counties to mirror the success we had in Louisville. We are hopeful that additional counties will join the program in the coming years to help high school seniors across Kentucky further their education and future after high school.”

—Jerry Abramson
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

Across the Commonwealth, schools are working to create a culture that values college and career advising for all students. In support of this effort, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor has teamed up with the Kentucky Department of Education’s Operation Preparation program to work with school administrators, community businesses, and local elected officials through the Close the Deal program.

This program was designed to provide schools and their surrounding communities the opportunity to work with their students in planning for college and/or their future careers. The goal of the Close the Deal program as a complementary link to Operation Preparation is to:

• Create a strong college-going culture in schools with low college-going rates;
• Support high school counselors to more effectively assist students in college application and enrollment; and
• Engage the business and postsecondary communities by providing guidance and resources to assist students in establishing and meeting postsecondary goals.

For the 2012-2013 year, the following high schools were selected to participate in the Close the Deal Program and held their kick-off events on: