College preparation program launches
By Patrick Makiri
The Guardsman
Mayor Gavin Newsom, City College Chancellor Don Griffin and San Francisco Unified School District administrators announced collaborative plans to improve college preparation at local schools through the Bridge to Success Program.
At a press conference on Sept. 27 they expressed excitement about this collaboration and announced the receipt of a $3 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National League of Cities. Resources will focus on improving data-collection systems, aligning expectations of high school and college students and coordinating student services.
“We need to make sure SFUSD graduates are prepared to hit the ground running as full-time students so they can graduate college career-ready by 26,” San Francisco school board member Kimberly Wicoff said.
College-preparedness has been a controversial issue at City College, one of the country’s largest public institutions. The Bay Citizen reported earlier this year that there were more remedial English and math courses offered here than college-level courses. In the same article, Griffin likened the battle to reform the remediation system at City College to civil war.
With the new money, SFUSD students will be carefully assessed on their academic progress from as early as preschool. Bridge to Success breaks this task into eight mini-goals, or steps, for students. These range from noting how many 3-4 year olds receive early education, to whether or not kindergartners demonstrate age-appropriate skills, to tracking test scores and financial aid applications.
The program also hopes to expand the number of 11th graders who, in addition to California Standardized Testing, will answer extra voluntary questions to give the school system a better idea of students’ readiness for college, known as the Early Assessment Program.
EAP’s website reveals that the scope of the problem goes beyond San Francisco.
“More than 60 percent of the nearly 40,000 first-time freshmen admitted to California State University require remedial education in English, mathematics or both. These 25,000 freshmen all have taken the required college preparatory curriculum and earned at least a B grade point average in high school. The cost in time and money to these students and to the state is substantial. Moreover, these students are confused by seemingly having done the right things in high school only to find out after admission to a CSU that they need further preparation.”
“It’s about jobs,” Griffin said. “By better preparing students for college and their careers, Bridge to Success hopes to break cycles of poverty by making sure students are leaving their respective institutions career-ready in order to pursue ‘The American Dream.’”
Currently only 54 percent of all SFUSD college-bound students earn a degree by age 26, while only 33 percent of all City College students earn a degree by the same age. Newsom said the goal is to double the number of low-income SFUSD students who receive a post-secondary degree over the next 10 years.
Last year, the same three organizations teamed up on another Gates-funded program, Gateway to College, to get high school dropouts back into the education system. Ninety-seven high school dropouts were enrolled at City College to work towards their diplomas while simultaneously earning credit towards an associates degree.
“The program was launched a year ago,” Associate Dean of Outreach and Recruitment Services Laurie Scolari said. “And everyone saw that the collaboration worked well, so that kind of set the foundation to work together towards applying for this larger grant.”
San Francisco, Riverside, Mesa, AZ and New York City will each receive the grant in installments of $1 million over three years to streamline students’ paths towards college.