Transcript Document

Recovering Lost Time:
Reengaging Students through College and Community
Presented by
Miguel Contreras, Director, Gateway College and Career Academy,
Riverside City College
[email protected]
Jill Marks, California State Manager, Gateway to College National Network
[email protected]
Recovering Lost Time:
Reengaging Students through College and Community
(Goal) To provide an in-depth look at the Gateway to
College National Network (GTCNN) specialized student
services model that facilitates the success of reengaged
students in the community college setting:

Gateway to College (GtC) program structures

Local GtC strategies and tools that exemplify the
intensive student services model

Gateway College and Career Academy (GCCA) - charter
school at Riverside City College, CA
Recovering Lost Time – Presentation Outcomes

Review dual enrollment and early college research

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Understand how GtC structure, strategies and tools create
a college-going culture
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high expectations and accountability for newly re-engaged students
Understand high touch role and responsibilities of the
Student Resource Specialist (counselor, ed advisor:)
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reduces high school dropout rates, increases student aspirations, and
decreases the amount of remediation needed by incoming college
students
academic counseling, mentoring, teach college guidance courses,
coordinate wrap around services, and build the small learning community
Identify resources that address students’ socio-emotional
needs
Essential Elements
Gateway to College National Network Model
Dual Enrollment:
“Creating a recruitment pipeline of college-ready students”
“Dual enrollment programs offer a number of advantages
to the participating colleges by ideally creating a
recruitment pipeline of college-ready students – especially
among a group who may have been unlikely to pursue a
college education – who are more likely to persist and
successfully complete a postsecondary degree or
credential without any delays resulting from the need to
complete development coursework (Barnett & Stamm,
2010).”
– Dr. Rogeair Purnell, Senior Researcher, The RP Group
Dual Enrollment: Benefits for all students
•
Better prepared to successfully complete college coursework
•
Able to explore various career and majors before enrolling in college full-time
•
More confident in their ability to do college-level work and successfully pursue a
postsecondary credential
•
Better able understand of the potential economic benefits of a postsecondary education
•
Able to accelerate the pathway through college saves time and money
Source: Purnell, R. (2014). A guide to launching and expanding dual enrollment programs for historically underserved students in
California. Berkeley, CA: Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges in collaboration with the California
Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the San Joaquin Delta Community College District, Stockton, CA.
Early College Definition
Early college high schools are small schools designed so that students
can earn both a high school diploma and an Associate’s degree or up to
two years of credit toward a Bachelor’s degree.
[Goals]

Potential to improve high school graduation rates
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Better prepare all students for high-skill careers by engaging them in a rigorous, college
preparatory curriculum and compressing the number of years to a college degree
[Indicators]
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Located on a college campus
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Strong academic program
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Supportive environment – serve first generation college-going students
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Defined and structured program that enables the high school students to earn both their
high school diplomas and their Associate’s Degree in 4 to 5 years with no cost to the
student
Sources: Jobs for the Future; Middle College National Consortium
“College for All”: Early College Outcomes
“Early College designs, which immerse high school students in a “college for all”
culture and support their progression into dual-enrollment college courses, have
produced particularly dramatic results, beating typical outcomes for students of
color and low-income youth “ 2013 data:

90% of EC students earn a high school diploma vs. national rates of 66% of
blacks, 69% of Native Americans, and 72% of Latinos
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30% of EC students earn an Associate’s degree or other postsecondary
credential along with their high school diploma vs. very few students of any
background nationally

71% of EC graduates enroll in college the semester following graduation vs. 67%
of black students and 67% of Latinos nationally; and 54%of low-income students
Source: Jobs For the Future. (2014). Expanding Opportunity and Outcomes for Young Men of Color.
Dual Enrollment as a Re-engagement Strategy:
Gateway to College Early College Model
“Every year, over one million
students fail to graduate from high
school. They face a future of
uncertainty and limited
opportunity, with much higher
rates of poverty, unemployment,
and incarceration. Gateway to
College provides young people with
a second chance to earn their high
school diploma while
simultaneously building skills and
gaining credits to complete college
successfully. ”
-Laurel Dukehart, President,
Gateway to College
National Network
Gateway to College Mission
To reconnect struggling and off-track youth with an opportunity to complete a high
school diploma in a supportive post-secondary environment where they earn college
credit and experience academic success.
GtC Student Demographic Information (2013-14)
17
average age of Gateway to College student entering the program
64
75
% students of color
% first generation college-goers
GtC Student Academic Information (2013-14)
1.5
49
17
22
73
average GPA at entry (on a 4-point scale)
average % of credits needed to complete a high school diploma at entry
average number of months to complete a Gateway to College program
average number of college credits earned at graduation from Gateway to
College
% of graduates continue on in post-secondary education
Sources: Gateway to College National Network. (2014). 2012-13 Data Book; Gateway to College National Network. (2014).
10 Years of Impact: 2014 2013 Annual Report; Gateway to College National Network Database. (2004-2014); Rider, S.,Winters, K., and Neilson, T.
(2012). Gateway to College Evaluation of Post-Secondary Attainment Graduates. Pacific Research and Evaluation, LLC.
Gateway to College Student Profile

Youth (16-21 yrs.) who are atrisk of dropping out or who
have already disconnected
from their education – issues
(attendance, academics, social,
health, economics, addiction,
peers, legal)
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Have expressed a desire to
reconnect and have aspirations
for post-secondary education

Are willing to work through
past barriers to school success
Gateway to College Program Design

Foundation (First) Term - Small learning community (SLC) courses –
academic development, college success strategies, career exploration,
defining purpose
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Pathway Alignment – college pathway or major, aligned with high school
completion requirements and college degree or certificate requirements

College for All - transition to college courses with the general student
population while continuing to receive intensive support from GtC staff

High academic expectations and high touch
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Intensive case management and wrap-around supports
Gateway to College
Student Outreach and Recruitment

Strong connections with local HS
counselors and district dropout
prevention specialists

Clear communication about
program structure and
expectations

Collaboration with local youth
and family programs and
services

Current student referrals/word
of mouth

Intensive enrollment process- A
counseling approach
GtC College-Going Culture and Environment:
High Expectations and Accountability for newly re-engaged students
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From the beginning (outreach and enrollment)
 High expectations, college focused
 Purposeful enrollment activities
The Power of Place
Community (student culture as well as staff culture)
Developing Purpose
Engaging and highly effective instruction - Common Core implementation and Professional
Growth Plans
Accountability
 Structured schedules and activities
 Behavior/Habits
 Academic Progress
 Attendance
 Student Accountability Plan
 Instructional team meetings
Solution focused counseling
 Immediate interventions
 Commitment to Success Plans
 “Scholarship Accountability Form”
Gateway to College
High School and College Pathway Alignment

Early and consistent academic planning

Alignment with California’s core diploma
requirements
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Full access to community college certificate and
degree programs
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Defined pathway as a student engagement tool
GTC Student Resource Specialist:
High Touch Role and Responsibilities
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Student Resource Specialist (RS)) at the center
of our student support structure
o
Small and manageable caseloads are
necessary
o
Coordinates with students, instructors,
parents, administrators, and support
services
Develops and fosters the small learning
community (SLC)
Delivers college readiness and success coursesEases college transition
Develops personalized academic planning
(graduation and college pathway)
Employs a solution focused counseling
approach to help navigate barriers to success
and develop student agency
Coordinates for wrap around services (at the
college and in the community)
A TRUSTED AND AVAILABLE SOURCE FOR
HELP, MOTIVATION, AND GENUINE CARE
Ongoing Support Structure for
GtC Foundation and Continuing Students
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Foundation (first) term
o
o
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SLC
Focus on developing purpose and committing
to the habits of successful students
Continuing terms
o
o
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Pursuit of college pathway and diploma through
dual enrollment
Application of college success strategies
Advisory sessions for frequent contact and
support and post-secondary transitioning
Academic Supports
Gateway College and Career Academy (GCCA)
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Two Academic
Coaches
College Reading
and Writing
Center
College Math
Lab
College Disability
Resource Center
“It Takes a Village”
GCCA programs, college and community resources that
address students’ socio-emotional needs

Special Education Program – Services & Accommodations
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Intensive Student Support Program
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Student Health and Psychological Services
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Disability Resource Center
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WIA Riverside County Youth Opportunity Centers
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Operation Safe House
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Cup of Happy Program
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Women Wonder Writers Program
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Employment Development Department
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Board of Directors, GCCA
“Ten Years of Impact”:
Gateway to College National Network

Since 2003, the GtCNN evolved from a single-site program
into a national network of 43 colleges in 23 states
partnering with more than 150 school districts

Over 15,000 students served in GtC programs over the last
ten years

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that number is expected that number to double by 2018
In AY 2013-14: over 4,600 GtC students served nationally
 793 students graduated nationally
 974 students served in California
We Are Part of a Broader Movement
Gateway to College model and partnerships
address systemic challenges

Ensures that a tuition-free dual-credit option in the college setting exists to
provide students with the incentives to work hard and visualize a more successful
future

Trains staff and create systems in the college to provide wrap-around academic
and social emotional supports for students in Gateway to College and other
programs seeking to improve their service to these young people
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Forges a formal partnerships between one or more K-12 school districts and a
local college to provide the funding structure and procedures to sustain a program
into the future
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Conducts research about enrolled students and programming, and share
promising practices in the wider education community
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Advocates for policies and participate in national coalitions promoting sustainable
pathways to post-secondary education for at-risk youth
“What inspires me most
about my work with
Gateway to College students
is the moment they find
their truth—the truth that
links them to the success
they were always meant to
have. I am grateful to be a
small catalyst of that truth.”
- Jane Larson, Resource Specialist
Questions/Comments?
Gateway to College National Network
529 SE Grand Avenue, Suite 300, Portland,
OR 97214
phone: 971-634-1212
fax: 971-634-1213
Presented by
Miguel Contreras, Director, Gateway College and Career Academy, Riverside City College
[email protected]
Jill Marks, California State Manager, Gateway to College National Network
[email protected]