Study Indicates Nearly 75% of Gateway to College Graduates Continue with Post-Secondary Education 
A recently completed study indicates that nearly 75% of high school dropouts and young people significantly behind in high school credits continue with their post-secondary education after completing Gateway to College.
Most Gateway to College students have significant challenges in their lives. On average, students enter the program with a high school GPA of 1.5 and only 40% of the credits they need for a diploma, making their post-secondary achievements all the more noteworthy.
As part of the study, Pacific Research & Evaluation interviewed and compiled surveys from students who graduated from Gateway to College over the past 6 years. Over 70% of the study participants had continued with higher education and attained college credentials at higher rates. Given the highly mobile target population, not all program graduates were able to be contacted. However, the results give a credible view into the lives of this often invisible subset of our nation's young people.
"Earning a college credential is a critical goal. Young people need more than a high school diploma to obtain a family-wage job," said Laurel Dukehart, President of Gateway to College National Network. "Gateway to College is about breaking the cycle of poverty."
The US Department of Labor finds that only 68% of students who graduated from high school in 2011 enrolled in college the following October. This figure includes high achievers and students who never dropped out. Gateway to College students not only surpass that rate but go on to become high achievers themselves, with nearly 40% having been on the Dean's list while pursuing higher education.
"Before Gateway I had doubts about how I would pursue [higher education]," said a young woman who participated in the study. "I was lost. I didn't know how it would work at all or what to expect or how to get there. I could see myself living with my mom and working a couple jobs to help her with the bills, but I couldn't see past that." After graduating, this young woman earned her associate's degree and plans to enroll in a four-year college to pursue her bachelor's degree in psychology and law.
By providing another path to a high school diploma and the opportunity to go to college, Gateway to College is helping thousands of young people rewrite the story of their lives.
This study is one of the ways Gateway to College National Network is working to understand this segment of our nation's young people and how to better prepare them for ongoing education success.
The full report is available at gatewaytocollege.org/newsroom.asp.
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GtC Students at Bristol Community College Give Back
Each semester Gateway to College students at Bristol Community College participate in a community involvement activity. Last semester the students focused their project on cancer awareness after reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks in class.
For four days, Gateway students collected donations on campus at BCC. As part of the fundraiser students sold lavender ribbons on a pay-what-you-can basis. The ribbons, which represented all types of cancer, were posted on a memorial wall.
By the end of the campaign the memorial wall was covered with ribbons. The money was donated to iCAN (International Cancer Advocacy Network), a program that provides advocacy for families and friends of cancer patients who want to assist in the management of their loved one's battle with cancer. Students selected this program not only for its mission, but to honor faculty, staff and students who have been impacted by cancer. More information about this organization can be found at: www.askican.org/.
The rewards of the community involvement project extended beyond the initial good deed. The blend of academic work with real-world issues engaged students and brought the project to life, especially for those whose lives had been affected by cancer. The project gave students a chance to open up and make new friends- with each other and with the greater BCC campus. Both the President and Vice President visited the fundraising booth. Students felt empowered by the strong response they received from the college, which fostered a sense of community and belonging on campus.
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Who We Serve: Gateway Students by the Numbers
We've always known that our students are awesome. Gateway to College students are trailblazers, they are hardworking and ambitious. The graphs below only prove it.
In their pursuit of educational achievement, our students often face many personal and academic challenges, but they are persistent, smart and strong. We are awed and inspired by their ability to break down barriers and thankful to be a part of their journey to success! |
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Student Highlight: Sean Smith from Front Range Community College
Sean C. Smith didn't really know his future was right in front of him while working as a night janitor at Front Range Community College in Westminster, Colorado. "Both school and life," Sean says, "weren't working for me." "I was going from school to school, couch to couch, town to town." Family issues kept Sean on the move and never really allowed for him to settle into school to complete his diploma... until one day when he finally asked his co-worker about Gateway to College.
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Sean Smith
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Coming into the Gateway program in the spring of 2012, Sean was 20 years old, and not far from high school completion. But the clock was ticking and there was very little margin for error. Sean had to get this done. He built on small victories during the foundation term and finished his first semester at Gateway with perfect attendance. Not an easy feat for a guy who rarely stayed in one place for more than a handful of weeks. After successfully completing his Foundation term, Sean entered the college for the summer term. Classes moved fast and he wasn't used to the pace of learning. He persisted, stuck with it and he made a huge impression on his college English instructor, Stewart Erlich. "Sean Smith impressed me from the start," says Erlich. "He hesitantly, almost apologetically, turned in his writing assignments, and then I would read them with astonishment at the soul that shone through each one. With each assignment and subsequent success, Sean's confidence and voice grew, and by the end of the class, I was finding myself putting his papers at the bottom of my grading pile so that I could look forward to them and feel inspired when I finished," added Erlich.
Fall 2012 arrived quickly and Sean needed just a few more credits to graduate. He finished the program with 23 college credits, including developmental education credits, and is continuing on this spring. "My future really does look promising, I'm taking classes. I might get my automotive certification or welding certification. I'm taking initiative and might have my own draft horse and cattle ranch someday." Sean truly found somewhere to hang his hat at Gateway to College.
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GtCNN to Provide Consulting Services for Sinclair Community College
Gateway to College National Network has been contracted to consult with Sinclair Community College regarding the implementation of their open source Student Success Plan case management software (SSP) at five North Carolina community colleges as part of the state's Completion by Design efforts. SSP was designed by Sinclair to increase student persistence and graduation rates by helping the institution identify and monitor groups of students throughout their academic career as recommended by recent research on student success. Web-based support then allows students to take responsibility for their own academic success. Additionally, it creates a process that encourages holistic student support in part by bridging communication gaps between faculty, advisors, counselors, and students.
GtCNN will assist the North Carolina colleges in the organizational change process associated with implementing SSP. In addition to working directly with the colleges during their discovery, implementation and follow-up phases, GtCNN will also be developing a number of resources for Sinclair that will benefit future colleges interested in implementing SSP.
If you would like further information on SSP or its features, please see their website at http://www.studentsuccessplan.org/.
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GtC Director's Convening
Gateway to College program directors from across the country gathered in Portland, Oregon on February 26th and 27th to exchange information and ideas. The convening focused on maximizing our network's collective impact and planning for program sustainability.  | | A Handsome Bunch! |
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Upcoming Events
April 10, 2013: Partnering for Sustainability Webinar Series - Part 3
Time: 10am - 11am PST
Details: Join us for the final webinar of a three-part series.
Learn from your colleagues who have been successful at raising local funding to keep their programs viable. Get ideas about which philanthropic partners are potential funders for GtC and hear from a panel of peers about how they have developed funding partnerships beyond the K-12 system.
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2013 PLC
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July 22-24, 2013: Peer Learning Conference
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Details: Click here for more information.
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Do you want to help a young person get a second chance at an education and a better life?
Click here for information on how to make a secure, online contribution.
Gateway to College National Network is a recognized non-profit organization under IRS Section 501(c)(3) (Tax ID 32-0237828), so your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
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