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Gateway to College Program

Posted on: Friday, 7 October 2005, 03:01 CDT

By Anonymous

Community colleges are finding a successful way for disconnected youths under the age of 21 to remain in school through the means of a partnership with school districts called a 'Gateway' to college. Targeting disadvantaged youth, in particular, this project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which sponsors 400 students at Portland Community College (PCC).

These students include teen parents, former gang members, substance abusers, and second-language learners who have failed in the traditional high school setting. Upon entering the program, they have an average of 4 credits earned and a 1.9 gradepoint average in high school. These are disheartened students on the verge of dropping out. The project allows them the opportunity to reach multiple educational goals as they are able to work on their high school diploma at the same time they are working toward an associate degree. They are provided with academic assistance, funding for resources, and advising.

There are valuable benefits to this program which include flexibility in class time and locations giving the students more time at home for family needs. Students are also given an element of choice to continue their education. The classrooms include fewer distractions from other, less interested, high school students, and there is an early focus on developmental work in reading, writing, and math through an "incremental success" process.

Before students are admitted into this program, all interested students must attend an orientation session in which it is determined which students are suitable candidates for the program. They continue on through a screening process which assesses other criteria such as their classroom behavior and homework skills. This determines their readiness for making use of this "second chance" program. There are outside factors that affect the requirements of the program such as state-mandated guidelines and regulations which must be followed. The Gateway Program is one more avenue to help insure success for students who may otherwise drop out.

The preceding is summarized from "'Gateway' for Students to Open Wider this Year," by Natalie C. Holmes, (2004, August 17), Community College Times, XVI(16), 5.

Copyright National Center for Developmental Education Fall 2005

Source: Journal of Developmental Education

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