Every school has a plan to ensure that their students will meet their academic needs. Crosby High School also follows a detailed plan on achieving this goal, but it appears that the attention paid to students’ college enrollment is insufficient. Although the school offers certain courses aimed at preparing students for a college academically, the latter are rather unprepared psychologically. This report briefly describes the program, Fly High, that can help Crosby High School students to pursue an academic path.
Needs Assessment
Crosby High School has a diverse student population consisting of 48% white and 52% minority students, and almost 40% of the students are economically disadvantaged (“Crosby High School,” 2018). Therefore, it is possible to note that a considerable part of the school cohort is likely to face certain socio-economic challenges associated with gaining higher education. Notably, the academic performance of students is very close to the district and state average, but the college readiness index is quite low (12.5) (“Crosby High School,” 2018). These students do not receive all the necessary information and support from educators, parents, and the community.
Project Description
The suggested project implies the focus on such major aspects as dual credit courses, discussions with students and their parents, lectures at local colleges, and apprenticeships or excursions at local companies. Fly High is based on such Epstein’s principles as parenting, communicating, and collaborating with the community. Discussions with parents and students will be associated with the domains of parenting and communicating.
Students and their close ones will receive data as to available programs, scholarships, and projects, as well as enrollment information, that can help young people to make the right decision. Yull, Blitz, Thompson, and Murray (2014) emphasize that minority students are often reluctant to apply to colleges or even dual credit courses as they (and their families, in the first place) think they cannot afford higher education. Communication will take a form of discussions, mailing lists, and the communication via social media networks.
Participation in dual credit programs has proved to lead to high student performance and high college enrollment rates (Jones, 2014; Lukes, 2014). The principle of collaborating with communities will be manifested in students’ trips to local companies (and their participation in apprenticeships) and colleges (in order to attend lectures). Students will benefit from High Fly academically as they will try to gain the necessary skills and knowledge to enter a college. They will also receive more opportunities to become college students.
Planning Process
A school representative will be responsible for the implementation of the project, its planning and involvement of other stakeholders. This person will receive access to all the relevant data and resources. The head will address school teachers and administrators whenever their help is needed. The head will be responsible for communication with parents, students, local colleges, and companies. Social media, direct calls, and face-to-face discussions, as well as calls and email lists will be used as major communication channels.
Implementation Process
Evaluation Process
The measurements of the effectiveness of partnerships will include the number of meetings with stakeholders, the number of activities, and the satisfaction of stakeholders (which can be analyzed with the help of surveys). The evaluation of goals attainment will include the estimation of the rate of students enrolled in colleges, participating in dual credit courses and other activities offered in terms of the program.
Findings
The results of the program will be disseminated with the help of emails (sent to the stakeholders), the school’s website, and a school meeting.
References
Crosby High School. (2018). Web.
Jones, S. (2014). Student participation in dual enrollment and college success. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 38(1), 24-37. Web.
Lukes, L. A. (2014). Considerations and recommendations for implementing a dual-enrollment program: Bridging the gap between high school and college level science. Journal of College Science Teaching, 44(1), 17-22.
Yull, D., Blitz, L. V., Thompson, T., & Murray, C. (2014). Can we talk? Using community-based participatory action research to build family and school partnerships with families of color. School Community Journal, 24(2), 9-32. Web.