Expanding College Access for Urban Youth: What Schools and Colleges Can Do

This timely book demonstrates why there needs to be a more thoughtful and collaborative effort on the part of K–12 schools, as well as institutions of higher education, to provide better college access to students from low-income communities. Building on a 10-year case study of a successful school–university partnership, the authors examine the support, mentoring, and resources needed to transform the college opportunities and life chances for underrepresented urban youth. Featuring firsthand accounts from student participants, the book documents how the model provided college access to some of the most selective and prestigious universities across the nation. Because this partnership situates college access within a social justice framework, it is one of the more unique programs in the country.

Book Features:

• Shows what successful partnerships look like when schools and districts work with common goals and outcomes.
• Documents an approach that identifies promising students early in their high school careers.
• Emphasizes college access with a commitment to social justice, equity, and investment in schools and communities.
• Focuses on student perspectives to identify mentoring and high school resources that make a difference in their college pursuit.
• Includes viewpoints of university personnel and parents about the impact of the program on students.