Programs that allow students to earn high school and college credit at the same time are seen as an effective way to boost college success rates. However, numerous legislative efforts over the past decade to expand opportunities for students to take the courses have withered.
Efforts to prepare students for college and careers are taking hold earlier and earlier, expanding beyond high school so that even students in primary grades are participating in university tours and job exploration events.
A summer internship program at one of the nation’s premier biomedical research labs puts high school and college students on the front lines of cutting-edge medical research.
California’s state universities pilot a summer program that will help some of the thousands of students in the state who are a course or two shy of being eligible for college. Frequently, that one course is Algebra II.
A summer program in San Francisco drew students in by offering cold, hard cash, but it wasn’t long before what they were doing and learning overshadowed the stipend. The program offers a mix of academic tutoring and career preparation for 10th- and 11th-grade students who are behind on credits or failing classes.
One California school district is considering asking voters to pay for new college readiness programs. The $13 million estimate includes costs of rejiggering the school schedule to allow for eight periods, up from six; creating an associated summer school program; expanding support services for students; and hiring and training staff.