Middle school students in a handful of cities are getting a powerful and rare boost: a team of adult advisers who help them win acceptance to college-preparatory high school programs, an accomplishment that can pave their pathways to college.
Because of the intensive academic and social-emotional support they receive after school and during the summer as they move from 5th through 8th grades, students in and are more likely to attend college-preparatory high schools鈥攁nd earn diplomas. Those outcomes are particularly notable for the low-income students the program serves.
Irvin Pagoaga is only in 5th grade now, so he鈥檚 just starting in the Higher Achievement program in Richmond, Va. He enjoys the fun things he gets to do in the program, like visiting a science museum and swimming at a nearby park. But after a recent trip to a college campus鈥攐ne of the program鈥檚 routine field trips鈥攈e鈥檚 feeling like his big dream of becoming a biomedical engineer could be a real possibility.
鈥淚 want to go to a good college so I can get the job I want,鈥� said Irvin, who works with an academic coach and a life mentor in Higher Achievement鈥檚 program at the city鈥檚 Boushall Middle School, at no cost to his family, for three days a week, from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. This summer, he鈥檒l be there five days a week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., for six weeks.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so important for him to have a chance for a good high school,鈥� said Irvin鈥檚 mother, Celia Segovia. 鈥淭he neighborhood [high] school is getting worse. Kids bring knives. They sell drugs outside. I don鈥檛 want him [going] there.鈥�
Higher Achievement is one of the relatively few programs nationally that spotlight an all-too-often overlooked age group: middle schoolers. Activists and policymakers push hard for strong pre-K and elementary programs, noting the importance of a solid early start in life. And they call for challenging high schools that prepare students for college.
The 鈥楩orgotten Middle鈥�
But middle school is often missing from K-12 conversations, even though it offers educators an important chance to offset trouble. Research shows that poor attendance, behavior, and grades in middle school signal that students could stumble in high school. that predicts college success.
鈥淲hen they go to high school, that鈥檚 the first true test of whether we did our jobs or not,鈥� said David McDonald, an assistant superintendent who oversees middle schools in the Greenville, S.C., district. Each of his schools has a 鈥渢ransition team鈥� that coordinates students鈥� journeys from 8th to 9th grade.
That journey, for many families, is a no-brainer: Students attend the public school zoned for their neighborhood, and few鈥攐r no鈥攐ptions exist. But in cities that allow students to attend any district high school, or where charters and magnet programs abound, the choice process can be daunting, especially for a 13-year-old.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a mini-college-application process,鈥� said Jeanette Castellanos, the CEO of , another program that helps expose middle school students to career options and transition them to high school.
鈥淔or our families in under-resourced communities, it鈥檚 challenging to navigate that complex system, and the schools and counselors don鈥檛 always have the bandwidth to help.鈥�
Higher Achievement, which operates in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Va., and the District of Columbia, is unusual among middle school programs because of its mission to get traditionally underserved students into top-notch public or private high schools near their homes.
Some organizations, such as the long-standing and , concentrate on getting middle school students into elite boarding schools. Higher Achievement, in contrast, 鈥渋s agnostic on school type,鈥� CEO Lynsey Jeffries said. Its aim is to help young teenagers find better options than the neighborhood high schools they鈥檙e zoned for.
Needing Something Better
Across the country, only 15 percent of the program鈥檚 鈥渟cholars鈥� end up attending their neighborhood schools. Ten percent choose private schools, and three-quarters enter competitive public magnets or well-regarded charter schools. All but a few of those other options are within an hour鈥檚 drive of students鈥� homes.
When Higher Achievement first began in 1975, its central mission was to help students build the academic muscle to thrive in middle and high school. But gradually, that focus sharpened as it became clear that the program鈥檚 students鈥攏early all of whom are from low-income, noncollege-going families鈥攏eeded a lift that only exceptional high schools could offer.
鈥淲e saw some of our scholars rising to the top and noticed that they have abilities and talents they鈥檙e not putting to use if they attend their zoned [neighborhood] high schools,鈥� said Anj McClain, the development manager of the four Richmond-area Higher Achievement sites, which enroll about 250 students from across the district.
鈥淎 lot of those zoned high schools don鈥檛 perform well,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o for them to have a chance at college, they have to have a chance at getting out of those schools.鈥�
Higher Achievement has taken deliberate aim at students鈥� out-of-school time to maximize access to the kinds of academic coaching and social support wealthier children get.
鈥淎s we do our work, I鈥檓 thinking, what are the wealthiest kids getting? How can we make sure we up our game to give our scholars the chances they deserve?鈥� Jeffries said.
Operating five full days a week during the summer and three afternoons a week during the school year, the program adds 650 hours of instruction and enrichment to each year students participate.
The Role of Family Commitment
Families hear about the program through teachers鈥� referrals or in presentations at their elementary schools. Any student may participate; all that鈥檚 required is a strong family commitment to stay in the program for at least three years. One challenge, however, is that students must find transportation to the after-school program if it isn鈥檛 located on their own middle school鈥檚 campus.
In the after-school program, students spend part of the afternoon with paid 鈥渁chievement coaches,鈥� who work in small groups with them on their academic skills. Some of the coaches are local teachers; others are recruited from teacher-training programs. After an early supper, students participate in electives, such as cooking, basketball, tennis, or deejaying. Then they spend time working with their mentors.
Mentors are volunteers recruited from the community and trained by the program. They range from college biology majors to lawyers and retired bankers. They follow a curriculum designed to support the younger students鈥� social-emotional growth, such as building self-advocacy skills and envisioning their futures. Mentors commit to only one hour per week, but many go beyond that, driving students to high school interviews or rewarding them for good work with outings like a trip to the zoo.
As students reach 7th grade, conversation tilts more toward high school planning, and in 8th grade, mentors play a central role in helping students with applications and financial aid. Students at all grade levels visit colleges: 5th and 6th graders only for day trips, with overnight visits for older students.
The summer program echoes the same elements, expanded to a full-time schedule.
Stephane Solis, an 8th grader at Boushall Middle School in Richmond, credits her Higher Achievement mentors with a make-or-break role in her high school application process. She鈥檚 excited that she鈥檒l go next fall to Cristo Rey Richmond High School, a local outpost of a national network of Roman Catholic college-prep schools that require students to work in their communities while they attend school.
鈥淚 would never have been able to do it by myself,鈥� Stephane said. 鈥淭he application, the essay, it was scary. My mentors helped me with everything. And now I get to go to a really good high school.鈥�
