GATEWAY TO COLLEGE CELEBRATES GRADUATION OF 17 STUDENTS DURING NATIONAL EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL WEEK

PHILADELPHIA, May 7, 2009 —At a time when our nation’s economic competitiveness depends on providing every child with an education that will enable them to meet the demands of the 21st century workforce, Community College of Philadelphia’s Gateway to College program is providing pathways to higher education for about 153 young people.

The program will hold a graduation celebration for 17 students who have received or will receive their high school diplomas between July 2008 and June 2009 at 6 p.m., Friday, May 8 in the Rotunda of The Mint Building, 1700 Spring Garden Street. All of the graduates are continuing their education either at Community College of Philadelphia or at a four-year institution, said Gateway to College Director Carol A. Smith.

The Philadelphia program is one of more than 200 early college high school programs nationwide celebrating Early College High School Week, May 4-10, honoring the commitment and success of the Early College High School Initiative.

With startup support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other funders, early college high schools offer college courses to high school students underrepresented in higher education (low-income, minority, English language learners, and first-generation college students) so they can gain the skills they need to succeed in college and careers.

Gateway to College is unique among Early College programs, as it serves high school dropouts ages 16 to 20 and enrolls them as college students in a college-based program. Through Gateway to College, students are able to complete their high school diploma requirements while simultaneously earning college credits toward an associate's degree or certificate. Gateway to College is currently offered at 24 colleges in 14 states, partnering with 111 school districts.

"I think that the program's value is that it can really turn a kid's life around," Smith said. "It can take someone who had given up on their education in high school and had no direction and make them not only a high school graduate but someone who has college experience."

Smith said ensuring these former dropouts finish high school and then launching them towards a college career significantly increases their employability.

"This program has let me know that no matter how badly you screw up there always is a second chance," said Berton Stone, 21, who will receive his high school diploma on May 8. Stone also will have earned 29 college credits that he plans to apply towards a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education.

Stone dropped out of World Charter High School in his senior year. The teen was working at a fast food restaurant in Media until midnight and getting home around 2 a.m. As a result, Stone started falling asleep in class and his grades fell so low that he just quit school. Ten months later a mentor told him about the Community College of Philadelphia program. It was the second chance he needed. "Growing up, I did not picture myself as one of those who would be out of school before getting a diploma," Stone said. He started Gateway to College classes in January 2007.

At a time when up to half of young people drop out of traditional schools, more than nine in 10 early college students nationwide get a high school diploma and 88 percent graduate with at least some college credit. Nationally, students who have graduated from the Gateway to College program have earned both their high school diploma and an average of 42 college credits out of about 60 needed for an associate's degree. The college credits are earned tuition free, at a time when one year of public college costs an average of $6,600.

"These numbers prove that challenge—not remediation—is an approach to education that works," said Marlene B. Seltzer, CEO of Jobs for the Future, which leads the Early College High School Initiative nationally. "The opportunity to earn free college credit is something every student and parent would invite, especially during these hard economic times."

"We will have 250 schools by 2012, serving 100,000 students," added Seltzer. "Early college high schools are already helping the nation meet President Obama's charge: ‘By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.'" For more information about the Early College High School Initiative, visit www.earycolleges.org.