Dreams of College Deferred?

Many schools districts have recently cut funding for summer activities or schooling that are deemed essential in helping close the achievement gap. The Los Angeles school district, for instance, eliminated summer school except for special education students or ones who need credits to graduate, saving $34 million. Yet an ABC News article notes that 65 percent of the academic gaps between low-income ninth graders and their peers can be attributed to unequal summer learning opportunities.While districts continue to cut funding, low-income students will be further disadvantaged in educational opportunities. 

An article in The Kansas City Star, though, claims that there is a panacea to this growing problem. The author argues that community colleges and universities can offer summer programs that not only help low-income students close the academic gap, but can even inspire students to matriculate to colleges or universities - something they may never have considered. This is in light of recent Department of Labor statistics that cite that 72 percent of new jobs and 90 percent of high-growth, high wage jobs require some form of post-high school education.

Summer programs not only help low-income students stay on par with their academic learning, but also enlighten them to new career interests and help them realize the feasibility of a college education. The Kansas City Star notes that one girl, Keitha Boston, wished to enroll in a culinary arts school, but after a summer program at University of Missouri - Kansas City Campus, she will instead likely pursue a four-year university education. Another student, Ryan Benjamin, felt that in a college environment he would be unable to compete with the other students, but after attending a math and science camp at Northwest Missouri State University, he understood his own abilities and no longer felt intimidated. The secondary benefits of these early college programs are innumerable for students who do not at first consider college education a future goal.

The question remains, however, as to how these partnerships between school districts and local community colleges and universities can be funded. Private organizations such as the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation or the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation have pledged money to support such programs in Kansas City. To expand such early college programs nationally, though, funding opportunities and partnerships with organizations such as those aforementioned will need to be solicited and sought after; the strides made towards closing the achievement gap, however, would be vast and the secondary benefits invaluable.

Articles referenced: 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=8052549&page=1

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1319998.html

Kevin Prior

INeedAPencil Summer Associate

Harvard College 2011