College Access Plan

Description

College Access Plan was founded in 2006 in Los Angeles, California by two teachers: one teaches community college and the other teaches high school. The students they see in class are largely separated only by the mere fact of age; demographically, they are the same students facing the same educational challenges from two sides of a tarnished coin, largely due to socioeconomic disadvantage. The decision to go to college as well as which college to attend and how to fund an education causes many students to choose the wrong school for their needs or not to attend college at all. These teachers imagined an organization that functions as personified caulk--a way to fill the chasms through which so many students slip unnoticed. College Access Plan was formed to address the issues of college preparedness and access on a local level with grassroots programs aimed at high school students who are underserved and at risk of falling into the abyss that traverses the leap from high school to college. At CAP, it's one-on-one attention that makes all the difference, and in our pilot year, we served over 200 students at John Muir High School in Pasadena with our program "tiers"--classroom workshops designed to fit teacher-driven curriculum, in-school tutoring, and, most recently, long term one-on-one mentorships. In 2007-2008, it is our goal to serve students in additional northeast Los Angeles and Pasadena schools College Access Plan is grassroots and community-based, tailoring each program to individual needs; our major goal is to assist students in creating their own college access plan.