The Post-Secondary Bridging program is based in E3 Power Centers with a primary goal of dramatically enhancing post-secondary success among Philadelphia's opportunity youth (young people between the ages of 16-24 who are neither in school nor employed). The Post-Secondary Bridging program is powered by the Social Innovation Fund in partnership with Jobs for the Future and the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions. This program introduces participants to “college knowledge” and coaches them through a full semester at the Community College of Philadelphia. Lessons learned from implementing the pilot will help inform Project U-Turn's agenda for creating more post-secondary opportunities for disconnected youth throughout Philadelphia.
The School District of Philadelphia currently maintains a portfolio of educational options that includes programs and services for out-of-school youth and struggling students. The portfolio comprises a variety of program types, services and interventions. Chief among these options are the Accelerated High Schools, a collection of small schools expressly built for over-age and under-credited students, ages 16 to 21 who are returning to high school or otherwise significantly at risk of dropping out. As a model, Accelerated High Schools adhere to a common set of design principles and services. They share core objectives in terms of student outcomes, e.g. skill-gain rates, graduation, and successful transition to postsecondary employment or education.
Project U-Turn, Philadelphia's response to the City's dropout crisis, exists as a multi-system, multi-stakeholder campaign organized around four core areas of work: stakeholder organizing; policy barrier removal and funding identification; data and research; and diversification and expansion of quality educational options. The latter focus includes the development of programs and services that strategically and effectively address persistent systemic needs and service gaps. Presently, the need that Project U-Turn is tackling involves enhancing the academic and social readiness of students graduating from the Accelerated High Schools and transitioning to postsecondary education.
During the summer 2015 semester, Community College of Philadelphia's Division of Adult and Community Education will provide an educational opportunity for up to 100 students across the city's portfolio of Accelerated High School programs that will provide access to higher education and the opportunity to earn college credits while completing high school. This early exposure to college(or dual enrollment) approach contains components outlined in Job For the Future's (JFF) 2009 publication entitled Innovations in College Readiness. This model has proven successful at decreasing student dropout rates, increasing student success in enrolling into and completing college, reducing the amount of time and resources spent in developmental/remedial courses, and instituting new approaches to incentivizing students through the early offering of free college courses to high school students.
This intensive five-week summer program will give participants the opportunity to take up to two college courses each, at no expense to them. Program participants will have the opportunity to select from a variety of exciting, 21st century academic and technical skill building courses that will be offered on the Main Campus of Community College of Philadelphia. The courses will be taught by seasoned college faculty, and the students will have a chance to earn college credit, meet other students from diverse backgrounds, and explore their career interests.
