In this country, there exists a persistent gap between the academic achievements of low income, predominantly African American and Latino students and their high income, white peers. In California, less than 16% of students of color graduate from high school with the required classes to attend a University of California or California State University campus.

If we don’t focus on getting these students graduated from high school, with a clear pathway to higher education, this gap will widen, leaving historically underserved communities in worse shape than they are now.

At College Track, our ultimate goal is to transform low-income communities into places where college readiness and college graduation are the norms. 

To achieve this goal, College Track works within three expanding circles of impact: direct service, community partnerships, and advocacy.

Direct Service
First, we transform individual students’ achievement through our rigorous, college-prepatory after-school programming.  We work closely with each student,  monitoring their academic progress throughout high school and providing continued academic support and resources while they are enrolled in college. College Track programming increases high school graduation, college eligibility and acceptance, as well as college graduation rates for our students.

We believe that through direct service to a critical mass of high school students in low-income communities, we can interrupt the persistent failure typically plaguing these students.  For the past ten years, College Track has focused on this first circle of impact: direct service delivery to students.

Community Partnerships
But we cannot transform communities simply by changing the trajectories of individual students.  Through community partnerships and advocacy, College Track is focusing on transformation on a broader scale.  College Track is partnering with community based organizations and high schools to increase the number of students enrolled in our program.  By increasing College Track’s visibility and enrollment, we hope to ensure that local resources are leveraged to create a culture where all students are expected to attend college, and are supported on that path.

Advocacy
We are also beginning work to expand our role as an advocate for college readiness public policy focused on the well-being of at-risk students.  We build public awareness of and support for educational equity and college access programs.  Through this advocacy, we hope to build public will for the creation of policies that support our goal of transforming low-income communities into college-going cultures.