Program helps students reach college

A new IU initiative will make an effort to ensure that students from all walks of life can attend college. \nPart of the state budget bill includes a provision for the “Pathways to Success” Initiative, a program designed to prepare students for college and increase their chances of success in postsecondary education, according to an IU press release. \nAs part of the initiative, the IU School of Education would work with public high schools and middle schools in “underserved” areas such as Marion, Lake and St. Joseph counties. One other goal is to provide professional development for teachers in order for them to become better equipped to teach in such environments.\n“The initiative is to sign and demonstrate how a multicampus research university like IU can engage with K-12 schools in high need areas to improve student achievement and preparation for college,” said Gerardo Gonzalez, dean of the IU School of Education.\nOne critical role in the process of preparing students for college is that of the teachers.\n“We know from the research we’ve done that the single most important school-based element in helping students achieve high levels is the quality of the teachers,” Gonzalez said. \nIU plans to recruit teachers from underserved areas such as Marion county in hopes they will return to the school they graduated from to serve as role models for students.\n“The first thing students who come from those communities who go to college will do when they go back to those communities is to set the expectation and communicate the belief that every child can succeed,” Gonzalez said.\nAlthough teachers play an important role, it must take a collective group effort to ensure students get the special opportunity to attend college.\n“Teachers have a role, but it’s not only them,” said George Kuh, director of the Center for Postsecondary Research, which conducts the National Survey of Student Engagement. “It’s everyone at school and everyone in the family. There is some evidence to suggest more people need to not only believe they should do this but they can do this.”\nBesides the financial and logistical challenges students face, often the biggest problem is that they simply do not think of themselves as college material. That is sometimes the first step, said Don Hossler, professor of educational leadership and policy studies\n“People have to see themselves there, and if you don’t come from a family tradition (of attending college) programs like this increases the odds that kids will be able to see themselves there,” Hossler said.\nGonzalez has a different perspective then most. He came to the U.S. as an immigrant from Cuba and could not speak English. He said he wants to ensure that students like him learn about college, because it is an opportunity he never had. “Pathways to Success” is one way to do just that, he said.\n“The important message is that everyone can succeed,” Gonzalez said. “If they prepare themselves well, opportunities will be available to them. Education in a free society is the great equalizer. If they know about the opportunities that are here, they will also be able to succeed and achieve their goals.”