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University of Pennsylvania
Netter Center for Community Partnerships
College Access and Career Readiness (CACR) Program
2008-2009 Executive Summary
The College Access and Career Readiness (CACR) Program of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships strives to provide high school students at Sayre, West Philadelphia and University City High Schools with a comprehensive combination of college access, career readiness, and academic support activities across grades 9-12. Moreover, the program supports several school-wide career and college activities, such as career days. An advisory board consisting of staff, high school teachers and counselors, and other partners supports the ongoing development and implementation of this work.
Core program components: College access activities include assistance with the college search, application, and financial aid processes, exposure to colleges locally and nationally, and workshops for students and parents on college culture and environment sessions; career readiness activities include career mapping workshops, shadowing opportunities, and paid internships; and academic support includes tutoring, regular meetings with an academic advisor, and developing an academic goal plan. Highlights include:
Internships: Currently, 69 high school students are provided with a paid internship at various locations: their current high school (through Community School programming), the University of Pennsylvania Health System (including the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital and clinical offices), the University of Pennsylvania campus, and local businesses. These internships provide students with opportunities for critical thinking, service learning, professional development, and problem solving. In addition, internships are offered in three categories: peer education and community revitalization, leadership and advocacy, and professional worksite experiences. Ideally, students progress overtime from peer education and community revitalization positions to leadership and advocacy and professional worksite positions.
College and Career Pathways (CCP) Sessions operate weekly after school and focus on engaging students in real world discussions, hands-on workshops, and academic support. Staff, tutors, and Penn student volunteers educate and prepare students for post secondary challenges, opportunities, and choices, while also supporting their success in their internship and academic courses. Where noted below, students work according to grade groups so that the program delivers developmentally appropriate material to all participants while taking advantage of our capacity to work with students in smaller groups.
Curriculum Components
1) Life Skills: Choices and Decisions (9th and 10th grade). Students are provided with a platform to constructively discuss issues in their school, local communities, and society at large. These sessions are based upon current events, students’ interests, and topics suggested by educators.
2) College Access: Thinking About College and Getting There (11th and 12th grade). 11th grade students participate in college culture and environment sessions. 12th grade students are paired with a Penn undergraduate student to receive assistance with the college search, application, and decision processes.
3) Job Readiness: Becoming Career Bound and Professional Development (10th– 12th grades). Students are required to participate in a number of professional development sessions that focus on conflict resolution, workplace etiquette, time management, interview skills, and becoming organized. In addition, students participate in resume and cover letter workshops. 12th grade students who choose not to attend college are paired with a Penn undergraduate student to receive assistance with applying for skilled jobs after high school.
4) Academic Support: Attaining High Academic Achievement (9th-12th grades). Students are required to complete an Academic Growth Plan (AGP) that helps students map out their academic goals and their progress.
5) College and Career Pathways Summer Institute (rising seniors only): Over the summer, rising seniors are prepared to apply for college during an intensive six-week session. Rising seniors are paired with college students and prepare a sample college application, FAFSA form, three personal essays, a sample recommendation, and three scholarship applications. Students are also taken on college trips and are exposed to working professionals in the greater Philadelphia community.
6) Portfolio Project: Producing Tangible, Measurable Outcomes (9th-12th grades). Students are required to complete a portfolio that reflects their progress in the CCP Sessions over the course of their high school career. This portfolio will be used by the students for their career and college applications.
Parent Outreach: Parents and legal guardians are actively recruited participate in the enrollment process. Once students are successfully enrolled, parents are solicited to participate in all college visits, social, educational, and cultural outings. They are also required to attend parent workshops about college and career planning for their child twice times a year, which is part of the Parent Dinner Party. Newsletters and student progress reports are sent home each semester, and parents receive phone calls frequently to hear about their child’s success.
College Access and Career Readiness Awards Banquet for students, families and partners.
Affiliated partners and programs include ATT Foundation, Let’s Get Ready (LGR), Philadelphia Education Fund, Philadelphia Youth Network, Project GRAD, and the School District of Philadelphia.
2008-2009 Academic Year summary of participants: During the 2008-2009 academic school year there are over 120 students enrolled. Fifty students participate as part of PYN-funded program, 38 through the ATT program, and 13 students participate through other programs. In addition, there are 30 freshmen and sophomore students (combined) who voluntarily attend just the weekly College and Career Pathways Sessions. There are 69 paid internships offered across three schools: Sayre High School (47), University City High School (13), and West Philadelphia High School (9).
2007-2008 Program Highlights:
Based on Sayre High School Teacher Surveys (2007-2008 academic year):
➢ 70% of students improved their classroom behavior
➢ 68% of students improved their academic performance
➢ 63% of students made improvement in completing satisfactory homework.
Out of the 19 seniors who participated in the CACR program in 2007-2008:
➢ 95% graduated on time
➢ 68.4% are currently enrolled in a two-year or four-year college
➢ 15.7% had secured a full-time job upon graduation
➢ 15.7% had no designated plans after high school.
During the 2007-2008 academic school year, out of the 65 students enrolled in part-time internships:
➢ 80.2% successfully completed their internship
➢ 15.3% quit the program
➢ 4.5% were let go for failure to comply with program and or internship rules and regulations.
During the 2008 six-week summer internship program, out of the 130 students enrolled in part time internships (including the 65 students from school year):
➢ 94.7% successfully completed their internship
➢ 3.8% quit the program
➢ 1.5% were let go for failure to comply with program and or internship rules and regulations.
For more information, please contact Jessica K. Brown, Director of College Access and Career Readiness Programs at Penn’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships, 133 South 36th Street, Suite 519, Philadelphia, PA 19104
email:
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, phone: 267.709.1441
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