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Gateway to College Program at Laney College
Situation:
At-risk youth who have dropped out of high school needed support and specialized training to get their GED and go on to College to complete a certificate program.
- Oakland Unified School District had a large dropout population.
- Laney College in the Peralta Community College District was piloting a “Gateway to College” program designed to help students get back on track, earn their GED and enter a certificate program.
Challenges & Opportunities:
- California is the most heavily regulated state in the country, which creates a difficult climate for change, in general.
- Peralta Community College wanted to help but had no available funding.
- Oakland could assist funding the program if Laney could customize the program and McCallum Group could navigate getting an exemption to existing policy to facilitate the greater good of this innovative program.
Strategic Approach:
- Sustain momentum by advocating through the regulatory process versus the legislative process.
Patrick remembers: “We wanted to keep momentum going on this and not have it stall and it’s always easier to keep momentum by going through the regulatory process versus the legislative process.”
Because of our track record and relationship with Jack O’Connell at the California Department of Education I was able to walk into the room, briefly explain what each district was willing to do, how it would work within the context of the regulations at hand, and what needed to change. After some initial hesitation due to the creative, out-of-the-box nature of the approach, the exemption was approved.”
Solution/Outcome:
McCallum Group, Inc. obtained the necessary exemption, which allowed Oakland Unified to collect average daily attendance funds for these students while Peralta did the instruction.
Gateway to College @ Laney (GTC) empowers youth who have dropped out of high school to earn a diploma and college credit in a supportive environment.
- The program promotes student success and readiness by grouping students into learning communities, offering intensive literacy development, maintaining rigorous academic standards, and providing individualized support.
- After successfully completing the initial Foundation term, students transition to taking classes with the general student population.
- Students focus their studies in a “pathway” or major that is aligned with high school completion requirements and college degree or certificate requirements.
• To keep students on the right track to success, one-on-one support is provided by dedicated Gateway to College counselors.
- All GTC classes are college classes, and the program is fully integrated with Laney College.
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