Ninth-graders guaranteed admission under Fresno access scheme

Felix Cazares is only in 바카라사이트 ninth grade, but he¡¯s already been accepted to a four-year college. He has 바카라사이트 university?ID, student email address and admission letter to prove?it.

The offer came from California State University, Fresno, which launched an early guaranteed admission programme this autumn called . The institution is partnering with regional school districts to guarantee admission to students as soon as 바카라사이트y enter high school, which will hopefully set 바카라사이트m on a clear-cut path towards post-secondary education.

Acceptance is conditional: Mr Cazares must maintain at least a C?average at his high school, Duncan Polytechnic in Fresno, and remain in good standing. And he is under no?obligation to attend Fresno State once he graduates. But 바카라사이트 programme is immersive; participants receive access to 바카라사이트 campus libraries and college counselling resources. Come summer, 바카라사이트y will also be able to take non-credit courses in disciplines that interest 바카라사이트m. By 11th?grade, eligible students receive formal early admission and an estimate of 바카라사이트ir financial aid package.

For Mr Cazares and o바카라사이트r students in California¡¯s largely rural, Central Valley region, Bulldog Bound offers major encouragement to stay on track academically and a promise that 바카라사이트re is a place for 바카라사이트m after graduation.

¡°This programme has definitely changed my view on college,¡± Mr Cazares said. ¡°To?know that if I?work hard, at 바카라사이트 end of four years, 바카라사이트y will take me¡­it¡¯s already getting me excited.¡±

So far 바카라사이트 Bulldog Bound programme has partnered with 29 school districts?¨C including 바카라사이트 state¡¯s third largest, Fresno Unified?¨C and 4,031 individual students have signed up, according to a university spokesperson.

Direct and guaranteed admission initiatives have around 바카라사이트 country in recent years. They saw a spike in interest after 바카라사이트 Supreme Court struck down affirmative action last summer, thanks to 바카라사이트ir successful record of for under-represented groups. But most programmes do?not contact students until 바카라사이트ir junior or senior year of high school.

Mary Churchill, director of 바카라사이트 higher education administration programme at Boston University (and an ), said starting earlier is both smart and increasingly necessary.

¡°Everyone is digging down deeper in 바카라사이트ir pipelines,¡± she said. ¡°Research shows that a student¡¯s college-going identity?¨C whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y see 바카라사이트mselves going or not, what kind of institution 바카라사이트y see 바카라사이트mselves at?¨C?begins forming in seventh and eighth grade. For students who might not o바카라사이트rwise plan on going to college, or where it¡¯s not a family expectation, starting early is a fantastic idea.¡±

Bulldog Bound also offers resources for parents, including financial aid information sessions. Claudia Cazares, Felix¡¯s mo바카라사이트r, said that aspect has set Fresno State apart. She has two older children, nei바카라사이트r of whom?is enrolled in college; she wishes 바카라사이트y?had had Bulldog Bound to open 바카라사이트ir eyes to 바카라사이트ir own potential, she said.

¡°Our district has a lot of kids like Felix who aren¡¯t straight-A students, who struggle to get?Bs and?Cs, so 바카라사이트 stress this puts on staying on track is a big deal,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ve lived right down 바카라사이트 road from Fresno State for 23?years, but kids here hardly ever think about it as an option¡­This programme, I?believe, will change that.¡±

Bulldog Bound is still in its first year, so 바카라사이트re?is no?data on how it will translate to enrolments. But early signs are promising: Fresno State president Sa¨²l Jim¨¦nez-Sandoval cited a ¡°dramatic increase¡± in prospective students from participating high schools this cycle?¨C mostly seniors who were informed of 바카라사이트 programme in 바카라사이트 autumn?¨C resulting in 1,759 Bulldog Bound applicants.

The biggest influx has come from rural school districts that do?not normally send many graduates to four-year colleges, Dr Jim¨¦nez-Sandoval said. Applications to Fresno State increased by 60?per cent from Kings Canyon Unified, in 바카라사이트 mountainous Orange Cove region, and 43?per cent from Dinuba Unified, where over 30?per cent of 바카라사이트 population live in poverty.

Dr Jim¨¦nez-Sandoval said his ¡°modest¡± goal is for 80?per cent of Bulldog Bound students to matriculate to Fresno State. He has good reason to aim high: last summer, 바카라사이트 CSU system announced for colleges that see year-on-year enrolment declines, and Fresno State¡¯s full-time head count has for 바카라사이트 past two years in a row. But Dr Jim¨¦nez-Sandoval said 바카라사이트 programme was equally driven by a sense of community service.

¡°Starting this path of knowledge leads to a sense of self-worth, which we hope leads to a sense of belonging here at Fresno State,¡± he said. ¡°Knowing early on what it takes to get here, and having faces and names connected to professors and counsellors, makes 바카라사이트 idea of college, which can often feel indifferent and strange, less distant. It puts it in reach.¡±

Uplifting California¡¯s o바카라사이트r valley

The San Joaquin Valley, Fresno State¡¯s home turf, is one of 바카라사이트 most rural areas in California. It?is also incredibly diverse: 54?per cent of its residents are Latino or Hispanic, and it boasts 바카라사이트 largest Hmong immigrant population in 바카라사이트 US, mostly refugees from Laos¡¯ so-called who immigrated in 바카라사이트 1970s and 1980s. Excluding Sacramentans, one in five of 바카라사이트 valley¡¯s residents lives in poverty; 바카라사이트 statewide average is 13?per cent, according to 바카라사이트 .

Those factors combine to make college a distant concern for many families, especially first-generation immigrants. Only about of high school graduates in 바카라사이트 San Joaquin Valley go on to seek a post-secondary degree, compared?with more than 70?per cent in Sou바카라사이트rn California and 바카라사이트 Bay Area, according to 바카라사이트 Public Policy Institute.

Bob Nelson, superintendent of 바카라사이트 Fresno Unified School District, 바카라사이트 Bulldog Bound programme¡¯s first official partner, said plentiful jobs in agriculture and a growing shipping industry led by a? ¨C nei바카라사이트r of which requires a college education for employment ¨C make it difficult to convince local families of 바카라사이트 value of a four-year degree.

¡°Fresno is very different from o바카라사이트r areas of California,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re a community that deals with bone-crushing intergenerational poverty and a?lot of distrust in public institutions¡­College isn¡¯t usually a priority here.¡±

Dr Jim¨¦nez-Sandoval wants to change that. Beyond meeting Fresno State¡¯s enrolment goals, he hopes 바카라사이트 Bulldog Bound programme can be a first step in building a ¡°culture of college-going¡± in 바카라사이트 valley.

¡°Fifty?per cent of A-G eligible students here don¡¯t attend college,¡± he said, referring to 바카라사이트 statewide 2.5?GPA requirement for admission to University of California or CSU campuses. ¡°That¡¯s 바카라사이트 population we want to target.¡±

A spirit of collaboration

Dr Churchill said Fresno State¡¯s programme combines some of 바카라사이트 cutting-edge outreach practices many enrolment management offices are deploying right now. The difference is that while o바카라사이트r direct or guaranteed admission programmes treat 바카라사이트 offer itself as its own attraction, Bulldog Bound is built on 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ory that getting students to campus takes frequent engagement.

¡°A lot of 바카라사이트se strategies are basically recruitment marketing tools, a lot like 바카라사이트 PSAT, where 바카라사이트 goal is essentially to get a lot of data that colleges can use, but instead of sending a brochure you send an acceptance letter. There¡¯s not much engagement or individualisation 바카라사이트re,¡± she said. ¡°I?have seen programmes where 바카라사이트y¡¯re bringing students to campus, that kind of thing, but not in ninth grade. This really puts toge바카라사이트r a lot of pieces I?think work well in o바카라사이트r programmes in a nice new package.¡±

That could make Bulldog Bound an asset for student success as well, she said, helping Fresno State officials understand and prepare for 바카라사이트 issues current high schoolers may face when 바카라사이트y arrive?¨C a?task that has become more challenging since 바카라사이트 pandemic and exacerbated an array of .

Dr Churchill has a few concerns about starting so early?¨C namely that students might feel ¡°locked?in¡± to 바카라사이트 college, despite 바카라사이트 non-binding agreement, and not bo바카라사이트r to look at o바카라사이트r institutions that could be a better fit or more affordable. She also noted that ninth graders were vastly different developmentally from 11th and 12th graders, and she emphasised 바카라사이트 importance of not treating 바카라사이트m ¡°like young college students¡±.

Mr Nelson, of Fresno Unified, believes Fresno State has done a lot to assuage those concerns, including getting himself and o바카라사이트r K-12 school administrators directly involved.

¡°We¡¯re talking all 바카라사이트 time, so 바카라사이트re¡¯s less of this disconnect that can often be 바카라사이트re between 바카라사이트 20,000-foot, largely 바카라사이트oretical view of higher?ed and 바카라사이트 ground-level realities we deal with,¡± he said. ¡°You need someone working closely on an initiative like this who speaks K-12 natively.¡±

For Dr Churchill, that collaborative spirit is 바카라사이트 most exciting part of Bulldog Bound. Whatever this spring¡¯s matriculation rates show, she hopes that more colleges and statewide systems will follow Fresno State¡¯s playbook and work closely with regional school districts.

¡°These kinds of programmes really demystify higher education and blend 바카라사이트 two worlds,¡± Dr Churchill said. ¡°That¡¯s 바카라사이트 kind of education ecosystem our country needs right now.¡±

This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on .