

A college degree can make a world of difference for a young person, opening doors to better employment opportunities and higher earnings. In light of this, many high schools are paying more attention to helping their students apply to and enroll in college—and arming them with the skills they will need to succeed on campus. Despite these efforts, high schools often struggle to meet these goals for students who are underrepresented in college, including students of color, low-income students, and first-generation college goers.
This guide provides real-world examples of how two New York City high schools have designed supports for students and their families on the pathway to college. These schools focused on strengthening college supports while participating in NYC’s Expanded Success Initiative (ESI), an effort to increase college readiness for Black and Latino young men. We believe the strategies featured in this guide are applicable not only to ESI’s target population of Black and Latino males, but also to other groups of high school students who may not see themselves in college or lack knowledge about how to get there.
Both schools focus on students’ social, emotional, and academic needs during high school—beginning in 9th grade—and provide clear bridges to life beyond high school graduation. The guide outlines three programs:
Along with a description of the programs, we include planning documents, information sheets for parents/guardians and students, classroom materials, and other tools educators and students have found successful in their own buildings.
We hope this collection of tools will be useful for school leaders, teachers, and other staff working to provide more robust support for students who may see college as out of reach.