What We Do
College Bridge was created to improve public education by addressing systemic barriers to student success. Our nation’s students consistently underperform in math, especially students of color and those living in poverty. The problems exist across all grade levels and into college, ultimately resulting in low rates of students graduating college and earning STEM degrees.
Historically improvement efforts are confined to a small snapshot in a student’s educational journey: a remediation class, tutoring for an exam, an extra support class, repeating a failed class, a test prep class. These options usually fail; when successful, the student will likely find themselves in the same predicament struggling in the next class. The reason is that the problem is systemic; the student’s journey began well before that class and is not limited to one class. In the US we do not view education in terms of the student and their journey. This is what College Bridge is working to change.
We view education through the lens of the student journey in grades K – college. We work with instructors, counselors, and administrators to identify systemic barriers and create improved student pathways. We develop strategic partnerships across the K-16 spectrum to develop outcome-driven improvements in teaching, learning, and college advising.
Our core strategy centers on intersegmental partnerships to
bridge the gaps between K-12 and Higher Ed.
Strategic Goals
Policy Goal: Recommend policy changes based on successful, equitable college readiness and success programming.
Policy Recommendation #1: Create a shared definition of “college readiness” between K-12 and Higher Ed partners.
Policy Recommendation #2: Develop a new nationwide framework for the post-pandemic public education system that includes shared accountability for student outcomes throughout K-16.
Partnership Goal: Develop strategic partnerships that improve the reach to underrepresented (low-income, minority, first-generation) students.
Objective #1: Improve the rate of African-American students, especially males, participating in and succeeding in STEM courses and majors.
Objective #2: Increase partnerships in rural communities in CA and nationwide.
Program Goal #1: Academic Program Goal: Improving equitable access to college information and advising to support under-represented students in their transition from K-12 to college and career
Objective #1: Create articulated academic readiness and success plans with our K-12 partners.
Objective #2: Implement Learning-Based Grading to improve course outcomes through equitable grading practices.
Objective #3: Expand the use of dual-enrollment math courses as an intervention and alignment strategy.
Program Goal #2: College Counseling Program Goal: Improve the teaching, learning, and alignment of K-16 math to create a seamless transition for under-represented students to progress from K-12 to college and career.
Objective #1: Create articulated college readiness and success plans with our K-16 partners.
Objective #2: Improve proficiency in college knowledge amongst K-12 counselors.
Initiatives
Initiative | |
|---|---|
Programmatic Initiatives | Dual Enrollment Bridge (DE-Bridge) Program, formerly SLAM |
Alternative Grading Course (K-12 and Higher Ed) | |
K-16 Math PD | |
College Counseling PD | |
Research Initiatives | Alternative Grading |
Dual and Concurrent Enrollment | |
K-16 Math Teaching, Learning, & Alignment | |
College Transition, Persistence, & Completion | |
How We Do It
Action Research Projects
We engage in both Grant-Funded and Institution-Commissioned Projects that utilize our Action Research Cycle to create innovative solutions.
K-16 Professional Services
College Bridge engages in professional development services to improve college readiness metrics, specifically in areas crucial for college completion.