When I talk about the High School Mentoring Programs with students that volunteer in the program, I struggle to balance the aim of the program with the results. I can point to a handful of instances where our volunteers really made an impact, which is important. But at the same time, I am reminded, often painfully, that there are challenges that stretch beyond our control or reach.
Published in the Summer 2012 issue of the Notebook—Philadelphia’s School News Journal—is a series of stories about the “Broken Pipeline to College” for Philadelphia high schools. One article, highlights that from the Freshman class of 2005 at one Philadelphia High School, only a quarter of the students made it to higher education; only 12% to a four-year school.
We aim to increase the college going rate of Philadelphia schools. We are an honest broker in trying to work with schools and communities to get kids into college. But the challenges are real, and news like this is a reminder of the need to support programs like our High School Mentoring program.
