At a recent youth conference…

…in Buncombe County, NC, 17 of 25 students said that their counselors and teachers never talked to them about college.

Never. 

Why would that be?

One boy, LeRoy, shrugged and said, “I guess they don’t think any of us are going to go.”

A young girl, Sophie added, “People see our culture and they don’t see us.”

A teacher responded…

“I think Sophie’s right. We have lowered expectations for many of our students. As teachers, we nod to the idea that everyone can go to college, but in reality we don’t walk our talk.”

So…What does this have to do with us?

In the Charleston Promise Neighborhood,

we walk the talk every day, because…

It’s never too early to inspire kids with the promise of college.

Show them that going to college is within their grasp…

Help them believe in themselves and their ability to succeed in school…

Identify people they can trust to support their journey…

Give families the tools, information and the college-bound attitude they need to support their children…

On the next few slides, we’ve shared a few ideas about ways to infuse a college culture in everything we do…

We hope you’ll have many more!

Art projects with a college theme…

Recited during morning announcements or at the beginning of class…I believe in myself and my ability to do my best at all times. Just for today – I will listen. I will think. I will speak. I will reason. I will read. I will write. I will do all these things with one purpose in mind, to prepare myself for college, to do my best and not waste this day, for this day will come no more.

MATH

Combine “College Culture” and Exercise

College Bound College Bound I am college bound Yell it out To the sky With a mighty sound Set my goals Work hard at school Ready for the test College dreams for me come trueIf I do my best

Focus on college vocabulary…

Research colleges online…

…or in the College Corner

Write letters to college requesting information…

Put “College” everywhere…

classroom doors,in the halls,

taped to desks, in the cafeteria,

maybe even in the bathrooms!

Alvin Dunn Elementary School third grader Irving Mozo displays the small pennants representing Northwestern State University that he and fellow classmates wear every Friday. It's part of the school's Read to Succeed University program that motivates students in grades K-5 to go to college by having classrooms adopt colleges, assigning students college pen pals and increasing parent involvement.

Practice Budgeting in Math…

Bring in Career and College Speakers

Study the history of SC Colleges

Talk about it afterward…

Encourage College Clothes for Teachers and Students…

What could you do with these?

Or these…?

Or these?

Or these?

“I’m a future college graduate!”“I’m college-bound!”“Ask me where I’m going to college!”“I’ve got college on my mind. How about you?”“College isn’t a dream. It’s my reality.”“I’ve got CQ (College Quotient). Do you?”“College is for YOU!”

You may be asking yourself…

Isn’t this just “fluff”? NO.

Can this stuff really make a difference?ABSOLUTELY.

Poor urban schools are not doomed to failure. Researchers have identified 1,300+ high-minority, high-poverty schools in which student standardized test scores were in the top 30% of their state at respective grade levels.

What’s the reason?

High academic expectations for all students.

It’s up to all of us…

Creating a "college culture" isn’t just the job of guidance counselors.

It involves teachers, administrators, partnerships, families, community members, and students.

If we all believe they can achieve, they will.