the goal of summer bridge

In accordance with the goals and mission of the EASE project, it is our hope that this body of work will identify possible strategies for helping more students make what is often a long journey to college. For affluent students who are the children of college graduates, the primary goal of secondary education is often to reproduce for students the level of knowledge, skills, and abilities their parents already have. For example, it is not uncommon for doctors, lawyers and business leaders to be the sons and daughters of such professionals. In middle class households, college is often perceived as a birthright and the focus of decision-making is placed on “which” college a student should attend, rather than whether or not she or he should go to college. The psychological orientation of the families and schools serving middle class students gives them a competitive edge in higher education. However, among poor and minority students a different situation is more prevalent. Many students at-risk of educational failure, like those attending San Fernando High School, belong to families where neither parent attended college; indeed, many have not finished high school. In order for the goals of Project GRAD to be met at San Fernando High School, the schooling experiences must become transformative. Students must be encouraged and prepared to move beyond the educational level of their families and reconcile both their fears of failure and success. The UCLA Ease Project, in partnership with Project GRAD Los Angeles and San Fernando High School, can help build a supportive and nurturing, yet challenging environment that helps students transition into high school, college and beyond with ease!

The design and organization of the program was guided by two goals:

Goal #1
To ease students' transition into high school via exposure to support systems that can be found at San Fernando High School and Project GRAD, Los Angeles.

These include:
Academic Resources
   • Information regarding the A-G courses available at San Fernando High School
   • Tutoring opportunities
   • Information regarding academic extracurricular activities available at SFHS
   • Student personal reference binder containing information about study habits

Social Resources
   • Personal networking with mentors and other students
   • Introduction to information regarding becoming a Project GRAD scholar

Financial Resources
   • Project GRAD Scholarship
   • Workshop regarding financial aid conducted by CBOP
   • Information regarding financial support for college (included in students' personal binders)

Goal #2
To introduce students to the importance, advantages, and realities of post-secondary education by providing an explicit focus on "over-determining" success. Over-determining success (Boykin, 1996) consists of providing the resources and information necessary to pursue post-secondary education in amounts that exceed those usually considered to be adequate to accomplish such a goal. In other words, over-determining success entails creating (and in the case of many 9th graders, exposing them to) opportunities to participate in multiple evidenced-based activities that enhance college awareness. The idea is that while many of these activities could stand alone and lead to enhanced outcomes or increased college enrollment rates, placed together these activities can have a multiplicative effect on a student's college enrollment behavior. Therefore, the program challenges students to hold college aspirations and provides the connection between these aspirations and realistic college access information, academic prerequisites, and the processes of admissions and financial aid. Activities provided towards this end would include cultural and social skill enrichment, mentoring, and the utilization of technology for college exploration.