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Grade schools make strides to promote college-bound culture
By Raven Hill
 When Principal Doug Curry surveyed San Jacinto Elementary School in Amarillo ISD three years ago, he concluded that the road to college isn't paved with good intentions alone.
He says his teachers cared mightily about the students, many of whom came from economically disadvantaged families. But most students were moving on to middle school with skills that barely guaranteed a high school diploma, much less a college degree.
In the past, middle and high school teachers took the weight of getting students ready for college, working to fill in their learning gaps and preaching the college-going gospel. Now, many educators are starting as early as pre-kindergarten to get students ready for post-secondary education.
At Curry's school, that means having the expectation of "college for all."
"If we truly want our kids to have a better life down the road, then education is the answer," Curry says. "We bombard parents and students with the message of what college will mean in their lives."
Texas' efforts to enhance the preschool to college pipeline, known as P-16, picked up speed in 2005 when legislators mandated the inclusion of college and career readiness standards in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. The Texas Education Agency and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board are collaboratively developing the standards, analyzing secondary curriculum against the standards, and creating student support and professional development for implementation.
Teacher training in the revised English language arts/reading standards, for instance, stresses skills that students learn in the primary grades.
"We're showing the connection throughout," says Joseph Kulhanek, director of TEA College and Career Readiness Program. "Speaking and listening starts early on, then you move on to writing and reading. It's a continuum."
Kulhanek says he's encouraged by the reception from educators in his presentations.
"There seems to be consistent themes: 'We have to address this early on,'" he says. "We have to look at how we're all working together to achieve the same result. It's a conversation that can't just happen at the post-secondary level."
State legislators also mandated "Education: Go Get It Week" to stress the importance of higher education to middle and high school students. Many elementary school administrators say they celebrate the week on their campuses.
Administrators at Chester E. Jordan Elementary School in El Paso's Socorro ISD hope to spark conversations about college as soon as students and parents see the college banners lining the hallways.
 "We'll ask the kids, 'What college or university are you going to?' It's just considered a given that they are going. We use that kind of language so they know it's not an option [but a given]," Principal Michelle Aube-Barton says. "You hear the kids saying, 'I'm going to Texas. I'm going to UTEP (University of Texas-El Paso).' Just the banners alone generate a lot of excitement."
David Wehmeyer, principal of Corbell Elementary School in Frisco ISD, invites middle school guidance counselors to speak to his classes.
He admits the concept of college can be a bit confusing to students in the primary grades. "Many times, they're not even sure what it means to go on from elementary school to middle school," Wehmeyer says.
The counselors invited to Corbell Elementary explain to students how going to college differs from their schooling at present, and how a college education can help them pursue a certain career path. Students can ask questions, and they receive worksheets that explore education and career goals. Parents are encouraged to get involved in these conversations as well, Wehmeyer says.
 Career nights are popular at Hillman Forest McNeill Elementary School, says Principal Kenneth Davis, whose diverse campus in Fort Bend in Lamar representing 27 cultures.
"Parents understand the importance of a good education, and elementary school is the foundation of a college-bound student," Davis says.
Efforts like Career Night can help promote a college-going culture among younger students, researchers say, but educators must take assessments into account as well.
 Schools need to get all students performing at the commended level on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills to increase their chances of being suited for college, says Chrys Daugherty, senior research scientist at the National Center for Educational Achievement in Austin.
Students need to begin accumulating a large body of knowledge and vocabulary from a young age. Those from more-affluent families tend to do so through conversations with their parents and through exposure to travel, the cultural arts and the like.
"Kids need a general knowledge about the world and an academic vocabulary. If they don't get that at home, then schools need to do it," Daugherty says. "Functioning at the commended level on TAKS must be the target for all kids if we're going to target college readiness for all kids."
According to Daugherty, students also need a strong curriculum and proper assessments. "That doesn't mean you're giving them three different versions of the TAKS. It means taking whatever you're teaching in the curriculum, assessing that and re-teaching what kids don't learn," he says.
Aube-Barton says her staff is focused on "preparing kids for the 21st century." Teachers are promoting higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills.
"The data speaks for itself," she says, noting that Chester E. Jordan's commended-level passing rates increased over the past year. "If the kids are improving, then they are more prepared."
Promoting college readiness can be difficult when dealing with families who have little knowledge about what it takes to succeed in college. For these families, Daugherty advises getting teachers on board first.
"They then can sell it to parents," he says. "You've got to convince parents that you are stimulating a child's brain, and that you can do it in a way that is interesting and exciting to the kids."
 Damen Lopez, a former school principal in California, founded No Excuses University, a program that emphasizes college readiness. The program is in place at 59 schools in 10 states, including two campuses in Texas.
"The frustration that drove me to work on No Excuses University was there were many educators who thought kids were too young to understand college or they assigned them to the same station in life as their parents," Lopez says. "Many educators were counting kids out before they even gave the students a shot at dreaming."
Haidi Appel, principal of Mitzi Bond Elementary in El Paso ISD, one of the two No Excuses University schools in Texas, says her students' parents have bought into the concept of college.
"Parents will tell you the conversation has changed around the dinner table; these are families in which no one has been to college yet," she says. "These children are saying they will go and their parents support them."
After years of being among the district's lowest-performing schools, the faculty at San Jacinto Elementary in Amarillo ISD decided to adopt the No Excuses University framework.
Principal Curry describes the changes as mostly philosophical. "Everything we changed was between our own ears. No specific program or curriculum is as important as what the adults in the building think."
This year, the campus found itself among the top schools statewide, earning an "exemplary" rating. While the school will celebrate the honor in its own way, Curry says he's proud of the message it sends.
"It means we are genuinely doing better with kids. We're doing a better job of turning out kids. They will be in college someday."
RAVEN HILL is a freelance writer and former education reporter for the Austin American-Statesman.
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