Temple starts new program to help prepare Philadelphia middle school students for college

Temple University will launch a mentoring and college-readiness program this month for about 120 seventh graders in seven Philadelphia public schools as part of new outreach to make higher education more accessible.

There are plans to add 200 new seventh graders annually, and the program, in partnership with the Philadelphia School District and Heights Philadelphia ― a nonprofit aimed at providing better access to quality educational and workforce opportunities ― eventually will serve about 1,200 students in seventh through 12th grades, the university said.

That will give Temple six years to work with the same students, nurturing their talent and preparing them to attend the university, or another college.

» READ MORE: Temple aid to help make tuition free for low-income Philadelphia families

“We intend to build a relationship with these students and stay in a relationship with them every year into 12th grade,” said Jose Aviles, Temple’s vice president for enrollment management.

Called Temple Future Scholars, the pipeline program will provide support to students from low-income homes who are the first in their families to attend college. They will be invited to monthly meetings on Saturdays, held on Temple’s main North Philadelphia campus during the academic year, as well as a four-week summer program. In addition, Temple students, many of whom grew up in the same neighborhoods and are part of the university’s Cecil B. Moore Scholars program, will go to the middle schools and act as mentors.

“This is a university committing resources over time to seeing a pipeline of students come through from neighborhood communities that are underrepresented, that oftentimes don’t see themselves anywhere near the campus that they might be right around the corner from,” said Ayana Lewis, the Philadelphia School District’s executive director of strategic partnerships.

The kickoff event is planned for Saturday at Temple’s performing arts center with students who have already been selected as the inaugural class wearing T-shirts bearing the year they potentially would be slated to graduate from college. The first Saturday academy will be held in March.

The schools chosen are near Temple, including Russell Conwell Middle School, named for the same man who founded Temple and believed that education should be widely available; he spoke of the “acres of diamonds” in Temple’s backyard. Other schools that will participate in the inaugural year are Mary McLeod Bethune, Morton McMichael, Paul L. Dunbar, Tanner G. Duckery School, John F. Hartranft, and Juniata Park Academy.

Students will receive college and career programming, as well as guidance from the undergraduate admissions office, to be sure the courses they are taking in middle and high school align with what’s needed to be accepted to Temple, Aviles said.

And students who complete the program and continue to meet qualifications will be accepted into Temple Promise, a last-dollar scholarship program for students from families with an adjusted gross income of $65,000 or less that ensures free tuition and fees. Nearly 500 incoming Temple students this year — about 44% of Philadelphia students who were part of the class — received Temple Promise funds this year.

Each year starting in seventh grade, programming will have a different focus, beginning with developing identity as a scholar the first year, followed by high school preparation in year two, then self-empowerment, social and civil engagement, research and discovery, and finally college preparation in their senior year, Aviles said.

It was Aviles’ idea to launch the program, which is patterned after Rutgers University Future Scholars Program. Rutgers started its program in 2008 and since then has guided more than 3,500 first-generation students in grades seventh through 12th in Newark, New Brunswick, Camden, Piscataway, and, as of 2016, in Rahway. Over that time, college enrollment rates have reached as high as 88% among those scholars, and they graduate from college at a far higher rate than the national average, said Dory Devlin, a Rutgers spokesperson.

» READ MORE: Rutgers enrichment program celebrates first graduates

Other universities have launched similar programs after Rutgers, including Louisiana State University, where Aviles previously worked.

“The work of college admissions is evolving,” Aviles said. “We have to do more work deeper in the pipeline in partnership with school districts and community-based organizations to have a greater level of involvement in helping to prepare students to participate in higher education. It is urgent.”

Temple has lost about one-quarter of its enrollment since its all-time high of 40,240 in fall 2017, though first-year enrollment rose nearly 30% this year.

Aviles said many of the students in the program likely will come to Temple because of the relationships that will be built, but they can go anywhere.

“If they get a full-ride scholarship somewhere else, I’m going to be their biggest cheerleader,” Aviles said.

A new twist in the Temple program is the partnership with Heights, which has had longstanding relationships with the schools and is paving the way for Temple to connect. The organization has helped students with the application process and will assist with the summer program.

» READ MORE: West Chester University program wants to get students from under-resourced communities interested in STEM

“Our staff knows the families, can make phone calls and offer support,” said Chris Avery, Heights’ vice president of program strategy and partnership.

Heights and school district officials hope more colleges in the city will develop similar programs.

“We think the sky’s the limit,” said Tomás Hanna, the district’s associate superintendent of school performance for secondary schools. “There are so many other universities across the city. We’d love for this to be a model that others could look to replicate.”

About 150 applications were submitted for the first class, Avery said. Temple looked for students who were willing to commit the time, were academically ready, and met the income guidelines, Aviles said.

At Conwell, a magnet in Kensington, 30 of 32 seventh graders opted to participate in the program. The school set up meetings for students and parents to learn about it.

“I just think they were excited about the possibility of not having to incur the cost of college,” said Keith Ford, school counselor. “It’s a program that’s not only going to [give] them the free tuition but also the support prior to attending. It’s one thing to go to college. It’s another thing to stay and finish. So preparing them for that is a huge component that resonated with families.”

Leaders at the school are hopeful the program might entice more students to attend Conwell. The school has about 120 students, down from almost 800 at one time, before the area became ground zero for the opioid crisis.

Several Conwell students said they are excited to participate.

“It’s giving me an opportunity to go to a good college and stay close to home,” said Devyn Smith, 13, who was excited to hear about the tuition scholarship and aspires to be a professional athlete.

Bailey Scull, 13, who wants to be a writer, said it would be hard for her family to pay for college. “Especially with the cost of groceries now, we don’t really have that much money,” said Scull, a member of the National Junior Honor Society. “This scholarship is a lot.”

The program is open to students of any race or background, Aviles said, and does not conflict with a Trump executive order and new guidance from the U.S. Department of Education putting schools’ funding at risk if they engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion work.

“This is about looking at students in the city of Philadelphia and providing them with an opportunity to participate in this program,” Aviles said.

The budget for the first year is a little under $300,000, split across Temple, Heights, and the district, Aviles said. Over time, Aviles said officials plan to fundraise for the program as costs expand.

“Temple Future Scholars is so mission-centric to what we do,” said Temple President John A. Fry. “This is absolutely the kind of thing Conwell would have loved and supported. Hopefully one day down the road, a lot of these kids will become Temple kids.”