JFYNetWorks

NET PROGRESS TO THE AMERICAN DREAM (Winter 2020). A college degree is a classic element of the American Dream, but for young people in poor communities, the path to a college degree is fraught with risk. Far too many first-generation college students are eager to enroll in a two- or four-year college but find themselves unprepared for credit-bearing coursework. These students end up spending precious college savings and public grants and loans on remedial classes, increasing the likelihood that they will leave college without a degree, in debt and discouraged about the future. Boston-based JFYNetWorks is partnering with school districts like Boston, Revere and Brockton to prepare students for the exams that some colleges use to determine if incoming students will enter a remedial or credit-bearing course. JFYNetWorks educators are on-site at high schools teaching courses that combine in-person instruction and computer-based lessons that allow students to progress at their own pace. JFYNetWorks also uses this approach to prepare students for Massachusetts’ standardized high school graduation exam, and a recent Clowes Fund grant will help JFYNetWorks work with more English Learners in high schools with sizeable immigrant populations. In addition, JFYNetWorks is working with high schools in Boston, Lowell and Fall River to offer college-level courses within the high school so that high school graduates start college with credits in the bank and the skills and confidence to succeed. In total, these efforts have helped students save an impressive $3.3M in tuition from non-credit courses and college credit earned during high school. With these savings, the American Dream is a bit closer for the young people in JFYNetWorks’ classes.

In the image, ESL class with completed storyboards at JFYNetWorks partner, East Boston High School.

Clowes Fund Field(s) of Interest: Education/Instruction