Community Tutoring Program and Bright Prospect

Like Zandy and Maggie, this class has made me think about education. By way of a disclaimer, I really have a limited exposure to education policy and a limited understanding of how the public school system works in California. But still, I wanted to share some of my own personal experiences here at Scripps.

This will be my second year now with the Community Tutoring Program (CTP), which works in partnership with Bright Prospect (BP), a college access non-profit in Pomona. CTP offers tutoring to Bright Prospect students and organizes programs here at the Claremont Colleges for these students. For example, last semester CTP offered a Preview Day at Scripps and this semester organized a screening of the documentary “Made in L.A.”

Bright Prospect targets high-achieving students from local low-decile high schools, such as Garey (20 minutes away), Pomona (10 minutes away), and Ganesha (15 minutes away). Just to give a quick (and somewhat superficial comparison), Garey is less than 2% white with over 70% of students qualifying for free lunch. An easy contrast is with Claremont High School, where 11% of students qualify for free lunch and 49% are white [1].

Just looking at the facts Zandy included, it is clear that something must be done about underserved schools in our communities. In addition to the solutions he offered, programs such as Bright Prospect have the opportunity to make a clear difference. The Bright Prospect program is unique (and amazing) in several ways.

The Bright Prospect Scholar Support Program takes the very top students from underserved local high schools and aims to have them gain admission to the nation’s most elite institutions. What is different from many other college access programs is that they support students and their families and sticks with them for all four years for their college career. Consider that of every three low-income minority students attending college on traditional scholarships, two will quit before earning their degree. Bright Prospect offers financial and social support to both students and their families during the application process and throughout college. In addition, they offer many programs and opportunities for students and their families during high school. As a result, 85% of the program participants graduate within four years, which is an amazing statistic in itself.

The second program is larger. The Bright Prospect of Academy of Young Scholars targets the top 20% of local high school students. They supply information about college and aid students in their applications in order to increase the number of students who graduate from four-year universities, mostly Cal State’s or UC’s. They have over two hundred students in this program. A crucial part of the program is peer mentoring. Eleventh and Twelfth graders who have already gone through the program serve as peer mentors to ninth and tenth grades, a mutually beneficial relationship. This ensures each student has a strong support network while extending the number of students Bright Prospect is able to help. Students also gain experience in leadership and organizing through this; for example these students were responsible for ensuring such an abnormally large turnout for “Made in L.A.”

Vicki Ruiz in “Citizen Restaurant” used a quote by George Lipsitz that I really loved. He said, “We do not choose our color, but we do choose our commitments. We do not choose our parents, but do choose our politics” (13). Although I have a pretty limited experience in education, what I have learned through this job has changed my understanding of community and my politics. During high school, I often felt frustrated with the lack of resources offered to students. By way of a disclaimer, I attended the wealthiest school in my district. But even still an understaffed counseling center, limited awareness of the college application process, and other issues were all problems we faced. Luckily, I stumbled across visit programs designed for underrepresented students as well as received a scholarship to attend a summer program. It wasn't until I went to my summer program that I realized that I could attend a private school and that I was qualified enough to be recruited be some. Still, most of my school graduates and goes to community college, which while can be the best option for some students shouldn't be the only option for all.

I can't say I've resolved my disappointment with my high school. What I can say is that this disappointment coupled with my own interest in educational reform has motivated me to get involved.I’ve been able to combat some of the frustration I felt in high school and even at college by working with organizations like Bright Prospect and the Scripps College Academy while broadening my awareness of college access programs and feeling more empowered through action.

I think it is time for me to get off my soapbox and reveal my ulterior motive. I wanted to let you know that CTP hiring another co-coordinator year! Email me (lnolan@scrippscollege.edu) or talk to me in class for more information about this or Bright Prospect.

[1] nces.ed.gov