Helping Poor Kids Beat the Odds

Children of college graduates usually grow up with the expectation that they too will continue their education past high school. But children whose parents were unable to attend college can be handicapped by lower expectations and uncertainty about how to win admission to a university.

Poverty also plays a part, with wealthy school districts sending more graduates to college. Two years ago, Irvine Unified sent 131 students to UC Irvine. Santa Ana Unified, a far poorer district, sent 29.

UC Irvine has launched a pilot program to raise college eligibility rates among minority students in five poor school districts. The effort is a good attempt to make elite schools, not just community colleges, more accessible to all students, regardless of the wealth of their family or their school. It is especially needed with the end of affirmative action in the University of California system.

The new program serves 970 elementary, middle and high school students in Costa Mesa, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Artesia and Compton. Goals include raising the reading skills of second-graders, preparing middle school students for algebra and getting high school students ready for the SAT, which is crucial for college admissions.

The program, called the Partnership to Accelerate College Eligibility, faces formidable barriers.

For instance, at Willard Intermediate School in Santa Ana, fewer than 3% of the parents of the school’s 1,750 students attended college. Nearly all the students come from impoverished families. More than 65% of the pupils are newcomers to the country who speak only limited English.

But the Willard students in the PACE program benefit from small class sizes and individual attention from the UC Irvine tutors. The students are motivated enough to give up their Saturdays for four-hour classes, forgoing soccer and baseball for algebra and a glimpse at the possibility of college.

Parents also can attend various workshops and receive instruction that includes computer training. That’s an important demonstration to both students and parents that winning admission to a good college or university is an attainable goal.