Unite SF (San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Foundation)

The low college persistence and graduation rates, especially in STEM fields for girls, low income and students of color is well documented. The research shows that there are t places in the pathway from high school to post-secondary degrees to jobs where students can fall through the cracks. There is also growing support for alternatives to traditional college pathways to help youth access the workforce in ways that make education more viable and meaningful in their future. The most successful models for addressing these issues have been in smaller high quality cohort support programs. Some of these programs like First Graduate and College Track start early (6th and 9th grade) with connected supports for students from MS to HS to college graduation. Genesysworks and JUMA focus on internships and career skills with a college focus and start in 11th grade. These programs demonstrate that students can thrive and persist when they have a clear and supported plan with caring adults who stay connected to the students throughout their journey. Beyond 12 and Unite SF have asked the question how to you make this scalable so that more youth can be reached. B12 has often been a partner to Charter Schools or non-profits but this is their first time really partnering deeply with a large urban public school district to take this effort to scale. There are also emerging efforts across the state and country to better align degrees and certificates to real current and future jobs to increase success rates when students do persist.