The city of Boston has long touted its impressive college enrollment rates. But graduation rates are a different story.
That's where Success Boston comes in. It's a program that pairs college 'coaches' with Boston Public School students who stay with them all throughout college—helping them navigate class enrollment, scheduling, and how to stay on track to meet their graduation goals.
The program all started with a study—a study that showed the massive disconnect between the high number of students who enrolled in college compared to the ones who actually finished with a degree.
"We had been patting ourselves on the back for years for high enrollment rates, which we had for an urban district," said Paul Grogan, president and CEO of The Boston Foundation, which developed and runs Success Boston. "Only 1/3 of those who enrolled achieved either a 2 or 4 degree in 6 years."
Grogan found that an entering ninth-grader in the Boston Public Schools had only a 7.5% chance of obtaining a post-secondary degree. For African American boys, that percentage was even lower—2%.
Daniel Noel— a first generation college student himself—says the key to countering those numbers is to meet students where they are.
"I didn't have a coach when I went to college. It was hard navigating, going through trial and error," he said.
"For students to have a coach like myself, who's on demand like a big brother—they can shoot me a text message or call me [and say] 'can we meet to discuss my schedule? Can I talk to you about what my plans are for the spring semester?' It's great," he continued.
To hear more from Paul Grogan and Daniel Noel, tune in to Boston Public Radio above.
