A turning point for inner-city youth: high school students who are introduced to college life end up completing high school and attending college at higher rates.

It's a cold, foggy January morning at McLane High School in Fresno as Ronniese Hamilton waits in front of the school. Unlike the majority of the students at McLane, Ronniese and the rest of McLane's Turning Points Academy students are awaiting transportation to attend their classes at California State University, Fresno.

"I definitely get tired of waiting for the buses," she laments. Yet Ronniese and the other 144 TPA students are willing to leave the environment at McLane High School and many of their friends during the day to attend the classes at CSU Fresno because of the alternative educational experience TPA provides and the brighter future they hope to gain from the experience.

A revolutionary program for an innercity school when it began in 1994, TPA was created to counter the low graduation rates and even lower college attendance rates at McLane. With a student body that consistently hovers around 2,800 students, McLane works to combat the disconnection that many inner-city students feel when they are part of a large student body.

Knowing that there were too many students at McLane feeling alienated from school and too few with plans to attend college, Principal Frank Silvestro decided that something must be done. "We wanted to increase the number of McLane students attending a four-year college or university. We felt by giving them a real-life college experience, we could influence their goals regarding higher education."

The result was the creation of the Turning Points Academy, a small learning community that brings 145 McLane High School sophomores each spring to the CSU Fresno campus for one semester to experience the college atmosphere, take college courses, and enjoy expanded academic and social opportunities. Each year the academy aims to prepare its students to be admitted to and successful at a four-year university of their choosing on high school graduation.

Targeting students lost in the mix

From the start, school administrators at McLane and CSU Fresno knew they wanted to target students at McLane who were likely to be lost in the mix; those who, for myriad reasons, were failing to develop relationships with teachers and the school community in general.

"Many programs at mcLane were targeting gifted and talented students and students at risk," said Principal Silvestro. "There were no programs to focus our energies on the student in the middle. These middle students were being left out. Why? Because in most cases they were good kids, came to school every day, were quiet in class, received decent grades, and, as a result, were ignored because we thought they didn't need our support or guidance."

Accordingly, the target students for the academy became those whose grade point averages ranged between 1.5 and 3.5 and who were not involved in GATE, honors or advanced placement courses at McLane. These "middle" students often need extra support to keep them in school when they reach 10th grade at McLane, where the dropout rate is 33 percent and the average parental level of education is eighth grade. Helping students see the choices and possibilities that a college degree will bring is a major focus of the academy.

The TPA small learning community represents a cross section of McLane's overall population (92 percent minority, 52 percent limited English proficient). Students are selected at the end of their ninth-grade year for the following year's group of TPA students.

What students learn

Four core area teachers (English, mathematics, science and modern world history) make up the team of TPA teachers. The students attend classes on campus at McLane High School during the fall semester, providing a transitional period and allowing teachers to establish the expected behaviors/attitudes that students need to exhibit at a university campus.

TPA teachers prepare students for the spring semester by teaching college skills and academic strategies such as critical listening and thinking, working collaboratively with other students and effective note-taking. The curriculum also includes goal-setting and emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility.

During the fall semester, teachers take the appropriate steps to get students admitted to CSU Fresno by assisting them in the university application process. Along the way, students learn to design their own course schedules.

The students move to the CSU campus in the spring semester, where they take a mixture of high school and college courses and experience college life, academically and socially, in ways that very few other high school students can.

Opportunity to connect with college

Many TPA students approach interaction with college instructors and students apprehensively. A majority of the students in the program have no family members who have attended college. Providing them with the opportunity to connect with college faculty and students, while making decisions for their own lives, is integral to the mission of TPA.

TPA students receive expanded curricular challenges not present on the high school campus. They are allowed access to the more sophisticated computer labs and library on campus as they do research, analysis and presentations on advanced topics in their core classes.

TPA students also participate in college courses taught by college instructors in entry-level areas such as college academic language, drama and kinesiology. For example, in the drama course, students learn drama principles and perform skills taught by drama instructors and reinforced by college students also taking the course.

College students in the course are mostly liberal arts students intending to become teachers. The drama course provides experience for the college students in teaching and leading the TPA students. In return, TPA students positively interact with college students while learning presentation skills.

One former TPA student said, "I really enjoyed taking classes with college students. I got to interact with them and ask them questions and share doubts I had about college life.... They gave me good advice and encouraged me to go to college."

During the semester TPA students also receive counseling on college admission requirements and college financial aid.

Initial apprehension 

Along the way, TPA teachers and McLane administrators have discovered that conducting a small learning community in the setting of a college campus requires constant maintenance. When the program began, there were some who questioned whether high school students belonged on a college campus. Principal Silvestro remembers having some of the same concerns.

"There was the maturity factor. Could our students behave maturely enough to blend in with other college students?" Silvestro continued, "They (the students) have done a great job in this area."

When the students actually arrived and started attending classes, the faculty reaction in the university's school of education was mixed. Some faculty members were delighted to see real live high school students in their midst, but a few viewed it as an invasion of teenagers. Most faculty members soon took the presence of the TPA students for granted and were supportive of the goals of TPA.

Evidence shows that the work of TPA teachers and McLane and CSUF faculty is paying off. When asked how TPA influenced students, one former TPA student, now a CSUF freshman, said that looking back, "It makes me wonder where I would be if I didn't attend the program. I gained confidence in myself because I knew that I would be able to succeed in college. My participation in TPA encouraged me to one day be a student here."

Another former TPA student said, "Passing my college classes (while part of TPA) made me feel proud and want to try to attend a university."

When asked how the academy has helped the students involved, Principal Frank Silvestro said, "I feel it has provided a tremendous boost to our college enrollment, providing students with the confidence and skills to succeed at that level. TPA has forced students to develop a level of independence while expanding their horizons and making them aware of the many opportunities available to them."

A recent study conducted concerning the TPA program supports Silvestro's assertion. According to the study, 83 percent of recent TPA graduates report attendance in either two-year or four-year colleges. TPA graduates showed significant gains over non-TPA students at McLane in the areas of GPA and scores on standardized tests.

TPA students also completed the a-g requirements needed for admission to the CSU and UC systems at a significantly higher rate than non-TPA students at McLane. Finally, TPA students reported a graduation rate of 98 percent, compared to 76 percent for non-TPA students.

Payoffs for everyone

CSUF is also rewarded by its involvement with the program. The university benefits when TPA students select CSUF for their university education. The TPA staff helps the Kremen School of Education in a variety of ways, such as being available for interviews for class assignments, allowing credential candidates to observe their classes, and making presentations to student teachers.

The Turning Points Academy at McLane High School is making a profound difference in the lives of many high school students. It exemplifies the possibilities of collaboration between schools and universities. It is a model worth emulating in many of our high schools seeking new opportunities for students.

Jeremy Ward coordinated the Turning Points Academy as lead teacher from 2004 -06 and is currently vice principal of Sequoia Middle School, Fresno USD. Jody Daughtry coordinates the Single Subject Credential program at California State University, Fresno and has been the university liaison with TPA from its inception. Donald Wise coordinates the Education Administration Program at CSU Fresno.