Learn more about each of our new board members below.

Dr. Mary Alice Heuschel

Dr. Heuschel is the principal owner of A+ Empowerment, MAH Consults, which was established in January 2023 to provide executive coaching and strategy implementation support to empower superintendents, their school听boards, and district leadership teams in improving effective school district systems that impact student success.

Previous experience includes 8 years as Deputy Director at the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, Superintendent of the Renton School District, WA Deputy State Superintendent at OSPI, and years of service across the country and internationally with DoDDs as a classroom and special education teacher, principal, and school-improvement specialist.

Dr. Heuschel serves on the Board of Directors’ Audit & Finance Committee.

Tremayne J. Bess

Bess currently functions as Global Head of Human Resources at Eventbrite and has over 25 years of HR experience with companies like Wal-Mart, LinkedIn, The Gap, Inc. Kaiser Permanente, and Splunk Inc.

He serves on the Board of Directors’ Technology Governance Committee.

Patrick Wells-O鈥橞rien

Patrick Wells-O鈥橞rien serves as VP, Communications and External Relations for Gift of Life Michigan, the federally designated agency that makes organ and tissue donation possible in Michigan. Wells-O鈥橞rien is responsible for communications, marketing, community relations, public education, donor family support, fundraising and governmental affairs.

Prior to Gift of Life, Wells-O鈥橞rien was CEO of FAITH Catholic, America鈥檚 largest publisher of Catholic magazines.

He sits on the Board of Directors’ Personnel & Compensation Committee.

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Throughout the school year, these leaders drive EOS’ work by breaking down barriers to advanced courses for underrepresented students, expanding both access and total enrollment.

As Opportunity Champions, they’re going a step further, offering their unique expertise to help 杏吧传媒refine our support to school districts 鈥� and sharing strategies with other educators through conference panels, webinars and other platforms.

Meet our new cohort below, and look for articles featuring their work, strategies and ideas each month!

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Too often, the push for higher college enrollment gets framed as a numbers game based on how many students fill out applications, sit for entrance exams, or declare a campus their next stop.

But the heart of the work isn’t just about headcounts; it’s about building a culture where every student, regardless of their background or circumstance, is empowered to see college as part of their story.听听

True college-going cultures do more than open doors; they make sure no one is left standing on the threshold, unsure or uninvited.

During , I want to shine a spotlight not just on increasing access, but on making college readiness and success an expectation, an opportunity, and a reality for every young person.听听

After 31 years in Michigan public education 鈥� including my final six as Executive Director of Ann Arbor Public Schools 鈥� I know firsthand what it takes to truly open doors for students. Our focus at Ann Arbor was very clear: get more students into advanced courses like AP, IB, CTE, and Dual Credit, and ensure those opportunities were equally accessible to historically underrepresented learners.听听听

This fall, Ann Arbor Public Schools hit a huge milestone: 83% of 11th and 12th graders are enrolled in at least one advanced course. This is up from 64% in 2016, when we launched our partnership with 杏吧传媒 to boost enrollment and equity in advanced courses.听

This month, Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) has brought together over 285 schools for , which aims to help every young person prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education.听听

How did Ann Arbor achieve this success?

Our strategy focused on centering student voices, uncovering barriers, and building the conditions every learner needs to thrive.听

• 杏吧传媒鈥� Student Insight Card gave us the individualized, holistic data we needed to help see and understand each of our students, including their aspirations and post-secondary plans.听

• We used our improved understanding of students and how they experience their learning environments to uncover the systemic conditions that created barriers to access.听听

• We addressed students鈥� perceived barriers to success 鈥� adult encouragement is always the main one cited 鈥� connecting each student to the trusted adults they named in their survey, and training educators to be beacons of support听

• We turned our attention to fostering cues and conditions of belonging that resulted in environments where all students could thrive.听

We also homed in on absenteeism and student (dis)engagement, critical barriers to student success:听听

• Regular attendance is essential to student learning, yet chronic absenteeism was affecting 鈥� and continues to affect 鈥� many of the students schools are working hardest to support.听听

• Addressing this challenge requires looking beyond attendance numbers to gain a fuller understanding of each student 鈥� including their aspirations, interests, strengths, and the obstacles they face.

• By focusing on the cues and conditions that foster belonging, schools create 听
  environments where students want to show up, thrive, and build a vision for their future beyond graduation.听

As MCAN鈥檚 executive director Ryan Fewins-Bliss recently said: 鈥淲hen we remove barriers and expand access to degrees and certificates, we change individual futures and strengthen Michigan鈥檚 economy.” I have witnessed that truth in every classroom, counselor鈥檚 office, and school hallway I鈥檝e walked down.听

For me, the work is about changing narratives and opening doors for every young Michigander to see themselves as college-bound, career-ready, and capable of succeeding. That鈥檚 what building a college-going culture looks like.听

The progress we鈥檝e made 鈥� exemplified by MCAN鈥檚 broad-reaching initiatives and Ann Arbor鈥檚 laser focus on advanced course access 鈥� is cause for celebration. Yet it鈥檚 also a call to keep pushing, especially in communities where students face the toughest odds.听

How 杏吧传媒helps Michigan schools build college-going cultures

Michigan is moving toward the ambitious 鈥楽ixty by 30鈥� goal, and the collective work of staff 鈥� teachers, counselors, administrators 鈥� and partners like 杏吧传媒is essential. EOS’ Opportunity Gap Analysis and the new 杏吧传媒Needs Assessment (both free) offer powerful tools for district leaders to help uncover equity gaps and create targeted plans to close them. I believe deeply that these data-driven approaches can dismantle barriers and lift up every student. Reach out to me to get a free assessment today.

Finally, my personal PSA: FAFSA makes its long-awaited return to an October launch date this year, with an increasing FAFSA completion rate that is up 5%. FAFSA completion is a crucial step for students, especially those from low-income families or first-generation backgrounds, to claim the financial aid necessary to make college not just a dream, but a reality.听

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At EOS, were student survey to reach 鈥� and understand 鈥� every student in our partner schools.

But we identified a challenge: Students with learning and thinking differences shared that aspects of the survey, like layout and question framing, made it difficult to complete. This meant they were less likely to be truly seen by educators and connected to academic opportunities.

We recruited the help of Understood.org to gather student feedback and to maximize accessibility 鈥� enabling us to reach more students than ever.

Our adjustments to the survey included:

• Using simpler language
• Redesigning the layout
• Reducing the mental effort it takes to complete

The results? Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) found the survey easier to understand and complete. This means 杏吧传媒can now help schools identify and engage more college-ready talent 鈥� and provide more accurate data on each student.

Read more about this project and its crucial impact on EOS’ work in .

Special thanks to for making this project possible.

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The key to driving success for all students is creating a belonging-rich environment. Our research proves it, and the lived experience of many students and teachers backs it up.  

Just ask Kim Douglas, partnership director at EOS, who saw the power of belonging first-hand over 15 years as an educator, counselor and equity team leader.

During this time, he developed seven strategies to foster belonging from day one through the final bell. With the school year getting underway, Kim is sharing them to help educators build environments where all students can thrive.

Strategy 1: Start with student voice, not rules  

鈥淚n order for students to really feel a sense of belonging, you have to give them a voice,鈥� he says. This starts with classroom rules, which teachers usually create themselves. 

Instead, these rules 鈥� or agreements, as he prefers to frame them 鈥� should be developed in collaboration with students. This gives students agency in this important process, helps them understand expectations, and builds shared responsibility.

鈥淚nstead of beginning with 鈥榟ere鈥檚 what I expect,鈥� we can ask them  鈥榳hat makes you feel safe and respected in this particular environment,鈥欌�� Kim says. 鈥淣ow, we’re building the culture and the environment together.鈥� 

When agreements are broken, the teacher can remind students what they agreed on, together 鈥� and not to punish them, but to “redirect” them, he adds.

Strategy 2: Set the tone with your language 

鈥淪ometimes teachers have a tendency to be very intimidating to a lot of students, based on how we carry ourselves,鈥� Kim says.

Intimidation closes students off, while supportive language opens them up. Choosing warm, encouraging and respectful language 鈥� even while pushing students as learners 鈥� signals that the class is a safe space to be themselves.

“You can violate an agreement and I can bring it to your attention, but the tone I use will determine whether or not you see it as me penalizing you or trying to redirect you,” he says. 

Strategy 3: Learn not only names, but stories too 

鈥淭eachers feel like they got to start teaching on day one,鈥� Kim says 鈥� something he attributes to expectations set by school and district leadership. 鈥淎nd that really defeats the purpose of building community, and an environment that is going to be productive for not only teachers but students too.鈥� 

Learning each student鈥檚 name is the priority on day one, but teachers should go further by committing to learn as much as they can about each student 鈥� and providing space for them to learn about each other.  

Strategy 4: Foster a culture of inclusion early 

鈥淎 lot of times teachers see the classroom as their domain, and that’s the wrong perspective to have, because the classroom belongs to every individual 鈥� this is our community.鈥� Kim says.

Opening up dialogue with students and promoting communal storytelling helps build that community. Another tactic Kim and his fellow teachers employed was greeting each student at the door of the classroom, to connect individually and spot signs of distress before class started. This tactic, mandated in the first week of school, became a habit many teachers continued all year.

Strategy 5: Build a belonging map  

An effective way to get students to tell their stories is through activities that highlight their hobbies and interests. In Kim’s class, students placed pins on posters denoting things they enjoyed, which revealed unique aspects of each student as well as common ground. Meanwhile, Kim took notes in preparation for strategy six.

Strategy 6: Shape Content Using Student Interest

After gathering insights on your students’ interests, from sports and movies to their favorite influencers, find ways to work them into your lesson plans. You have the full year to learn new fun facts, and the more you learn about your students, the more ways you can bring their world into the classroom.

This strategy is a simple way to promote culturally-relevant teaching and representation into your classroom while boosting engagement, he says.

Strategy 7: Normalize asking for help

In order to feel safe and welcome in the classroom 鈥� and to thrive academically 鈥� students must feel empowered to ask for help.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a necessity for the growth of that student as well as for the success of the class,鈥� he says. 

Start by making it clear that 鈥渢here are no dumb questions鈥� and 鈥渁sking for help is smart.” Then, show that you mean it by sincerely engaging with their questions 鈥� and asking them questions back.

鈥淲hen I’m asking them questions, I’m showing them that they are a needed participant in everything that’s going on, because we’re building classroom culture and community,” he says.

Takeaway: 

These seven strategies can be implemented from day one of class, but they should inform your teaching all year long, Kim says. After all, there are always new things to learn about your students and new ways to engage and empower them as learners. 

鈥淓verything we do should lead back to giving students agency, and showing them their importance in the class,鈥� he says.  

Brennan LaBrie helps amplify the work, mission, and impact of the 杏吧传媒team and our partners across the education landscape. With a background in local journalism, he seeks to share the stories of individuals and organizations driving impact in their community and beyond. 

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There鈥檚 a troubling and persistent gap in high schools nationwide 鈥� between student ambition and access to academic opportunities. 听

Many students aspire to earn a college degree, yet aren鈥檛 in the classes that put them on track to college success.  

Three stats highlighting the ambition-access gap: 

In our 2024/25 surveys of 270,000 students nationwide, we identified three data points that illuminate this ambition-access gap:

• 89%: The percentage of students surveyed who want to attend college.

• 38%: The percentage of these students who are enrolled in advanced courses.

• 16%: The percentage point gap between educators estimation of how many students want to go to college (73%) and the 89% that actually do.   

Digging into the ambition-access gap:  

Advanced courses like Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual enrollment and the Cambridge AICE certificate, are fundamental pathways to college success for many reasons. 

Here are just a few of their benefits: 

• They introduce students to the rigor and expectations of college classes 

• They instill confidence in students that they can handle college-level curriculum.

• The chance to knock out college credits 鈥� saving students and their families thousands of dollars

• They allow students to explore potential majors and careers, saving them time and money in college. 

In every school in the U.S., there are students with high potential and aspirations who are overlooked for these opportunities.  

But why? 

Ambition isn’t the problem. Access is.

Ambition isn鈥檛 the problem. After all, 89% of students say they want to attend college. However, they might not realize the role that advanced courses play in helping them reach that goal 鈥� or they鈥檙e intimidated by the challenge of rigorous curriculum. 

This is where educators come in 鈥� to point students towards academic opportunities and offer them encouragement and support to take on the challenge.  

The perception gap fuels the access gap 鈥� and creates gatekeeping

Stat 3: 16%

The 16,500 teachers and counselors we surveyed in 2024/25 estimated that 73% of their high school students aspire to earn a college degree. The problem? 89% of students reported college aspirations. This means there is a gap of 16 percentage points between students and teacher perception of college aspirations.

This perception gap has major implications for advanced course enrollment.  

• Fewer students recommended: Many schools have recommendation-based systems for enrollment, and both teachers and counselors are less likely to suggest students for college-prep courses who they don鈥檛 believe have postsecondary ambitions. 

• Over-reliance on specific metrics: Teacher perceptions often stem from academic performance. While these metrics matter, they are insufficient in telling a student鈥檚 full story.  Educators may write off a student who is struggling or not applying themselves in class as not 鈥渞eady鈥� for the rigor of advanced coursework 鈥� creating a barrier to the rigor that actually helps to boost readiness.  

Closing the Gap

Adult encouragement is the biggest barrier to advanced course enrollment reported by students we survey. This is a powerful insight, because it tells us how the ambition-access gap can be closed.  

An adult identifying a student with college aspirations and encouraging them to enroll in advanced courses 鈥� regardless of academic performance 鈥� can provide the boost of confidence a student needs to reach their full potential.  

Learn more about the ambition-access gap, and how educators can close it, in our new report.

Brennan LaBrie helps amplify the work, mission, and impact of the 杏吧传媒team and our partners across the education landscape. With a background in local journalism, he seeks to share the stories of individuals and organizations driving impact in their community and beyond. 

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This is a big problem. After all, these courses provide the rigor, study skills, and confidence that set students up for success at the next level. They also allow students to knock out college credits, save money on college fees, and increase their chances of admission to their dream schools.

So what drives this gap? It’s not student ambition 鈥� as evidenced by 89% of students in our surveys saying they aspire to attend college 鈥� and it’s also not their potential or capabilities.

We have pinpointed three key barriers to access over 2 million student surveys:

1. Adult encouragement
2. Lack of information
3. Lack of belonging

These factors affect students across all demographics, but especially those from historically-underrepresented and low-income backgrounds.

The key to breaking down barriers: Trusted Adults

Luckily, all three barriers can be broken down by educators, who have the power to encourage students to pursue advanced academic pathways and support them as they take on the challenge.

Many students might not know the options available to them, or may feel hesitant about their ability to take on rigorous curriculum.

Robert Gates was one of those students. But luckily, an adult in his building spotted his potential 鈥� and pushed him to reach it. Read his story below.

How a Trusted Adult unlocked Robert’s potential

In September, Robert will step foot onto Millikin University鈥檚 campus in Illinois 鈥� confident, prepared and focused on earning a degree in athletic training. But the student his professors and peers will meet is a world apart from one that entered Glenbard South High School four years ago. 

Before transferring from Chicago Public Schools, Robert struggled academically. Frequent moves made it hard to stay grounded.  

鈥淚n middle school, I was always the new kid,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淎nd my mom and dad worked all the time, so I was very independent in that way.鈥� 

However, Assistant Principal Sean Byrne recognized Robert鈥檚 potential, and encouraged him to take an AP English class.  

鈥淚 had several meetings with him where I had to explain to him why taking AP English was going to be a really valuable part of his trajectory as a student 鈥� to help him be a better writer, be a better speaker, and be a better thinker in whatever career field he wanted to go into,鈥� said Byrne, now principal of Glenbard South.

Robert was hesitant. 鈥淚 was scared,鈥� he said.  鈥淚 thought it was going to be, like, the hardest thing I鈥檝e ever done in my life.”

And it was hard 鈥� at first. But when final exam results came back, Robert had passed with a four out of five. His confidence at an all-time high, he enrolled in another AP course, and then another, and even signed up for dual credit courses through the local college.  

His favorite advanced course? Dual credit speech, which helped him conquer his stage fright and develop his speaking skills 鈥� while earning college credit.  

鈥淏eing able to get that college experience before actually stepping on a college campus is an amazing way to not only build my overall skill, but also prepare me for college and knock a few classes out along the way,鈥� he said. 

Robert鈥檚 journey from struggling student to college-bound scholar started with someone seeing his potential 鈥� and pushing him to see it too. 

鈥淚 needed to use some of my political capital a little bit to say, 鈥榟ey, I believe in you,鈥� and he needed to trust that I really was going to be there to support him even when things got tough,鈥� Byrne said. 

Every high school has many students like Robert, who have what it takes to not only take advanced courses, but excel in them 鈥� if only given the opportunity.  

 鈥淚 think Robert has more confidence in himself that he didn’t realize was inside of him 鈥� and I can’t wait to see how he takes that into university,鈥� Byrne said. 

鈥淗e’s an amazing success story 鈥� all because he took that class.鈥� 

Read more strategies for educators to bridge the gap between ambition and access for students like Robert in our new eBook.

Brennan LaBrie helps amplify the work, mission, and impact of the 杏吧传媒team and our partners across the education landscape. With a background in local journalism, he seeks to share the stories of individuals and organizations driving impact in their community and beyond.听

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Maleak Whitaker graduated from West Charlotte High School in 2020 with a dream of becoming a high school biology teacher. Just four years later, he realized that dream 鈥� in the same district that formed him.

After earning degrees in biology and secondary education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2024, Whitaker returned to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as a biology and earth sciences teacher at West Mecklenburg High School, just down the road from his alma mater.  

Whitaker is one of five recent college grads who just completed their first year at West Meck through the Teach for America (TFA) Program.  

While Whitaker may be new to teaching, he has about as much experience under his belt as you can at age 22. He interned for two summers at Freedom School Partners, a summer literacy program in Charlotte, led his campus鈥� Student North Carolina Association of Educators chapter, and completed a student teaching stint through TFA at another Charlotte high school prior to joining the West Meck team. 

Whitaker鈥檚 teaching journey began much earlier than college. As a child, his favorite toy set included notebooks, folders, markers and a desk. His favorite activity was acting out a classroom with his cousins serving as his students.

His dream of teaching was fortified by his favorite teachers from kindergarten to high school, who showed him the deep impact that trusted adults can have on students like him.  

Whitaker recalls the classroom environment nurtured by his middle school science teacher: 鈥淚t was more than just being a number, or just going into the classroom and sitting down 鈥� it was more so like a classroom family where we were able to be engaged and we were able to have those one-on-one conversations about how we could grow,鈥� he said. 

When EOS鈥� student survey results were released, Whitaker was thrilled to see several students named him as their trusted adult 鈥� meaning they felt safe going to him for support and guidance. While he was 鈥減retty tight鈥� with a few of them, he was surprised to discover he was impacting other students more than he had thought. 听

Whitaker said that he strives to be a trusted adult for all his students, as well as those he doesn鈥檛 teach. 

“Being a trusted adult goes beyond the classroom,鈥� he said, adding that he tries to brighten the day of every student he sees in West Meck鈥檚 hallways 鈥� and offer support if they need it. 

Whitaker sees his role as trusted adult as not just supporting his students, but also pushing them to reach their full potential academically and personally. His practice is informed by training on anti-racist teaching and identifying achievement gaps he received through TFA, which he employs to support student groups that are predominantly Black, Hispanic and low-income.

鈥淕oing in the classroom, it’s about knowing 鈥� this is how they came in, this is where they are currently, but how can I push them to be greater? How can I aid听their personal and professional growth?鈥� He said.听

Whitaker fields plenty of questions about his age from students. He enjoys these interactions, especially when the inquiry comes from black male students who may not have seen many teachers like him in their schools. He takes pride in the representation he provides for these students 鈥� something he said deeply impacted him as a kid 鈥� and he hopes to inspire future scientists and science educators from Charlotte. 听

鈥淐oming in, I always wanted to make an impact in my community,鈥� he said. 鈥淏eing a black male educator, I knew I wanted to hone back into and aid the community that I came from.鈥� 

Whitaker leans on trusted adults of his own, including his TFA coach Elizabeth Brock, Science Facilitator Christine Ward, and beginning teacher mentor Amber Cruz. The science department鈥檚 culture of resource and knowledge sharing has been key to his success so far, he said, especially with earth sciences sitting outside of his area of expertise.

He also keeps in contact with his trusted adults from high school, like Kevin Poirier, his former technology facilitator at West Charlotte who now serves as Assistant Principal. He used to seek out Poirier for advice on tech and classes, and now comes to him for career advice and mentorship. It was Poirier who pointed Whitaker to TFA program.  

Pourier showed Whitaker that trusted adults in schools don鈥檛 just have to be teachers.  

鈥淭he custodian could be a trusted adult; it doesn’t have to be someone who’s directly in front of you and teaching you on the daily,鈥� Whitaker said.听

Whitaker also stays in touch with his former Assistant Principal at West Charlotte, Kristin Ward, who now leads EOS鈥� partnership team.  

“Maleak carried himself with quiet confidence and had an amazing spirit,鈥� Ward recalls. 鈥淗e had this calm leadership presence that showed up early, and it matured in such amazing ways.

鈥淭o see him back in CMS, this time as a teacher and Trusted Adult, is powerful. He鈥檚 walked the same hallways as his students, and now he鈥檚 pouring into them with the same heart and purpose he carried as a student. It鈥檚 personal for him and it shows.鈥� 

Brennan LaBrie helps amplify the work, mission, and impact of the 杏吧传媒team and our partners across the education landscape. With a background in local journalism, he seeks to share the stories of individuals and organizations driving impact in their community and beyond.听

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Gutierrez brings 14 years of leadership in education nonprofits, including a decade as Chief Policy & Public Affairs Officer at Saga Education, a national leader in high-impact tutoring that he co-founded.听

鈥溞影纱絠s at a pivotal moment, and AJ鈥檚 appointment represents a bold step forward,鈥� said Eric Weaver, Chair of the 杏吧传媒Board of Directors. 鈥淗e brings not only deep expertise in education systems and social innovation, but also the strategic mindset and collaborative leadership needed to guide the organization into its next phase of impact.鈥� 

Transforming Student Outcomes through Collaboration and Tech 

Gutierrez鈥檚 career has centered on eliminating barriers to opportunity for underserved students, and effectively advocating for expanded access to evidence-based interventions that improve outcomes.

He has helped federal agencies, philanthropic organizations, and school leaders implement and scale high-impact tutoring and accelerated learning strategies. He has also built bipartisan coalitions to support state and federal investments in these interventions. At Saga Education, he secured over $140 million in funding to expand the organization鈥檚 reach to over 5 million students in 17 states as well as the Netherlands and Ukraine.听He further expanded postsecondary opportunities for students through strategic partnerships with universities nationwide. 听

鈥淚f you want to get serious about having a systemic impact, you can鈥檛 do it alone,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have to intentionally collaborate and build strong coalitions that are grounded in solid data and evidence-based frameworks鈥攖hat’s how you shift policy and practice in the long run.鈥澨�

Another focus area for Gutierrez at Saga was expanding its AI and engineering capabilities to empower educators and serve the diverse needs of students.听At EOS, one of his first priorities is implementing next-generation technology to enhance core programming and technical assistance to improve support for schools.听

鈥淲hat excites me most is EOS鈥檚 untapped potential鈥攏ot just to expand direct impact, but to generate research insights that lift the entire field and inform policy and practice,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 look forward to working alongside the board, staff, and partners to ensure educational opportunity is not just a promise, but a lived experience for every student.鈥� 

Providing Opportunity for All Students听

Gutierrez credits the personalized academic support he got teachers and mentors as the driving influences behind his educational journey鈥攚hich took him from struggling in middle school to becoming the first in his family to graduate from college and earn a higher degree. It has also shaped his lifelong commitment to bridging opportunity gaps in education.听听

鈥淎s someone who directly benefited from the kind of support 杏吧传媒helps provide, I鈥檓 honored to join this team at such a pivotal moment,鈥� Gutierrez said. 鈥淥ur students deserve not just access, but real opportunity. We鈥檙e at an inflection point in K鈥�12 education鈥攚here questions about the future of the workforce, what we teach, and how we measure success are front and center. Ensuring that all students have access to advanced coursework and the support systems to thrive is how we move America forward in a rapidly changing world.鈥� 

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The Main Idea:  

Teachers and school staff often create barriers to postsecondary opportunities by selectively recommending students for, and limiting access to, advanced courses. This practice disproportionally affects students from historically underserved communities, who are blocked from the classroom experience, learning skills, and college credit that can propel them to college and career success.  

An effective strategy to combat this issue is cultivating a school-wide culture of high expectations for all students 鈥� where staff push students to new heights and support them along the way. Hudson High School in Florida鈥檚 Pasco County Schools shows us how this can be done.  

The Issue: Gatekeeping Opportunity

Many teachers and counselors can inadvertently serve as gatekeepers to opportunity, according to 杏吧传媒Partnership Director Lanise Stevenson. 

鈥淲ith their best effort, they’re thinking that they’re helping students, by saying, 鈥榦h, this class may be too rigorous for you,鈥� but we help them to understand that this might be deficit thinking, that it might be setting low expectations for students,” Stevenson said.

This mindset, often stemming from preconceived ideas of which students belong in advanced courses, prevents students from reaching a potential they might not even know they possess. 

“We’ve partnered with over 900 high schools across the country, and when we ask students 鈥榳hat are your barriers to access to advanced courses?鈥� 鈥� adult encouragement is always the number one barrier,鈥� said Paul DeAngelis, 杏吧传媒Regional Partnership Development Director.

A common concern of school leaders is that opening access to advanced courses will reduce average test scores said Jacqueline Greer, VP of Partnerships at EOS. However, this is limited thinking, she said.  

鈥淚t’s a test 鈥� it’s not their future,” she said. “We know that by going into rigorous courses, they have a higher likelihood of going to school or going into the future that they want for themselves 鈥� so we shouldn’t be gatekeeping this.鈥� 

EOS’ partners often tell us that pass rates are actually rarely an issue, as students rise to the expectations set for them. This is why a standard of high expectations is key to student success.

The Solution: Setting High Expectations For Every Student

鈥淲hen you talk about challenging students, they crave it,鈥� said 杏吧传媒Partnership Director Xzaviar Foggie. 鈥淭hey want you to set high expectations for them so that they can reach those expectations.鈥� 

Teachers who students have named trusted adults in 杏吧传媒surveys have something key in common 鈥� they’ve communicated a set of clear expectations, Foggie said. 听

鈥淭hey have already set a foundation of 鈥� 鈥業 see you and I know what you’re capable of, and I’m not going to let you fail; I’m going to hold you accountable for being the excellent scholar or the excellent athlete or whatever that thing may be for you, and I’m going to push you towards that,” she said.

These teachers aren鈥檛 necessarily always seen as particularly 鈥渘ice鈥� 鈥� in fact they might be perceived as 鈥渁 drill sergeant鈥� of sorts, Foggie added. But they鈥檝e made it clear to students that they both believe in them and will also push them hard.

How Hudson High School Created a High Expectations Culture

In 2020, Hudson High School in Florida鈥檚 Pasco County Schools only offered four AP courses, putting them behind other schools in the district. 

In the five years since, they鈥檝e greatly expanded their advanced course offerings, and increased student participation from around 200 students to 1,400, according to principal Alondra Beatty-Woodall. 

They鈥檝e done this by creating a culture of high expectations and rigor for all students.  

鈥淲e have Open Access 鈥� what that means is any student can take any of the [advanced] courses,鈥� she said. 

Every Hudson student takes a Cambridge AICE English course, meaning they all graduate with college-level coursework under their belt, and the knowledge that they can handle it.  

鈥淭he rigor in the course gives them that confidence to be prepared for college-level work when they do go on to the next step,鈥� she said, adding that this experience sets students up for success in the workforce as well.

Watch the full webinar with Alondra Beatty-Woodall and Cambridge here.

The Impact of a High Expectations Culture 

About 200 Hudson students graduate with a Cambridge diploma. They share the classroom with students who might just be taking one or two Cambridge classes, meaning that the culture of high expectations is set for everyone, regardless of academic and post-secondary aspirations.  

This confidence is especially powerful for Hudson鈥檚 large low-income population, who are 鈥渧ery capable鈥� but have often faced hurdles in school and life, Beatty-Woodall added.

鈥淭his is showing them that they are capable,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f they are able to take one class and be successful 鈥� whether they pass the exam or not 鈥� that changes the outlook for them, that changes potentially what their future could look like.鈥� 

The college credit they receive for passing Cambridge, AP and dual credit exams can also save them and their families thousands in tuition fees, making their dreams more attainable.  

Hudson’s Strategy for Boosting Success in Advanced Courses  

A key to Hudson High鈥檚 transformation of their advanced course culture has been 鈥渉igh-interest鈥� courses, which attract a wider variety of students than classic subjects. Especially popular AICE courses this year included drama and media studies, Beatty-Woodall said.  

鈥淲e want all of our students to find something that they can be interested in and be successful in,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o we found this coursework to really fit the needs of our students and they’re thriving and continuing to take more and more courses we are giving.鈥澨�

How to Ensure Success for First-Time Takers 

Offering diverse and compelling advanced content is an important strategy for boosting advanced course enrollment and success. But success can be ensured in all advanced courses by creating classroom environments where all kids feel safe and supported. These conditions are especially important for underserved students and those new to rigorous curriculum. 听

This is where trusted adults come in. 杏吧传媒helps schools like Hudson High School not just identify students who are motivated, eager to be challenged but overlooked by staff 鈥� but also the adults in the building to whom they feel they can go for support. By connecting students to these adults 鈥� who could be anyone from teachers to cafeteria staff 鈥� schools can push students academically while also giving them the support system they need to thrive.  

Learn more about how 杏吧传媒supports schools like Hudson High School here.

Brennan LaBrie helps amplify the work, mission, and impact of the 杏吧传媒team and our partners across the education landscape. With a background in local journalism, he seeks to share the stories of individuals and organizations driving impact in their community and beyond. 

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