POSTSECONDARY TRANSITION PROGRAMS
In addition to our traditional high-touch Access and Success programs, Be A Leader recognizes the need to improve our school systems as a whole, in conjunction with our direct programs to improve the postsecondary statistics of our students. Our postsecondary transition programs team collaborates with our partner school districts at both the administrative and direct student level to frequently and consistently study and utilize student data to make continuous improvement plans in support of FAFSA completion, well-matched postsecondary applications, and To and Through enrollment. Our Postsecondary Transition Programs allow us to help build the capacity of both school staff and leaders to use a continuous improvement data-driven approach as a means to improve well-matched postsecondary outcomes for all students.
ARIZONA META Network For School Improvement
In partnership with Arizona State University and with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this past year Be A Leader launched the AZ Meta Network for School Improvement. Arizona NSI supports twenty three high schools in three partner districts: Mesa Public Schools, Phoenix Union High School District and Tolleson Union High School District. These high schools collectively serve thousands of seniors with high minority and low-income populations. Our approach is rooted in a commitment to leverage data as a means of identifying students needing support and measuring the impact and effectiveness of their programs and strategies.
Network Aim: Increase the number of Black, Latino and/or students experiencing poverty, who enroll in a well-matched postsecondary institution immediately after high school.
Our work is carried out through a structure of tiered teams within and across AZ META Network partner districts.
- AZ Meta Learning Community: The Az Meta Learning Community are composed of leadership and representatives from each District Support Team. The AZ Meta Learning Community works to set an overall aim for the network related to Well-Matched Postsecondary Enrollment. This aim will become the rallying cry for the network and serve as the foundation for Districts to create their own aims.
- District Support Teams: The District Support Teams are composed of key district leaders, representatives from School Working Groups, postsecondary partners and NSI staff. The District Support Teams work on establishing and tracking district aims, sharing best practices, and mobilizing resources to address district challenges.
- School Working Groups: The School Working Groups are composed of school leadership, school counselors, teachers, other key school staff and Az Meta team members. School Working Groups will explore root causes analysis, develop a school goal in support of the overall network goal, review school-level data to inform cycles of inquiry and all the other various stages of short cycle work, plan and implement in-school events, and share and learn from other school working groups across the district and network.
- College Advisors: College Advisors work directly with students to provide 1:1 support including FAFSA completion, postsecondary enrollment, and support school postsecondary events
ARIZONA GEAR UP
Through our partnership with AZ GEAR UP, our goal is to integrate a series of strategies designed to have a lasting, sustainable, and measurable impact on postsecondary access and enrollment for underserved students by supporting schools’ capacity to leverage data and learn from each other. School working groups have been established at our four partner high schools: Dysart, Peoria, Agua Fria, and Cortez. Partnership schools receive Professional development sessions on postsecondary best practices as well as a supported FAFSA dashboard.
For more information about our Postsecondary Transition Programs please contact Laila Sarah, Director – Postsecondary Transition Programs at laila.sarah@bealeaderfoundation.org
