25 Aug 2003
Student Mentors Educate Peers About Benefits of Going to College
DALLAS-Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Mike Moses on Monday, Aug. 25, joined state higher education officials and students from Pinkston High School to launch a new statewide mentoring initiative that is part of the College for Texans program, and is designed to motivate and prepare students to go to college after graduation.
At 45 Texas locations, pilot "Go Centers" have opened on high school campuses and area colleges. The centers are staffed and primarily operated by students for students. The superintendent said that the district is committed to encouraging as many students as possible to graduate and to attend college for the betterment of the community and the north Texas economy.
"This program and other efforts that we have to encourage students to go on to college once they graduate are part of our mission as a school district," Moses said. "We know the impact it has on our community when students go on to college. We are committed to increasing the number of district graduates who pursue a college education." Pinkston "Go Center" mentors have developed a strategic plan for assisting their fellow students who might not otherwise go to college.
"I think the "Go Center" can really make a difference," said Elicia Garcia, Pinkston eleventh grader. "Many high school students who are not currently aiming for college could make it with just a little bit of encouragement and support, and that's why we're involved."
Garcia and five other Pinkston students recently were trained on mentoring strategies and techniques and about methods to help other students overcome barriers that prevent them from attending college.
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Chair-Elect Jerry Farrington said that the number of Texas students who attend college is too low and said that the state's future depends on more students attending its colleges and universities.
"College-going rates are too low in Texas, lagging behind California, New York and other large states," Farrington said. "Texas' future prosperity depends on having an educated workforce. Otherwise, the best jobs will go elsewhere. That's why today we are opening one of Texas' first high school Go Centers here at Pinkston High School."
Program planners hope that the new Go Centers will expand to as many as 200 Texas schools where there are low numbers of students going on to college.
The College for Texans campaign, which includes the new Go Centers, is a key strategy identified in the state's Closing the Gaps by 2015 education plan, which was adopted by the Coordinating Board in October 2000 and has become widely accepted throughout the state. The plan calls for closing student participation and success gaps within the state, and when Texas is compared with other states, by 2015. (See the Closing the Gaps plan at www.thecb.state.tx.us Web site.)
There are more than 700 students who attend Pinkston in west Dallas. The six mentors said they are going to encourage all students in the 2004 graduating class to go on to college next year.
The GO Campaign efforts in the North Texas Region are spearheaded by Texas Campus Compact institutions including Brookhaven College, Collin County Community College District and the University of North Texas. In an effort to promote community engagement, these area colleges are encouraging their students to serve as "GO Center" peer leaders and mentors. Partners in the North Texas Regional Collaborative include area chambers of commerce, school districts and the League of United Latin American Citizens.