Students Taking The Right Path

Monday, December 27, 2004

If attending college is their dream, thousands of DPS students are getting the personal support they need to help them reach that goal.

 They are participating in the Pathways to College Program created for students who have the potential to succeed. In this after school enrichment program, students are aided in developing critical thinking skills and habits that will help them during their college years. The Pathways program is open to select students who have at least a 2.50 GPA, recommendations from teachers or guidance counselors, who display leadership qualities or who have received academic awards. They meet four hours a week for one-on-one coaching in networking, communication, study skills, and time management along with mentoring. Enrollment is limited to 100 students per school. Currently Kettering and Southwestern high schools have signed on but each of the four school years that the program will be active, the number of schools will increase to a total of eight. Nationally, the program has been in operation since 1991 and 90 percent of the students it has helped are currently attending or have graduated from. Of encouragement is the fact that Pathways is successful in both the urban and rural settings.