iRT has partnered with College Access for All, an initiative developed by NYC Schools and Mayor Bill de Blasio to ensure all students are engaged in a “college-ready” culture.
Hundreds of schools participate in this initiative, which was designed to help students form a career and college plan upon graduation from high school. College Access for All provides several support services for students, including funding Student Success Centers, eliminating application fees to the City University of New York, and providing for high school juniors to take the SAT for free.
To assist students and teachers, College Access for All compiles a vendor list of programs for middle and high schools developed to benefit at-risk students. iRT now has two products included in College Access for All’s vendor list: the Connected Scholars program and the Aware program. The Connected Scholars program is a college preparatory curriculum designed to engage students in Youth-Initiated Mentoring practices as well as other career and professional development skills. Students in the Connected Scholars program learn how to build on and enhance their existing relationships to create a network of support for their academic and career success. The Aware program is a mindfulness education program for teenagers designed to help adolescents skillfully refine their abilities to regulate their emotions and make healthy decisions. For all its products, iRT uses research-based methods to design and implement programs that are intended to have the greatest possible impact.
In addition to participating in the online dissemination efforts used by College Access for All, iRT Research Specialist Karen Burns attended the College Access for All Expo on May 17, 2018, at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York. She spoke with school administrators and staff, as well as other partner organizations, about the Connected Scholars and Aware programs.
iRT is excited to collaborate with the NYC Department of Education in their pursuit of expanding college readiness to all students. We look forward to continuing to impact youth in positive ways in New York Schools and throughout the United States and the world.
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