LONG BEACH, Calif.—What are the school colors? Is the whole school free? What happens if you miss a class? Is there detention? How many books are there in the library?
These were just some of the questions eager Long Beach Unified School District 9- and 10-year-olds tossed during their Long Beach City College tour last spring. Their student tour guide, Ashley Martinez-Munoz, a graduate of Long Beach schools herself, took each question from the Madison Elementary School students seriously.
After all, the goal of the tour was to make these fourth graders—many of whom come from families with no history of going to college—comfortable with the notion that they could earn a college degree, whether or not their parents did, as long as they’re willing to work for it.
“I’m one of the first ones [in my family to go to college],” said Martinez-Munoz, 21, now a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. “I try not to talk about it because I feel like I’m bragging. But I’m really proud.”
Arie’ann Velasquez, 10, was convinced. Walking around the landscaped community-college campus, she said the whole do-your-homework-go-to-college thing was starting to seem like a pretty great idea. “It’s my first time being at a college and I’m amazed at what I’m seeing,” Arie’ann said. “It’s huge!”
Every fourth-grade student in Long Beach’s public schools attends a tour like this and all fifth-graders visit California State University, Long Beach, known as Long Beach State. The tours are just one example of the many ways the three biggest public-education systems in this working-class, seaside California city cooperate. Long Beach City College, Long Beach State, and the Long Beach Unified School District have cooperated for about two decades on initiatives like early college tours, targeted professional development for teachers, and college-admissions standards that favor local students.
To continue reading this article by Lillian Mongeau, go to: http://www.theatlantic.com/edu...each-miracle/459315/
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