A college-bound culture is imbedded in every aspect of the learning environment at Ideal Elementary and is evident from the moment you walk in the door.
Flying in the entry hall are flags and pennants from the College of Charleston, the Citadel, Charleston Southern University, Trident Technical College, and other local, regional, and national colleges.
On any given day, a segment of students is participating in special workshops and hearing from community role models (e.g. business people, artists, musicians, local celebrities, TV anchors, and public leaders) about their experiences at college and its importance in their lives. On other days, high school seniors who have recently applied to colleges are visiting to talk about why they want to attend college, what the preparation and application process was like, and what their career paths will be. Parents are encouraged to come and share their own college experiences or to act as classroom volunteers or support for the assemblies so that they are likewise exposed to the culture.
Special speakers, hall decorations, and parent involvement are just the start, though. The college-bound culture is a thread that runs through everything that happens at the school.
During opening announcements every morning, the students recite the Ideal Elementary College-Bound Creed, which provides daily reinforcement that college is not just a possibility, but can be a reality, for every student. Students are referred to by the year they will graduate college, so this year’s third-graders are “The Class of 2024.”
During the day, students create college-related collages, bookmarks, posters, and graphics in art class, write essays about why they want to go to college in their language arts classes, study the history of statewide universities and colleges in history and social studies classes, and learn how to save money for college in math classes. Every class finds a way to connect to the college-bound culture as part of the regular curriculum.
When they aren’t visiting the schools on field trip tours to get a feel for campus life, students are exploring them virtually during computer classes or browsing through the college brochure section of the library. When you stop students in the hall and ask them about college, they’ll tell you what they are going to do “when” they go to college, not “if” they go. It’s not an option or a choice for Ideal’s students. College is an expectation.
Ideal’s teachers regularly wear shirts or other articles of clothing that feature the names of their college alma maters and each classroom door features a “bio” of the teacher that highlights academic credentials at the top. Local universities have donated shirts, jackets and other college-branded items to the schools and these are used to reward outstanding student performance. College clothing is incorporated and accepted into the daily dress code for the school.
Teachers are also encouraged to use college-related language to help build the culture. The cafeteria is the “dining hall,” and teachers are “professors.” Academically focused words are introduced early, including: achieve, career, goal, graduate, major, mascot, scholarship, dormitory, advisor, alumni, application, bachelor’s degree, dean’s list, final, GPA, grants, loan, research, and more. Ideal Professors also provide college-bound culture tips for parents to use at home.
References
Creating a College Going Culture: A Resource Guide, Melissa Friedman MacDonald
and Aimée Dorr, UCLA, (October 2006).
CollegeEd:Creating a College-Going Culture Guide, College Board, (2006).