We partner with high schools and colleges in low-income communities to ensure college and postsecondary planning, preparation and support are no longer extracurricular luxuries but integral components of the high school experience for all students.
Further exposing inequity, the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the need for us to fulfill this promise to students, and we have responded by providing a more flexible, tech-enabled solution that addresses the institutional and system-level barriers to student success.
A three-year model, OneGoal starts as a credit-bearing class during students’ junior and senior year of high school. Then, Program Directors bridge the transition from high school to Fellow’s chosen postsecondary path by continuing individualized support for a full year after high school graduation.
We prioritize students who have potential and postsecondary ambitions, but who are often overlooked by other programs. Our cohorts have an average 2.8 GPA (or 81%) and a 840 SAT score when they begin. 96% of OneGoal Fellows identify as people of color and 91% are free/reduced lunch eligible.
Our curriculum is delivered through teachers who hold a deep understanding of students’ environments. We train and coach these teachers (Program Directors) to contextualize lessons and help students identify their vision of success, build resilience needed to navigate inequitable systems, and find and enroll in their choice of postsecondary institution.
Leveraging technology, we provide a flexible model that can be delivered in-person, online or through a hybrid structure. The modular organization of the curriculum also allows students to set their own pace and track progress, freeing educators to offer differentiated coaching and supports.
We focus on ensuring Fellows make academic gains to increase their access to quality colleges, while grounding our teaching and approach in Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. Fellows explore, reflect on and affirm their individual identities in order to build critical consciousness and identify postsecondary paths aligned to their personal aspirations.
We provide daily lesson plans grounded in culturally relevant practices and accompanying resources to guide our Fellows’ success. Our curriculum is research backed, and includes content and strategies that have been vetted by leading college success research. It is revised annually to incorporate feedback from Program Directors in each region.
Each OneGoal Program Director and cohort is supported by a OneGoal staff member who provides training and ongoing instructional coaching, as well as postsecondary expertise. They are frequently in classrooms conducting observations and supporting Program Directors.
We use a customized platform that provides teachers and staff with up-to-the-minute data and reports to track the progress of every student in the program. We leverage technology in a number of ways: to differentiate instruction, to help Fellows find their top match colleges, and to track progress once Fellows are in college, to name a few examples.
We work closely with postsecondary institutions committed to supporting students of color and first-generation college students, and those that have higher-than-average completion rates. Together, we provide cohesive student support, collaborate on new innovations, and develop retention strategies.