Wheelock Aspire Institute Releases Study of Mass. College Access & Success Programs

Wheelock College’s Aspire Institute officially released Bridges & Barriers: A Survey of Massachusetts College Access & Success Programs at a panel event on Oct. 19, 2016 at the College's Brookline campus.

Bridges & Barriers is a new comprehensive, statewide survey exploring college access programs; the challenge facing underrepresented students in Massachusetts, particularly Black and Latino males; and recommendations for addressing this critical issue. This project was funded through a federal grant administered by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. The completed study identified opportunities to increase collaboration, accountability, and funding in order to improve college access and college outcomes.

On Oct. 19, college access program executives, scholars, state and local education officials, and policymakers convened at Wheelock College’s Brookline, Mass. campus for the release of Bridges & Barriers. The event program included introductory remarks from Dr. Carlos Santiago, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education; and Dr. David Chard, President of Wheelock College. Dr. James Jennings, Professor Emeritus, Tufts University, and lead author of Bridges & Barriers, presented a summary of the key survey findings and recommendations. A panel discussion followed, facilitated by Marty Martinez, President and CEO of Mass Mentoring Partnership, Boston. Panelists included Ron Walker, Executive Director of the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color; Mary Jo Marion, Executive Director of Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University; and Robert Dais, Project Director at GEAR UP Massachusetts.

“The Wheelock College Aspire Institute was commissioned by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education to assess programs available to assist Black and Latino males with college access and college outcomes,” Wheelock College President David Chard explained. “Several dedicated parties delved into this complicated topic, and in Bridges & Barriers, Dr. James Jennings has outlined for us key recommendations including increasing collaboration, accountability, and funding,” Dr. Chard said of the study.

“Our demographics are undergoing significant changes. We see a decline in the overall high school population, and in particular a drop in the number of white students,” said Dr. Carlos Santiago, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, at the Bridges & Barriers launch event. “If we cannot improve the educational outcomes of students of color, and low income students, Massachusetts will pay an economic price.”

“An idea that we had was for people to begin thinking about geographic clusters in dealing with these issues,” said Dr. James Jennings, Professor Emeritus, Tufts University, and lead author of Bridges & Barriers, in addressing those at the Oct. 19 event. “Rather than collaboration simply within an institution - a collaboration that brings institutions, community based organizations, and nonprofits together around a geographic cluster - really, place-based supportive services.”

The full report, Bridges & Barriers: A Survey of Massachusetts College Access & Success Programs, can be found online at wheelock.edu/barriers.

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