Aspire Public Schools is a K-12 school system focused on improving public education by preparing underserved students for college, training highly effective teachers and sharing innovative best practices.
The effects of recent delays in college financial aid could be felt by a vast array of students for years. We spoke with students across the country about their experiences. Here are their stories.
Instead of attending college this fall, a Massachusetts teen plans to join the Marines.
A first-generation student from Illinois hopes her restaurant job will cover college costs.
A Floridian in her 30s says she might go back to exotic dancing to afford tuition.
May 1 has long been the deadline for many students to decide where to attend college. But for applicants across the country, 2024 has been the year the systems in place for decades fell apart. While picking a college is anxiety-inducing in a normal year, the government’s botched handling of financial aid upended that decision-making process, disrupting the lives of a broad swath of American students.
The stress stems from a form called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which opens the door to government help with tuition and, many say, to a better quality of life. This year, glitches and holdups with the form kept many vulnerable people from getting across the finish line.
Historically, the application required students and their families to answer dozens of complicated questions using decades-old technology. Facing a mandate from Congress, Biden administration officials set out to fix it. But the new FAFSA was beset with issues and corrupted data, delaying aid offers for months and jeopardizing the prospects for some of the students the updates were supposed to help.
Even employees in the Education Department’s Federal Student Aid office, which was charged with streamlining the form, expressed frustration with their bosses’ handling of the rollout, two agency officials not authorized to speak publicly told USA TODAY. Then, last week, seemingly capping off the fiasco, the top Biden administration official overseeing the revised process resigned from his post.
“FAFSA is the stepping stone to everything,” said Galawe Alcenet, a senior in Minnesota who lost her chance at getting several private scholarships because of the processing delays. “The biggest challenge has been the waiting.”
University of the Pacific opened its classroom and laboratory space to some of the Stockton area’s top high school students during a pilot engineering course, allowing them to earn college credit while exploring future areas of study.
On Wednesdays during fall term, 25 students from Aspire Benjamin Holt College Preparatory Academy and Aspire Langston Hughes Academy, both Stockton schools, attended the Introduction to Engineering class at the John T. Chambers Technology Center on the Stockton Campus. The one-unit college class was taught by School of Engineering and Computer ScienceDean Elizabeth Orwin, who brought in other faculty and staff leaders to illustrate different areas of engineering.
“Many students do not know a lot about engineering, but they are intrigued by the concepts,” Orwin said. “We are introducing them to the engineering design process and to the various disciplines, such as civil, mechanical, computer engineering and more.”
Anthony Solina, executive director of Aspire Public Schools of the Central Valley, emphasized that students benefit from being around academic excellence, including Pacific’s engineering and computer science programs, where more than 90% of students have a job awaiting them at graduation.
“They see more than potential careers; they see career pathways—answers on how they can get to where they want to go,” he said. “With the guidance they received at Pacific, many are now looking to go into engineering, and they are doing so with confidence.”
I am now 100% firm that I want to major in STEM. This is the class that made me want to be an engineer.
– Angel Perez, student
On December 6, family members, high school officials and others gathered at the Don and Karen DeRosa University Center to watch students showcase their final projects during the Pacific Pilot Showcase and Celebration.
Students worked in teams and the assignment for each was to construct a paperweight advertising engineering at University of the Pacific that could be given to prospective students or donors. Many teams worked Power Cat, Burns Tower or other notable Pacific icons into their designs.
“We worked as a team, and that was a great experience. I have never been so infatuated with academia as I was with this Pacific class,” said Angel Perez, a Langston Hughes student. “Every time I went to class it seemed like I learned how something works and why it works. I am now 100% firm that I want to major in STEM. This is the class that made me want to be an engineer.”
Diorue Hodges, a fellow Langston Hughes student, said the course also shifted her career plans to engineering.
“I always wanted to be a nurse or a doctor, and I didn’t even think of engineering as a career pathway,” Hodges said. “I was exposed to the thinking behind engineering and it changed everything. There are low levels of women, particularly Black women, in STEM and engineering and I want to be an inspiration for leading others into the field.”
The percentage of women in the field is estimated at 25%. Dean Orwin’s goal is to raise that to 50% in the School of Engineering and Computer Science.
Twenty-five students attended the one-unit college course taught by Dean Elizabeth Orwin.
The class provided students with hands-on experience. During one session, assignments included dissecting and rebuilding sheep eyeballs. Students also worked in teams to build make-shift pinball machines and shoot for a specific time—eight seconds—for the pinball to reach its destination.
Dario Preciado, a student at Benjamin Holt Academy, proved adept at dissecting the eyeball with guidance from Orwin, whose research focuses on the study of the cornea.
“It felt squishy, which is about what I expected,” he said. “We are trying to learn what engineers do. I personally am considering what I would like to study, so I am trying out different things.”
Alejandro Guerrero and Jazmyn Corona of Benjamin Holt Academy were on a five-person team that worked on the pinball challenge. Using cardboard, tape and propping a desk up with textbooks, they built a pinball course and tested it dozens of times.
The team’s best effort was 8.08 seconds.
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert said she is pleased to have the students on campus and eager to adapt what is learned from this pilot for use in other fields of study.
“Coming to campus is a key component of the model since students have the semester to get comfortable in class,” she said. “Collaborating with the high schools on students’ needs and interests is also important. We hope to see offerings across disciplines as we move forward.”
Another engineering course is set for the spring semester and Pacific administrators have contacted school officials to discuss similar courses in other disciplines. Pacific is exploring courses in teaching and education, business, digital media, sustainability, health sciences, computer science, sports medicine, anatomy, kinesiology, sports analytics, sports management, music industry, pre-health and pre-law.
For more information on Pacific college-credit courses for high school students, contact Ashley Williams at awilliams4@pacific.edu.
OAKLAND—Aspire Public Schools announced today that AspireLionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the Top 100 High Schools in California, and among the Top 20 High Schools in the Bay Area. The selective rankings, published annually, consider a blend of metrics including students’ college readiness, availability of college-level curriculum, graduation rates, and proficiency test results in determining rankings. Aspire Lionel Wilson Prep, which serves 449 scholars in grades 6—12, ranked #92 out of 2,613 California public high schools and #19 out of 245 Bay Area public high schools.
“Our ranking among the top hundred public high schools in California is a testament to our scholars’ determination and drive and our entire school community’s dedication to cultivating a joyful learning environment to facilitate deep learning,” said Tommy Gonzalez, Aspire Lionel Wilson Prep principal. “We are proud to be included in this prestigious ranking and look forward to continuing to provide exceptional educational experiences to our scholars to position them better to pursue their postsecondary goals.”
Ninety-seven percent of Aspire Lionel Wilson Prep seniors who started the year graduated from high school as of June 2023, 10 points above the most recently available statewide average of 87%. Aspire Lionel Wilson Prep’s high school scholars scored 24 percentage points above the state average proficiency score in Math and 4 percentage points above the state average proficiency score in English language arts (ELA), continuing a two-year trend of sustained growth in ELA for both middle and high schoolers at Aspire Lionel Wilson Prep.
For more details on Aspire Lionel Wilson Prep’s ranking among the top 100 public high schools in California, please visit the U.S. News & World Report. More details on Aspire Public Schools can be found at aspirepublicschools.org.
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About Aspire Public Schools Aspire Public Schools operates 36 community-based public charter schools educating over 15,000 students in underserved communities across California. Founded in 1998, Aspire is one of the nation’s largest open-enrollment public charter school systems serving predominantly students of color from low-income communities. Teachers and families partner closely to ensure scholars are prepared to succeed in college, career and life. Currently in its 25th academic year, Aspire is one of the nation’s first charter school systems. Learn more about Aspire Public Schools at aspirepublicschools.org.
Huge congratulations to our second cohort of R.I.S.E. to Higher scholarship winners!
Anchored in Aspire’s Core Value of Agency + Self-determination, this award is given to outstanding Black seniors who are active members of their campus Black Student Union (BSU), and who are demonstrated agents of change in their community. The R.I.S.E. to Higher scholarship is generously funded by Aspire partners Charles and Karen Couric, to whom we are very grateful.
Read on to learn more about these scholars’ years at Aspire, what they learned from their experience participating in a BSU, and their future plans!
Anaya Washington Anaya has been an Aspire scholar for her entire academic career, from kindergarten through 12th grade. After graduating from Aspire Alexander Twilight Secondary Academy (ATSA), she plans to study child development and psychology.
Her favorite memory at Aspire:All the fun we had in class with my peers and teachers.
Her advice to younger students:Don’t be too hard on yourself, it’s ok to fail.
Anaya’s experience in a Black Student Union:While in BSU I have learned a lot about other cultures including my own. I have learned about a lot of struggles that all Black people have faced throughout the years. I enjoyed all the opportunities we had to learn new things regarding BSU and being able to bring together and create a safe space for the Black kids in my school. It really gave us the chance to speak up about things we couldn’t talk about elsewhere because no one else understood.
Damian Beck Damian has been with Aspire since he came to Aspire Golden State Preparatory Academy (GSP) in 8th grade. After graduation, he hopes to study real estate and business.
His favorite memory at Aspire:The field trips I had with my class and my grade.
His advice to younger students: Don’t overthink and always ask for help when you need it.
Damian’s experience in a Black Student Union:I learned what it meant to be in a community full of Black or African American students just like me.
Greg’Zhyaih Martin Greg’Zhyaih came to Aspire Golden State Preparatory Academy (GSP) as a freshman. After graduation, she is excited to attend CSU Dominguez Hills to study child development.
Her favorite memory at Aspire:Going on all the field trips & doing all school activities!
Her advice to younger students:I would honestly say go for it! Believe in yourself & trust yourself. You can do it.
Greg’Zhyaih’s experience in a Black Student Union:I love the community we build & the fun activities we created.
Kaaliyah Bush Kaaliyah came to Aspire Alexander Twilight Secondary Academy (ATSA) as an 8th grader. After graduation, she looks forward to pursuing a bachelor’s degree in theater and the dramatic arts.
Her favorite memory at Aspire: When I was on the cheer team, I miss the community building and the opportunity to make new friends and I did. Overall it was an amazing experience.
Her advice to younger students: Don’t lose focus but still enjoy your time because even when it feels like high school is never ending, once you get close to the end you’ll realize It really just flew by.
Kaaliyah’s experience in a Black Student Union: I really enjoyed the discussions, I finally felt like I had people that could truly understand and relate to my experiences. BSU helped me realize that I wasn’t alone in my experiences. I have gotten so many opportunities because of it and I learned about things that I never knew there was more to learn about. It has been an experience that I will forever be grateful for because I learned how to better advocate for myself and I will forever carry that with me.
Maiya Johnson Maiya has been thriving at Aspire since kindergarten! After graduating from Aspire Benjamin Holt College Preparatory Academy (BHA), she looks forward to studying business administration.
Her favorite memory at Aspire:The days in elementary school where I enjoyed being a kid. Those years were the most memorable. I made some of the best friends that I still have today and it’s cool to see my transition from then to where I am now.
Her advice to younger students: Take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way. Involve yourself in as many things as you can and be comfortable with stepping out of your comfort zone because you never know where it could lead you.
Maiya’s experience in a Black Student Union:My experience as a member of the Black Student Union at my school was very enjoyable. Being able to come together as a community to have fun while supporting one another was very important to me. Attending the Black College Expo last semester I was able to bond with other members in a new element outside of school. I was able to connect with my peers through similar life experiences and I learned a lot about myself. As I move forward in these next 4 years I hope I can continue to be a part of amazing organizations like the Black Student Union.
Meah Smith Meah came to Aspire Alexander Twilight Secondary Academy (ATSA) in 11th grade, and after graduation, will pursue a degree and career in nursing.
Her favorite memory at Aspire: I love when I need help I have many resources! I really love just laughing and connecting with my teachers and staff!
Her advice to younger students: You are who you hang around so choose wisely and make smart moves for yourself!
Meah’s experience in a Black Student Union:I loved that we are all connected with the same background. We are able to come together as one and really educate people about our troubles we face along with growing a family.
Priya Marshall Priya came to Aspire Richmond California College Preparatory Academy (Cal Prep) as a 7th grader. After graduation, she is deciding between majoring in zoology, health science, or nursing.
Her favorite memory at Aspire:8th grade promotion.
Her advice to her younger self/younger students:If I could give one piece of advice to my younger self it would’ve been to never give up on myself, and also to always trust the process and be patient.
Priya’s experience in a Black Student Union:Black Student Union at my school is a safe space and comfort zone for students. What I like most about Black Student Union would be being able to have a safe space and being around such positive and loving people.
Senoj Jones Senoj has spent her entire K-12 academic career learning and growing at Aspire. After graduating from Aspire Benjamin Holt College Preparatory Academy (BHA), she looks forward to majoring in criminal justice.
Her favorite memory at Aspire:An after school program when I was in elementary school. They provided a lot of activities that I didn’t know would make great life skills and hobbies. For example, self defense, cooking, gardening, science, etc.
Her advice to her younger self/younger students: Advice I would give to my younger self is to be okay with making mistakes and to learn from them. By growing up in Aspire schools, it made me very sheltered and protected, which I appreciate because it got me to the mindset to be successful and to do something great for my life after high school. Though, I wish I spent more time trying new things instead of keeping the same routine because I didn’t want to deal with negative consequences. I feel that I missed out on some childhood or teenage things when growing up but in the end I accept it because I’m still successful without it.
Senoj’s experience in a Black Student Union:The thing I like most about BSU at Aspire is how vocal they are about Black excellence, and also how it provides different resources that can be beneficial to our future. I learned about self confidence and about Black activists during my time at BSU. I felt dissociated within my race and not as proud about it, but by joining BSU I am more confident and appreciative about my culture and to be Black.
Tai-Run Williams Tai-Run came to Aspire as a 6th grader. After he graduates from Aspire Vanguard College Preparatory Academy (VCPA), he looks forward to attending college to study kinesiology.
His favorite memory at Aspire: Meeting everyone and everyone just greeting me with happiness, my 6th grade year.
His advice to younger students: Never wait until the last minute to finish everything, finish everything on time or early.
Tai-Run’s experience in a Black Student Union:For me, I loved how it was like a family and everyone was very close with each other. I learned a lot of new things about my history and also how to be a leader.
Veter Baker Veter came to Aspire in 5th grade. After she graduates from Aspire Richmond California College Preparatory Academy (Cal Prep), she will study business.
Her favorite memory at Aspire:Making memories in class with my classmates.
Her advice to younger students:Take advantage of being young and live life to the fullest.
Veter’s experience in a Black Student Union:I love BSU. It’s become a place where I can just relax and be with my fellow Black students. I never truly realized the effect of not being around people who look like me had on my mental health until I was around them. I have learned that you never truly know a person until you know them, what you see in the halls isn’t enough to judge the kind of character they have.
Merging high schools and community college classes in areas with a high number of Latino, Black and low-income students is emerging as a way to overcome disparities in who gets to take dual enrollment courses.
The schools, known as “early college” or “middle college” high schools, give students access to dual enrollment courses as early as middle school.
Megan Liu was one of those students who got the opportunity to take a dual enrollment class the summer after her eighth grade year — even before she had taken a high school course.
“It was definitely a very interesting experience that was semi-intimidating,” Liu said. “College classes were very different from middle school classes and the expectations were definitely much higher.”
Liu attended Mark Keppel High School’s early college program in Alhambra, which is connected to East Los Angeles College. The early college high school began in 2017 and made it possible for students to take college and high school classes for all four years. Liu’s first college class as a high schooler was in robotics — a field she says she didn’t have much experience in. But her parents encouraged her to give it a try, Liu said.
Four years later, Liu graduated this spring with more than 50 college credits. That’s not enough for an associate degree, but she did complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, commonly known as IGETC, the series of classes community college students use to satisfy freshman- and sophomore-level general education requirements to the University of California.
The same courses allowed her to start college with a full year’s credit at a private college. Despite it being her first year at California Baptist University, she has sophomore status at the private university in Riverside, where she is studying exercise science.
“Dual enrollment knocked out a lot of my (general education requirements) that I had to take, so right from the start, I’ve been able to take more major-related requirements and classes,” she said. “It also gives me more opportunities to explore and to take other electives I might be interested in and see if I like those fields or if I remain in my own major.”
How many of these schools are there? No one can say.
Early college or middle college high schools differ from traditional dual enrollment classes offered in and outside a traditional high school in a few ways. But in California, it’s not unusual for dual enrollment programs to use the terms interchangeably.
The California Department of Education defines a middle college high school as one that is located on a college campus. Early college high schools are “innovative” partnerships with community colleges, the California State University, or the University of California system that allow students to earn a high school diploma and up to two years of college credit in a “blended” program.
Most of these partnerships are made with community colleges. However, neither the Chancellor’s Office nor the California Department of Education has an accurate count of how many such schools exist in the state.
Peter Callas, the director of career and college transition for the Department of Education, learned when he first began working in the high school innovations and initiatives office that the department didn’t know how many programs would fall under the office’s umbrella. At that time, the department estimated that there were about 95 programs.
“So that’s one of the things we need to fix, and I’ve been trying to for a while now, but we just haven’t gotten there,” he said.
Callas told a crowd gathered at the annual conference for the California Coalition of Early & Middle Colleges this year that he is interested in growing these programs. He wants to ensure they can tap into state and federal funds dedicated to these programs.
“So it’s interesting we have these programs out there, highly successful,” he said. “We know where some of them are. We may have another 10 or 15 of them we still need to locate and make sure we know what we need to do to support them.”
The Public Policy Institute of California attempted to count the number of early and middle college programs across the state and found 26 early college high schools, or ECHS, and 17 middle college high schools, or MCHS. Early colleges were disproportionately located in the San Francisco Bay and Central Valley regions. In contrast, middle colleges dominated the Central Valley, Inland Empire and San Diego-Imperial Valley regions, according to the report.
Students participating in these early and middle college high schools “basically were recruited in middle school and came into the high school knowing that they were going to be part of this special program and that one of the goals was to try to get them to complete up to 60 college credits,” said Olga Rodriguez, director of PPICs Higher Education Center.
Early and middle college high schools have existed in California for decades. However, they often haven’t reflected the state’s K-12 diversity or high school population, Rodriguez said.
“There’s this perception that these schools at the middle and early college high schools are for what they call ‘the smart kids,’” Rodriguez said, adding that the perception might deter some students who have had negative experiences with teachers and counselors, or who don’t view themselves as a “smart kid,” from even applying. “There was some work to address that and do more outreach to the community and to students to encourage them and change their perception of who can come to these schools.”
Some community colleges and high school districts, like East Los Angeles College, are working to change that so more diverse students can participate in early college high schools.
“We found that regionally there is a large gap in college knowledge,” said Miguel Duenas, vice president of student affairs at the college. “There is a lack of understanding of what early college access does for a student, especially one from a disproportionately impacted demographic or low socioeconomic status; the impact is much greater.”
Duenas said the early exposure increases the student’s ability to access college in the future.
Taking sociology in high school
Diego Aranda, a sophomore at Aspire Ollin University Preparatory Academy in Huntington Park, participates in the early college program at East Los Angeles College. The dual enrollment classes can also satisfy high school graduation requirements. In his Sociology 101 class, Aranda said, the lecture style of the college course leads him to take more notes and depend a little more on caffeine than in a typical high school class.
“Every class, you’re taking notes. It’d be like three pages,” Aranda said, comparing the frequency to that of his English class, where he was used to taking notes every two weeks.
CREDIT: KATE SEQUEIRA / EDSOURCE
Students attend Sociology 101 at Aspire Ollin University Preparatory Academy, one of several dual enrollment classes offered at the school in partnership with East Los Angeles College this semester.
Nonetheless, pushing ahead with this class has been important to Aranda, who finds himself in its second-story classroom every Friday after the regular school day ends. He said the details and thoroughness of the class has opened his mind to a broad range of perspectives as he’s learned about social structure and beyond.
“I’ve ruined a lot of my Fridays like this,” said Aranda, smiling. “But, at the end, it’s got to be worth it. I want to do this class because I want to get somewhere in life, get offered scholarships. My parents — they want to do everything for me. And you know, I don’t want them to pay more than they already pay for 18 years of my life.”
For Aranda’s classmate, senior Danny Rizo, taking the sociology class has helped ease some of his nerves about college as he nears graduation from high school. Rizo said he didn’t know what to expect at the beginning of the semester, especially from his professor, but as the class progressed, the intimidation eased. It still feels different though, he said.
“It’s just kind of different because you’re kind of nervous,” Rizo said. “This is a college class. You’re more nervous when talking to a professor than when talking to the teacher. It’s like, oh, I see this teacher every day, the professor I see like, once a week.”
East Los Angeles’s efforts are part of the Dual Enrollment for Equitable Completion initiative, which receives funding from the College Futures Foundation and the Gates Foundation to improve dual enrollment and college completion for Black, Latino and low-income students.
But even if high school students don’t completely submerge themselves in an early college program, the college wants to expose them to at least one course. And they have support from the local school district leadership that has expressed wanting every high school student to take at least one dual enrollment course, Duenas said.
“That raises the bar for everyone,” Duenas said. “We’ve heard stories where students that were doing poorly in high school classes took dual enrollment and had a whole shift in their demeanor toward education.”
An early college magnet
Pasadena City College District took a similar approach about four years ago when it helped convert John Muir High School to an early college magnet school.
“When we first started this partnership, we were very intentional in terms of understanding that the majority of the students at John Muir are Black and brown,” said Raquel Torres-Retana, a campus dean over the district’s educational partnerships.
The Pasadena district has been able to enroll Black and Latino students for dual enrollment courses on par with their numbers in area high schools, an EdSource analysis found. Students at the high school have the opportunity in their freshman year to opt into the early college program, or they can take traditional dual enrollment classes.
“We open it up to anybody,” Torres-Retana said. “The early college program is not intended to be a certificate-granting program. It’s not intended to be an associate degree-granting program. It is to give students exposure to a college course. Some of them will choose to put it toward transferring to a four-year institution; others will choose to come to (Pasadena City College) and continue to a degree or certificate.”
And some students do complete an associate degree while in high school, she said.
Starting an early college program isn’t easy and can be a years-long process. Sacramento City College is in the middle of doing just that in Sacramento City Unified and Washington Unified school districts.
The college, which is also part of the Dual Enrollment for Equitable Completion initiative with East LA, was awarded a Hispanic-serving institution federal grant in 2020 to start an early college program, not just for Latino high schoolers, but for students from all sorts of disadvantaged communities. The college has already set up an agreement with Davis Unified.
“We’ve had dual enrollment opportunities housed in different parts of our campus here and there, but never something really formalized or structured,” said Rosana Chavez-Hernandez, director of the early college program at Sacramento City College.
But now, the culture has shifted, and college and high school officials want to provide “these access opportunities for students who never considered themselves college-going or didn’t really know what college options existed,” she said.
In the meantime, the college is just raising awareness about dual enrollment by using targeted recruitment practices like working with Spanish-speaking and bilingual parent-teacher associations to spread the word about the program. The high schools in the Davis area, which is more rural and has Latino families that may come from migrant communities, have also been helpful, she said.
“They recognize — and I say this respectfully — that they need to do better when it comes to serving our communities of color,” Chavez-Hernandez said. “They were very much on board with supporting our students who come from underserved communities, and there hasn’t been much resistance from our high school partners.”
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges. For example, the college hasn’t been able to get some agreements with K-12 districts because everything has to be by vetted labor unions in both the high schools and the colleges, she said.
“You don’t want to necessarily take jobs from folks or compete with any existing course offerings,” Chavez-Hernandez said. So, as the college develops its “menu of courses” for an early college program, the college and the high schools have to have candid conversations about what works for each location.
One additional challenge is simply merging schedules, she said, because high school bell schedules are different from college.
“Just determining when is the best time to offer a class if it’s not online,” she said. “Is it during after-school hours? Is that attractive to students? We’re just learning to navigate all those things.”