Heading to college can be an exciting and challenging time. Now, there’s a new program in the District focused on providing eligible high school graduates with a network of support well after they leave the public school system. The DCPS Persists program will give 750 graduates from the class of 2020 access to academic support and other resources aimed to help them navigate college life. The program will connect students with a coach who will check in at regular intervals for their first two years at college. DCPS Persists is the the first initiative of it’s kind to be led by a public school system, according to D.C. Public Schools. “We are focused on ensuring that more of our students are prepared for success throughout their college experience, graduate from college, and are able to pursue careers that align with their interests,” said D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee.
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It’s a milestone that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said is intended to help students take on the challenges of pursuing higher education in ways that will also benefit the city. “It is even more important for them to finish college and to prepare them and set them up for careers that allow them good paying jobs that allow them to live right here in Washington, D.C.,” Bowser said. DCPS Persists is funded by the D.C. Public Education Fund through a $10 million donation from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation.
