A BluePrint for Success: Case Studies of Successful - Educational ...

Program Staff
A Blueprint for Success
College Bound St. Louis has a staff of 31 people, including 10 full-time and 2 part-time paid members.
The organization also has 19 AmeriCorps staff members and 5 volunteers and interns throughout
the year.
Admission & Selection
Most students must apply for admission into the program during the spring semester of their freshman
year in high school. When there are openings in the program, new students can enter up until
the beginning of 11 th grade. Admission is competitive as College Bound St. Louis receives more applications
than they are able to accept. Nonetheless, CB-STL does not turn away qualified applicants.
Among some of the admission criteria, CB-STL looks for students who demonstrate financial
need, attend under-performing schools and will be the first in the family to graduate from college.
Once a student fills out the required paperwork, he or she is considered as “applying” to College
Bound St. Louis. If the student does not meet the requirements of College Bound St. Louis (parent
level of education, low income status, low GPA combined with no success predictors) or does not
demonstrate willingness or ability to attend classes and benefit from services provided (as determined
in interview process), they are placed on a “not-accepted” list. If students pass these two steps in the
application process, they then complete the enrollment packet and attend class. If the student does
not complete the packet or attend class, they are placed on the “non-participant” list. Students can
go from non-participants to enrolled students if they turn in completed paperwork and come to class
early in the school year.
Program Components
College Bound St. Louis offers a comprehensive college preparation and persistence program that
starts in 9th grade and continues until students graduate from college. Figure 1 depicts the CB-STL
program model. The program components include Get Your Prep On and the 7-Year Wrap Around
Program.
Get Your Prep On
Get Your Prep On is a year-long early awareness program that targets all 9th grade students and families
attending CB-STL’s partner schools. These sessions and workshops provide information and
resources about the benefits of higher education as well as information on how to plan, prepare, pay
for and pursue a college education.
Seven-­‐Year Wrap-­‐Around Program Consisting of 5 Braided Components
Students interested in this program must apply to College Bound St. Louis, typically in the spring
semester of 9th grade. The five components include: Making the Grade; Culture, Character, Capacity;
Admission Accomplished; Families as Partners; and Complete U.
Educational Policy Institute 30 www.educationalpolicy.org