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

History & Mission
A Blueprint for Success
Foundation for a College Education was founded in 1995 by Glenn Singleton and Chris Roe, who,
through their for-profit college counseling company, recognized the need to create an alternative for
families who could not afford their costly college planning services. The organization began working
with students and families at Woodside High School and other community agencies. Then, in 1997,
FCE established a formal collaboration with the Palo Alto Unified School District’s Voluntary
Transfer Program, a court-ordered desegregation program that lets families in East Palo Alto send
their children to school in Palo Alto, which is a separate city and school district from East Palo Alto.
To close the college-going gap in East Palo Alto and its surrounding areas, FCE works with students
to prepare them not just for entering college, but to graduate, as only 11 percent of East Palo Alto
residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. FCE works with youth of color who typically are from
lower socioeconomic backgrounds, are first in their families to attend college, and possess very limited
exposure to higher education. Currently, close to 200 students and parents of African American,
Latino, and Pacific Islander descent participate in the program annually.
Goals
100 percent of FCE’s College Bound students will graduate from high school
100 percent of FCE’s high school graduates will enroll in college
85 percent of FCE’s College Success students will receive their degrees within 5 years
100 percent of FCE’s College Bound students will have at least 1 parent actively involved in
the program.
Program Staff
FCE has a small staff that includes three full-time and four part-time employees. Program staff provide
support to high school students and their parents as well as to college students and parents.
Admissions & Selection
According to the organization’s website, FCE’s admission procedures are designed to ensure that
FCE is the right fit for the students interested in the program. The application and selection process
includes a student essay, a one-on-one interview with the program staff, and a teacher recommendation.
While students are expected to have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in order to apply, this admission
criterion can be waived with strong teacher advocacy. The final step in the application process involves
an interview with the student’s parents. FCE has an open admission policy and students are
recruited at local middle and high schools
Initially, students joined the program as late as their second semester of junior year. Recognizing that
this was not sufficient time to work with the students and prepare them college, FCE started their
outreach to parents and students the second semester of 8th grade. FCE also holds information ses-
Educational Policy Institute 75 www.educationalpolicy.org