SU Bridges High School and College Experience for Underserved Youth

(November 13, 2012) The Seattle University College of Education is pleased to welcome Seattle Public Schools’ Middle College High School to its campus on Tuesday, November 13, 2012.

Middle College High School (MCHS) is an innovative alternative high school for students with great promise who may or may not have been thriving academically in a traditional high school environment. The MCHS curriculum prepares a select group of highly motivated students for college and career as the students work toward completion of their high school graduation requirements. The combination of small class size and individual attention from experienced and highly committed teachers provides a context for engaged and personalized learning. 

Middle College High School and Seattle University College of Education faculty and staff partnered with local schools to recruit and identify eligible students this summer, and classes began in September at a temporary Seattle Public Schools site while the designated space at Seattle University was being remodeled. They will move into their permanent location on the Seattle University campus with a principal, two full-time teachers, a Seattle University pre-doctoral fellow and an administrative coordinator. 

An educational collaboration between high school and college, Middle College High School is a proven academic model that began in the 1970s in New York City. Seattle University College of Education alumnae, Dr. Julie Hungar, led the efforts to open the first Middle College High School at Seattle Central Community College in 1991. There are currently 184 students attending a Middle College program in the Seattle Public School District. 

The mission of Middle College is to ensure every student graduates ready for college, career and life. Cindy Nash, principal of all five Middle College High Schools, says, “The academic curriculum and nurturing environment allow students to succeed, and the fact that the school is situated on a college campus gives them the motivation to either go to college or prepare for a meaningful career.” 

Planning for MCHS began several years ago with the vision of Dr. Margit McGuire, MIT Program Director, and the late Dr. Sue Schmitt, former Dean of the College of Education. Dr. Charisse Cowan Pitre, Associate Professor in the Master in Teaching Program and Middle College Partnership Director, has been working with a team of SU administrators, including Kent Koth, Director of the Center for Service and Community Engagement and the Seattle University Youth Initiative, to bring Middle College High School to campus. 

“Seattle University and Middle College High School have a shared vision to promote social justice and advocate for underserved student populations,” say Dr. Cowan Pitre. “I’m excited to be a part of Middle College High School—one of many similar programs seeking to close the opportunity gap for disenfranchised students and their families. I see this as a way to inspire and nurture aspirations for college and beyond, ultimately helping students discover pathways to fulfilling the goals and visions they have for their lives.” 

Most students self-select or are recommended by a counselor at their high school. According to Principal Nash, all prospective students have to want to be enrolled in Middle College High School, or they don’t get accepted. 

“They are extraordinary young people, who, with a little help, can do extraordinary things,” says Beth Brunton, J.D., who has taught at Middle College High School at Northgate for 11 years and serves as the site coordinator for the MCHS at Seattle University. “They got caught in a system that didn’t work for them, and most don’t have the resources or the skills to manage the system.”

Middle College High School intentionally houses its schools on college campuses so students have increased accessibility to college. It partners with Running Start to offer college-level courses at community colleges at no charge to the students. Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses are also offered; 30% of students in Middle College programs this year are taking these college-level courses. Forty-two percent of students who graduated last year from a Middle College High School program were enrolled in a higher educational institution within one year of graduation.

Being on college campus also allows university students and College of Education faculty to put theory and research into practice with high school students. 

“Our Master in Teaching candidates, school psychology and school counseling students will be able to support MCHS students by working with their teachers to implement the research-based best practices they are learning in their College of Education graduate courses,” said Dr. Cowan Pitre. “There is an unlimited number of mutually beneficial collaborative projects that can happen with Middle College High School on our campus.” For example, the School of Law is partnering with the MCHS teachers on a street law class, and the School of Nursing is interested in helping with smoking secession and the development of other health and wellness program components.

Introducing the students to the college experience will be an integral part of the program, says Cowan Pitre, who is working with the program’s pre-doctoral fellow, Anthony Longoria, and other faculty and staff across campus to provide workshops on college access and career options. Professional development for the Middle College High School teachers is also a priority for the partnership. 

This will be the fifth Middle College location for Seattle Public Schools. In addition to Seattle Central Community College, other partner institutions include South Seattle Community College, the University of Washington and American Indian Heritage School. 

For more information, click here or contact Dr. Cowan Pitre, at cowan@seattleu.edu.