Pullias Center for Higher Education

The Pullias Center for Higher Education is dedicated to improving access to college for low-income and historically under-represented students. The academic arm of our Center has focused on: (1) researching how students, families and schools define and address challenges related to college going and (2) identifying effective strategies for improving college going outcomes. Our publications are widely used as guides by practitioners across the country. Yet just as significant, our Center has developed a three-pronged outreach approach where we work with schools and students to provide high quality college guidance and support; the three programs we run rank among the Center’s most important achievements to date. The first program we developed — I AM (Increasing Access through Mentoring) provides targeted college guidance support to juniors and seniors in high school as they prepare to apply for college. Many of the students we work with will be the first in their families to attend college. Many also attend high schools with exorbitant counselor to student ratios. I AM mentors work with school based counselors to identify students who might slip through the cracks and then meet with students regularly to make sure the (very complicated) college application process goes smoothly. Once students are accepted to colleges, mentors help students figure out financial aid awards and provide students with support as they decide where to go. We’ve helped over 1,000 students get into college since starting the program in 2005. The SummerTIME (Tool Information Motivation Education) program focuses on college completion. We bring students who have graduated from LAUSD schools and who will be heading to four-year colleges/universities to USC for a month-long intensive writing program. The curriculum is infused with lessons on college knowledge such has how to balance finances, how to interact with professors and how to cultivate effective study skills. The third program provides a twist to traditional college outreach approaches. We decided to meet students where they choose to spend after-school hours — in cyberspace! We partnered with USC’s Game Innovation Lab and students from Foshay Learning Center to create a series of role-playing games about college and careers. Our games were developed and pilot tested in Los Angeles and are now utilized nationally. My LA2050 funding would enable us to expand these programs and train practitioners on how to make use of the game-based tools.