Forsyth Technical Community College

College Lift Programming

A Closer Look at the Interventions Comprising College Lift Programming

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Saturday Academy

The flagship component of College Lift’s academic intervention is Saturday Academy, held 21 Saturdays a year on the campus of Forsyth Tech. Through Saturday Academy, scholars are provided with an additional day of instruction, delivered by experienced educators using state-aligned science, math, and English Language Arts curricula. College Lift prides itself in providing experienced, vetted teachers in each subject, complimented by a group of assistant teachers to ensure that quality, student-centered instruction is provided week after week. College Lift scholars sit under the same, committed Saturday Academy teachers every weekend. This consistency enables the Saturday Academy team to develop a deep understanding of each student’s needs, and optimize instruction for maximum individual results. The day runs from approximately 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., and scholars are provided with breakfast and lunch.

Afterschool Tutoring

Central to College Lift’s longitudinal approach to postsecondary preparedness is a system of rigorous afterschool tutoring support provided to all scholars.

At the middle school level, this support consists of small group remedial instruction in math, science, and English Language Arts, coupled with recreation and activities designed to cultivate social-emotional wellness and growth. This afterschool programming for sixth through eighth grades is held on location at College Lift’s partner middle schools, and is specifically targeted at scholars who are less than proficient in any area of core subject matter.

At the high school level, one-on-one tutoring check-ins are provided to every scholar, every week. These weekly check-ins function as a platform for additional instruction, as well as furnish an accountability structure for the completion of key assignments and test prep. Scholars meet with the same College Lift team member on a weekly basis throughout the school year, creating a consistent environment able to give rise to impactful mentoring relationships.

Tutoring at both the middle and high school levels is facilitated by a dynamic team of experienced teachers and non-certified tutors, consistently delivering high-quality instruction in their subject area(s) of expertise

Family Accompaniment

Over the course of their seven-year journey, College Lift scholars will spend less than 5% of their time at Saturday Academy or in after-school tutoring. The vast majority of their time will be spent in their homes and communities. This module deliberately makes it impossible to empower these scholars without empowering their families.

College Lift’s university, K12 and nonprofit partnerships pale in comparison to the importance of partnership with the parents and guardians of our scholars. Approximately twice a month, an adult caretaker representing each scholar (parent, grandparent, guardian, etc.) will meet during Saturday Academy for the Family Accompaniment program. Family Accompaniment is designed not only to boost caretaker involvement in their scholar’s academics, but also to lower educational barriers in the home through soft skills training and domestic support.

Scholar’s caretakers are given access to seminars on relevant topics ranging from parenting adolescents and conflict resolution to homework facilitation and applying for financial aid. Family Accompaniment meetings also serve as a platform for the dissemination of key information from guest speakers (e.g. school principals, leaders of educational nonprofits, college representatives), while also functioning as a connection between families and the important services they may need (emergency financial/legal/nutritional support, representation to local K12 authorities in matters such as discipline and school placement, etc.).

Family Accompaniment is caretaker-directed, meaning that program content is not prescribed, but rather collaboratively developed by those that it is designed to serve. This joint administration is facilitated by College Lift’s Family Council, a group of parent leaders elected by their peers to represent the perspective of College Lift families in the deliberation of key issues related to Family Accompaniment and the College Lift program as a whole.

Educational resources (such as ESL classes, professional development seminars and even standard curriculum courses) are also extended to the parents of College Lift students, providing opportunities for career and economic advancement as they accompany their children through the seven-year journey to program completion. These classes are provided on the weekends during and after standard Family Accompaniment meetings, as well as on weeknights and at other times accessible for the parents and family members of College Lift students.

Family Accompaniment builds a holistic, wrap-around model of support for College Lift scholars and their caretakers, providing community, support and stability for these families on their journey to a better future.

Summer Programming

The comprehensive support provided to College Lift scholars continues throughout the summer, with programming designed to prevent learning loss and to facilitate general enrichment. Near the conclusion of spring semester, each scholar receives a summer work packet designed to reinforce proficiency in key content areas introduced during the previous year’s instruction. Scholars are required to work through these packets at home, checking in with College Lift instructional staff at regular intervals to demonstrate progress and receive additional assistance as needed.

While academic support remains central, summer also represents a unique opportunity to focus on holistic student development, cultivating social and cultural capital through select enrichment activities. Each summer, College Lift scholars have the opportunity to interact creatively with the arts and culture scene in local communities, widen their perspectives through participation in meaningful field trips, and give back to the community by engaging in volunteer service projects.

This slate of summertime interventions rounds out a 12-month continuum of contact and interaction between College Lift families and program staff, fostering long-term relationships and consistent communication.

Wraparound Services

Children are selectively enrolled in College Lift on the basis of need; the average College Lift student lives in a low-income situation and would be the first in their family to attend college. These students come to the program not only with academic setbacks, but also attended by the economic, social, and psychological challenges of a childhood lived in under-resourced conditions. If these students are to successfully navigate the journey through middle and high school and matriculate into college, it is necessary to provide comprehensive support both to the whole child and their family throughout the seven year course of College Lift programming.

With this need to furnish longitudinal stability in view, College Lift provides a variety of wraparound services to the families it serves, including nutritional support and other types of emergency monetary assistance, connection to legal aid, and exposure to a variety of key resources available in the community. A particularly central element of this holistic approach to student support is the provision of counseling services. Counseling professionals affiliated with Forsyth Tech are made available to College Lift students and their families for consultation, therapeutic sessions, and referrals to partnering third party providers as needed.

Dual Enrollment

One reason that College Lift fits so well into a community college framework is that it enables the scholars to participate in programs already designed to accelerate student success. One such program at Forsyth Tech is dual enrollment, which provides college credit to students, free of charge, while they are still in high school.

Dual enrollment aligns perfectly with the mission and vision of College Lift, since the program’s ultimate purpose is to set students up with the expectation that they’ll attend college following high school graduation. Beginning in eleventh grade, College Lift scholars have the opportunity to enroll in college level course work, fulfilling core K12 requirements while simultaneously earning college credit. Upon high school graduation, this earned credit may be transferred to any participating institution of higher education, including all colleges and universities within the University of North Carolina system.

During the first two years of high school, the academic support College Lift scholars receive centers on the objective of securing a GPA of 2.8 or higher—the minimum requirement for participation in dual enrollment coursework through North Carolina’s Career and College Promise program. College Lift seeks to support its scholars in the completion of at least two semesters of college credits by their high school graduation, enabling them to matriculate directly into participating two- or four-year institutions as sophomores.

Forsyth Technical Community College

2100 Silas Creek Parkway

Winston-Salem, NC 27103

Email: collegelift@forsythtech.edu