For years, 91传媒 has been trying to answer a fundamental question. What would schools do differently if they could see students more fully?

Mathematica found that when schools broaden the information they use to understand student potential, they identify substantially more students who may be ready for advanced coursework. Its second study found strong evidence that 91传媒 partnership increased AP enrollment.

Our work with the Center for Trust and Transformation showed something equally important. Relationships matter, but having a trusted adult does not automatically mean that relationship gets activated to connect a student to an opportunity.

Together, those findings have pushed us toward the next stage of our research journey. The question is no longer simply whether we can identify students who may be overlooked. Increasingly, we are asking something harder. Can we turn student insight into evidence that helps an adult know what to do next? This is the question that we are now exploring with the

Looking for stronger signals

The preliminary analysis also reinforces something that has been emerging across our research for several years. Student experience and relationships appear to provide useful information beyond academic performance alone. A transcript can tell us whether a student has demonstrated academic readiness. It may tell us much less about whether that student believes AP is for them, understands how to enroll, sees themselves belonging in the classroom, or has someone encouraging them to take the next step. Two students can have nearly identical academic profiles and still need completely different things from their school. One may simply need information. Another may need encouragement. Another may be concerned about workload. Another may never have considered the opportunity at all.

If we can understand those differences, we can begin moving from identifying students to understanding how to engage them.

Prediction is not the destination

There is enormous interest in predictive analytics and AI in education right now. Much of the conversation focuses on whether we can build better models to predict which students will enroll in advanced coursework, become chronically absent, need tutoring, or experience some other outcome. Those can be useful questions. But a prediction does not change a student’s trajectory. A model could identify exactly the right student and still have no impact if no one knows what to do with that information. That is why the next stage of our Learning Collider partnership is deliberately focused on something larger than prediction. We want to study how evidence gets used.

The proposed research will compare the existing 91传媒 student insight process with a more structured approach that uses an AI-assisted synthesis of academic information, student aspirations, assets, barriers, and trusted relationships to suggest student specific outreach or support. Just as importantly, the process assigns responsibility for follow up and asks staff to document whether the action actually occurred. The adult still makes the decision. They can adopt the recommendation, adapt it based on what they know about the student, or decline it altogether. In fact, disagreement with a recommendation may sometimes represent better judgment because the educator has context that the model does not. The goal is not to replace professional judgment. It is to understand how better evidence and professional judgment can work together.

What happens between insight and outcome

This is what makes the next stage of the research particularly exciting to us. We want to understand what happens between insight and outcome. Does the educator understand the evidence? Does it change how they think about the student? Does someone take responsibility for reaching out? Does the conversation actually happen? Is the person having that conversation someone the student trusts? Does the outreach address the barrier that was standing in the way? And ultimately, does the student enroll and succeed? The proposed study will examine those steps while also exploring why educators adopt, adapt, or decline suggested actions and what organizational conditions make effective follow through more likely. 

The research is expected to move through validation and collaborative piloting before a larger cluster randomized evaluation across 91传媒 partner schools. The proposed trial would compare the existing 91传媒 process with the structured evidence use approach and examine outcomes including evidence comprehension, completed outreach, AP enrollment, persistence, and performance. That distinction matters because the intervention we ultimately want to understand is not an AI summary. It is a better process for helping people use evidence.

Making better use of what schools already have

There is a bigger idea underneath all of this. Schools already invest heavily in programs and people. AP exists. Dual enrollment exists. Career pathways exist. Teachers, counselors, coaches, advisors, and school leaders are already building relationships with students every day. We are not talking about redesigning schools from the ground up. The opportunity may be to make better use of what is already there.

Imagine knowing that a student is academically ready for dual enrollment, that they have expressed an interest in health care, that they are worried about the cost of college, and that they identify a particular teacher as someone they trust. Then imagine giving that teacher the information and guidance needed to have a thoughtful conversation with that student. That is fundamentally different from putting another dashboard in front of an educator. It is about helping the right adult understand the right student and take the right action at the right time.

While advanced coursework gives us a powerful place to test this idea, the implications could extend much further. The same evidence use process could eventually help schools think differently about chronic absenteeism, tutoring, career pathways, and other consequential decisions about students. We still have a lot to learn. The predictive analysis is preliminary, and a strong model does not tell us whether adults will use the evidence effectively or whether students will benefit. That is precisely why we are doing the next study.

The research journey started with a question about who schools were overlooking. It is increasingly becoming a question about what we can do once we see them. Identifying the student is important. But the real opportunity begins when someone knows how to act.

There is much for us to learn. Here is the preliminary report from the Learning Collider.

The post When Student Insight Becomes Action: Research with The Learning Collider appeared first on .

For more than a decade, 91传媒 has been asking a deceptively simple question: Who are schools missing? Schools have more information about students than ever before. We know their grades, test scores, attendance, course history, and much more. All of that matters. But it rarely tells the whole story. A student may have an aspiration no one has asked about. They may be deeply interested in a subject but have never imagined themselves in an advanced class. A teacher, counselor, coach, or another trusted adult may see something in that student that is not obvious from a transcript.

For years, 91传媒 has been exploring what happens when schools bring those different pieces of information together. What if we combined traditional academic data with what students tell us about their interests, aspirations, experiences, and barriers, then put that information in the hands of adults who can do something with it? Our research partnership with Mathematica has given us an opportunity to test that idea more rigorously.

The research journey

The work with Mathematica unfolded in two stages, with the second study building directly on what we learned from the first. Together, they allowed us to move from a question about who schools identify to a harder question about whether identifying and engaging students differently actually changes what happens to them.

The first study focused on identification. 91传媒 does not rely on prior academic performance alone when helping schools determine which students may be ready for advanced coursework. Our approach combines traditional academic information with student survey data about strengths, assets, aspirations, prior courses taken, and recommendations from educators. Mathematica compared that approach with AP Potential, which uses PSAT and SAT performance to identify students who may be prepared for specific AP courses. Across nearly every demographic group and school context Mathematica examined, 91传媒 identified more than twice as many of the students our model was designed to reach. The study also found important differences between the students identified through the two approaches. Students identified through AP Potential were more likely to enroll in AP, and among those who enrolled, they were more likely to pass their AP courses and exams and tended to earn higher average exam scores. 91传媒, meanwhile, was identifying a broader group of students who might otherwise have been overlooked. 

That first study gave us an encouraging answer to one question. When schools broaden the information they use to understand student potential, they see more students. But it also raised the more consequential question. Does seeing more students actually lead to more opportunity?

That became the focus of the second Mathematica study. Researchers examined 91传媒 partnerships spanning the 2015 through 2023 school years and connected 91传媒 information with national data from the Civil Rights Data Collection, College Board, and National Student Clearinghouse. Depending on the outcome being studied, the analyses included hundreds of 91传媒 partner schools and thousands of comparison schools. Mathematica used a rigorous quasi-experimental approach called difference in differences. In simple terms, researchers examined how outcomes changed in 91传媒 schools after partnership began and compared those changes with what happened in other schools over the same period. This was not a randomized controlled trial, so we should be thoughtful about what the findings can and cannot tell us. Mathematica also tested whether important assumptions behind the analysis held and avoided drawing strong conclusions when they did not. 

That is exactly what we wanted from this work. Research should not exist simply to confirm what we already believe. It should help us understand where there are strong signals of impact, where the evidence is less certain, and what we need to learn next.

The clearest signal was access

Mathematica found that partnering with 91传媒 increased AP enrollment by 3.7 percentage points overall and 4.3 percentage points for students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. At the average 91传媒 partner school in the analysis, that translated to approximately 52 additional students enrolling in AP courses, including 34 additional students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups.

I think the story becomes even more compelling when we put the two studies together. The first found that when schools look beyond traditional measures of academic performance, they identify substantially more students who may be ready for an opportunity. The second found that when schools partner with 91传媒 to act on that information, more students actually enroll.

Mathematica did not isolate which individual component of 91传媒 produced that result, so we should not claim that student surveys, educator recommendations, or any single part of the model caused the increase. But taken together, the studies provide encouraging evidence for a broader idea that has increasingly shaped our work. Combining traditional data, student insight, and the knowledge and actions of adults can help schools make different decisions about students.

That matters because data by itself does not change a student’s trajectory. Someone has to act on it. An adult has to recognize the student, understand what matters to them, have the right conversation, and help connect them to an opportunity.

Making better use of what schools already have

This may be the part of the research that I find most compelling. We are not talking about redesigning schools from the ground up. AP courses already exist. Dual enrollment programs already exist. Career pathways already exist. Tutoring, mentoring, extracurricular activities, and many other opportunities already exist. Schools and districts have already made enormous investments in creating these programs. They have also made an even larger investment in people. Teachers, counselors, school leaders, coaches, advisors, and other staff members represent the infrastructure of public education.

The opportunity may be to help schools use those investments more effectively. Imagine a counselor knowing not only that a student has the academic preparation for dual enrollment, but that the student has expressed an interest in health care and is worried about the cost of college. Imagine knowing that a student beginning to disengage from school has identified a particular teacher or coach as someone they trust. Then imagine giving that adult useful information and thoughtful guidance about how to engage the student.

That is a different vision of educational data. The goal is not another dashboard that asks educators to spend more time analyzing information. The goal is to help an adult understand what the information means, why it matters for this particular student, and what they might do next. It is not about replacing educator judgment. It is about making that judgment better informed.

Access is only the beginning

The Mathematica findings also make clear that connecting students to an opportunity is not the end of the work. Across all schools, Mathematica did not find a significant increase in AP exam participation. But a different pattern emerged in schools serving larger concentrations of the students 91传媒 has historically focused on. In schools where a majority of students were from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, AP exam participation increased by 2.6 percentage points overall, 3.2 points for students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, and 4.1 points for students from low income backgrounds. Similar patterns appeared in schools serving primarily low income students. 

We do not yet know why the model appears to operate differently in these environments. Mathematica points to several possibilities, including stronger implementation, greater educator buy-in, and differences in the environments students experience once they enter rigorous coursework. That uncertainty is useful because it tells us where to look next.

The performance findings were similarly instructive. Bringing more students into AP courses did not significantly change average AP exam scores overall or for students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. There was an important exception. Average AP exam scores for students from low-income backgrounds declined by about one tenth of a point on the five point AP scale. The study could examine average scores, but not whether the overall number or share of students passing AP exams changed. 

We should not explain that finding away. Instead, it points directly toward another important question. Once we help a student reach an opportunity, what information, support, and guidance do they need to succeed? The study also did not find evidence that 91传媒 increased postsecondary enrollment. The primary analysis for that outcome did not meet an important statistical assumption, and Mathematica’s subsequent sensitivity analysis also found no statistically significant effect. Those findings help us understand both the promise and the limits of our historical model. 

Where the research takes us next

We began this research journey by asking whether schools were overlooking students for advanced coursework. Increasingly, we are asking a broader question. How can we equip adults with the right information and guidance to strategically engage students and connect them to the opportunities and supports that matter most?

That opportunity could be AP courses. It could be dual enrollment or a career pathway. It could be tutoring. It could be reconnecting a student who is becoming chronically absent. The application changes, but the underlying challenge is remarkably similar. We need to see the student more fully. We need to understand what our traditional data tells us and what students are telling us about themselves. We need to understand the relationships around that student. Then we need to put useful information and guidance in the hands of an adult who can act on it.

This is particularly important because schools already devote such a large share of their resources to people. If educators are one of the biggest investments we make in public education, there is enormous potential in helping them make more informed and strategic decisions with the students they already serve. That does not require rebuilding the entire education system. It asks a different question about how we make better use of what is already there.

The Mathematica studies do not give us every answer. They were not designed to. What they give us are strong signals that schools can connect more students to opportunity when they broaden how they understand potential. They show us that access does not automatically translate into success for every student. And they give us much better questions about how information, relationships, and guidance can help educators determine what to do next.

Perhaps most importantly, this research suggests that improving outcomes for students does not always require inventing something entirely new. Sometimes the opportunity is to get much better at using the people, programs, information, and opportunities we have already invested in.

Here is the full research summary from Mathematica:

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Schools invest enormously in people. Teachers, counselors, coaches, school leaders, advisors, and other staff members spend every day building relationships with students. But how often do we actually know which relationships matter most to a particular student?

Several years ago, 91传媒 began asking students a simple question: Which adults in your school do you trust to give you good advice about important decisions or classes? We originally collected this information for a practical reason. If a student was ready for an advanced course but hesitant to enroll, we wanted to know who might be best positioned to talk with them. Over time, we accumulated something much larger. Across our work with schools, students had identified trusted adults again and again. That created an unusual opportunity to learn more about how trust actually operates inside schools.

In 2022, 91传媒 partnered with the to explore that question more deeply. The resulting research helped us see both the extraordinary potential of relationships and something else that is equally important 鈥� an understanding that a relationship is an asset, but schools still have to know how to activate it.听

Looking at trust at an unusual scale

The Center for Trust and Transformation analyzed 91传媒 data from 2016 through 2020, encompassing more than 1.8 million student records, 77,000 staff records, 1,404 schools, and 450 districts. The analysis included student and staff survey information, administrative data, advanced course enrollment, GPA, educator recommendations, and student-identified trusted adult relationships. This was an exploratory analysis rather than a causal study. The goal was to look for patterns, test hypotheses, and identify questions worthy of deeper research.听

Some of the first findings were reassuring. Across the years studied, an average of 77 percent of surveyed students reported having a trusted adult in at least one year. Teachers were the most commonly named trusted adults, but students also named counselors, coaches, school leaders, office staff, custodians, and many other adults throughout the building. That breadth matters because it suggests that the network of adults who can influence a student is much larger than the group we typically consider when schools make academic decisions. 

But the data also showed that access to those trusted relationships was not evenly distributed. Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students consistently reported having a trusted adult at lower rates than White and Asian students. The study also found that students were more likely to identify a trusted adult who shared their racial or ethnic background. The analysis cannot tell us exactly why those patterns exist. Trust is complicated. It develops through individual interactions, school culture, shared experiences, expectations, identity, and many other factors. But the disparities are difficult to ignore. They suggest that when we talk about whether every student has an adult who knows them, believes in them, and can help them navigate school, we should not assume that experience is equally available to everyone. 

Having a trusted adult is not enough

One of the most interesting findings came from asking whether trusted relationships actually translated into opportunity. Were the adults students trusted also the adults recommending them for advanced courses? If trusted adults are an important source of influence, we might expect those relationships to play a meaningful role in helping students access advanced coursework. But in most cases, they did not.

That gap is incredibly important because it points to an opportunity hiding in plain sight. Schools may already have many of the relationships they need. What they may not have is a system for connecting those relationships to the decisions and opportunities that matter.

A student might trust the soccer coach more than anyone else in the building. That coach may know the student’s aspirations, family circumstances, confidence, and worries, but may not know that the student is academically prepared for an advanced course. A counselor may know that a student qualifies for dual enrollment, but not that another adult has a relationship strong enough to help the student overcome their hesitation.

The information exists. The relationship exists. The opportunity exists. They are just not consistently connected.

What the findings suggest about opportunity

The analysis found that students who identified a trusted adult were 10 to 20 percent more likely to be enrolled in advanced courses. They also had GPAs approximately 0.2 points higher on average, with a larger difference among Latino students. Those are meaningful associations, but they are not proof that having a trusted adult caused those outcomes. Students who are already doing well academically may find it easier to form relationships with educators. Strong relationships may also contribute to academic confidence and success. Both may be true at the same time.听

That distinction is important. What this study gives us is not a simple causal story about trust. It gives us a richer picture of relationships that make up the ecosystem around student opportunity. It also surfaced another challenge. Even when students of color had trusted adults, those relationships did not consistently translate into recommendations for advanced coursework. 

That suggests that relationship building alone is insufficient. Adults need information. They need context. And sometimes they need guidance about what to do next.

The next frontier

This is where the research feels especially relevant to where 91传媒 is going today. For years we have talked about the importance of identifying a student’s trusted adult, but we also need to ask what happens next. 

What information should that adult have? How do we help them understand what a student wants, what barriers may be standing in the way, and what opportunities may fit? How do we give them useful guidance for a conversation that actually moves a student toward action?

The goal is not to script educators or replace their judgment. It is to help them use their relationships more strategically. That could mean helping a teacher connect a student to AP coursework. It could mean helping a counselor introduce a student to dual enrollment opportunities. It could mean equipping a coach to reengage a student whose attendance is slipping. The use case changes, but the underlying idea remains the same. Schools already have programs. They already have data. Most importantly, they already have adults building relationships with students every day. The opportunity is to connect those assets.

The Center for Trust and Transformation study helped us see just how powerful those relationships may be, how unevenly they are distributed, and how often they remain disconnected from the decisions schools are trying to influence. Sometimes the next innovation in education is not creating something new. It is helping the people already closest to students know more, understand more, and act at the moment when their relationship can matter most.

Below is the full research summary by the Center for Trust & Transformation

The post The Adults Students Already Trust: Research with the Center for Trust & Transformation appeared first on .

Learn more about each of our new board members below.

Dr. Mary Alice Heuschel

Dr. Heuschel is the principal owner of A+ Empowerment, MAH Consults, which was established in January 2023 to provide executive coaching and strategy implementation support to empower superintendents, their school听boards, and district leadership teams in improving effective school district systems that impact student success.

Previous experience includes 8 years as Deputy Director at the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, Superintendent of the Renton School District, WA Deputy State Superintendent at OSPI, and years of service across the country and internationally with DoDDs as a classroom and special education teacher, principal, and school-improvement specialist.

Dr. Heuschel serves on the Board of Directors’ Audit & Finance Committee.

Tremayne J. Bess

Bess currently functions as Global Head of Human Resources at Eventbrite and has over 25 years of HR experience with companies like Wal-Mart, LinkedIn, The Gap, Inc. Kaiser Permanente, and Splunk Inc.

He serves on the Board of Directors’ Technology Governance Committee.

Patrick Wells-O鈥橞rien

Patrick Wells-O鈥橞rien serves as VP, Communications and External Relations for Gift of Life Michigan, the federally designated agency that makes organ and tissue donation possible in Michigan. Wells-O鈥橞rien is responsible for communications, marketing, community relations, public education, donor family support, fundraising and governmental affairs.

Prior to Gift of Life, Wells-O鈥橞rien was CEO of FAITH Catholic, America鈥檚 largest publisher of Catholic magazines.

He sits on the Board of Directors’ Personnel & Compensation Committee.

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Throughout the school year, these leaders drive 91传媒’ work by breaking down barriers to advanced courses for underrepresented students, expanding both access and total enrollment.

As Opportunity Champions, they’re going a step further, offering their unique expertise to help 91传媒 refine our support to school districts 鈥� and sharing strategies with other educators through conference panels, webinars and other platforms.

Meet our new cohort below, and look for articles featuring their work, strategies and ideas each month!

The post Meet 91传媒’ 2025-26 Opportunity Champions appeared first on .

Too often, the push for higher college enrollment gets framed as a numbers game based on how many students fill out applications, sit for entrance exams, or declare a campus their next stop.

But the heart of the work isn’t just about headcounts; it’s about building a culture where every student, regardless of their background or circumstance, is empowered to see college as part of their story.听听

True college-going cultures do more than open doors; they make sure no one is left standing on the threshold, unsure or uninvited.

During , I want to shine a spotlight not just on increasing access, but on making college readiness and success an expectation, an opportunity, and a reality for every young person.听听

After 31 years in Michigan public education 鈥� including my final six as Executive Director of Ann Arbor Public Schools 鈥� I know firsthand what it takes to truly open doors for students. Our focus at Ann Arbor was very clear: get more students into advanced courses like AP, IB, CTE, and Dual Credit, and ensure those opportunities were equally accessible to historically underrepresented learners.听听听

This fall, Ann Arbor Public Schools hit a huge milestone: 83% of 11th and 12th graders are enrolled in at least one advanced course. This is up from 64% in 2016, when we launched our partnership with 91传媒 to boost enrollment and equity in advanced courses.听

This month, Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) has brought together over 285 schools for , which aims to help every young person prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education.听听

How did Ann Arbor achieve this success?

Our strategy focused on centering student voices, uncovering barriers, and building the conditions every learner needs to thrive.听

• 91传媒鈥� Student Insight Card gave us the individualized, holistic data we needed to help see and understand each of our students, including their aspirations and post-secondary plans.听

• We used our improved understanding of students and how they experience their learning environments to uncover the systemic conditions that created barriers to access.听听

• We addressed students鈥� perceived barriers to success 鈥� adult encouragement is always the main one cited 鈥� connecting each student to the trusted adults they named in their survey, and training educators to be beacons of support听

• We turned our attention to fostering cues and conditions of belonging that resulted in environments where all students could thrive.听

We also homed in on absenteeism and student (dis)engagement, critical barriers to student success:听听

• Regular attendance is essential to student learning, yet chronic absenteeism was affecting 鈥� and continues to affect 鈥� many of the students schools are working hardest to support.听听

• Addressing this challenge requires looking beyond attendance numbers to gain a fuller understanding of each student 鈥� including their aspirations, interests, strengths, and the obstacles they face.

• By focusing on the cues and conditions that foster belonging, schools create 听
  environments where students want to show up, thrive, and build a vision for their future beyond graduation.听

As MCAN鈥檚 executive director Ryan Fewins-Bliss recently said: 鈥淲hen we remove barriers and expand access to degrees and certificates, we change individual futures and strengthen Michigan鈥檚 economy.” I have witnessed that truth in every classroom, counselor鈥檚 office, and school hallway I鈥檝e walked down.听

For me, the work is about changing narratives and opening doors for every young Michigander to see themselves as college-bound, career-ready, and capable of succeeding. That鈥檚 what building a college-going culture looks like.听

The progress we鈥檝e made 鈥� exemplified by MCAN鈥檚 broad-reaching initiatives and Ann Arbor鈥檚 laser focus on advanced course access 鈥� is cause for celebration. Yet it鈥檚 also a call to keep pushing, especially in communities where students face the toughest odds.听

How 91传媒 helps Michigan schools build college-going cultures

Michigan is moving toward the ambitious 鈥楽ixty by 30鈥� goal, and the collective work of staff 鈥� teachers, counselors, administrators 鈥� and partners like 91传媒 is essential. 91传媒’ Opportunity Gap Analysis and the new 91传媒 Needs Assessment (both free) offer powerful tools for district leaders to help uncover equity gaps and create targeted plans to close them. I believe deeply that these data-driven approaches can dismantle barriers and lift up every student. Reach out to me to get a free assessment today.

Finally, my personal PSA: FAFSA makes its long-awaited return to an October launch date this year, with an increasing FAFSA completion rate that is up 5%. FAFSA completion is a crucial step for students, especially those from low-income families or first-generation backgrounds, to claim the financial aid necessary to make college not just a dream, but a reality.听

The post Going Beyond Numbers: How to Build College-Going Cultures in Michigan Schools听 appeared first on .

At 91传媒, were student survey to reach 鈥� and understand 鈥� every student in our partner schools.

But we identified a challenge: Students with learning and thinking differences shared that aspects of the survey, like layout and question framing, made it difficult to complete. This meant they were less likely to be truly seen by educators and connected to academic opportunities.

We recruited the help of Understood.org to gather student feedback and to maximize accessibility 鈥� enabling us to reach more students than ever.

Our adjustments to the survey included:

• Using simpler language
• Redesigning the layout
• Reducing the mental effort it takes to complete

The results? Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) found the survey easier to understand and complete. This means 91传媒 can now help schools identify and engage more college-ready talent 鈥� and provide more accurate data on each student.

Read more about this project and its crucial impact on 91传媒’ work in .

Special thanks to for making this project possible.

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The key to driving success for all students is creating a belonging-rich environment. Our research proves it, and the lived experience of many students and teachers backs it up.  

Just ask Kim Douglas, partnership director at 91传媒, who saw the power of belonging first-hand over 15 years as an educator, counselor and equity team leader.

During this time, he developed seven strategies to foster belonging from day one through the final bell. With the school year getting underway, Kim is sharing them to help educators build environments where all students can thrive.

Strategy 1: Start with student voice, not rules  

鈥淚n order for students to really feel a sense of belonging, you have to give them a voice,鈥� he says. This starts with classroom rules, which teachers usually create themselves. 

Instead, these rules 鈥� or agreements, as he prefers to frame them 鈥� should be developed in collaboration with students. This gives students agency in this important process, helps them understand expectations, and builds shared responsibility.

鈥淚nstead of beginning with 鈥榟ere鈥檚 what I expect,鈥� we can ask them  鈥榳hat makes you feel safe and respected in this particular environment,鈥欌�� Kim says. 鈥淣ow, we’re building the culture and the environment together.鈥� 

When agreements are broken, the teacher can remind students what they agreed on, together 鈥� and not to punish them, but to “redirect” them, he adds.

Strategy 2: Set the tone with your language 

鈥淪ometimes teachers have a tendency to be very intimidating to a lot of students, based on how we carry ourselves,鈥� Kim says.

Intimidation closes students off, while supportive language opens them up. Choosing warm, encouraging and respectful language 鈥� even while pushing students as learners 鈥� signals that the class is a safe space to be themselves.

“You can violate an agreement and I can bring it to your attention, but the tone I use will determine whether or not you see it as me penalizing you or trying to redirect you,” he says. 

Strategy 3: Learn not only names, but stories too 

鈥淭eachers feel like they got to start teaching on day one,鈥� Kim says 鈥� something he attributes to expectations set by school and district leadership. 鈥淎nd that really defeats the purpose of building community, and an environment that is going to be productive for not only teachers but students too.鈥� 

Learning each student鈥檚 name is the priority on day one, but teachers should go further by committing to learn as much as they can about each student 鈥� and providing space for them to learn about each other.  

Strategy 4: Foster a culture of inclusion early 

鈥淎 lot of times teachers see the classroom as their domain, and that’s the wrong perspective to have, because the classroom belongs to every individual 鈥� this is our community.鈥� Kim says.

Opening up dialogue with students and promoting communal storytelling helps build that community. Another tactic Kim and his fellow teachers employed was greeting each student at the door of the classroom, to connect individually and spot signs of distress before class started. This tactic, mandated in the first week of school, became a habit many teachers continued all year.

Strategy 5: Build a belonging map  

An effective way to get students to tell their stories is through activities that highlight their hobbies and interests. In Kim’s class, students placed pins on posters denoting things they enjoyed, which revealed unique aspects of each student as well as common ground. Meanwhile, Kim took notes in preparation for strategy six.

Strategy 6: Shape Content Using Student Interest

After gathering insights on your students’ interests, from sports and movies to their favorite influencers, find ways to work them into your lesson plans. You have the full year to learn new fun facts, and the more you learn about your students, the more ways you can bring their world into the classroom.

This strategy is a simple way to promote culturally-relevant teaching and representation into your classroom while boosting engagement, he says.

Strategy 7: Normalize asking for help

In order to feel safe and welcome in the classroom 鈥� and to thrive academically 鈥� students must feel empowered to ask for help.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a necessity for the growth of that student as well as for the success of the class,鈥� he says. 

Start by making it clear that 鈥渢here are no dumb questions鈥� and 鈥渁sking for help is smart.” Then, show that you mean it by sincerely engaging with their questions 鈥� and asking them questions back.

鈥淲hen I’m asking them questions, I’m showing them that they are a needed participant in everything that’s going on, because we’re building classroom culture and community,” he says.

Takeaway: 

These seven strategies can be implemented from day one of class, but they should inform your teaching all year long, Kim says. After all, there are always new things to learn about your students and new ways to engage and empower them as learners. 

鈥淓verything we do should lead back to giving students agency, and showing them their importance in the class,鈥� he says.  

Brennan LaBrie helps amplify the work, mission, and impact of the 91传媒 team and our partners across the education landscape. With a background in local journalism, he seeks to share the stories of individuals and organizations driving impact in their community and beyond. 

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There鈥檚 a troubling and persistent gap in high schools nationwide 鈥� between student ambition and access to academic opportunities. 听

Many students aspire to earn a college degree, yet aren鈥檛 in the classes that put them on track to college success.  

Three stats highlighting the ambition-access gap: 

In our 2024/25 surveys of 270,000 students nationwide, we identified three data points that illuminate this ambition-access gap:

• 89%: The percentage of students surveyed who want to attend college.

• 38%: The percentage of these students who are enrolled in advanced courses.

• 16%: The percentage point gap between educators estimation of how many students want to go to college (73%) and the 89% that actually do.   

Digging into the ambition-access gap:  

Advanced courses like Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual enrollment and the Cambridge AICE certificate, are fundamental pathways to college success for many reasons. 

Here are just a few of their benefits: 

• They introduce students to the rigor and expectations of college classes 

• They instill confidence in students that they can handle college-level curriculum.

• The chance to knock out college credits 鈥� saving students and their families thousands of dollars

• They allow students to explore potential majors and careers, saving them time and money in college. 

In every school in the U.S., there are students with high potential and aspirations who are overlooked for these opportunities.  

But why? 

Ambition isn’t the problem. Access is.

Ambition isn鈥檛 the problem. After all, 89% of students say they want to attend college. However, they might not realize the role that advanced courses play in helping them reach that goal 鈥� or they鈥檙e intimidated by the challenge of rigorous curriculum. 

This is where educators come in 鈥� to point students towards academic opportunities and offer them encouragement and support to take on the challenge.  

The perception gap fuels the access gap 鈥� and creates gatekeeping

Stat 3: 16%

The 16,500 teachers and counselors we surveyed in 2024/25 estimated that 73% of their high school students aspire to earn a college degree. The problem? 89% of students reported college aspirations. This means there is a gap of 16 percentage points between students and teacher perception of college aspirations.

This perception gap has major implications for advanced course enrollment.  

• Fewer students recommended: Many schools have recommendation-based systems for enrollment, and both teachers and counselors are less likely to suggest students for college-prep courses who they don鈥檛 believe have postsecondary ambitions. 

• Over-reliance on specific metrics: Teacher perceptions often stem from academic performance. While these metrics matter, they are insufficient in telling a student鈥檚 full story.  Educators may write off a student who is struggling or not applying themselves in class as not 鈥渞eady鈥� for the rigor of advanced coursework 鈥� creating a barrier to the rigor that actually helps to boost readiness.  

Closing the Gap

Adult encouragement is the biggest barrier to advanced course enrollment reported by students we survey. This is a powerful insight, because it tells us how the ambition-access gap can be closed.  

An adult identifying a student with college aspirations and encouraging them to enroll in advanced courses 鈥� regardless of academic performance 鈥� can provide the boost of confidence a student needs to reach their full potential.  

Learn more about the ambition-access gap, and how educators can close it, in our new report.

Brennan LaBrie helps amplify the work, mission, and impact of the 91传媒 team and our partners across the education landscape. With a background in local journalism, he seeks to share the stories of individuals and organizations driving impact in their community and beyond. 

The post Three Stats Highlight the Ambition-Access Gap in U.S. High Schools听 appeared first on .

This is a big problem. After all, these courses provide the rigor, study skills, and confidence that set students up for success at the next level. They also allow students to knock out college credits, save money on college fees, and increase their chances of admission to their dream schools.

So what drives this gap? It’s not student ambition 鈥� as evidenced by 89% of students in our surveys saying they aspire to attend college 鈥� and it’s also not their potential or capabilities.

We have pinpointed three key barriers to access over 2 million student surveys:

1. Adult encouragement
2. Lack of information
3. Lack of belonging

These factors affect students across all demographics, but especially those from historically-underrepresented and low-income backgrounds.

The key to breaking down barriers: Trusted Adults

Luckily, all three barriers can be broken down by educators, who have the power to encourage students to pursue advanced academic pathways and support them as they take on the challenge.

Many students might not know the options available to them, or may feel hesitant about their ability to take on rigorous curriculum.

Robert Gates was one of those students. But luckily, an adult in his building spotted his potential 鈥� and pushed him to reach it. Read his story below.

How a Trusted Adult unlocked Robert’s potential

In September, Robert will step foot onto Millikin University鈥檚 campus in Illinois 鈥� confident, prepared and focused on earning a degree in athletic training. But the student his professors and peers will meet is a world apart from one that entered Glenbard South High School four years ago. 

Before transferring from Chicago Public Schools, Robert struggled academically. Frequent moves made it hard to stay grounded.  

鈥淚n middle school, I was always the new kid,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淎nd my mom and dad worked all the time, so I was very independent in that way.鈥� 

However, Assistant Principal Sean Byrne recognized Robert鈥檚 potential, and encouraged him to take an AP English class.  

鈥淚 had several meetings with him where I had to explain to him why taking AP English was going to be a really valuable part of his trajectory as a student 鈥� to help him be a better writer, be a better speaker, and be a better thinker in whatever career field he wanted to go into,鈥� said Byrne, now principal of Glenbard South.

Robert was hesitant. 鈥淚 was scared,鈥� he said.  鈥淚 thought it was going to be, like, the hardest thing I鈥檝e ever done in my life.”

And it was hard 鈥� at first. But when final exam results came back, Robert had passed with a four out of five. His confidence at an all-time high, he enrolled in another AP course, and then another, and even signed up for dual credit courses through the local college.  

His favorite advanced course? Dual credit speech, which helped him conquer his stage fright and develop his speaking skills 鈥� while earning college credit.  

鈥淏eing able to get that college experience before actually stepping on a college campus is an amazing way to not only build my overall skill, but also prepare me for college and knock a few classes out along the way,鈥� he said. 

Robert鈥檚 journey from struggling student to college-bound scholar started with someone seeing his potential 鈥� and pushing him to see it too. 

鈥淚 needed to use some of my political capital a little bit to say, 鈥榟ey, I believe in you,鈥� and he needed to trust that I really was going to be there to support him even when things got tough,鈥� Byrne said. 

Every high school has many students like Robert, who have what it takes to not only take advanced courses, but excel in them 鈥� if only given the opportunity.  

 鈥淚 think Robert has more confidence in himself that he didn’t realize was inside of him 鈥� and I can’t wait to see how he takes that into university,鈥� Byrne said. 

鈥淗e’s an amazing success story 鈥� all because he took that class.鈥� 

Read more strategies for educators to bridge the gap between ambition and access for students like Robert in our new eBook.

Brennan LaBrie helps amplify the work, mission, and impact of the 91传媒 team and our partners across the education landscape. With a background in local journalism, he seeks to share the stories of individuals and organizations driving impact in their community and beyond.听

The post The Key to Bridging the Ambition-Access Gap: Trusted Adults appeared first on .