Welcome to College Summit

For School Districts

"We've partnered with College Summit because this national nonprofit has made its mission that 'college is certain for our youth. College Summit believes that access to higher education should not be an accident of geography or socio-economic conditions."
-Dr. John Deasy, Superintendent, Prince George's County Public Schools (MD)

"It's very rare that such a short time [at the workshop] can create such a huge transformation.  But College Summit is unique in that it has maintained the character of its signature event [the summer workshop], and is now an entrepreneurial social change effort.  You need a structure, ongoing instruction, and curriculum to really get these types of kids to college.  The program is both inspirational and practical."
-Gene Pinkard, Principal, Maya Angelou Public Charter School 

"Having worked for over thirty years as an educator and college counselor, I have seen few programs as powerful and successful as College Summit in fulfilling the mission of placing first-generation, underrepresented students in college.  This program has my highest endorsement!"
-Georgia Arrington Booker, Ed. D., Director of Counseling Services, District of Columbia Public Schools

2007-08 School and District Partners

DC Public & Public Charter Schools:

• Booker T. Washington High School
• High Road Academy
• Maya Angelou High School - Evans Campus
• Maya Angelou High School - Shaw Campus
• SEED Public Charter School 
• Thurgood Marshall High School

Prince George’s County Public Schools (MD):

• C. H. Flowers High School
• Crossland High School
• Duval High School
• Laurel High School
• Oxon High School
• Suitland High School

Alexandria Public Schools (VA):

• T.C. Williams High School

Arlington Public Schools (VA):

• Wakefield High School
• Washington and Lee High School

Agency Partners:

• Capital Partners for Education (CPFE)
• Environmentors
• For the Love of Children (FLOC)
• I Have a Dream Foundation
• Mentors, Inc.
• Good Samaritan Foundation
• Good Shepard Foundation

School Spotlight

Ms. Sandra Craft, Career Counselor at Crossland High School

"I have been doing this for a while,” Sandra Craft says modestly, belying a 50+ year career in education.

As head of the College & Career center at Prince George’s County’s Crossland High School since 1992, Craft has worked with innumerable students and college access programs and says “College Summit is the 21st century way of doing what I have been doing my whole career. The students come from the workshop excited about the school year - they are hyped about College Summit.”

Craft relied on her experience and instincts when, on the last day of the 2004-05 school year, College Summit’s High School Coordinator for the National Capital Region, Heather Sheridan, called to invite up to four Crossland students to the Goucher College workshop planned for that summer. The prospect of a limited pilot program at Crossland was a last-minute decision by the former superintendent of Prince George’s County Public Schools, leaving College Summit and Craft with little time to act. But Craft was up to the challenge. She managed to round up four students, going so far as to show up at their homes, sit down with their parents, and explain the importance of the opportunity.

Though she works directly with students, Craft is particularly sensitive to how the college application process affects parents as well. "I call this the crying room," says Craft of the College & Career center. "Parents come in here crying for me to help get their kids to college and they pour out their stories. I promise I will get their children to college or some type of training, some type of training for everyone."

But the handholding doesn’t stop when students enroll in college, Craft says. "Parents call me and tell me how unhappy [their child] is but I tell them that's how it is at first."

She stresses to parents that toughing out those initial, painful weeks are worth it, reminding them that the benefits of a college education pay off for a lifetime. And when practical reasoning doesn’t work, Craft recalls for parents her own second-generation college experience, “After the first few weeks at school I had a hatred for my parents.  ‘How could you leave me here?’ I cried. But I got used to it.  And I loved it." This story usually does the trick in convincing other parents to stay the course.

Even with College Summit in place, managing students’ college transition is a big job and Craft leans on her staff to help. “I am very lucky to have three talented English teachers to run the College Summit classes,” says Craft. “Teacher selection is critical. The dynamic of the students and teachers is critical.” 

This past summer, the Crossland teachers were trained at College Summit’s new Educator Institute and have returned to school enthused about the program.  “I went to every class I could at the EI,” says Edward Whitfield.  “I looked at the schedule and said they don’t have me scheduled for that session but I’m going anyway!”

Back at Crossland, “It’s the class I look forward to most each day,” says Michael Richardson, one of the College Summit-trained teachers.  “Teachers share resources, collaborate. We go back and forth, share PowerPoints, etc.”

A college-going culture has begun to resonate throughout Crossland’s halls.  "Students see their friends and say, if he can go to that school then I can too," says Whitfield.  "The Peer Leaders [summer workshop students] step-up in the classroom.  Being a Peer Leader is an honor, and other students want to be a part of it."

One student, desperate to get into the College Summit class, has volunteered to become Craft’s aide.  He helps her after hours with administrative tasks and in return she helps him with his applications and essays.  "I have been doing after-school [college planning] workshops for years," she said, "but this is a big job and having the Peer Leaders around helps a lot."

Teachers agree.  Mr. Whitfield says, "Once they [Peer Leaders] went through the writing training at the workshop, they thought they were the best writers in the world, they were offering to help other students with their essays." 

As for College Summit, Craft’s impulse and hard work in 2005 have paid off:  each of the four students who attended that initial Goucher College workshop are now enrolled in college.

Maurice Penn attends Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, having received over $90,000 in scholarship money.  "Maurice was a smart kid but he had no idea about college,” says Craft.  After the workshop Maurice took on a leadership role in the classroom, helping his classmates with their essays and encouraging them to go to college. 

Of the other three students, Stanisha Winborne is enrolled at Trinity University on a full academic scholarship, Ryland Robertson received a full-tuition scholarship at South Carolina State University, and Earl Jackson was offered a significant scholarship from Johnson C. Smith University.

Fifty-one percent of the 2006 Crossland High School graduating class enrolled in a postsecondary education program.  These students received over 3.8 million dollars in scholarships. 

College Summit currently provides services for 120 students at Crossland, and for those who are not in a College Summit class, Craft provides them support during their free periods or after hours.  But Craft says that is not enough. 

“I want all my seniors to have College Summit,” she says with the force of those 50+ years resonating in her voice.