Coaching for College

Our mission is to help our students strengthen academic skills, explore exciting career options and view education as a pathway to success in life.

Since its founding, Coaching for College has remained committed to making a difference in the lives of promising young people in need of academic assistance and positive mentoring relationships.

Coaching for College began in 1999 and for the past 10 years, Coaching for College has worked productively with Ward 2 students while expanding its offerings, serving an increasing number of students and planning future growth and program enhancements.

Coaching for College seeks to address two major problems within the Shaw community; poor academic achievement and scarcity of positive role models. Coaching for College seeks to improve the academic performance of youth participating through weekly individualized academic tutoring sessions customized to each student’s individual needs.

The weekly academic tutoring equips students with tools needed to succeed in school now and in the future. Two coaches are assigned to each student to ensure consistency and stability for students. Special workshops are held to enhance skills in studying, organization, writing and critical thinking, such as “school supply rallies” to provide students with planners, notebooks and hands-on instruction on how to organize their approach to schoolwork.

Coaching for College also develops and builds strong interpersonal relationships between mentors and youth participants by planning and implementing fun enrichment activities for students and their coaches outside of the classroom such as ice skating at the National Sculpture Garden, career fairs at local universities, trips to the circus, confidence-building exercises at a 4-H Club in Virginia and other activities to which our students likely would not otherwise have access. In many cases, coaches have continued to mentor the same student well beyond the one year minimum requirement, and students have remained in the program for multiple years. In fact, over 60% of coaches continue to mentor a student they started working with in the 2005 and 2006 school years.

During the Summer Opportunities Initiative, Coaching for College identifies, coordinates, and funds paid internships and other summer enrichment activities such as camps and classes for participants to further their academic and career interests.

Ultimately, Coaching for College strives to increase the number of inner city public school students attending college. In May 2006, a student who entered Coaching for College in 1999 with the first group of program participants graduated from college (Maryland Institute College of Art) and other students have attended schools such as North Carolina A&T.