Edwards Campus program provides pathway to success

Partnership between KU, Kansas City schools promotes higher education

KU’s Edwards Campus this summer teamed with Kansas City, Kan., public schools and Kansas City Kansas Community College to encourage area middle-school students to consider higher education.

In June, Coronado Middle School students attended the Leadership Academy, which included activities on team building, group reflection, career planning, college preparation and creativity workshops geared toward journalism, graphic art, science and dance.

Eighth grader Jyndia Elder used the information she received to bolster her future plans.

“In my free time, I like to write,” she said. “So I want to major in journalism when I go to college.”

That enthusiasm for higher education is the goal of the Leadership Academy and its parent program, the Pathways Project.

The Pathways Project is a joint effort by the KU Edwards Campus, KCK public schools, and KCKCC to create a sense of possibility in the minds of students that college is an affordable and accessible option. The program also promotes, coordinates and integrates with the Family Advocate System, an education tool already implemented in KCK schools.

“We’re all learning from each other,” said Mary Ryan, associate dean of academic affairs at the Edwards Campus. “We’re learning that, with an integrated approach like these three institutions are using, we can better understand each other, providing the best possible support for these students as they continue on in higher education, whether it’s at KU, KCKCC or Harvard.”

The goal of Pathways is to increase the percentage of KCK school district graduates who attend college. Through outreach and support, students will be encouraged to attend KCKCC and then continue in a degree completion program at the Edwards Campus. Graduate school opportunities also will be stressed.

To accomplish this goal, Pathways seeks to support teachers with parent and student engagement strategies leading students to high school graduation and college.

This summer’s Leadership Academy was the most recent event coordinated through the Pathways Project, but organizers plan to continue the work through the FAS program.

For more information contact Mary Ryan at (913) 897-8409 or mryan@ku.edu.