To the Editor:
We were so pleased to see the article “Elementary Students Encouraged to Raise College Expectations” (Education Week, Dec. 8, 2010). College preparation is most often focused solely on students, while we know that students turn to parents and families more often than counselors or teachers for advice and information. That these schools integrate parents into the initiative and build their college knowledge is highly commendable.
Families and students are on this journey together, and immigrant communities and families who did not go to college need to learn what it takes to succeed and how to finance their children’s education. The message about building a future and being prepared for college and career needs to be part of students’ lives in school, at home, and in their community.
The University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Educational Partnerships website, http://collegetools.berkeley.edu and curriculum, Believing the College Dream and Realizing the College Dream, sponsored by the ECMC Foundation, provides educators, parents, and community leaders with resources and activities for students and families to build that culture of high expectations and increase access to and success in postsecondary education.
Gail Kaufman
Deputy Director
Center for Educational Partnerships
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, Calif.
