Gateway to College: Lessons from Implementing a Rigorous Academic Program for At-risk Young People

This study reports on the implementation of Gateway to College, a program whose mission it is to serve students who have dropped out or who are at risk of dropping out of high school by allowing them to earn a high school diploma and credits toward a postsecondary degree. The report’s first goal is to provide an in-depth description of the Gateway to College model and to more precisely define the youth population served by the program. The second goal is to describe the implementation of the Gateway to College model at three program sites, assess the extent to which the program was being implemented as designed at those three sites, and draw lessons for other Gateway to College programs.