CollegeSpring

Check out CEO Yoon S. Choi, Ph.D.'s first Q&A of her new series, "Five Questions with Innovative Leaders." With this launch, you'll learn more about Shareefah Nadir-Mason, who currently serves as Director of Teacher Experience at City Teaching Alliance- DFW, and her perspective, insight, and learnings in the field of education. We appreciate your thought leadership, Shareefah!

CollegeSpring's work would not be possible without our dedicated district and school partners. Together, we’re empowering students to pursue a greater range of college and career options available with improved scores. Shout-out to the partners below who have already hit the ground running with our program, and stay tuned for exciting announcements for new partners coming soon! #relationshipsfuelimpact

Welcome back to our district and school partners, teachers, and students! This time of year sparks energy that only the back-to-school season can create, and we support our teachers and students to set goals that help them discover their full potential and unlock possibilities, greater choices, and life-changing opportunities. As CollegeSpring President Dr. Paula Gama Garcia shares in her new blog post, "Back-to-school season continues to ring true for me as the launch of something new, something potentially great; it’s an innate feeling that possibility lies ahead. It is our job at CollegeSpring to capitalize on this feeling of possibility and instill in our students the year-long motivation and confidence they need for success." Read more about the importance of this time of year to Paula here! https://lnkd.in/gsRYFWmn We're ready to celebrate our student successes that lie ahead this year- let's do this! #backtoschool

CEO Yoon S. Choi, Ph.D. argues in her new op-ed for EdSource that transparency is critical to an equitable admissions landscape that drives student empowerment and choice. Colleges may have unique admissions policies, but they can give every student a fair shot by promoting them with the same standard of clarity and information.

Our CEO, Yoon S. Choi, Ph.D., recently connected over Zoom with four wonderful juniors from North Houston Early College High School (NHECHS) who took the new Digital SAT and were proud to share their achievements. We were so impressed with their hard work, goals for the future, and thoughtfulness that we're posting highlights from the conversation. Even though the video quality is a bit fuzzy, our students still shine. Congratulations to the NHECHS students and all CollegeSpring students who are pursuing their journey to college. https://lnkd.in/gg3X2s2M

We are #hiring a fully remote Program Experience Partner! If you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro area, apply today or share this post with your network. https://lnkd.in/gG8A-4mn

Teacher Appreciation Week may be coming to a close, but we know that CollegeSpring’s role in supporting teachers has never been more important. Despite limited resources and time, our partner educators invest in their students’ success every single day. We thank all teachers for helping their students foster curiosity, develop a love for learning, and guide them in creating a path to discover and meet their highest ambitions. #teacherappreciationweek

Meet Alissa Zachary! Alissa is a CollegeSpring partner educator at Bryan Adams High School in Dallas ISD. Her dedication to creating a classroom that is safe, encouraging, and aspirational allows her students to thrive. We are proud to partner with you, Alissa! #teacherappreciationweek 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵?  I teach AVID 1 - Freshmen & AVID 2 - Sophomores 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴? I have been teaching for 10 years. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴? What drives my passion for teaching is inspiring kids that have life and/or learning struggles by showing them that anything is possible. I strive to teach kids how to take control of their own lives and not let anything stop them from achieving their dreams. I strive to create a safe space where kids can truly begin to not only heal, but be able to end the cycles and move past any type of trauma in order to create the amazing future they have each dreamed of having. We focus every day in my classroom on what their dreams are and what it takes to achieve those dreams. My kids are typically first generation high school graduates and almost every single one of them goes onto college.  They are strong and the leaders of our future. My kids will be the change they want to see. This is why I teach- to inspire and incite change for kids who deserve the world when life hasn't always been kind to them. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲? Let no one bring you down. Let nothing get in your way. Make your dreams happen. Do what it takes and never give up.

CollegeSpring educator Dustin Langley, who teaches at North Houston Early College High School, empowers his students to strive for their highest potential. Thank you for your commitment to student success, Dustin, and we are grateful to partner with you! #teacherappreciationweek 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵?  I teach 11th grade students OneGoal Y1 which is a college readiness course designed to prepare students for their post-secondary college and career goals. I also teach AP Seminar and dual-credit Sociology. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴? I have been teaching for 8 years, all in the early college system in Houston ISD. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴? Teaching provides me with a daily opportunity to leave an impact on someone else, which is something that I find very fulfilling and that keeps me going even during times of change or stress. I believe I serve a critical role in preparing the next generation of citizens to work and live in today's society. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲? I always tell my students that their most valuable currency is time, not money, since you can always make more money, but you'll always be spending time that you'll never get back. I think this statement helps us reorient our thinking and highlights the importance of making progress each day towards the goals we set for ourselves, as the time we spend preparing for tomorrow can often be the difference between success and failure. In a nutshell, make every second count.

In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, we are excited to spotlight a few of our many incredible partner educators. Read a bit about Kristyn King, who is a CollegeSpring teacher at Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School of Houston, and what motivates her work in the classroom. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵?  I am an 11th grade college readiness teacher. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴? 7+ years 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴? I live for the "Aha!" moments. When students can finally say they understand and apply a particular concept, then that's what drives me! Seeing that moment of realization makes this hard work worth it. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲? Things I tell my students now:  Reading is fundamental. It's about progress not perfection. Y'all need to work on your time management, priorities and study skills! You are lowkey adulting, and you don't even know it. I would like to say these skills can be taught, but with time you will ultimately learn these disciplines on your own. Start today, start tomorrow, start in senior year!