Offering Intensive Support to At-Risk High School Students
A Program Evaluation of Pathways to Education
The Pathways to Education Program is an intervention that was developed to encourage schooling among disadvantaged early high school students. The program adopts a multi-faceted approach, offering extensive tutoring, mentoring, and financial support, as well as easy access to student-parent workers who provide information and advice as needed on a wide range of issues. The program began in the 2001-2002 school year for transitioning Grade 8 students in two schools surrounding Regent Park, a large public housing project in downtown Toronto. Participation required parents and students to commit in writing to the program. This study presents the first evaluation of the pathways program using publicly available data.