Educational equity as a social justice issue: The Metro Academies Initiative

In the US over the last 35 years, the opportunity to enter college has expanded greatly for minorities and low-income students. But the picture is less rosy when looking not at how many people start college but rather at how many finish: enrollment rates are up 40 percent, but the rates of completion have not changed. Education equity is a pivotal social justice issue for the nation. Metro Academies are designed to foster academic success for low-income, first-generation college students, many of whom arrive at college without a strong academic foundation. The program aims to transform our approach to the first two years of college, a “make or break” time for many students . Metro Academies function as “schools within schools” on large campuses, giving students a personalized educational home where the general education skills of reading, writing, math, oral communication and critical thinking are contextualized in health and social justice public health issues. Funded by the US Department of Education's FIPSE, and the James Irvine and Hass Foundations, a partnership between San Francisco State University and City College of San Francisco has established four academies in two different career pathways – health and early childhood. Additionally, a group of 9 other California State Universities and their Community College partners are part of a Metro Academies Fellow program established to pave the way for statewide diffusion. Now in its second year, preliminary results show Metro Academies students demonstrating stronger retention rates, more campus engagement and improved academic skills.