College Preparatory School

Playworks

College Preparatory School, an independent 9-12 school in Oakland, CA, works with the local chapter of the national non-profit Playworks.  By providing guided play and physical activity at recess and throughout the school day, the Playworks program reduces bullying, restores valuable teaching time, and improves the schools’ learning environment.  Currently 33 schools in the East Bay participate with Playworks and College Prep has partnered with ten of those schools. 

After receiving training from Playworks, students from College Prep are able to go into their partner schools (usually elementary schools in under-privileged areas) and help facilitate both recess and class-time activities.  Through this partnership, the students from College Prep not only learn how essential play is to child development and school success, but they also foster meaningful relationships with young children from neighborhoods different from their own.

Chabot Elementary School

Upper School students from College Prep visit Chabot Elementary School on a weekly basis for one-on-one tutoring.  Covering all academic areas, the College Prep students foster meaningful relationships while helping the Chabot students reach their academic goals.

Berkeley Food and Housing Project

Every Saturday, students from College Prep prepare meals and serve them at the Berkeley Food and Housing Project, a non-profit dedicated to providing emergency food and shelter to those in need.

Partners Program

For more than a quarter-century, the Partners Program at College Prep has provided opportunities for academic support and enrichment for motivated yet under-resourced Oakland middle school students and their families.

College Prep students work with low-income Oakland public middle school students and their families year-round, on their middle school campuses during the academic year and at College Prep during the summer. The goals are two-fold:

1. To provide opportunities for those who seek them – for academic help, for enrichment activities, and for leadership development – free of charge to students and families who lack the resources to purchase such support elsewhere.

2. To operate programs that produce significant outcomes – improved grades, increased school engagement, understanding of community responsibilities – access to high quality college preparatory high school and non-profit support programs, and admission to post-secondary educational opportunities with the needed scholarships and financial aid.

Research shows that graduation rates from a four-year college for students like those who participate in Partners, students from low-income, racially and ethnically diverse households and attending urban public schools, is perilously low, hovering around 6 - 8%. For young men, the figures are between 3-4%.

In sharp contrast to this data, Partners alumni report graduating high school on time (98%), matriculating to post-secondary education (95% of high school graduates), and persisting through these studies (100% of post-secondary matriculants).