How Pathways will use proceeds from Equity Through Education
 Background
 The Pathways Program
 Pathways Results
 What Program Participants Say

How Pathways will use proceeds from Equity Through Education

The proceeds from Equity Through Education™ are used to fund the Pathways to Education program. To date, Equity Through Education proceeds have supported the graduation of over 700 students from the Regent Park community. Funds are also supporting the ongoing success of youth in grades 9-12 in eight different Pathways communities, including:

• Montreal – Verdun
• Toronto – Lawrence Heights
• Toronto – Regent Park
• Toronto – Rexdale
• Toronto – Scarborough Village

Background

Pathways to Education is a program that was developed in 2000 by the Regent Park Community Health Center. It is a best practice model that is now being replicated in ten additional communities across the country.

Regent Park is the oldest and largest public housing project in Canada. The average family income is $18,000 per year, less than half that of other Canadians. It is one of the poorest communities in Ontario. Over 80% of residents are immigrants. English is a second language for nearly 60% of Regent Park adults. Regent Park has twice the number of single parent families as the rest of Toronto.

There are no local high schools in Regent Park. High school students are, therefore, scattered to more than 40 different high schools and must use public transportation to get to school.

Before Pathways, the high school dropout rate in Regent Park was 56%, twice the city average. Since 2000, Pathways has reduced the dropout rate to less than 12%.

Education and income are the two most important determinants of health and the consequences of a high youth drop-out rate extend far beyond the waste of human capital.

The Pathways Program

Pathways provides four integrated supports over four years of secondary school:

• Academic Support: Tutoring in five core subjects four nights per week in the community;
• Financial Support: Bus tickets or meal vouchers earned through attendance, plus a $4,000 bursary to be used towards post secondary registration/tuition that is disbursed directly to the institution;
• Social Support: Group mentoring and specialty/career mentoring; and,
• Advocacy: Student Parent Support Workers are a bridge between the community, parents, students, schools and the Pathways program.

Pathways Results

Measured Results

The Pathways to Education Program is an award-winning model that has proven results.

Research and evaluation are key components of the Pathways to Education Program. The learning from their research is applied to their replication process, and ongoing program evaluation is integrated into all Pathways sites from day one. Findings are also shared with funders and other organizations that might benefit from this experience.

Groundbreaking Results - Regent Park

The goal of the Pathways Program is to ensure that all youth – regardless of their social or economic situation, or where they were born – have the same opportunity for academic success; supports delivered to Pathways students help to "level the playing field" for youth coming from disadvantaged communities.

As such, the early hope for the program was to reduce high school dropout rates for youth in Pathways communities to a level that was similar to, or better than, the city average.

To date, results from the Regent Park site continue to far exceed that goal. Over five cohorts, and 850 youth, the dropout rate for youth in this community is now 12% - approximately half of the City of Toronto and provincial average.

For Pathways' first community, the results have been nothing less than ground-breaking:

• Drop out rates have declined from 56% to 12% - a reduction of more than 75%.
• 93% of eligible youth in the community are participating in the Pathways program.
• The rate of students going on to college or university has grown from 20% to 80%.
• Pathways graduates are staying in college/university programs; attrition rates of less than 5% for Pathways graduates are far below the national average.

Replication of the Pathways Program

Ground-breaking results in the first site, Regent Park, led to the program being replicated in five new communities across Ontario and Quebec in 2007. Leading indicators from this second generation of sites point toward results that will be as good as, or better than the initial site. This demonstrates that the program can be replicated in other communities and establishes the foundation for future growth.

Latest Results: Highlights from the Ontario Sites' 2008/2009 School Year

Since graduation and post-secondary metrics are available only at the end of a student's high school career, Pathways also tracks key "intervening variables". These metrics - including community enrolment, school attendance, and credit accumulation - are timely and give early indications of probable success.
Highlights from 2008-2009 Ontario sites indicate:

• Overall, 90% of eligible youth are enrolled in the Pathways program in their community.
• The proportion of academically "at-risk" students declined from 36% to 19% (after one year in Pathways).
• The proportion of students who had poor attendance declined by 33% (after one year in Pathways).

Direct Benefits to Society - BCG Assessment

Pathways also provides tremendous economic returns to society. The Boston Consulting Group undertook a pro bono analysis of the cost/benefit of Pathways to society. By design, the focus of the analysis was on hard identifiable and quantifiable benefits, primarily higher taxes paid (on higher incomes earned) and reduced government transfer payments.
The Boston Consulting Group's conclusions are impressive and include:

• The Return on Investment today for $1 invested in Pathways is $25.
• The cumulative lifetime benefit to society of a student in Pathways (compared to the pre-Pathways students) is $400,000.
• The Net Present Value to society for every Pathways student is $50,000.

None of the analysis focused on the long term benefits of significantly improved health, lower crime, improved job skills, etc. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that these numbers, which have been verified, dramatically underestimate the true returns/benefits of Pathways.

What Program Participants Say

"Because of Pathways to Education, I’m going to University... I’m going to be a lawyer! I now know it’s possible, because it’s not just me who believes in me." (Student)

"Growing up in this neighbourhood can be challenging – avoiding the potential influence of drugs and crime…Pathways is kind of like your parents…[It] can be tough – there are high expectations, and we always do our very best. In return, we are supported through whatever trials and challenges we face." (Student)

"Pathways has offered us new hope, new possibilities, and new successes…Many [students] learned that they too can go to university or college, that they too can become doctors or lawyers…Through Pathways’ inspiration and encouragement, many students have found their passion in life" (Student)

"I was so afraid of going into high school and leaving my community for the first time to go to school... Pathways to Education has made it easier, I know that my SPSW (Student Parent Support Worker) is at my school and if I have problems I can go to her for help." (Student)

"They (SPSWs) say: here are your boundaries-maybe you should step back and think about what you are doing right now, or, go for it-it’s a great opportunity for you. They are both a coach and a referee for us." (Student)

"One of the things I hope my daughter or others will do when they graduate is to come back and be an example, come back and say: listen, I came through this program, it IS possible." (Parent)

"It (Pathways) is a model for what we should be doing for all students who need a little bit of extra help to succeed in school. The potential there for helping other students in other neighbourhoods is enormous." (Principal)

"Tutoring offers more than just credits, it offers people who you can relate to, who are probably having the same difficulties as you." (Student)

"What’s so great about tutoring is you can walk into the room with your homework not started yet, you walk out and its done" (Student)

"A mentor is older, but your age still, you can talk to them like a best friend." (Student)

"When my mom heard about Pathways she was so relieved cause TTC really adds up." (Student)

"Pathways is making Regent Park a better place, a better society, and its helping the community to grow." (Student)

"It’s (Pathways) giving people, not just students in this community a sense of opportunity and accomplishment." (Student)