The "Gateway Institute for Pre-College Education", begun as the Gateway to Higher Education program was started in New York City in September 1986. Its initial goal was to prepare high school students from demographics underrepresented in science, medicine, and technology, for higher education in those fields. Gateway relies on its strong partnerships with the public school system, medical centers, cultural institutions, universities and research facilities. Based at City University at The City College of New York, the Gateway to Higher Education Program and the New York City Board of Education became partners in 1986 to increase the numbers of students from the public school system entering and completing medical school. The program began at five New York City high schools and has grown to nine programs within large high schools and three stand-alone schools. In 2007, preparations were made to implement a similar program in Roxbury, Massachusetts, at the John D O'Bryant school, which was completing its third year as a Gateway Program (June 2009). It is onto its 5th year at John D. O'Bryant and has around 57 students enrolled in Fall of 2011.{{update needed, date=October 2020 The head of the program, Ms. Bettie Nolan is working on making it better and trying to make sure every student in the program is getting the attention they need.

Early program history

Program administration

According to a program report published in 2000, under directors Morton Slater and Elisabeth Iler, the Gateway program cost $1,600 more per student than the mean per pupil cost of public school in New York City, and relies on careful selection of students and teachers for the program.

Requirements for admission

Students had to meet certain basic criteria to be accepted into the program. They had to: * score above the 50th percentile both in New York City’s Seventh Grade Math test and in its Degrees of Reading Power test, * have regular attendance, * generally have grades above 80 on a 100-point scale * strong family support * desire to pursue a science-based career

Requirements in Boston, MA as of Summer 2011

In order to get accepted into the Gateway Program, Students at John D. O'Bryant have to: * Generally have grades above 80 on a 100-point scale * Hand in two hand-written essays. * Math teacher recommendation from their former teacher. * Pass an interview with the Gateway Staff.

Students and results

Between 1986 and 2000, some 3500 students passed through the Gateway program. The majority were

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

and

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

. During the 1999-2000 academic year, for instance, 801 students were enrolled in Gateway Programs or small schools, 60% of whom were African American and 25% Latino; 62% were female. Students in the program had significantly higher Biology AP scores,

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

scores, graduation rates, and college acceptance rates than national means. As of 2005, over 100 graduates are attending medical school or already practicing medicine.

Later developments

In 1997, the project received a Sloan Public Service Award from the

Fund for the City of New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. More recently, the program has inspired the development of similar programs in other districts.

Other Gateway programs

In 2005, Howard Hiatt, former Dean of Harvard's School of Public Health, backed a proposal to roll out a Gateway program in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. The program would involve 50 students in Roxbury's John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics & Science. The proposal is to take effect in April 2007.

External links

Official Gateway website

Center for Children and Technology
evaluation summary from 1995-1996

Sources

A summary of two key reports
*# "''Science and Technology Entry Program: 1999-2000 Final Report''", an informal report (Morton Slater and Elisabeth Iler, 2000) *# "''Make It Possible for Students to Succeed and They Will: An Evaluation of the Gateway to Higher Education Program''", a study via the

Education Development Center Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit organization to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity across the United States and in more than 80 other countries. EDC headquarters are in Waltham, Massachu ...

(1997)
Boston Globe
article on the Boston expansion, March 17, 2007 *
"''A boost at O'Bryant High''"

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

, March 26, 2005. An older editorial on the proposed Gateway program at the O'Bryant School.
Announcement
of the Gateway program's receipt of a Sloan Public Service Award (1997) United States educational programs