Help is on the way for a fortunate group of high school graduates in Boston who, like their peers around the country, are trying to figure out their next step in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis and the surrounding confusion about which colleges will open in the fall and how courses will be taught.
Digital Ready, a program offering Boston public high school students opportunities to learn and work, free of charge, in high-tech industries, has partnered with the Wentworth Institute of Technology and the Barr Foundation along with several local businesses to launch a project known as Year 13.
As the name suggests, Year 13 is a “bridge year” between high school and college during which students will take college courses, have work-based learning experiences and earn 18 college credits, all designed to “ignite students’ passions, equip them with the skills necessary to navigate a complex, technology-driven world and ultimately connect them to high-wage jobs in Boston’s innovation economy,” according to the program’s overview.
A main feature of Year 13 is that it takes students into workspaces outside of traditional learning centers. “Boston is a resource-rich city so we allow learning beyond the four walls of a classroom, looking at the city of Boston as a lab for learning — rather than having all of our classes in a classroom,” Digital Ready founder and executive director Dr. Sarah Cherry Rice told Diverse.
“So many doors are shut to students after high school, especially with COVID, so our goal is to see how we can open as many doors as possible for students to pursue their purpose,” said Rice, who came up with the idea while working on a doctorate in educational leadership Ed.L.D. at Harvard University.
“We’re specifically looking to build pipeline for Black and Latinx students because we know that even before COVID, communities of color didn’t have access to these college opportunities.” The program also gives priority to students from schools designated as underperforming by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
One of the program’s main supporters, Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty, said he had advocated for several years “that a Year 13 could be the missing link for our students.” He added that as the city is undergoing historic change and economic growth, “We need to be intentional in creating programs that ensure all of our residents share in this growth.”
