Minority students get a chance at college in rural Vermont; Will they succeed?

Under a Southern Vermont College program, called Pipelines Into Partnerships, the college’s admissions office has outsourced much of the responsibility for choosing 17 members of its incoming freshman class to KIPP, the largest charter chain in the country, as well as to a high school in Brooklyn and the Boys and Girls Club of Schenectady, N.Y.

It’s a rare setup. Although colleges often have close relationships with high schools, very few cede control over admissions decisions. The partners believe their model — which focuses on unconventional measures of success, such as grit and academic improvement instead of just overall grades and scores — will give a chance at college to minority students who might otherwise be overlooked. Read the rest of the story in USA Today.

Or see a longer version here at Hechinger, along with a sidebar about the importance of fitting into college.