Grant Years: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Spartan East Side Promise Summer Program
In San Jose’s least prosperous neighborhoods, East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD) includes eleven comprehensive high schools, serving 26,000 students, who are predominantly Hispanic (52%), English Learners (21%), 42% of whom are eligible for free or reduced lunch and historically only 45% of graduating students meet admission requirements for UC/CSU.
In 2016, San Jose State University (SJSU) partnered with the district and the East Side Education Foundation to establish the Spartan East Side Promise (SESP) to support ESUHSD, with the goal of offering guaranteed admission to qualified students who graduate from a district high school. SESP provides a pathway from college exploration through college graduation by supporting students and their families in collaboration with high school district staff and counselors.
This grant supports the Spartan Summer Program, which serves as a bridge for first year students, specifically focusing on first generation college students. Goals of the summer session include enabling students to become part of the larger campus community, connecting new students to SJSU’s support systems and resources, decreasing the rate of academic probation and disqualification, and ultimately increasing the rate of successful college completion.
The targeted students, often the first in their family to attend college, face the challenges of adjusting to college and the potentially overwhelming university experience. Students gain skills, establish relationships with SJSU peer mentors, and learn about academic programs and university opportunities. Evaluation of the Summer Program compares program participants’ graduation rates with the entire university population.
