About this episode

Dr. Erika Kitzmiller discusses her research on transforming first-generation college success at a public high school.

In this episode of Trending in Education, host Mike Palmer welcomes Erika Kitzmiller, a research associate professor at the University of Chicago and author of the new book, Unchartered: How One Public High School Transformed First Generation College Success. Drawing on her own background as a former middle school teacher and a proud first-generation college graduate, Kitzmiller shares the insights gained from an intensive, multi-year case study of a public high school pseudonymously named Clayton. While the school boasted a near-100 percent college acceptance rate, only half of its alumni were successfully graduating from college. To address this gap, Kitzmiller and Clayton’s principal designed a unique practice-to-research partnership that centered student voices, incorporated alumni interviews, and directly empowered youth agency. The conversation explores pragmatic, on-the-ground structural changes implemented at Clayton that did not require massive budgets or flashy technology. Kitzmiller discusses how the school expanded elective choices, created a dedicated senior college seminar embedded directly into the school day, and shifted student supports from an opt-in model to an…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Palmer

Guest: Dr. Erika Kitzmiller

Topics covered

• first-generation college success
• public high school transformation
• student agency
• educational policy
• college readiness

Keywords

• first-generation college
• high school transformation
• student voices
• college seminar
• Advanced Placement classes

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Chicago

Books & works: Unchartered: How One Public High School Transformed First Generation College Success

Places: Clayton

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