Eastside College Preparatory School

Chris Bischof. As a Stanford undergraduate, Chris Bischof had started an after-school program for East Palo Alto elementary school students that linked participation in basketball with daily tutoring. But Shoot for the Stars, as the program was called, could only take these students so far. Chris began to explore the feasibility of bringing a high school back to the East Palo Alto… See full bio.

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Story: This is the story of Joanna Leon, Eastside class of 2005 and Stanford class of 2009: Joanna Leon attributes her success in life to a solid foundation. She attended Cesar Chavez Elementary School and then the Girls' Middle School, where she experienced one of the defining moments in her education: she was surrounded by students like her who loved to learn and liked to be at school. She had the same experience when she chose to attend Eastside, where she discovered not only students dedicated to learning, but teachers willing to go the extra mile for her. She recalls applying to Stanford late at night on Eastside's campus and teacher Carrie Evans staying with her until her application was stellar. Joanna would not change her Eastside experience, except for one response to a writing assignment she was given in her English class: when asked whether or not one person could change the world, she answered no. She says, "I still think about that assignment, and want to change my answer to a resounding yes. I didn't realize it at the time, but my teachers were changing the world, my world, and I plan to do the same." A big step towards that accomplishment was to do well in her undergraduate studies at Stanford. She knew that Eastside had helped shape her identity as a leader and the day her professor mentioned Eastside in her class only solidified her belief in her capabilities. Joanna graduated this past spring with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and is currently working at Girls to Women, a local non-profit organization. She hopes to apply to graduate school in the near future and become a licensed social worker. For those ready to join Joanna in changing lives, she advises, "When I first got to Stanford, I questioned my place. You should know you belong in college, you have earned it. It will pay off, your ultimate goal should be to be happy and put yourself first for a while and you'll be in a better position to come back and help, one person at a time." (Source: http://www.eastside.org/graduates/success_stories.html)

Evidence of Impact Summary:

Working in a community with a high school drop-out rate around 70%, Eastside sends 100% of their graduating seniors to prestigious colleges and universities. Beyond that dramatic impact on the lives of their students and families, Eastside serves as a model institution for the entire East Palo Alto community. Eastside is the only high school in the last 30 years in the community of East Palo Alto that has consistently and successfully prepared and sent local students to college.
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Organization Strengths Summary:

Both top leadership and staff membership receive consistent praise from experts. Eastside's ties to the community are also called out as a distinguishing feature; experts consider it an asset both in terms of fundraising and for collaborating with local programs.
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Areas for Improvement Summary:

As with many successful programs, the main opportunity for improvement lies in serving even more students. To this end, some experts question Eastside's capacity to scale operations effectively. Many experts express concerns over Eastside's capacity to sustain fundraising and diversify its capital-raising base.
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As a Stanford undergraduate, Chris Bischof had started an after-school program for East Palo Alto elementary school students that linked participation in basketball with daily tutoring. But Shoot for the Stars, as the program was called, could only take these students so far. Chris began to explore the feasibility of bringing a high school back to the East Palo Alto community. In 1996, Chris and fellow Stanford graduate Helen Kim welcomed eight ninth grade students to Eastside College Preparatory School. They met first at a picnic table in an East Palo Alto park. Soon they moved to a room at Plugged In, a computer learning center, then camped out in an unused room at Families in Transition. When a donor offered a 1.6-acre lot at Pulgas Avenue and Myrtle Street, real estate developer and Eastside board member Don Vermeil donated the time and labor to put up a modular building. Board member Lynn Winkle volunteered full-time as a classroom aide and reading tutor to augment the small teaching staff. Soon the school had grown to 20 ninth and tenth grade students. The next year Eastside enrolled 35 students, the following year 70. In 1999, the Middle School opened.

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