Is my school eligible to sign up for Pathways?

All rural schools in the state of Colorado that serve 8th-grade students are eligible.

What is the timeline?

Rural schools in Colorado can sign up during school year 2022-23 and will be assigned by lottery to receive training in summer 2023 (and start Pathways in fall 2023) or summer 2024 (and start Pathways in fall 2024).

Why use a lottery to decide when schools begin using Pathways?

The lottery system serves multiple purposes. First, the staggered rollout ensures that each school has adequate support from our team by limiting the number of schools receiving Pathways training each summer. Also, by randomly selecting schools to begin one year apart, we are able to examine the outcomes of the 8th grade students who receive Pathways in the first year and those who do not to validate the positive impacts of Pathways in Colorado schools.

How will schools continue using Pathways after the first year?

The grant will provide Colorado schools with the tools they need to continue using Pathways into the future (at no cost) in three ways:

1. Providing re-usable materials. The Pathways materials are designed to be re-usable so that the only thing teachers need to replenish are photocopies of worksheets. In addition, we provide electronic, editable materials that can be updated if needed.

2. Training teachers to train other teachers. Each year the Pathways team will invite a select group of teachers to become Pathways trainers. Teachers will be invited based on a set of criteria, including location and quality of Pathways implementation. By the end of the grant, there will be teachers who can train new teachers to implement Pathways to expand access to and sustain use of Pathways in Colorado schools.

3. Sustainable supports for implementation. All trained teachers and counselors will have ongoing access to supports for implementation including a video library—highlighting exemplary implementation, tips for preparation and key take-home points for each session.

What is the benefit of using Pathways?

Prior research has documented remarkable positive impacts for students who receive Pathways, including

• Improved attendance

• Improved time spent on homework

• Improved student initiative

• Improved test scores

• Improved grade point average

• Improved social and emotional competencies

• Reduced course failures

• Reduced grade retention

• Reduced disruptive behaviors

• Reduced depressive symptoms

These positive impacts for 8th-grade students persisted or grew larger by the end of 9th grade.

More information about the research on Pathways can be found at https://pathwaysintervention.com/common/research

Is Pathways a College Readiness Program?

Pathways focuses on providing opportunities for students to connect what they are doing now to who they may become in the future. That future may include postsecondary education opportunities for many students but Pathways does not encourage a specific future trajectory for all students.

Does Pathways improve students social and emotional competencies?

Pathways is not explicitly designed to build students social and emotional competencies; however, studies have demonstrated that participating in Pathways has a positive impact on students social and emotional competencies.