Research to Help California’s Puente Project Grow and Reach More Students
WestEd’s Center for Economic Mobility is studying what makes the Puente program successful at helping students get into college so more colleges can use its proven strategies effectively.
The Challenge
For over 40 years, the Puente Project has helped tens of thousands of California students—especially first-generation college students—get into college. They train middle school, high school, and community college teachers and counselors to provide strong instruction, focused academic support, and community mentoring. Students enroll in classes as a cohort, attend linked classes, and participate in field trips and other out-of-class activities with the goal of building shared accountability for one another.
Now Puente wants to expand to all California community colleges to help even more students. Their goals are the following:
- Get more students into 4-year colleges and universities.
- Help more students graduate.
- Support graduates in becoming mentors and leaders in their communities.
The challenge? Money is tight. So, Puente needs to figure out which parts of its current program can be expanded affordably to reach students at every community college in California.
How We’re Taking Action
WestEd’s Center for Economic Mobility is partnering with Puente to document educational outcomes for participants and to clarify key practices and contextual supports that can be replicated, enhanced, and scaled to support more students across the state. In addition, our team is exploring Puente’s professional development model to ensure that more college practitioners can implement Puente’s proven approach.
By using a community-based participatory action research approach, we have paired analyses of college-going rates with students’ perspectives on how each component of the program has influenced their academic trajectory. For example, students emphasized that the noncognitive skills taught in Puente—such as building hope, creating a sense of belonging, and fostering community—are critical to their success.
Specifically, we found the following:
- Fostering hope acknowledges students’ dreams while also providing practical advice on how to succeed in college.
- Emphasizing belonging provides a validating and safe space where students felt encouraged to share their stories, solidify their identities, and see themselves as college material.
- Building community ensures that students are not on this path alone. This sense of community served as the basis for creating a powerful network, enabling students to connect and succeed throughout and beyond their educational journey.