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Initiative 01
College & Career Pipeline

The Elevation Project

A four-year leadership and literacy pipeline for Brockton High School students.

Forty ninth- and tenth-grade students. One four-year commitment. The Elevation Project pairs a diverse Brockton High School cohort with mentors from Boston College and the College of the Holy Cross — intentionally reserving roughly 20% of its seats for students with documented housing insecurity, while remaining inclusive of the broader student population.

The Elevation Project cohort of Brockton High School students on the Boston College campus
Why this exists

The Elevation Project grew out of BE&HC's larger coalition-building work — creating partnerships across sectors to nurture and empower youth from racially and economically marginalized backgrounds in Brockton. Students impacted by housing instability are less likely to access high-quality enrichment, college preparation, and postsecondary planning. This program builds that access directly into a student's high school experience, starting freshman year and following them through graduation.

Elevation Project students in a classroom discussion wearing a shirt reading 'We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.'
The four-year journey

One cohort. Four years. A guiding question for each.

Year 1

Who am I?

Who do I want to be? How do I wish to contribute? How do my community and personal decisions shape my progress toward my goals?

Elevation Project students in small-group discussion during the Summer Literacy Institute
  • Leadership & Literacy Academy

    Monthly Saturday half-days during the school year, with themed small-group discussions and activities. Students vote on one book to read together as a cohort. Undergraduate and graduate students from Boston College and Holy Cross serve as co-facilitators.

  • Summer Literacy Institute

    Two weeks of daily literacy instruction from a college professor, daily community panels, and field trips to both Holy Cross and Boston College.

Year 2

What is my vocation?

What are my skills? How do I gain the skills to improve my material well-being and contribute to my family and community?

An instructor leads a financial literacy lesson for Elevation Project students
  • Summer Finance Course

    A 3-week credited financial literacy course taught by an instructor from Boston College's Woods School of Advancing Studies, paired with weekly tutoring and real-life financial workbooks.

  • Leadership & Literacy Academy continues

    Monthly Saturday sessions, a field trip to Holy Cross, one-on-one academic check-ins, and community service initiatives.

Year 3

How do I leverage what I've learned?

How do I use my education, knowledge, and skills to serve myself and others?

Elevation Project student in conversation during the two-week Boston College residential program
  • Leadership & Literacy Academy continues

    One-on-one academic and college counseling begins alongside monthly sessions and community service work.

  • The Boston College Experience

    Fifteen students each year attend a fully funded, two-week residential program at Boston College — living in dorms, taking a real summer course, and experiencing college life firsthand. Students not selected still take a Boston College course at Brockton High.

Year 4

Who do I want to be next?

Who am I now? How will I continue to develop myself and serve my community beyond high school?

  • Leadership & Literacy Academy continues

    Career-readiness workshops focused on college applications and workforce entry.

  • End of Program Celebration

    Marks the cohort's completion of the four-year journey together.

Partnership & leadership

Built with Boston College, Holy Cross, and Brockton High.

The Elevation Project is a partnership between Boston College, the College of the Holy Cross, and Brockton High School.

  • Dr. Elianny C. Edwards, Director of the Housing and Educational Equity Lab at the College of Holy Cross, and Dr. Earl J. Edwards, Director of the Housing and Educational Equity Lab at Boston College, serve as lead Principal Investigators.

  • Dr. Karl Bell, Director of Boston College's Mentoring and Academic Achievement departments, leads the Elevation Project Servant Leadership Fellowship, which trains and supports Boston College undergraduates as mentors.

  • Academic courses are taught and funded by Boston College's Woods School of Advancing Studies.

  • Richard Johnson, Executive Director of Sporvo, partners on youth mentoring.

Partners

Boston College LSEHD · Boston College Woods School of Advancing Studies · The College of the Holy Cross · Sporvo

Success measure

Cohort retention through graduation; postsecondary enrollment rate for students experiencing homelessness.

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