This interactive workshop brings together independent schools and access organizations to reimagine their partnerships—not as one-time admissions transactions, but as a shared responsibility that begins well before the application and continues long after graduation.
Facilitators will highlight how access organizations support students through academic preparation, cultural readiness, and emotional development, while schools provide rigorous academics, financial aid, and community-based support. Too often, collaboration only happens at admissions and graduation—leaving untapped potential in the space between.
Participants will engage in two working sessions: one to reflect on their school or organization’s current relationship with access organizations, and another to envision what a sustained, co-created partnership could look like—spanning early recruitment, aligned enrichment, social-emotional transition, and long-term family engagement.
Case studies and examples will include both successful collaborations and ongoing tensions—surfacing the real challenges schools and access organizations face when expectations, communication, or responsibilities are misaligned. These honest reflections will help participants identify barriers as well as opportunities, with the goal of inspiring new approaches to building partnerships that are more transparent, equitable, and enduring.