Persistence Class

What is Persistence Class?

Each of our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade scholars attend a weekly class focusing on the “hard and soft skills” that will be integral on their educational journeys for years to come. These classes are a part of our partner schools’ regular weekly schedules, and are taught by our Middle School Coordinator who is as present as possible in the schools outside of class time to continue checking in on and building relationships with our scholars and our partners. At the end of each semester, our scholars complete projects that authentically demonstrate their growth in the skills and dispositions that will make them more likely to flourish in and through their schooling paths.

Persistence Class

What is the Curriculum?

While we have studied and borrowed from countless programs and resources including but not limited to Chicago Jesuit Academy, Wayfinder, and NACAC, we have adapted these approaches and lessons to meet our needs. Each lesson and unit and every bit of our scope and sequence is first and foremost built off of the feedback we continually receive in conversation with teachers, leaders, children, and families. As such, it is constantly evolving. Of course, some things are always true:

Faith and community are throughlines

Active engagement and joy are foundational to each lesson

Each grade will cover some relevant social-emotional learning

Every year incorporates executive functioning skill building

High school readiness is attended to (from HSPT prep to discerning your right fit school)

We build up exposure to and excitement for college

Persistence Class

Outcomes

People often ask what kind of results we see early on since we have such a long runway to our ultimate goal. Research has shown that growth in certain dispositions and skills make a child more likely to eventually pursue and persist through a college experience. We have assessed our scholars’ self-perception of 4 such indicators over the course of a year of Persistence Class, and the results so far are exciting.

Students show growth in the following areas: SCHOOL VALUATION PERSEVERANCE EFFICACY STUDY SKILLS

Connect with PATH

Whether you are a potential PATHfinder, a parent/guardian, a teacher, or just an interested supporter, our team would love to chat with you! Feel free to reach out to our PATH Tucson Middle School Coordinator, Ryan Costello, at rcostel1@nd.edu or to our PATH team at path@nd.edu.