In the Los Angeles Unified School District only 44% of low-income students will graduate from high school. Of those that do complete high school in LAUSD, only one in five will have met the curriculum requirements to qualify for admission to a four-year public university in California. There are so many factors that play into creating these statistics, but the sad reality is that low-income students, those that stand to gain the most from higher education, are not being presented with adequate resources to even qualify for the next level.

These statistics have pushed some teachers at Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr.  Middle School to work even harder to ensure student success.  This year, a group of teachers focused on three high-achieving students and made it their mission for them to beat these odds and succeed in high school and beyond.  Heven, Joel, and Fransisco have worked relentlessly to overcome many obstacles placed before them.  After a year of hard work, each of these students received full-ride scholarships to some of the most elite private schools in Los Angeles.  In the fall of 2008, they will be starting their freshmen years at Brentwood School, Harvard-Westlake, and Crossroads school, respectively.

Our mission is for these students to be able to make the most of their high school experiences. Additional funding is needed for these students to succeed.  Funds are necessary for textbooks, school supplies, lunch money, field trips, extracurricular activities, and school social events.  As the Independent School Support Systems (ISSS) we hope to raise money to provide for these students, selected students currently applying to elite high schools and future students so they can achieve and take full advantage of all opportunities provided to them.