This article examines the interventions associated with the Say Yes to Education program, a college tuition-guarantee program that was promised to graduating sixth graders from low-income families in the School District of Philadelphia in 1987. The program attempted to change the context of school and the odds that defeat inner-city students. The program made a critical point: Without trans forming relationships and widening the sense of possibility, students would not be able to take advantage of the opportunity. The article presents research on student outcomes and analyzes two stories of students' lives as examples of how particular contexts can produce success.
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