How One Public High School Transformed First-Gen College Success with Dr, Erika Kitzmiller

At Clayton High School, a public school serving low-income, first-generation students, a radical shift in educational culture transformed college persistence rates from 50% to over 80%—not through expensive tech or top-down mandates, but through deep, human-centered collaboration. Dr. Erika Kitzmiller, a research associate professor at the University of Chicago and former middle school teacher, co-led a four-year, research-to-practice partnership with principal Zach Karens that centered students, teachers, and families as co-designers of change. The project dismantled the traditional 'opt-in' model of college prep by making college planning a default, embedded experience from ninth grade—students had to opt out of AP classes, college seminars, and academic support, not opt in. This 'pull' strategy, combined with student-driven course catalogs, expanded college awareness beyond elite institutions to include smaller, supportive liberal arts colleges, and empowered educators by letting them propose new courses based on student demand. The success wasn’t due to funding or flashy tools, but to consistent, trusting relationships built over years—researchers showed up weekly, listened deeply, and made space for student voice. The result? A school culture where agency, choice, and long-term planning became the norm, proving that systemic change is possible when educators and researchers treat schools as living ecosystems of human potential, not data points.