Spelman College is expanding its partnership with the National Education Opportunity Network (NEON), formerly known as the National Education Equity Lab. The collaboration provides high school students from Title I schools — those serving large numbers of low-income families — with access to college-level courses for credit, according to a university press release.

Since launching in spring 2023, the partnership has grown significantly, from one course with 50 students to nearly 300 students enrolled across two Spelman-led classes in 2025. To date, the initiative has reached more than 767 high school scholars from 47 schools in 19 cities, including New York City; Nashville, TN; Jackson, MS; Charleston, SC; and Washington, DC.

The first course, “The Education of Black Girls,” was developed and taught by Andrea Lewis, Ph.D., director of Spelman’s Student Success Program and associate professor of education. The class allows high school students to explore identity, race, gender, and social structures while earning college credit. In fall 2025, Spelman introduced a second NEON course, “African Diaspora and the World,” taught by Chatee’ Omísade Richardson, Ph.D., assistant professor and coordinator of field and clinical experience in education.

Through NEON’s model, students engage in college-level learning guided by Spelman faculty and undergraduate teaching fellows who mentor participants, lead discussions, and provide academic support.

“I create a video lecture to introduce each topic, and the teaching fellows meet with the high school students weekly to guide discussions,” Dr. Lewis said. “They also grade assignments and offer feedback throughout the course under my oversight. Last semester, I had nine fellows working with students across several schools.”

The partnership’s results speak for themselves. According to the release, NEON reports that 88% of participating students said the experience made them feel better prepared for college. Twelve alumni of the program have since enrolled at Spelman, including one who went on to become a teaching fellow after experiencing the course firsthand as a high school student.

One such success story is Maya Reyes, a political science major and Bonner Scholar in Spelman’s Class of 2028. Reyes first discovered Spelman through the NEON program while taking “The Education of Black Girls” during high school in New York. She recalls how the course taught her time management, communication, and accountability.

“One of the biggest challenges that I faced while taking a college-level course in high school was the level of autonomy and independence that was required of it,” Reyes said, per the release. “With these courses, you had to be in charge of your own education. If I was going to miss a TF (teaching fellow) session, it was my responsibility to email my teaching fellow and let her know. Or even just showing up prepared to our sessions, well-versed on the required readings or media for the week. These are components that I continue to partake in today. It is important to connect with your professors, and I believe this is when I first learned that.”

Now, Reyes mentors other students as a teaching fellow for NEON while staying active in the Morehouse-Spelman Pre-Law Society, the Model United Nations team, and her internship with the Jane Goodall Institute. She hopes to pursue a career in public policy and education equity, continuing the cycle of access that NEON helped begin.

As NEON continues to grow its partnerships with colleges nationwide, Spelman is poised to play a leading role in expanding access for the next generation of scholars. According to the release, by spring 2026, the college expects its NEON courses to reach more than 400 additional high school students.

“This partnership has evolved beyond just a pipeline,” Lewis said. “It’s a real bridge between Spelman and the next generation of scholars. And we’re only getting started.”