Foundation to build on

Tired of reading about urban teenagers killing one another over drugs and sideways glances?

Well, you won't find much consolation in the stats on kids who are busting their guts to do the right thing, either.

Only a third of college-bound students from Boston's class of 2000 had earned any kind of degree seven years later - or even a one-year certificate.

Many schools are doing a lousy job of preparing kids for college, and many colleges are doing a lousy job of supporting them once they get there. It is a seriously grim situation.

But a way out of this mess could be found in a packed ballroom at the Omni Parker House hotel one night last week.

There, 61 local high school seniors sat on a stage, dressed up and beaming, before hundreds of overjoyed relatives and friends.

Next September, all 61 are headed to four-year private colleges.

And here's the important part: At least 90 percent will probably graduate.

Those rosy prospects come courtesy of the Posse Foundation Inc., a national outfit that gives city kids opportunities and resources many of their more affluent suburban counterparts take for granted: good college preparation, a network of support once they get there, and a sense that there is a place for them out in the world when they're done.

Here's how they do it: Posse fields thousands of applications from stellar students who might be overlooked by colleges' traditional selection process. The foundation screens the students, then Posse's partner colleges each admit 10 applicants from the finalists.

But as the dismal numbers show, just getting into college isn't enough.

So once they're accepted, the Posse students - who have full tuition scholarships - begin eight months of training in writing, time management, and other skills they'll need on campus.

Once they get there, the student posses meet regularly, relying on one another - and strong mentors - for support.

On top of that, Posse matches scholars with local corporations, offering internships and career counseling services that make it easy for students to keep sight of their goals.

It works. Which is why last week's awards ceremony - in which parents and mentors saw their charges take their first steps into new lives - was such an emotional affair.

"I'm so glad," said Roselia Souza, a Brazilian immigrant and housekeeper who addressed the audience at the ceremony. Her daughter, Brenda, a senior at Watertown High, is headed to Union College, in New York.

"I'm going to stay here in Boston and pray every night for you," the mother said to her daughter, crying. "I'm going to miss you a lot, but I know it's the best thing for you."

And the pride went two ways. "It is because of my mother and my sister that I am standing here," said Victor Gonzales, a Health Careers Academy student who is going to Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. "I wouldn't be here if they didn't get up at 5 a.m. to go to work."

Many of the Posse scholars are the first in their families to attend college.

But up on that stage, they held more than the hopes of their proud families and mentors. They embodied solutions to one of our most frustrating education dilemmas.

Some of our leaders get that.

In the front row last week were Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Boston schools Superintendent Carol R. Johnson, and first lady Diane Patrick, all big supporters of the foundation's work.

In an ideal world, it wouldn't take this much effort to overcome the hurdles city kids face when it comes to college. Poverty wouldn't diminish their prospects. They wouldn't feel isolated on campuses far from home. Support networks and career paths would reveal themselves. There would be no need for a Posse Foundation.

This is not an ideal world.

Yvonne Abraham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at abraham@globe.com.