This article describes the Wakefield Cohort program at Wakefield High School, located in Arlington, Virginia, which has a thirteen-year history of success in supporting minority male students. While data show the program's effectiveness, former students' stories are more powerful; therefore, this article presents the stories of two graduates about…

As the sponsors of the Cohort at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia--a program to increase the number of minority male students in Advanced Placement (AP) classes--the authors view their work with the young men in this program as very similar to coaching a team. The Cohort asks these young men to challenge and push themselves; to test…