California parolees—many destined to return to prison if the state’s worrisome recidivism rate, the second highest in the nation, is any indicator—need all they help they can get to stay out of prison. A new program at Merritt College by The Gamble Institute, a community-based, university-affiliated resource for parolees and their families, is doing just that. Ex-offenders are stepping up as Street Scholars to serve as academic peer mentors providing support services for other ex-cons enrolled there.

With college costs skyrocketing every year, imagine if high school students could knock two years off their college degrees—for free. The great news is schools like this already exist right in our own backyard. From the Alameda Science and Technology Institute in Alameda to Middle College High School in San Pablo, the East Bay offers high school students the chance to earn a high school degree and a two-year college degree at the same time.