The Go to High School - Go to College program established in 1922, concentrates on the importance of completing secondary and collegiate education as a road to advancement. Present research places great value in postsecondary education. School completion heavily impacts the success of young African-American men and is the single best predictor of future economic success. Through the Go-To-High School, Go-To-College educational initiative, young men receive information and learn strategies that facilitate success. Alpha men provide youth participants with excellent role models to emulate.

During the 9th Alpha Phi Alpha General Convention, held at Virginia Union University in 1916, General President H.H. Long emphasized the need for the fraternity to stress the importance of education. By 1920, the Fraternity had ignited a commission that consisted of five Alumni Brothers who, in turn, launched a movement toward influencing African-Americans around the country to “go to high school and to college.” This was the active beginning of the “Go-To-High School, Go-To-College” movement.

The purpose of this initiative was to touch as many high schools and communities as possible by personal contact or through the distribution of educational pamphlets. With Brother Roscoe C. Giles at the reigns, the commission directed that the first week in June 1920 be set aside for all chapters to implement the "Go-To-High School, Go-To-College" educational campaign. In 1989, under the guidance of Brother LeRoy Lowery III, the “Go-To-High School, Go-To-College” movement was formally restructured. At the 83rd General Convention in San Antonio, Texas, “Go-To-High School, Go-To-College” was formally voted a National Program of the Fraternity and became mandatory for each chapter to implement.

It was suggested by Brother Lowery that the participants of the "Go-To-High School, Go-To-College" program be male African-American 7th to 12th graders. In addition, the suggested activities of the program were African and African-American history, field trips, entrepreneurship, athletic activities, tutoring, practical life lessons, community service projects, financial affairs, current events, proper student work habits, workplace visits, career orientation, health and hygiene, goal setting and brotherhood.