Article published in Ed Week November 3rd, 2010
This article sparked my interest since I currently work with high school students, many in danger of potentially being drop outs. The After School Program, which exists due to grant money, targets these students and extends personal invitations to students to receive one on one academic assistance as needed. It's great to know that more large grants are being given to high schools to create more individualized education for at risk students. I plan to investigate these opportunities further to see if Sheridan is eligible for any assistance.
I was particularly impressed with the "acceleration institutes" being offered in Chicago. The idea of having a staff member available to help students with online learning programs until 8pm, I'd imagine would be very popular with parents and students. It's also a great leap in creating equity for alternative students who are unable to engage in traditional classroom education.
My excitement about these programs is hedged by the notion of this mission being a political agenda that could quickly be swept away with the change in political current. The article notes that these grants came into existence to serve Barak Obama's goal of being the world leader in college completion. These programs are very "staff heavy", which means they are expensive and will be hard for districts to sustain after funding disappears. The article admits that the 2011 funding for these grants is uncertain, however the proposed budget calls for doubling the funding. I'm in favor of these programs being very beneficial to high school students today, but saddened to know that my own children might not have these supports when they reach high school. Perhaps there needs to be a larger restructuring of educational programs to meet the changing needs of 21st century students.
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