Michelle Norton
Staff Writer
This summer, the University of Houston is exposing local high school students to college life both in and out of the classroom through a program known as Project GRAD.
Initiated in the Houston Independent School District in 1993, Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) is a collaborative effort between schools and communities to improve the instructional quality and culture of "at-risk" schools.
Partnered with 24 schools throughout the Houston area, Project GRAD is a nonprofit organization that impacts over 17,000 Hispanic and African-American children.
"This program allows students to reach towards a higher goal," said CAN DO Project-Houston Program Coordinator Samoan C. Johnson. "It gives them the opportunity to look towards the future and the prospect that they can make something of themselves and their lives."
The half-day UH program, serving more than 350 ninth, 10th and 11th grade students from HISD's Jack Yates High School and Phyllis Wheatley High School, is designed to simulate the college experience.
HISD requires that only full-time high school students participate in the program. Schools are chosen to participate based on low Texas Assessment of Academic Skills scores, high dropout rates and socioeconomic factors.
Taught by professors from the University of Houston, the Houston Community College System, Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University, students are immersed in a curriculum designed to broaden their knowledge and skills in areas such as science, communications, business, public speaking and drama.
Students attend three classes from 8:40 a.m. to 3 p.m. for four weeks during two summers. Students are required to enroll in math and English classes, but are free to use their last class for an elective of their choice.
On average, each class contains anywhere from 10 to 25 students, depending on total registration.
Each student who completes the program receives a $4,000 academic scholarship upon graduating from high school.
The scholarship provides the opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss college as a real objective for students and offers a reason to perform academically.
If the students pass all three courses, miss less than two days of class and exhibit appropriate behavior, they become eligible to receive a stipend of $150 at the end of the summer session.
The incentive money is obtained from donations made by private organizations and foundations through the efforts of retired Tenneco CEO and founder of Project GRAD Jim Ketelsen.
While the program focuses on high school students at UH, it is also known for working with elementary and middle school children.
Through a number of curriculum models such as "Move It Math," "Communities in Schools" and "Success for All," the program attempts to teach children self-discipline, confidence and resilience while arousing their natural excitement for learning core subjects such as math, science and reading.
The ultimate goal of the program is to improve student performance on the TAAS, Texas Essential Elements and the Scholastic Aptitude tests. While the long-term effects of the program will not be determined for some time, the statistics available now look promising.
For example, Davis High School, which participates in the same program at UH-Downtown, had 173 graduates qualify for the $4,000 academic scholarship in 1997, compared to 138 in 1996. And in 1997, 76 percent of students at Yates elementary schools passed math, compared to 70 percent in 1996 before the program started.