USA Parents Program Encourages Academic Success for Indianapolis Science Bound Students

USA Funds^® has provided a $109,000 grant to USA Parents. This grant represents the most-recent installment of a three-year, $300,000 commitment to this initiative. USA Parents, a program for parents and guardians of students involved in Science Bound, provides information, resources, enrichment and encouragement.

Science Bound is a collaborative initiative that encourages underrepresented Indianapolis Public Schools students in seventh-through-12th grades to enroll and graduate from Purdue University with degrees in the fields of science, technology and engineering. The Science Bound initiative is sponsored by IPS, Purdue and the Indianapolis business community.

Since the inception of Science Bound in 2002, approximately 55 students have been admitted to the program each year. The program's current enrollment is 160. If students maintain a 3.0 grade-point average and gain admission in approved fields of study, upon high-school graduation they receive full-tuition scholarships to Purdue.

To promote the success of Science Bound participants, USA Funds partners with Purdue University to offer USA Parents. In addition to its educational-support component, USA Parents offers various programs for parents to help build stronger family relationships and enhance the home environment.

“The USA Parents program is unique because we create a nonthreatening, friendly environment for teachers, parents and students to communicate, share ideas and find positive ways to work together more effectively,” says George Okantey, USA Parents program director.

To be involved in the program, parents must agree to meet certain guidelines, including attending monthly meetings. As a result of participation, parents have reported the following results: 

• Improved parenting skills from life-skills workshops about discipline and understanding developmental expectations for youth.
• More-effective communication with their children and other parents.
• Increased confidence in communicating with teachers and IPS personnel about their children's education and magnet-school options.
• Greater familiarity with campus life and the educational offerings at Purdue.

In addition to increasing the probability of educational success for their children, eight parents involved in USA Parents have taken advantage of an education-option plan to complete their GEDs or have taken college classes. Many parents also have participated in computer-literacy classes.