USA Funds-Sponsored Program Provides Laptops for Students

Sophomores, juniors and seniors in the Sunnyside Unified School District in Tucson, Ariz., now have a new opportunity to help them succeed in high school. By excelling in the “Four A’s” — academics, attendance, activity and attitude — students can earn a free laptop computer.

The program, called Digital Advantage, is garnering positive results in student attendance, grade point average and graduation rate.

By the end of the third quarter of the school year, students can earn their free laptops by having:

• A GPA of 3.5 or higher.
• Attendance of 95 percent or better. 
• Regular participation in a school-sponsored extracurricular activity.
• No out-of-school suspensions.

The goal of the Digital Advantage is to raise the graduation rates of students in the Sunnyside Unified School District by providing them with a tool to be successful in school.

On Jan. 8 Sunnyside Unified School District awarded laptop computers to 505 high school freshmen. More than 300 additional students in 10th, 11th and 12th grades are slated to receive computers after the end of the third quarter.

USA Funds^® is a sponsor of the program through its support of the Learning Communities initiative. USA Funds helped to spearhead the national Learning Communities initiative in an effort to increase the number of youths in five selected communities — including Sunnyside — who complete high school and successfully pursue postsecondary education.

The laptop giveaway is part of a larger Sunnyside initiative called Project Graduation, which aims to increase the district’s graduation rate and decrease the number of dropouts. The idea for the program is the result of the district’s recognition that its high school students need to be equipped for the 21st century and competitive with the skills and knowledge for postsecondary education and work place success.

Sunnyside’s graduation rate is around 60 percent, but the district’s superintendent, Manuel Isquierdo, wants the graduation rate to be 90 percent.

“We believe that by equipping our students with the technological tools to be successful, and giving them the incentive to do well in school, we can drastically increase our graduation rates,” says Brandon Protas, Learning Community partnership coordinator, Sunnyside Unified School District. “We are showing students that we believe in them and that we want to help them succeed, and that can make all the difference in the world.”

Program gets results
Sunnyside officials say the Digital Advantage program is showing results.

• Currently more than 49 percent of freshmen have earned a GPA of 2.5 or higher. This performance marks a 20 percent increase over the past year.
• The number of upperclassmen earning a GPA of 3.5 or higher has increased by nearly 17 percent.
• The school district is anticipating a 20 percent increase in the number of graduates this year. 
• Student attendance has improved. The number of unexcused single period absences for freshmen has decreased to 18,235 for 2008-2009 from 49,600 for the 2007-2008 school year — a reduction of 63 percent.

“The Sunnyside Unified School District is an excellent example of our vision of what a Learning Community can be,” says Bob Ballard, USA Funds senior vice president, program and corporate development. “The Digital Advantage program is just one example of how the district is working to ensure students’ success.”