USA Funds-Sponsored Program Helps Put Former Low-Achieving Students on Path to College

Five students in the class of 2006 from Turner School District in Kansas City, Kan., might not be where they are today — high-school graduates who have been accepted to postsecondary schools —– if not for their involvement in Piloting Your Future.

Piloting Your Future is designed to reduce the drop-out rate and improve access to postsecondary education for students in the school district. These five young adults were part of the pilot program that began in 2002, their eighth-grade year at Turner Middle School.

The students of Turner Middle School often do not pursue postsecondary training. Many do not see the value of education beyond high school. High-school drop-out rates are high, so officials were looking for a way to change this trend, starting in middle school. 

“Often it is failure in middle school that leads to the decision to drop out in high school,” says Valerie Walthall, USA Funds^® customer-relations manager in Kansas. “Many of the students come from homes where education is not a priority, or the students want to succeed in school, but aren’t sure how to do it.”

Huddle Learning Inc. recognized the growing problems facing schools in the school district and approached USA Funds about the feasibility of a pilot program to help low-performing students at Turner Middle School. Huddle planned to launch a program to help prevent high-school dropouts by teaching kids to be successful learners, and to expose students to the opportunities of a postsecondary education. In spring of the 2001-2002 school year, with financial backing from USA Funds, the Piloting Your Future program was launched at Turner Middle School.

“Piloting Your Future was an excellent opportunity for USA Funds to help increase the opportunities available for students at Turner Middle School,” says Walthall. “The USA Funds mission is to increase access to postsecondary education, but some of these kids weren’t even going to make it through high school and did not understand the value of a postsecondary education. Piloting Your Future was a way to truly make a difference in the academic future of these children.”

Help for low-scoring students
The pilot program targeted seventh- and eighth-grade students who had scored in the bottom quartile on national scholastic tests and were failing the state assessments in the areas of reading, language arts and math. The goal was to improve the students’ math and English scores and make them aware of their postsecondary-education options.

Using computer software, students took tests that assessed their performance level in given subjects. Based on the assessment, the software created an individual learning prescription for each student to follow to bring the student up to the student’s current grade level. Each child completed the assignments at the child’s own pace and received immediate feedback. To ensure understanding of the subject matter, students had to score at least 80 percent on each lesson before continuing to the next lesson.

Attendance, commitment and adult support were critical to the program’s success, so all participants and their parents or other significant adults had to sign contracts stating that they agreed to work to achieve 80 percent or better on their individualized lessons, commit to attend training sessions for increasing expectations at home, visit a local community college, and attend a USA Funds Unlock the Future^® session. USA Funds Unlock the Future promotes early awareness of the benefits of higher education among middle-school students and their parents.

“USA Funds Unlock the Future and the college tours have been very successful in the program,” says Maureen Weiss, president, Huddle Learning, Inc. “USA Funds Unlock the Future shows parents and students how to set higher expectations for learning in high school and beyond, and introduces financial-aid options. The program shows there are options available for everyone. And the college tours are a fun way to expose students to the college experience.”

As an incentive to complete the program and pursue postsecondary education, each student who completed the program received a $100 scholarship from USA Funds. The school system held the scholarships and awarded them upon graduation. The five graduating seniors from the initial pilot program all are eligible to receive their scholarships.

Program yields results
The initial pilot program was a success. The state-test scores improved, students who may have been falling behind were brought up to speed with their classmates, and parents and faculty saw a noted improvement in the student’s attitudes toward schoolwork and school participation

The school district now is expanding Piloting Your Future to reach more students at Turner Middle School, and the program is a model for other schools in Kansas. Currently there are more than 200 Piloting Your Future programs being offered throughout Kansas. The hope is to continue to expand the program and its positive effects on the lives of academically at-risk students who otherwise might have dropped out of school.