Harlem Children Society i3 Validation Effort
"The Harlem Children Society (HCS) has provided an after-school and summer informal education and academic enrichment mentoring program in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) fields for low-income, minority youth who attend under-resourced and under-performing schools for ten years. In accordance with its central mission, HCS served under-resourced and under-represented students at an inverse ratio to most US universities' math and science student populations. The program is particularly successful in attracting young women, mostly from ethnic and racial minority backgrounds. With this application, HCS respectfully requests funding to validate its efforts to-date at six sites (Harlem/New York City, NY; Washington, DC; Albuquerque, NM; Detroit, MI; New Orleans, LA; and the Hopi Reservation in AZ), serving 450 students during year one and 650 students by year five.
The HCS has successfully evolved highly successful programs at engaging, training and retention of minorities and under-resourced and under-served youth communities in STEM disciplines. It believes in a hands-on approach to education, where such students are paired with scientists and provides tutoring so that they can participate fully and join an existing research team. Students are given individual projects within the investigation - the essence of HCS academic enrichment and mentoring program. To-date, all (100%) HCS program participants have stayed in school, eventually graduating from high school and enrolling in college/university, 80% continue their studies in STEM fields. Program-wide, more than 60% of program participants come from families where a language other than English is spoken in the home.
The HCS is addressing Absolute Priority 4-Innovations that Turn Around Persistently Low-Performing Schools and Competitive Preference Priority 6 and Competitive Preference Priority 7 and Competitive Preference Priority 8 (Innovations that Serve Schools in Rural LEAs)."
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