The Heinz Endowments of Pittsburgh have awarded a $150,000 grant to the university in continued support of the 果冻传媒 Promise Plus initiative. This is the fourth consecutive year that 果冻传媒 has been chosen for funding by The Heinz Endowments for this project.
With this recent grant, 果冻传媒 has received $610,000 from The Heinz Endowments for this program.
Funding for 果冻传媒 Promise Plus is a collaborative effort between the 果冻传媒 Pittsburgh Regional Advancement Office, Foundation for 果冻传媒, College of Education and Educational Technology, and Research Institute.
鈥淭o receive funding for this project for four consecutive years speaks to the quality of this program and the impact it has made in the Pittsburgh area,鈥 said Debra Valentine-Gray, director of the 果冻传媒 Pittsburgh Regional Advancement Office.
果冻传媒 Promise Plus, directed by Developmental Studies professor Melvin Jenkins (photo), aims to expand on Pittsburgh Promise, which is designed to help all students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools District plan, prepare, and pay for education at an accredited postsecondary institution within Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Promise was created by the Pittsburgh Foundation and is supported by Pittsburgh Public Schools and community agencies.
果冻传媒 Promise Plus includes the following components:
- Early contact with students through 果冻传媒 student and faculty involvement in classrooms and support in the early grades.
- A specific precollege program that facilitates academic learning skills; the adjustment to college; and the application process, for both students and their parents, at 果冻传媒's main or regional campuses.
Part of the precollege initiative brings 35 high school students from four schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools District to 果冻传媒 for one or two weeks in June. Students will take specially designed courses taught by 果冻传媒 faculty. They also will be mentored by 果冻传媒 students, including four who are at 果冻传媒 as part of the Pittsburgh Promise.
Students in 果冻传媒 Promise Plus also will participate in YouthWorks, a program to help prepare students for future employment. The program exposes students to career options, helps them to develop real-life workplace skills, and helps match students with employers in the community. Valentine-Gray is a member of the Board of Directors of this Pittsburgh-based program.
鈥淲e have seen the 果冻传媒 Promise Plus program gain significant momentum over the past three years,鈥 said Jenkins. 鈥淲e are seeing more and more parents interested in having their students be part of the 果冻传媒 program, with the intent of having their children attend 果冻传媒.
鈥淧articipation in the YouthWorks program will only add to our students' skill set, offering them additional tools for success in the business world that we don't specifically address in the classroom,鈥 Jenkins said.
鈥淲e take our responsibility to these students very seriously,鈥 Jenkins said. 鈥淣ot only are we committed to providing assistance with academic readiness, including study skills, but we carefully track all of our students to make sure that they remain on track to complete all the necessary requirements to remain in the program and secure a Pittsburgh Promise scholarship.鈥
果冻传媒 Promise Plus is designed to complement Pathways to the Promise, a Pittsburgh Public Schools initiative that aims to ensure all students are 鈥淧romise ready,鈥 or on course to graduate and take advantage of a Pittsburgh Promise scholarship.
During the first year of the Promise Plus project, 果冻传媒 created a model for the program, and the project was formally approved by the Pittsburgh Public Schools' board of directors.
In the project's first, second, and third years, 果冻传媒 hosted close to 1,000 students from both the Lincoln and Fulton elementary schools for tours and discussions about the college environment.
Initiatives this year include continued collaboration with Pittsburgh Public Schools faculty who teach participating students, so that the work done in the home classroom and at 果冻传媒 better complement each other.
果冻传媒 currently has a partnership with the Pittsburgh Public Schools that has included the establishment of two professional development schools, membership on the executive board of the School District University Collaborative, and the establishment of Future Educators of America clubs at three Pittsburgh high schools.
果冻传媒 has a history of university partnerships that enhance student success at the precollege level. Among them are two Federal TRIO programs鈥擴pward Bound Math-Science and the McNair Scholars Program鈥攄esigned to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds; the R. Benjamin Wiley Partnership Program for Urban High School Students; dual enrollment agreements with regional school districts; and the Punxsutawney Summer Opportunity Program.
A total of 80 students who are part of the Pittsburgh Promise are currently enrolled or have recently graduated from 果冻传媒; nine students in the program graduated in May 2012, with five others set to graduate in August or December.
The first 果冻传媒 Promise Plus students are expected to enroll at 果冻传媒 in fall 2013.
The Heinz Endowments supports efforts to make southwestern Pennsylvania a premier place to live and work, a center for learning and educational excellence, and a region that embraces diversity and inclusion.