A $50,000 grant was awarded to RFC last week by the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation for the RFC school program and to support the inaugural Reach for College! College-Readiness Institute. The Institute is also being supported by smaller grants from the Freddie Mac and The Herb Block Foundations.
The College-Readiness Institute for educators, being presented in partnership with the Community College of DC, will be held August 2-6 at Bell Multicultural School. High school and college educators from around the metro DC region are presenting at and attending the Institute. They will learn about specific teaching strategies to align the expectations and teaching between the two educational levels to make for a smoother transition between high school and college. Too often, students require remedial classes upon entering college. The goal of the Institute is to reduce the need for college remediation through professional development that strengthens the high school-through-college educational pipeline.
The Cafritz Foundation grant helps to subsidize the cost for DC and Prince George's County educators so they can attend the five-day Institute for $175. The normal cost is $875. Space is limited, but is currently still available. For more information and to register go to:
College Readiness Institute.
A second grant of $65,000 was awarded to RFC by the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education in part to develop a College-Readiness online course for students. This grant is part of a collaborative grant RFC had applied for with two partner schools--Washington, Math, Science and Technology and Hospitality Public Charters. The Enhancing Education Through Technology grant utilizes ARRA funds to boost educational achievement through technology. The partner schools will use their funds to upgrade hardware and internet connectivity in their schools.
RFC will use the money to work to create an online course with game-like elements to boost reading, writing and math skills. The goal of this college-readiness course is to reduce the need for remedial classes in college by preparing high school students for college standards.
The great majority of students who have to take remedial classes in college do not graduate. This wastes their great potential, theirs and the college's financial resources, and is, ultimately, a loss for the whole community. It is hoped that through these twin innovations--the RFC College Readiness Institute for educators and the RFC College-Readiness Online Course for students--that this loss of students can be curtailed.
