With support from AT&T, the Center for Talent Development (CTD) will expand its Project Excite program for minority gifted students in Evanston schools. Project Excite, which currently serves students in grades three to eight, will add a summer program for students heading to high school.The intensive summer experience will be designed to better prepare Project Excite students for high school academics and will offer support at a critical period. "We are concerned about these students once they leave the program," says CTD director Paula Olszewski-Kubilius. "Many have trouble staying on track."
The intent of the Project Excite program is to close the achievement gap at the high school level. While 50 percent of the students at Evanston Township High School are African-American or Latino, only 11 percent participate in advanced mathematics and science classes. Students who are selected for Project Excite receive enrichment in science and mathematics to allow them to enroll in the most challenging high school mathematics and science courses. Project Excite incorporates summer, weekend and after-school classes along with individual advising, parent seminars and other outreach activities.
The new summer program will seek to counteract some of the influences that cause students to stray. "While Project Excite students have been identified as high potential, their achievement is not always commensurate with their abilities for many reasons, including underdeveloped study skills, skill gaps, difficulties adjusting to increasingly academically challenging work, and negative influences including gangs and peers," says Olszewski-Kubilius. One of the advantages of a summer program is that it is apart from the students' school environments.
The six-week program will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. five days a week, and one of the goals will be to develop good study skills and work habits. To maintain participation and commitment, students will be paid a stipend comparable to summer job earnings. The curriculum will be tailored to students' needs, with groups focused on different learning goals as well as one-on-one assistance.
The new summer program has an advantage over the high school tutoring program that was offered earlier. Olszewski-Kubilius says, "Students will benefit more in terms of improved performance from 'anticipatory prepping' rather than tutoring that is reactive to problems, and the program can accomplish multiple goals." These include fixing skill gaps, providing a foundation for major coursework concepts and improving study habits.
Project Excite has been shown to provide students with a jumpstart in the early years. Ninety percent of black eighth graders exceeded standards on the 2006 Illinois State Achievement Test, and 77 percent of freshmen placed in honors classes. Participants have also reported increased interest and motivation for schoolwork.
As part of its High School Success Special Grants Program, AT&T made a grant of $50,000 to Project Excite to support the pre-high school initiative. Project Excite has served more than 175 students since its inception in 2000.
The Center for Talent Development is a nationally recognized and accredited organization dedicated to the identification and development of students with exceptional academic ability. Since 1981, CTD has been a leader in the education of gifted young people. Each year, the Center serves 37,000 gifted children and their families.
Photo:
Project Excite students investigate pond ecology at a nature center during a summer field trip.
Last Modified: 9/22/09