Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Scholars Program Bridges Gap

Developing a relationship between schools and business is the goal of the Arkansas Scholars program.

Members of the Prescott Rotary Club heard about this at a recent meeting, when Lee Gordon, with the Arkansas Business and Education Alliance spoke.

The scholars program has a track record and strong evidence of success, he said, It has been in operation in Independence County for several years, but now more than 65 districts in the state have adopted it.

The program encourages academic achievement by students in grades nine through 12. It begins with in-class presentations by local business leaders at the eighth grade level during their second semester.

They are shown slides with discussions held and the students learn what businesses look for in prospective employees, the salaries of various jobs and how important it is for them to complete high school.

Additionally, during the presentation, students are shown an image of how life could be after they complete high school, including examples of budgeting for a household on a monthly income of $1,500.

They see how hard it is to make ends meet on a job paying $8.65 an hour in today's world. Through such demonstrations, the students are shown the importance of education beyond the high school level along with attaining marketable skills.

As part of the eighth grade presentations, Gordon said, the program is specifically introduced. The students are asked to set four goals for the remainder of their prep careers.

These goals are: to make a "C" or above in all academic courses; to achieve a 95 percent or better attendance record; to take the recommended courses needed to prepare for post- secondary education (at least three years of science and social studies and four years of math and English); and to complete high school in a minimum of eight consecutive semesters.

Parents of the eighth grade students are provided with information on the program and are asked to support their children's academic efforts during their high school careers.

Those graduating seniors who achieve all of these specific goals are designated as Arkansas Scholars and are invited to a banquet in their honor. Awards are presented at the affair.

Participating local employers agree to request high school transcripts and recognize the accomplishments of these students. This, Gordon said, becomes a factor in employers hiring decisions as it is used more and more.

Students are getting more and more involved in the Arkansas Scholars program, he continued, by taking advanced courses and attending school more regularly.

Under the program academic achievement is no longer the exclusive domain of the top students in the school, and average students involved in the program see themselves in a different, more positive light.