ACT to Award Helpers of At-Risk Students

February 4, 2003

IOWA CITY, Iowa—Institutions that strive to help at-risk students succeed in education and careers are eligible for awards that will help them improve their services.

The ACT Awards Program is designed to benefit projects, studies and programs that aim to increase empowerment of individuals whose life circumstances and environments could hinder their educational and career quests, according to Richard J. Noeth, ACT director of policy research.

"The award winners will receive ACT programs and services to aid them in working with at-risk students," Noeth said. This year ACT is particularly interested in supporting programs and studies that respond to the recommendations put forth in recent ACT policy reports that deal with the educational planning of certain at-risk populations.

The ACT Awards Program seeks proposals for two types of activities:

Demonstration Programs serving the education- and/or career-planning needs of at-risk students.
Research Studies designed to give information about education and/or career challenges and programs for at-risk students.

ACT will offer four to six awards each year with a total value of $50,000. Awards are for one-year periods and generally will be given in the form of ACT programs, services, consultation and resources.

Applications for this award must be received by May 15, 2003. Award winners will be announced by June 28, 2003.

Applications will be judged on description of the at-risk population to be served by the award, the applicant program's design and planning, how readily the program could be implemented in other settings, and the likelihood of the project being completed as planned.

The ACT Awards Program began in 2001. The 2002 recipients were:

Kenwood Academy's (Chicago, IL) Project Assist program — to establish a resource network to help identify the academic strengths and weaknesses of incoming ninth grade and current tenth grade students, providing a framework to maximize learning while undertaking a rigorous college preparatory curriculum.
Chicago State University's (Chicago, IL) Career Exploration and Orientation Program (CEOP) — to enhance retention by assisting first-time freshmen with choosing a major. The goals of the program are to reduce the number of undecided majors, increase student retention, and demonstrate increased academic performance by program participants.
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma's (Chickasha, OK) Linking Assessment to Academic Success project — to tie assessment to academic success through the improvement of an integrated retention model. The model supports learning interventions that include identification of at-risk students; faculty advising for at-risk, undeclared major students; and learning interventions through academic advising, counseling, and learning resources.
The University of Florida's (Gainesville, FL) CROP (College Reach-out Program) — to increase the number of students who successfully complete postsecondary education by providing educational motivation and preparation for low-income, disadvantaged students who otherwise would be unlikely to seek admission to postsecondary education.
Miami Northwestern Senior High School's (Miami, FL) POWER (Progressing Onward with Educational Resources) program — to target at-risk juniors and seniors to enhance their opportunities for applying to and entering postsecondary education. These students spend their junior year researching colleges and careers, visiting colleges, and preparing for the ACT Assessment. For seniors, the focus moves towards assisting them through the college admissions process.
Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN), in partnership with the Indianapolis Public Schools and the Indianapolis business community — to develop the Science Bound program, addressing the issue that many underrepresented students are not pursuing careers in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. The program involves students, who might not ordinarily go to college, beginning in seventh grade and continuing through college entrance, and mentor teachers.

The awards reflect ACT's mission to help people achieve education and career goals by providing information for life's transitions.