The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Science and the Arts is among a group of six of the nation’s top-performing high schools to receive a grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.
ASMSA was chosen from a pool of more than 100 of the nation’s selective admissions public high schools invited by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to propose new or expanded programs that prepare academically talented, low-income students to gain admission to and graduate from these top schools. Combined, the grants will benefit more than 1,500 students in grades 6-12.
“We want to give low-income students who are really smart an equal opportunity to succeed,” said Harold Levy, executive director of the Cooke Foundation. “Helping high-ability students with financial need fulfill their potential has significant implications for the social mobility among America’s lower-income families and for the strength of our economy.”
ASMSA will use its award of $61,152 to develop Project HELIX (Helping Elevate Low-Income Students to Excellence). Project HELIX will introduce 40 prospective students each year to ASMSA via a two-week residential summer program and peer mentoring, followed by admissions counseling, and ACT, PSAT and SAT test prep throughout the academic year. The school is already in the process of recruiting the first cohort of current rising sophomores (members of the Class of 2018) from Arkansas Delta counties.
Selective public high schools provide a robust learning environment for advanced learners, offering rigorous curricula, deep engagement, and an academically oriented peer community, all contributing to strong preparation for students entering top colleges and universities.
ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice, who authored the school’s proposal, noted the institution has an exceptional track record in promoting access for low-income students to the school’s residential program.
“One-in-three students attending ASMSA come from low-income backgrounds,” Alderdice said. “Such representation is the highest among the 16 public residential schools of mathematics, science and technology and double the national average.”
Application for Project HELIX is now open to students in the Arkansas Delta and expanded Delta region. To learn more about the program or to apply, visit asmsa.org/outreach/project-helix.
Recent research has shown that economically disadvantaged students are less likely than wealthier peers to perform at advanced levels as they progress through their academic careers, creating a profound Excellence Gap—the disparity between the number of lower- and higher-income students who reach advanced levels of academic performance.
“The longer smart, poor kids stay in school, the less likely that they are to remain at the top of their class,” Levy said. “That’s a repudiation of the American Dream, and the foundation is determined to do everything we can to turn that around.”
Alderdice also attended “Closing the Excellence Gap,” a summit of education administrators and thought leaders sponsored by the JKCF in Washington, D.C., in February. The group learned about cutting edge research as well as sharing and identifying best practices for supporting high-achieving, low-income students.
“Schools like ASMSA receive investment from their states to develop talent and promote appropriately challenging learning opportunities for motivated students. Though further investment by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, we look forward to seeking out low-income students for whom ASMSA can be a truly transformational experience,” Alderdice said.
More information can be found at www.excellencegap.org.
The grant recipients are:
Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, Hot Springs, Ark. ($61,152);
Maine School of Science and Mathematics, Limestone, Maine ($36,000);
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and the Ingenuity Project at Poly, Baltimore, Md. ($100,000);
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, N.C. ($99,781);
Carver High School for Engineering and Science, Philadelphia, Pa. ($99,007); and
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Arlington, Va. ($99,744).
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. By offering the largest scholarships in the country, comprehensive counseling and other support services to students from seventh grade to graduate school, the Foundation is dedicated to ensuring high-performing, low-income students have the support necessary to develop their talents and excel educationally. In addition to its scholarship programs, the Foundation provides grants for innovative, high-impact initiatives that benefit such students. By doing so, the Cooke Foundation seeks to use its resources to end the Excellence Gap, the disparity between the number of low- and high-income students who reach the top levels of academic performance. Founded in 2000, the Foundation has awarded $130 million in scholarships to 1,900 students and over $80 million in grants. www.jkcf.org