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21st Century Scholars - Archived Article
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For many parents the offer of free tuition for their middle school age child to attend college sounds too good to be true. In fact the State of Indiana does offer that opportunity for income eligible families. All they need to do is enroll their child in the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program.
The Twenty-first Century Scholars Program offers free college tuition for students who are on free and reduced lunch. Students must enroll in the program during 6th through 8th grades and meet certain expectations. They must pledge not use illegal drugs or alcohol and must maintain a C average GPA through high school.
At the end of the 2008-2009 school year just over 30% of eligible middle school students were enrolled in the program. This is in spite of the efforts of guidance counselors to enroll eligible students. Many parents are not ready to think about a college education for their child when there is at least four years before they would graduate from high school.
A college education is becoming increasingly important. According to the Indiana Department of Education nearly 60% of all jobs require at least some post high school education. This statistic is expected to rise as an increasing number of jobs are becoming more technical in nature.
Heritage Fund is leading a community initiative to promote the Twenty-first Century Scholars Program. Representatives from Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (BCSC), Flat Rock Hawcreek School Corporation (FRHC) and Twenty-first Century Scholars have worked with Heritage Fund to create a multi-faceted plan to increase enrollment in the program.
• Parent Recruiters are working under the supervision of Guidance Counselors and will contact eligible families to ensure parents understand the program and encourage them to sign the enrollment form.
• A promotional blitz - The Republic and the Hope Star Journal have recently featured the program. White River Broadcasting and Q-Mix have also featured the program and will continue to run PSA’s through June
• Outreach to Not-for-profit organizations – Many parents have a closer relationship with a least one not-for-profit organization than with their child’s school.
• Posters and flyers. Flyers have been widely distributed in the community. Seventh grade students at Northside Middle school recently participated in a poster design contest.
Please help us spread the word about the Twenty-First Century Scholars program.
If you know of a family who might qualify please encourage the mother or father to contact the guidance counselor or pupil service teacher at their child’s school. The enrollment form can be completed in a matter of minutes!
Additional information about the program can be found at www.21scholars.com
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