By Ivan Pereira
The New York Life Foundation announced last Thursday it will be providing a helping hand to thousands of city high school students who yearn to get into college.
The life insurance company's charity awarded a portion of a $400,000 grant to education reform group New Visions for Public School to provide parents and school personnel with information to ensure that more than 7,000 ninth-graders stay in school and are ready for post-high school classes.
The money will help fund the group's citywide plan, known as the “Campaign for College and Career Readiness.”
“We are grateful to the New York Life Foundation for supporting our efforts to dramatically increase high school graduation rates among students who have been traditionally under-served by the system,” said Robert Hughes, president of New Visions, in a statement.
The Queens schools that will receive the grant include the Academy for Careers in Television and Film in Long Island City; East-West International in Flushing; Queens High School for Information, Research and Technology in Far Rockaway; the Young Women's Leadership Academy in Astoria; and Hillcrest High School in Jamaica.
The initiative consists of three parts: increasing parental encouragement, developing community resources and tracking student progress. The grant will enhance these goals, according to New Visions.
According to the group, the extra money will offer training sessions to 50 parent coordinators who will teach other parents how to help improve their children's reading skills.
In addition, New Visions will partner with the City University of New York to develop a database to document and study data on how students perform during their college experience at CUNY schools.
“This grant will allow us to sustain the progress we've made and continue our ability to help students understand that college is possible,” Hughes said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
