LINCOLN -- Lincoln High School has been awarded a $100,000 grant from United Way of Northwest Arkansas that will be used to help students get certified in certain skills and will provide personalized learning opportunities for all students.
Lincoln's grant is part of United Way's First Step Funding initiative, a new focus to support programs that create pathways out of poverty for children.
For 2016-17, United Way received 79 proposals for a First Step Funding grant and narrowed this to 26 finalists, according to Melody Timinsky, vice president of community impact. A committee of volunteers voted to fund 19 proposals for a total of $770,000 in grants.
Timinsky said one of the reasons United Way selected Lincoln's proposal was that it would meet a need in the community and would leverage partnerships the school already had in place.
"When we partner together, we collaborate and have a stronger program," Timinsky said.
She said United Way wanted to make investments in programs that "can actually move the needle in moving children out of poverty."
In presenting the grant, United Way pointed out Lincoln's program would have impacts on employment and job readiness for the youth of the community.
Lincoln's grant application notes that the new program would target students through increasing hope. It explains that hope is a powerful motivator and research shows those of lower socioeconomic status view the future as having more negative events than positive events.
Through personalized learning, students will have instruction that is individually paced, tailored to learning preferences and to specific interests, the proposal says. The goal with personalized learning is to help students in poverty break their negative mind-set and have higher expectations for the future.
Lincoln High School's plan is to offer courses so students can become a certified nursing assistant or earn certifications for welding, using a fork lift and training under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said Principal Courtney Jones. Another course will be computer programming or computer coding.
The money will be used to implement the classes and hire additional staff to get the process started.
The personnel is in place for the forklift, welding and OSHA courses and Jones is talking to several companies about the CNA class. The school is still seeking a qualified computer programmer.
This year, high school students in 10th-12th grades can sign up for personal learning times within their school day and these can be used in different ways.
Some students, for example, will use their time to become certified in technical skills, such as OSHA, welding and fork lift. Others may decide to use their personal learning time to take a class at NorthWest Community College or Northwest Technical Institute.
Other options will be available through Virtual Arkansas and students can sign up for online classes and work at their own pace.
In addition, the school will have offices open for students who need tutoring or additional help in specific subjects.
"They can use their personal learning time to access the teachers and get help from teachers during the school day," Jones said. "We're excited about this."
Jones has worked on these changes to the school for about a year. Some of the ideas came from a program at Pea Ridge High School and others are being used to meet Lincoln's specific needs. Some of the programs will start during the fall and others may start in January.
The overall goal, Jones said, is to prepare students for life beyond high school, whether they go on to a four-year or two-year college, more technical training or directly into the workplace. Students who are certified in specific skills will already have an advantage when it comes to applying for jobs, she added.
General News on 08/17/2016