The University will receive a $1.2 million Talent Search grant from the U.S. Department of Education to provide academic services for middle-school children in the Rochester City School District.
The David T. Kearns Center for Leadership and Diversity in Arts, Sciences & Engineering will administer the project, with funding of $240,000 each year for the next five years.
“The Kearns Center is thrilled to have received this grant, as it will allow us to deepen our already strong connections with the students in the Rochester City School District,” said Beth Olivares, dean for diversity initiatives and director of the Kearns Center. “This funding will provide support for upwards of 500 RCSD students each year via our College Prep Centers at East High School and Vanguard Collegiate High School. We look forward to continuing to transform lives through educational opportunity.”
Rochester ranks first in poverty among cities its size nationwide.
Talent Search identifies and assists individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education. It provides academic, career, and financial counseling to its participants and encourages them to graduate from high school and continue to postsecondary education.tu
Talent Search also encourages people who have not completed education programs at the secondary or post-secondary level to re-enter and complete those programs.
Talent Search will serve 500 students in seventh to 12th grade each year, providing a comprehensive set of wraparound services including mentoring, tutoring, academic advising, classroom and after-school workshops, plus visits to colleges and universities and referrals to community agencies.
