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Grant gives students college jump start

• A grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will allow Dougherty County students to get high school diplomas and two years of college credits simultaneously.

Joshua Brown

ALBANY — Dougherty County’s upcoming seventh-graders will be able to earn two years of college credit by the time they’ve graduated high school thanks to a new grant for the school system’s recently approved Early College Program.

The program, funded by a $400,000, three-year grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will allow seventh-graders to follow a path toward getting their high school diplomas and two years’ worth of college credit by the time they’ve finished 12th grade, Early College Coordinator Barbara Harvey said.

Students will be able to enlist in the program at no cost, which is designed to take students who have not performed well in school and encourage them to attend college.

“If we can get students motivated and excited about college, then ... it will increase our graduation rate and decrease our dropout rate,” she said. “And that is our ultimate goal, to make sure we get students excited.

“These students have potential, but for whatever reason, have not been able to exhibit that potential in the traditional classroom setting.”

The grant will come in the form of $150,000 for the first year’s startup costs, Harvey said, and the system will receive $125,000 for the next two years to cover the program’s costs. After that the school system will have to reapply for the grant, she said.

Students will attend classes on Albany State University’s campus and will be taught by four instructors hired by DCSS specifically for the program for grades 7-10. ASU will provide instructors for grades 11 and 12, which will be dual-credit classes that can be applied toward a college degree and the students’ high school diplomas, Harvey said.

From grades 7-10, students will follow DCSS curriculum, though for the 11th and 12th-grade years, students will have the dual-enrollment credit classes, she said.

All of the college credits are transferable, she said. An ASU representative for the program could not be reached for comment.

Several criteria must be met for students to be accepted into the program, she said, including scoring between the 26th and 60th percentile on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and being a child who has not had anyone else in the immediate family receive a four-year degree.

Only 20 of the available 60 slots have been filled, so the deadline has been extended to until the spots are filled, Harvey said.

Once the students meet requirements and are accepted to the program, advisers will help determine which career they want to go into, which in turn helps them to determine their college path, she said.

Within about four years, the school system should hit its maximum capacity of about 300 students.

Harvey said she is also looking for qualified teachers for the program, who must have a middle school teaching certification.

Parents interested in the program for their students or teachers interested in a position can call Harvey at (229) 431-3415 or e-mail her at barbara.harvey@.at.dougherty.k12.ga.us for more information.

Harvey said the school system is working to ensure that students participating in the program still have access to DCSS extracurricular activities.

The program is a one-time shot, Harvey said. She encouraged parents and students to make sure they were committed to finishing the program once they started it.

“We’re asking once students are in, we’re asking parents and students to make a serious commitment,” she said.

Harvey came from Worth County, where she served as principal of Holley Elementary School, and has had 12 years of experience in the education field, three of which were as an assistant principal, she said. The Early College will function like an independent school, for which she essentially holds the principal’s position.

The funding is given to ASU, who then distributes it to the Dougherty County School System, Harvey said.

“I’d just encourage parents to take advantage of this awesome opportunity,” she said.

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