For profit business

MUSEK

The program is fairly new and underfunded. However, all students who have been enrolled in the program for the 2012-2013 cycle- have been accepted to a 4 year university. These students come from diverse backgrounds. Some students were significantly performing academically below grade level, but were able to thrive while in the program. All of the students are first-generation college students, so to watch the students overcome personal obstacles to accomplish academic goals is rewarding. This program has shown that it can help students improve their grades by empowering with tools that inspire critical thinking, focus, and organization. Implementing this curriculum has definitely motivated my students to pursue higher education. Not only are they thinking about college but they now understand the skills they must develop to get into college and to succeed in college.

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  • 2013 Grants Challenge

    Empowering students thru arts and education

    ​M.U.S.E.K will be used as a curriculum for our students.M.U.S.E.K, which stands for Motivating Underprivileged Students thru Empowerment and Knowledge is a program designed to support students, to help them go to college, particularly those from high needs population, to reach their fullest potential. It also serves to level the playing field for minority and low-income students, as well as students who may be the first in their families to potentially attend college. TheM.U.S.E.K program serves to support its students by teaching and reinforcing study and organizational skills, encouraging students to take more rigorous and challenging classes, providing college and career counseling; and ultimately preparing them for success at four-year colleges. M.U.S.E.K isnot a remedial education program; instead it is a college preparatory program designed to provide whatever support may be lacking for students who possess academic potential, but who may not be aware of the power that education holds. NEED STATEMENT In today’s society it is becoming increasingly important for people to successfully complete higher education to be successful in their careers. However, not all students are being provided the same opportunities in regards to their college preparation. Research has shown this, as McClafferty, Torres, and Mitchell (2000) state: “Urban schools tend to be larger, with fewer resources, and located in areas of higher poverty rates. The student populations in urban schools are also more likely to be comprised of people of color or of students who have difficulty speaking English. In addition, children in urban areas are more often exposed to conditions that endanger their health and well-being, such as limited access to medical care and increased exposure to violence and crime” (p.3). Therefore, it is more difficult for teachers in urban schools to prepare their students for college level courses and the rigor that they entail. Furthermore, when students in urban areas are not provided with the resources they need, they often do not meet the A to G requirements, the courses a student needs to have taken to apply for Universities. To take it a step further students sadly aren’t even thinking about college because they are unaware of its accessibility to them. This failure by teachers and staff to deliver this information to students coupled with a lack of resources is a major problem that students at urban schools face. As most of the students come from home environments that do not value education, many students are not enthusiastic about attending school, and often do not see value in doing school work. So, it is important for teachers to reach out and understand their students and the community which they come from. To do this teachers need to find out all the information they can about students backgrounds as well as getting involved in their lives outside of school and getting parents involved. If students are in a cohesive and safe educational environment which provides them with resources and knowledge of opportunities, students will be more likely to take them and hopefully feel more confident in themselves. Confidence will allow them to take risks and strive for higher goals, like going to college. The mission of this program is to address the unique needs of the educationally disadvantaged. We whole heartedly believe that every youth, if provided an opportunity at home and school, has the potential tosucceed. These opportunities include access to a quality education, counseling services to youth and the parents about higher education. MUSEK will serve those students’ grades 9 through 12 who come from one or more of the following high risks groups: Expelled or suspended from home district, Wards of the court or dependents of the court, Pregnant and/or parenting, Recovered Dropouts, Habitually truant or habitually insubordinate and disorderly whose attendance at the school is directed by a school attendance review board or probation officer, Retained more than once in kindergarten through grade eight.