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Governor Rendell Says Students Will Be Better Prepared for College, Career, With $19 Million High School Reform Investment

Posted on: Friday, 22 September 2006, 12:01 CDT

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell announced the investment today of $19 million so more high school students can earn college credit, benefit from more rigorous academic courses and receive better college and career counseling.

Three of Governor Rendell's core high school reform initiatives are being expanded or funded for the first time. Project 720 and Dual Enrollment are expanding and are each receiving $8 million, while College & Career Counseling is getting a first-ever investment of $3 million.

"Pennsylvania has emerged as a national leader in high school reform thanks to innovative initiatives like Dual Enrollment and Project 720," Governor Rendell said. "These programs change lives; they provide students with a serious, competitive edge for their own future success and that of the commonwealth.

"High school students are entering a new, globally-competitive economy and must be equipped to compete with their peers in countries like Japan and India. Pennsylvania's future competitiveness depends on making sure students are prepared for a successful transition to higher education and careers."

Governor Rendell's $8 million Dual Enrollment program is giving students in 59 counties the opportunity to earn college credit at community colleges and four-year universities and colleges as high school juniors and seniors. Dual Enrollment funding began last year with a $5 million state investment and opened 20,000 college course slots for students in 229 school districts.

"This year we increased Dual Enrollment funding by $3 million to enable nearly 10,000 more students to graduate high school and be better prepared for success in college," said Governor Rendell. "Now, nearly 30,000 students in 313 school districts will earn college credit before graduating high school. They'll be better equipped to take on challenges as the next generation of workforce and community leaders."

Students participating in the program will earn college credit at 77 post- secondary institutions, or six more than last year. Also, 13 of the 14 community colleges in the state are participating in Dual Enrollment, while 12 of the 14 universities within the State System of Higher Education are now allowing students to take college credit while in high school.

Participating schools requested funds to be used for academic core courses only, such as those in math, science, English, history and the arts. Based on the applications received by the department, students will enroll in nearly 4,600 courses.

Governor Rendell also announced new Project 720 grant recipients - Pennsylvania's nationally recognized high school reform initiative. Governor Rendell's 2006-07 budget expands the program from $4.7 million to $8 million for 2006-07. Project 720 is designed to transform Pennsylvania's high schools by providing students with a more rigorous high school curriculum while also enhancing their access to post-secondary education opportunities.

"Project 720 has also been expanded this year by another 32 high schools. The 75 high schools that started this program last year are continuing to receive grants," Governor Rendell said. "We've already seen great progress in the original schools. Thousands more students have enrolled in more challenging courses and are receiving more hours of instructional support and counseling."

Compared to last year, an additional 1,000 9th grade students were enrolled in algebra and an additional 2,600 students received personalized career and college counseling. There were significant increases in the number of students participating in advanced placement classes and dual enrollment courses. And, there was a 30-percent increase over the previous year in extra instructional time for 9th and 10th grade students.

Governor Rendell also announced the first recipients of a new part of his high school reform strategy - expanding access to high quality college and career counseling. Governor Rendell's 2006-07 budget introduced $3 million for College and Career Counseling grants to help school districts upgrade their counseling programs so that students are prepared for college and high-skill careers.

With College and Career Counseling, school districts will work to create a student-centered career development system to better prepare more students for college and career success. Schools will provide all students with a college preparatory sequence of courses as defined in Project 720 and will incorporate the career education and work academic standards into their curricula.

The three-year program will award grants of between $50,000 and $200,000 to 19 school districts that have higher rates of families living in poverty. The investment is designed to enhance career and college counseling efforts. Second- and third-year awards will be contingent on available funding and performance of the grant recipient.

"Despite dramatically increasing investments in education since Governor Rendell took office nearly four years ago, school districts' demand for these kinds of programs and support continue to outpace available funding," said Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak. "The volume of requests shows that districts are eager to take advantage of great opportunities like Dual Enrollment, Project 720 and the first year of College & Career Counseling thanks to Governor Rendell's targeted investments."

Governor Rendell has invested an additional $1.8 billion in education since taking office in 2003. This year's budget maintains tutoring funds at $66 million for more than 120,000 eligible students in 169 districts. The new budget also introduces the $200 million Classrooms for the Future initiative, a three-year program designed to transform high school instruction through the use of laptop technology in every core subject classroom.

For more information on Governor Rendell's education initiatives or the Department of Education, visit http://www.pde.state.pa.us/.

The Rendell Administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit his Web site at: http://www.governor.state.pa.us/.

CONTACT: Kate Philips 717-783-1116 Mike Storm (Education) 717-783-9802

EDITOR'S NOTE: Included below is a list of grants awarded to Project 720 schools and College & Career Counseling districts in 2006-07. Visit http://www.project720.org/ for the list of the 313 Dual Enrollment school districts and the 75 continuing Project 720 high schools

College & Career Counseling District County Funding Highlands SD Allegheny $113,180 Woodland Hills SD Allegheny $180,000 Freedom Area SD Beaver $180,000 Bedford Area SD Bedford $180,000 Altoona Area SD Blair $180,000 Tyrone Area SD Blair $82,189 Central Cambria SD Cambria $180,000 Greater Johnstown SD Cambria $180,000 Central Columbia SD Columbia $125,000 Middletown Area SD Dauphin $180,000 William Penn SD Delaware $180,000 Corry Area SD Erie $127,174 Laurel Highlands SD Fayette $116,793 Lancaster SD Lancaster $180,000 Allentown City SD Lehigh $200,000 Williamsport Area SD Lycoming $180,000 Colonial SD Montgomery $180,000 Philadelphia City SD Philadelphia $198,581 Sullivan County SD Sullivan $57,083 School District County Funding Baldwin-Whitehall SD Allegheny $71,000 Elizabeth Forward SD Allegheny $62,000 McKeesport Area SD Allegheny $111,000 North Hills SD Allegheny $47,000 Shaler Area SD Allegheny $79,000 Wilkinsburg Borough SD Allegheny $62,000 Armstrong SD Armstrong $101,000 Beaver Area SD Beaver $49,000 Everett Area SD Bedford $64,000 Oley Valley SD Berks $46,000 Spring Cove SD Blair $58,000 Penn Cambria SD Cambria $67,000 Carbon Career & Technical Institute Carbon $57,000 Avon Grove SD Chester $85,000 Central Dauphin SD Dauphin $55,000 Southeast Delco SD Delaware $98,000 Brownsville Area SD Fayette $76,000 Frazier SD Fayette $67,000 Southeastern Greene SD Greene $73,000 Brookville Area SD Jefferson $65,000 Scranton SD Lackawanna $135,000 Hempfield SD Lancaster $83,000 Mohawk Area SD Lawrence $71,000 Catasauqua Area SD Lehigh $45,000 Whitehall-Coplay SD Lehigh $64,000 Lakeview SD Mercer $54,000 East Stroudsburg Area SD Monroe $122,000 Philadelphia (Furness and Randolph) Philadelphia $139,000 Mahanoy Area SD Schuylkill $74,000 Canon-McMillan SD Washington $68,000 Spring Grove Area SD York $81,000 York City SD York $121,000

Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

CONTACT: Kate Philips of Pennsylvania Office of the Governor,+1-717-783-1116, or Mike Storm of PA Department Of Education, +1-717-783-9802

Web site: http://www.state.pa.us/http://www.pde.state.pa.us/http://www.governor.state.pa.us/http://www.project720.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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