December 10, 2011

Taking the ‘Go On’ challenge in Idaho: Albertson foundation grants encourage college attendance

 - Idaho Statesman

55 Idaho high schools spent the past school year competing in the Go On Challenge to win grants from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson foundation. Eight schools showed the most improvement in three areas: increasing the number of students who take the SAT and other pre-college tests, take advanced placement or dual-enrollment classes, and complete coursework in upper-level math and science.

Eight schools get $100,000: Idaho Distance Education Academy; Notus Jr./Sr. High School; Madison High; Clark Fork Jr./Sr. High; Canyon Ridge High; Lakeland High; Kimberly High; and Vallivue High.

That’s not all: Three other Idaho schools earned smaller grants from the foundation: Initial Point Academy in Kuna received $15,000, and two Meridian schools — Central Academy and Meridian Academy — took home $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.

Mad money: Winners can use the money any way they choose. One example: The 800-student Idaho Distance Education Academy will connect its Pocatello and Post Falls learning centers to the Idaho Education Network, which connects students online to classrooms across the state, broadening their opportunities to take classes that are not offered in their communities.

An urgent mission: Just half of Idaho students go directly from high school to college, a figure that ranks Idaho 47th in the nation. The foundation wants to turn that around.